Today we visited the Summer Palace. In addition to the palace itself, it includes gardens and several lakes. My kind of place! The origins of the Summer Palace date back to 1153. Since the original construction, there have been several changes over the years including the addition of the long corridor which was first built in 1750. The corridor was constructed so that the emperor’s mother could enjoy a walk through the gardens protected from the elements. It is over 720 meters long and includes more than 14,000 paintings, which depict episodes from Chinese classical literature, folk tales, both historical and legendary figures, famous Chinese buildings and landscapes along with flowers, birds, fish, and insects. The Summer Palace became a World Heritage Site in 1998. There is so much history within the Summer Palace so please see https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_Palace for a full overview.

Map of the grounds

The palace

The long corridor

Pictures of the grounds