Our Trip to Beijing Municipality, China

5. Summer Palace

This is a view of the Summer Palace from the lake. On the left center is the Bronze Pavilion, the Temple of the Sea of Wisdom, and the Hall, which Towers into the Clouds. The Covered Way runs along the edge of the lake the full length. Off to the right is the Hall of Happy Old Age, a palace where the Dowager Empress Ci Xi used to live. It is still furnished and reminds you of one of the western palaces of the Forbidden City. The Chinese name for the Summer Palace is Yiheyuan the "Park of Nurtured Harmony." The Summer Palace occupies 280 Hectares (700 Acres). Kunming Lake is by far the largest feature of the park.