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The design of the Summer Palace was based on a legend in Chinese mythology about three divine mountains in the East Sea, namely Penglai, Fangzhang (方丈) and Yingzhou (瀛洲).
The Summer Palace was devastated by invading European forces, first in 1860 and again in 1900. On both occasions the palace was rebuilt by Empress Dowager Cixi, and to many Chinese people the palace became a symbol of national and cultural resistance in the face of foreign barbarism.
The Summer Palace was originally built for Emperor Qianlong's mother to celebrate her 60th birthday. Later the Empress Dowager Cixi rebuilt it as her residence to live a peaceful life in her old age.
Built: 1709. Area: 350 ha (860 ac) Time needed: 2–3 hours. Suited to: history lovers. Yuanmingyuan: The Masterpiece Garden of Qing Dynasty. Yuanmingyuan was built as a gift for the Kangxi Emperor's fourth son, Yongzheng. He expanded the garden greatly after Yongzheng's reign in 1725.
The Summer Palace in Beijing—first built in 1750, largely destroyed in the war of 1860 and restored on its original foundations in 1886—is a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design.
During 1884 ~ 1895, the empress Dowager Cixi (慈溪太后) rebuilt the palace and gave the present Chinese name "Yiheyuan" (颐和园). In 1900, the army of the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded Beijing again and destroyed the Summer Palace. Many artifacts stored in the palace were looted.
According to UNESCO: The Summer Palace in Beijing – first built in 1750, largely destroyed in the war of 1860 and restored on its original foundations in 1886 – is a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design.
