The Summer Palace

Located at Haidian in the western suburbs of Beijing City, the Summer Palace covers 2.9 sq.km. and is one of the Three Fairy Mountains and Five Imperial Gardens of the Qing Dynasty, and a typical example of imperial garden among the classical gardens of China. The palace complex and the scenery of the Longevity Hill fronting south are marvelous and planned on a grand scale. A gallery is 728 m.long and painted with 14000 pictures, having not been equaled by any other known anywhere in the world. Water makes up 75% of the total area. The southern lake and Suzhou Street on the north are laid out in imitation of the Venetian scenes south of the Lower Yangtze. Having met the criteria Nos.1, 2, 3 for inclusion of cultural properties on the World Heritage List, the Summer Palace was inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1998.

Xiequyaun