Summer Walk in Yuanmingyuan

I haven’t gone out for more than a month. I even planned to go back to Zhuhai during the Dragon Boat Festival, but it was canceled due to the recurrence of the epidemic.

Recently, there have been very few new cases in Beijing, only 1-2. The originally high-risk places have gradually been downgraded, and people can go out again under the premise of taking good protection.

This time I chose to go to the Old Summer Palace.

The Old Summer Palace is located in the Fifth Ring Road in the northwest of Beijing. It is very large, covering an area of ​​3.5 square kilometers. It is composed of three major gardens, namely Old Summer Palace, Changchun Garden and Qichun Garden, also known as the Three Gardens of Yuanming.

How big is the Old Summer Palace? After walking the incomplete two-thirds, we walked 12 kilometers. Every time I went there, I only went to one of the parks. Especially if you go with your children, you basically just walk around Qichun Garden and don’t go further inside.

This time I am alone and ready to take on the challenge of spending one day walking through the three parks of the Old Summer Palace. Arrived around 9am and left around 3pm. If it weren’t for the rain, I would have planned to take pictures of the sunset before leaving.

The Old Summer Palace is too big. If you have trouble with your legs, I really don’t recommend walking the entire park. You can choose to take a tour bus or ride a bicycle.

Ruins of Western-style Buildings in Old Summer Palace

Speaking of the Old Summer Palace, I think everyone, like me, will think of "Burning the Old Summer Palace", the Great Water Method, and the 12 zodiac bronze heads. The Great Water Method and the 12 zodiac animals are all in the ruins of the Western Building. If you are visiting the Old Summer Palace for the first time, it is highly recommended to visit the Xiyanglou ruins. These are the evidence of burning, killing, and looting left by the Eight-Nation Allied Forces.

Great water method and water observation method

Haiyantang

Old Summer Palace Exhibition Hall

square appearance

Yellow Flower Array (Maze)

The octagonal pavilion in the middle of the yellow flower formation

The pool opposite the Yellow Flower Array

humorous

In summer, Old Summer Palace is also a good place to enjoy lotus flowers. When the lotus flowers are in full bloom, many tourists come to watch and take photos. Especially old drivers carrying guns and cannons are indispensable.

note

The Old Summer Palace is really too big and has too many attractions. Many scenic spots are just passed by in a hurry, and many places take a photo and then leave. I will go and play slowly when I have time later.