Yuanmingyuan (Old Summer Palace)
Location: Beijing City
Transportation: Bus/Taxi service
Culture/History Rating: 4/5
Scenery Rating: 1/5
Hotels: N/A
Summary:
Description:
| In the ancient and vast country of China, there are three construction works enjoying world-wide fame even today: The Great Wall, Stone Niche Temple of Dun Huan and Yuan Ming Yuan. Yuan Ming Yuan was the latest one and closest to today, yet the mostly ruined one.
Built by six generations of Qing emperors, the garden spanned a three-hundred-fifty hectare area (circumference 10 kilome- ters), with a fairyland of hills, ponds, lakes, ancient trees and palaces filled with one and half centuries of imperial treasure collecting. For 139 years, Yuan Ming Yuan served for administration, vacation and living purpose by five emperors in the Qing dynasty. |  |
 | Yuan Ming Yuan was the largest and most luxurious imperial garden, with a host of scenery sites representing different Chinese gardening styles.Yuan Ming Yuan was the culmination of a two thousand year tradition of Chinese high art gardening and culture.
History's most magnificent garden, the great Yuan Ming Yuan, was tragically burned in 1860. In 1860 the British and French Joint Army shacked Beijing. The decadent and moribund Qing dynasty was unable to protect its nation. After robbing all the treasure, books, paintings, imperial clothing, the army set the fire and burned down the well-known "three mountains and five gardens" including Yuan Ming Yuan. Hundreds of years of efforts, the talents of thousands, and millions of treasure items were all gone with the wisps of smoke. The fire in Yuan Ming Yuan went on for three days and three nights |
| Thirteen years after the robbery and fire, while China was under invasion and facing subjugation, TongZhi emperor ordered to reconstruct Yuan Ming Yuan to celebrate his mother's 40th birthday, while listening to the explosion of bombs outside of Beijing. However, the reconstruction was forced to stop because of lack of financial resources. In 1900, the united army from eight European nations entered Beijing. Under the knife and gun, Yuan Ming Yuan was robbed and destroyed again. After one hundred and fifty years, this garden, which was filled with singing and dancing, dining and playing, became wilderness, spread with broken bricks and crumbling walls. |  |
 | What there left now are only huge stone columns which used to be parts of theancient buildings, but still you could enjoy the beauty of it - though not in a cheerful way, and feel the wisdom and spirit of ancient Chinese people. The grounds remain an oasis among the hustle and bustle of modern day Beijing. Visitors will enjoy the serenity and beauty of the Fu Hai lake where in the summer, paddle and rowing boats can be hired. There is also a Garden History Exhibition Hall with drawings and models of the palace in its former glory as well as a synopsis of the history of the Old Summer Palace. The maze was also restored in concrete form by French architects and historians in the 1980s. |
Climate:
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statistics |
Average values in the latest 20 years |
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month |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
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Highest temperature on the average (centigrade) |
2.0 | 4.0 | 11.0 | 20.0 | 27.0 | 31.0 | 30.0 | 30.0 | 26.0 | 20.0 | 10.0 | 3.0 |
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Lowest temperature on the average (centigrade) |
-9.0 | -7.0 | -1.0 | 7.0 | 13.0 | 18.0 | 22.0 | 21.0 | 14.0 | 7.0 | -1.0 | -7.0 |
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rainfall (mm) |
5.0 | 5.0 | 10.0 | 20.0 | 35.0 | 75.0 | 205.0 | 180.0 | 5.0 | 15.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |