Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan)
The Qing dynasty's "Garden of Gardens": in 1709 the Kangxi Emperor granted it to his fourth son (the future Yongzheng Emperor); developed over 150-plus years under six emperors and merged with Changchun Garden and Qichun Garden, it formed an imperial garden of roughly 350 hectares that brought together the finest of Chinese and Western garden art
Visitor info
- Opening hours
- 07:00-19:30
- Ticket
- CNY 10 (ruins-area combo ticket CNY 25)
Price is indicative — final quote on inquiry.
The Qing dynasty's "Garden of Gardens": in 1709 the Kangxi Emperor granted the estate to his fourth son (the future Yongzheng Emperor); developed over 150-plus years under six emperors and merged with Changchun Garden and Qichun Garden, it formed an imperial garden of roughly 350 hectares that brought together the finest of Chinese and Western garden art. It was looted and burned by Anglo-French forces in 1860; the surviving broken columns of the Western Mansions, such as the Great Fountain (Dashuifa) and Yuanying Guan, have become a symbol of national humiliation and a patriotic education landmark, while of the "Forty Scenes of Yuanmingyuan" only outline ruins remain. Black swans live on Fuhai Lake, with summer lotus and autumn ginkgoes as natural highlights; the ruins-area combo ticket includes the Western Mansions area and the "Never Forget National Humiliation" exhibition.
Getting there: Metro Line 4, Yuanmingyuan Station
Photos
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