Old Summer Palace ​- the former famous royal Garden during the Qing Dynasty

Last Update: 8th October 2020

What is the Old Summer Palace?
Adjacent to the Summer Palace, the Old Summer Palace is located was built in 1707 and consists of Yuanming, Changchun and Hunchun. Covering an area of 350 hectares, it is a large royal palace for the emperors in the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1912) for more than 150 years.

The Old Summer Palace had been well-known for its large area, outstanding construction skills, exquisite architectural landscape, rich cultural collections and profound national cultural connotations. It has been hailed as “a model of all gardening art” and “the No. 1 garden of the gardens”. But unfortunately, it was robbed and burned down in a fire in October 1860 by the British and French troops.

Old Summer Palace ​Fast Facts
  • Chinese Name: Yuanmingyuan (圆明园)
  • Area: 360 x hectares​
  • Things to do there: Photography, Exploring, Architecture
  • Who visits: Photographers, Chinese Culture Lovers, Architecture Learners, History Buffs
  • Time required: 2 – 5 x hours
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Interested in visiting the Old Summer Palace on a Beijing Tour?

Wendy Wei Tours offers a variety of different packaged tours as well as custom tours including Old Summer Palace, among other attractions and destinations. To find out more, please visit our Tours page or Contact Us directly to find out more.

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What to expect at the Old Summer Palace

The Old Summer Palace is situated near Peking University. In the Qing Dynasty, the emperors preferred to spend summer and dealt with the national matters in the Old Summer Palace. At that time, the Old Summer Palace was a combination of some famous gardens similar to those in the south of the Yangtze Rive and architecture of the Western gardens. It was a great achievement in the art of ancient and modern Chinese and foreign gardens. There were magnificent palaces, exquisite pavilions, bustling markets, mountain villages, and other buildings similar to those in Suzhou and Hangzhou. In addition, countless jewels and precious paintings and other treasures were well-preserved until 1860 when British and French troops robbed and burned the palace.

Through the hard work of archaeologists in the past few years, more than 50,000 pieces of cultural relics have been found and well-preserved. Nowadays, omposed of two major areas: Fuhai Lake Scenic Area and Houhu Lake Scenic Area, the garden landscape of the park is mostly water-themed. In the Qichun Garden, visitors can admire many types of plants, such as Chinese flowering crab-apple, flowering peach, lavenderlilacs, Chinese redbud and so on. Every summer, the lotus festival is always held in Qichun Garden. The Labyrinth in the European Palaces Scenic Area is a rectangle with European style. The Labyrinth is a must-visit in the Old Summer Palace.

 

Although most of the buildings in the Old Summer Palace were destroyed, visitors can also feel its amazing views through the documentary of “The Old Summer Palace” in the Exhibition Hall for the Old Summer Palace which is on from 08:30 to 17:00 every day.

Best time to visit the Old Summer Palace

The best time to visit the Old Summer Palace is in the morning during its opening hours. You could visit it at any month around the year.

 

How to get to the Old Summer Palace

The Old Summer Palace is located in downtown Beijing. Therefore, there are several options.

  • Rent a vehicle to the palace. This is the quickest and most direct option.
  • Take Bus 331, 432, 498, 628, 664, 690, 696, 697, 432, 717 and Bus 982 to the palace
Additional Old Summer Palace Travel Advice
  • Opening hours: January 1 – March 15 and October 16 – December 31: 07:00 – 19:30 (the tickets are not issued from 17:30); March 16 – April 30 and September 1 – October 15: 07:00 – 20:00 (the tickets are not issued from 17:30); May 1 – August 31: 07:00 – 21:00 (the tickets are not issued from 19:00)
  • As at 8th October 2020, the entrance pricing for the palace is 10 CNY per person; the elder between 60 years old (60 years old included) and 64 years old (64 years old included) are charged 5 CNY per person; children under 1.2m (1.2m included) and the elder above 65 years old (65 years old included) are free of charge.
  • The entrance pricing for the European Palaces Scenic Area (including entrance to Dashuifa Site, the Exhibition Hall and the Labyrinth) is 15 CNY per person; the elder between 60 years old (60 years old included) and 64 years old (64 years old included) are charged 7.5 CNY per person; children under 1.2m (1.2m included) and the elder above 65 years old (65 years old included) are free of charge.
  • The entrance pricing for the Sand Table for the Old Summer Palace’s Panorama is 10 CNY per person; the elder between 60 years old (60 years old included) and 64 years old (64 years old included) are charged 5 CNY per person; children under 1.2m (1.2m included) and the elder above 65 years old (65 years old included) are free of charge.
  • For the latest pricing information, please contact us via email (info@wendyweitours.com)
  • The palace offers umbrellas and wheelchairs rental service.
  • The palace offers the rental service for multi-language audio-guide.
  • In summer, you could enjoy lotus on a boat.
Interested in visiting the Old Summer Palace on a Beijing Tour?

Wendy Wei Tours offers a variety of different packaged tours as well as custom tours including Old Summer Palace, among other attractions and destinations. To find out more, please visit our Tours page or Contact Us directly to find out more.