Imperial Summer Villa

Sprawling over 590 hectares, the Imperial Summer Villa is a colossal park bounded by a splendid 10km wall. Only a small portion of the grounds contain architecture: around 90% is taken up by lakes, hills, mini-forests, plains and hunting grounds. Passing through the Main Gate (Lìzhèng Mén) you reach the FrontPalace (Zhèng Gōng), containing the main throne hall. Inside, the refreshingly cool Hall of Simplicity & Sincerity is fashioned from an aromatic hardwood called nánmù; there is a carved throne on display. There are also the emperor’s fully furnished bedrooms, as well as displays of ceramics, drum stones and calligraphy. The double-storey Misty Rain Tower (Yǔ Lóu), on the northern side of the main lake, was an imperial study. Further north is the Wenjin Chamber (Wénjīn Gé) built in 1773 to house a copy of the Sìkùquánshū, a major anthology of classics, history, philosophy and literature commissioned by Qianlong. In the east, the tall green-and-yellow Yongyousi Pagoda (Yǒngyòusì Tǎ) soars above the fragments of its vanished temple and dominates the area. Just beyond the main palace are electric carts that buzz around the grounds (Y40); further on is a boat-rental area (Y10 to Y50 per hour). Most of the forested section is out of bounds during the fire-prone dry season (November to May), but the rest of the park is easily big enough to bring you to your knees.