Emperor Qianlong built this palace on the existing imperial park to celebrate the 60th birthday of his mother in 1749. It has been used as a retreat from the summer heat by the imperial family since. It is the only large scale imperial garden that is well preserved in China. The Summer Palace was named a World Heritage Site in 1998 for being "a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design".
We arrived at 10.00 in the morning and entered through the Eastern Palace Gate. This palace is huge. We did not see much of the palace on our first visit in 2001. This time we managed to see all the main sites. We left at 3.38 pm by the North Palace Gate.
A pair of bronze lion guarding the entrance
The lioness is depicted with a cub at its feet
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