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Summer Palace Tour

Beijing's Summer Palace(Yiheyuan) was the summer retreat of the China's emperors in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. This 290-hectare complex, three quarters of which is water, is located northwest of Beijing's center with 3,000 structures. Originally built in 1750, the Summer Palace once served as a summer resort for Empress Dowager Cixi, who embezzled Navy funds to reconstruct the Summer Palace for her own benefit. In 1998, the Summer Palace was included in the UNESCO World Heritage list, declared as a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. Now, it serves as a recreational park. The most famous sites in the Summer Palace are the 728-meter-long Long Corridor and the Marble Boat.

History of Summer Palace

The Summer Palace started out life as the Garden of Clear Ripples in 1750 (Reign Year 15 of Emperor Qianlong). And later artisans reproduced the garden architecture styles of various palaces in China. The palace complex suffered two major attacks--during the Anglo-French allied invasion of 1860 (with the Old Summer Palace also ransacked at the same time), and during the Boxer Rebellion, in an attack by the eight allied powers in 1900. The garden survived and was rebuilt in 1886 and 1902. In 1888, it was given the current name, Yihe Yuan and served as a summer resort for Empress Dowager Cixi, who diverted 30 million taels of silver, said to be originally designated for the Chinese navy (Beiyang Fleet), into the reconstruction and enlargement of the Summer Palace.

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Tourist sites in the Summer Palace

The Cloud-Dispelling Hall
The Tower of Buddhist Incense
Ticket for the Cloud-Dispelling Hall and the Tower of Buddhist Incense: CNY10 / person
Garden of Virtue and Harmony
Ticket: CNY10 / person
The Kunming Lake
The longevity Hill
Marble Boat
Suzhou Street
A recreation of the shopping street originally built for th e Qianlong emperor.
Ticket: CNY10 / person
Long Corridor
Hall of Benevolence and Longevity
The Seventeen arch Bridge

Address(English):	Haidian District, Yi He Yuan
Address(Chinese):	北京市海淀区新建宫门路19号
How to get there:	subway line 4, get off at Beigongmen station(Beigongmen means the North Gate of Summer Palace); By bus Take bus no. 209, 330, 331, 332, 346, 394, 683, 690, 696, 718, 801, 808, or 826 and get off at Yiheyuan Station(Summer Palace Station); Take bus no.469 or 539 and get off at Yiheyuan West Palace Gate Station It is not expensive to get there by taxi and does not take long.
Other information:	Tel: +86-10-82600428 +86-10-62881144 EntranceTicket: CNY20/ person (Nov.1-Mar.31) CNY30B / person (Apr.1-Oct.31) Opening Hours: 07:00-17:00 (Nov.1-Mar.31) 06:30-18:00 (Apr.1-Oct.31) Official wetsite: www.ChinaSummerPalace.com

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Day 1: Arrive in Beijing
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