The last place to tick-off from our Beijing Adventure was the Summer Palace..
The Summer Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is the largest well-preserved royal park in China. 
With its beautiful natural views and picturesque Chinese garden landscapes, I’d say we saved the best for last. 
Exploring the park was an adventure as each area had a different feel. The Summer Palace can be divided into: the Halls, Longevity Hill, Kunming Lake, the Farming and Weaving Picture Scenic Area, the Long Corridor and Main Axis area. 
We trekked through the “Longevity Hill” which is amazingly man-made but stands at 60 meters high. 
Many of halls and pavilions can be found in its front part.
Taking breaks while doing the climb was necessary. 
Or else, we would have ended up like him. Haha.
Going down the hill was a feast for the eyes and a rest for our legs. Submitting ourselves to gravity was a welcome experience. 
And when we could no longer move, mini pagodas were the perfect venues for some respite from all the suffering.
The place was so huge that there were bridges to cross…
…ponds to admire..
…forests to traverse…
…and old structures to explore.
Beautifully and intricately designed”paifangs” or traditional Chinese arches greeted us whenever we’d enter new sections.
The Kunming Lake is the man-made lake that covers three quarters of the Summer Palace. 
This lake is so huge that it has three islands within, reflecting the Chinese gardening symbolism of “one pond, three hills”. We were already fine to sit by the edge of the lake though. 
The Long Corridor is noted for its painted beams and ceilings. It isn’t called long for nothing..this hallway was so long that we didn’t even bother finishing it.
But, we crazily opted to climb The Tower of Buddhist Incense…
which is the highest building in the Summer Palace.
A cute area to explore is also Suzhou Street which was constructed to recreate the Shantang shopping street.
A full day was definitely not enough to enjoy the whole of Summer Palace.
Definitely a place I’m willing to visit again. 🙂
The Beijing 2015 Adventure
Come join me as I track back on the cultural and gastronomical adventure we had in the following blog posts…
- Beijing 2015: The Adventure & ArtBnB
- Nanluoguxiang Hutong Village and the search for the The Drum & Bell Tower
- Jingshan Park: The Hilly Park
- Da Dong: Peking Duck Goodness
- Tiananmen Square: The Square of Democracy
- Temple of Heaven: China’s Religious Complex
- Din Tai Fung: Dumpling Goodness
- Beijing Zoo: The Giant Panda Viewing
- Beijing Chaoyang Theatre & Wangfujing Road: Chinese Acrobats & Exotic Food Fare
- The Great Wall of China: The Endless Journey
- Ming Tombs: The Mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty Emperors
- Hong Qiao Market & Dada Bar
- Hai Di Lao Hotpot: Sichuan’s Popular Hotpot Chain
- Summer Palace: The Most Beautiful Park in Beijing
What do you think?