The Summer Palace used to be the favourite place of Empress Ci Xi. She spent hours there, thinking about the future of the country, or simply having rest. It would be a mistake to think that the real beauty of the palace can be seen in summer only. In winter the palace still attracts many people, who enjoy the harmony of its gardens, beautiful lake landscapes, hills and pavilions.
The park near the palace is 294 hectares large. An interesting fact - almost three quarters of its territory is covered with water. It is situated on the north-west of Beijing near the West Mountains, approximately 15 kilometres away from the city centre. Since 1998 that place has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list.
In addition to the sights that have been mentioned above, Beijing is full of other attractions that will be of a great interest to travellers. These are Beihai Park, the Thirteen Ming Tombs, Marco Polo's Bridge and many other sightseeing objects.
Continue reading
This article about Beijing is written by the orangesmile.com editorial team and is protected by the copyright law. The article can only be re-used with a direct link to www.orangesmile.com