Situated in the western outskirts of Haidian District， the Summer Palace is15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from central Beijing. Having the largest royal parkand being well preserved， it was designated， in 1960 by the State Council， as aKey Cultural Relics Protection Site of China. Containing examples of the ancientarts， it also has graceful landscapes and magnificent constructions. The SummerPalace is the archetypal Chinese garden， and is ranked amongst the most notedand classical gardens of the world. In 1998， it was listed as one of the WorldHeritage Sites by UNESCO.
Constructed in the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234)， during the succeeding reign offeudal emperors; it was extended continuously. By the time of the Qing Dynasty(1644-1911)， it had become a luxurious royal garden providing royal familieswith rest and entertainment. Originally called "Qingyi Garden" (Garden of ClearRipples)， it was know as one of the famous "three hills and five gardens"(Longevity Hill， Jade Spring Mountain， and Fragrant Hill; Garden of ClearRipples， Garden of Everlasting Spring， Garden of Perfection and Brightness，Garden of Tranquility and Brightness， and Garden of Tranquility and Pleasure).Like most of the gardens of Beijing， it could not elude the rampages of theAnglo-French allied force and was destroyed by fire. In 1888， Empress DowagerCixi embezzled navy funds to reconstruct it for her own benefit， changing itsname to Summer Palace (Yiheyuan). She spent most of her later years there，dealing with state affairs and entertaining. In 1900， it suffered again， beingransacked by the Eight-Power Allied Force. After the success of the 1911Revolution， it was opened to the public.
Composed mainly of Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake， The Summer Palaceoccupies an area of 294 hectares (726.5 acres)， three quarters of which iswater. Guided by nature， artists designed the gardens exquisitely so thatvisitors would see marvelous views and be amazed by perfect examples of refinedcraftwork using the finest materials.
Centered on the Tower of Buddhist Incense (Foxiangge) the Summer Palaceconsists of over 3，000 structures including pavilions， towers， bridges， andcorridors. The Summer Palace can be divided into four parts: the court area，front-hill area， front-lake area， and rear-hill and back-lake area.
Front-Hill Area: this area is the most magnificent area in the SummerPalace with the most constructions. Its layout is quite distinctive because ofthe central axis from the yard of Kunming Lake to the hilltop， on whichimportant buildings are positioned including Gate of Dispelling Clouds， Hall ofDispelling Clouds， Hall of Moral Glory， Tower of Buddhist Incense， the Hall ofthe Sea of Wisdom， etc.
Rear-Hill and Back-Lake Area: although the constructions are fewer here， ithas a unique landscape， with dense green trees， and winding paths. Visitors canfeel a rare tranquility， and elegance. This area includes scenic spots such asGarden of Harmonious Interest and Suzhou Market Street.
Court Area: this is where Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu metofficials， conducted state affairs and rested. Entering the East Palace Gate，visitors may see the main palace buildings: the Hall of Benevolence andLongevity served as the office of the Emperor， the Hall of Jade Ripples whereGuangxu lived， the Hall of Joyful Longevity， Cixi‘s residence， the Hall ofVirtue and Harmony where Cixi was entertained.
Front Lake Area: covering a larger part of the Summer Palace， opens up thevista of the lake. A breeze fluttering， waves gleam and willows kiss the ripplesof the vast water. In this comfortable area there are the Eastern and WesternBanks， the Seventeen-Arch Bridge， Nanhu Island， and so on. On the western bankfloat six distinct bridges amongst which the Jade-Belt Bridge is the mostbeautiful.