Summer Palace

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December 4, 2019

summer palace beijing china, what to do in beijing, sightseeing in beijing, best places to visit in beijing china

One of my favorite things I did in China was visit the Summer Palace. The Summer Palace is an imperial gardens estate in Beijing. It’s where the royals would spend their summers, so it is basically like a luxurious retreat – it’s absolutely stunning!

There were a few really cool things I learned while there. There is a long corridor (the longest in the world!) that runs along the water and is incredibly beautifully decorated. The corridor is almost 1000 meters long and has over 14,000 paintings! There are four little gazebo areas–one for each season–along the long corridor as well.

summer palace beijing china, what to do in beijing, sightseeing in beijing, best places to visit in beijing china

summer palace beijing china, what to do in beijing, sightseeing in beijing, best places to visit in beijing china

summer palace beijing china, what to do in beijing, sightseeing in beijing, best places to visit in beijing china

summer palace beijing china, what to do in beijing, sightseeing in beijing, best places to visit in beijing china

The large lake on the property is actually manmade, which is shocking to me. It’s huge! It actually took over 15 years to make. On the lake, sit several boats that guests can actually ride. Some of my favorites included a dragon boat and a marble boat. I mean, talk about a blogger’s dream! The boat isn’t actually made of marble, but mainly wood, made to look like marble. It was meant to symbolize the stability of China and their power. Ironically, it was mostly destroyed during a war. It was then reconstructed with some European elements as opposed to the original Chinese design.

summer palace beijing china, what to do in beijing, sightseeing in beijing, best places to visit in beijing china

summer palace beijing china, what to do in beijing, sightseeing in beijing, best places to visit in beijing china

summer palace beijing china, what to do in beijing, sightseeing in beijing, best places to visit in beijing china

summer palace beijing china, what to do in beijing, sightseeing in beijing, best places to visit in beijing china

summer palace beijing china, what to do in beijing, sightseeing in beijing, best places to visit in beijing china

summer palace beijing china, what to do in beijing, sightseeing in beijing, best places to visit in beijing china

I of course also loved the gardens at the Summer Palace. There were so many gorgeous flowers. I definitely went at the perfect time to catch all the pretty blooms. I can totally see how this was a summer paradise for royalty. What a dream!

What would be your idea summer palace?