Live Your Best Lives
Green ants brewing new wine, a small red clay stove.
It's going to snow in the evening, can you have a drink?
The Great Cold has finally arrived.
The first snow of 2022 has also arrived.
Neither too early nor too late, just the right time.
How can one understand the 5,000-year history of China without visiting these two famous gardens? Today is a day of magnificent oriental aesthetics, and a happiest day for me, a history and photography enthusiast. I want to give a special thank you to Basda today. Without them, this dream trip wouldn't have happened. I'd long heard their Old Summer Palace and Summer Palace package was a classic, and today I was fortunate to experience it.
The guide's explanations throughout the trip were incredibly vivid and detailed. And they weren't your typical guides who just give a general overview. Guide Zhang possesses profound cultural knowledge, a true scholar of literature and history. She explained the stories behind the attractions from the basics to the complex, eloquently sharing them. What's remarkable is that she combined traditional explanations with engaging commentary, conveying profound cultural insights. Everyone on the bus, including the children, learned a lot and was incredibly productive. Without guides to explain the history behind these cultural attractions, our distance from them might be no more than a glass window, unaware of their purpose and unable to experience the history of the era in which they were created. Thank you, Basda.
Snow falls silently on the Imperial Garden
Falling and scattering
Like a gentle song and a graceful dance
The snow transforms the place into a fairytale world.
Our journey begins~
Mr. Lu Xun said that tragedy is the destruction of beautiful things. Old Summer Palace represents the tragedy of modern Chinese history. It was once so glorious and so beautiful that it was praised as a palace "though built by man, it seems to be created by nature," and its value is simply immeasurable. But its end was so tragic and unbearable to watch. Its fate is the fate of an entire nation, and its end is a lesson from history. Today, we view its ruins to understand history and not forget national humiliation.
This was the summer palace of the Qing Dynasty imperial family. In fact, it served as the permanent residence for five Qing emperors, where they lived, conducted their daily lives, and conducted state affairs. Its recreational facilities and collection of treasures amassed the combined efforts of the entire nation. After over 150 years of imperial construction, the Old Summer Palace gradually transformed into a breathtakingly beautiful palace. It is the epitome of Chinese feudal gardens and is widely considered the pinnacle of Chinese garden art over the past 3,000 years. Its landscape, architecture, and collections are unparalleled and unique.
The great French writer Victor Hugo once said, "A few dozen Notre Dame cathedrals combined could not rival the vastness and splendor of this oriental museum." This truly captivating experience speaks volumes. The charm of the Old Summer Palace is beyond words.
The charm of the Old Summer Palace is beyond words. Even in the late Qing Dynasty, when national power was declining and financial resources were stretched, the Qing court continued to rebuild and decorate the Old Summer Palace.
Why did successive Qing emperors attach such importance to the construction of the Old Summer Palace?
Since Emperor Yongzheng ascended the throne, Shiji Mountain in the Old Summer Palace became the center of the Qing dynasty's rule. Emperors after Yongzheng resided there three seasons a year, holding court, handling state affairs, and receiving foreign dignitaries. The Old Summer Palace was the imperial headquarters, and the Qing emperors spent most of their time in the gardens each year. Unlike the secluded confines of the Forbidden City, within the Old Summer Palace, they could fully enjoy a garden-like lifestyle of luxury: they could go boating on the Fuhai River and lakes, watch dragon boat races, river lanterns, and ride on ice beds; they could study in libraries like the Wenyuan Pavilion, listen to operas at stages like the Tongleyuan, and enjoy the school fire show at the Shangaoshuichang; they could revel in the ambiance of a simulated market town in the shopping streets; they could enjoy the agricultural, pastoral, and waterside scenes in places like the Beiyuanshan Village and Duojia Ruyun; they could admire a variety of Western-style water arts in the Western Building; they could also burn incense and worship Buddha in the gardens, climb to admire the beautiful scenery, and recite poetry at banquets.
Who wouldn't be intoxicated by such a life?
Unfortunately, history played a malicious joke on this artistic beauty, first meticulously cultivating it and then destroying it, leaving behind only sighs and lamentations from future generations.
The Summer Palace
When you think of tranquil and picturesque gardens, you probably imagine the classical gardens of the south of the Yangtze River, with their charming scenery and flowing waters. In fact, in northern China, the cultural capital of Beijing, there is also a classical garden brimming with natural beauty. Its winding waterways and corridors are majestic, blending the graceful elegance of graceful forms with the grandeur and splendor of Chinese imperial gardens.
The Summer Palace, formerly the Qingyi Garden, was built by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty as a tribute to his mother, Empress Xiaosheng. It is therefore a product of the Kangxi and Qianlong reigns, a period of great prosperity in ancient my country. Since its completion, the Summer Palace has been held in high regard. However, grand favor often comes with a fraught fate, and this Summer Palace is no exception. 
The Summer Palace is the best-preserved imperial palace and garden in China. It stands as a testament to China's modern history. Today, the Renshoudian section of the Summer Palace is the majestic and solemn venue where Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu once held court.
At the foot of the mountain lies a corridor with over 8,000 colorful paintings, known as the world's longest corridor. Modeled after the Su Causeway at West Lake, the West Causeway of Kunming Lake, built by Su Shi, winds and flows like a verdant ribbon. Modeled after the Jichang Garden in Wuxi, the Xiqu Garden is exquisitely designed and elegant, earning it the nickname "the garden within a garden."
Modeled after the Jichang Garden in Wuxi, the Xiqu Garden is exquisitely designed and elegant, earning it the nickname "the garden within a garden."
Once you’re in the Summer Palace, you’ll surely be captivated and amazed.
This trip was worry-free, effortless, and economical. Haha, but I do regret that the Summer Palace froze over in the winter, so I couldn't enjoy the boat ride. I plan to take another trip to the Old Summer Palace and the Summer Palace in April, when the spring is warm and the flowers are blooming. Friends, will you join me?
Number of days: 1 day, Average cost: 200 yuan,
Number of days: 2 days, Average cost: 500 yuan,
Number of days: 1 day, Average cost: 3000 yuan,
Number of days：4 days, Average cost: 1600 yuan, Updated: 2022.07.30
Number of days：3 days, ,
Number of days: 1 day, Average cost: 30 yuan, Updated: 2020.12.17
