Welcome to The Beijing Report extended Tour of the Old Summer Palace.
The Old Summer Palace or YanMingYuan measured 350 Hectares of Land upon which stood one of the Finest Palace of Beijing. Known as the Garden of Gardens, the Royal Park dated from the years of the Kangxi and Yongzhen Emperors of the Ching Dynasty (1644 AD - 1911 AD) who had it constructed, both to leave their eternal mark on the Imperial Capital and more importantly to be able to escape the ghastly heat of the Inner City of Beijing.
After a lengthy period of construction as well expansion it was used to Function as the Emperors Palace, hence Office during the Summer Months. As such a brandnew Palace incoorporating European Style White Marbles and other features, it was the Jewel in the Crown of the Ching Dynasty untill the year 1860 AD, when the Palace was burnt down by invading armies of the so-called 8 Allied Nations in the so-called Second Opium War.
In recent years citizens in Beijing have appealed to reconstruct the YuanMingYuan, however the City Government has ruled that only some of the relics remaining inside the park will be restored. The remainders of YuanMingYuan as they are now, will be resturctured to become a Park based on the Ruins of Old YuanMingyuan - Summer Palace.
