Yihe Yuan, The Summer Palace, Beijing by T. E. Smith-Lamothe

First developed during the Qing Dynasty (1736-1795), the summer gardens near Beijing provided the Emperor and entourage a respite from the hot urban temperatures in the mostly un-treed Forbidden City palace in the centre of the city. An immense artificial lake (Kumming Lake)was dug out and the removed material formed a new hill on the shoreline. One can walk everywhere around the vast grounds, but a popular shortcut is to take an excursion on one of the many "Dragon Ferry" barges. Portions of the complex were burned by French and Enlgish troops in 1860 and again in the Boxer Rebellion of 1902. The Empress Dowager Cixi was responsible for the rebuilding to its present form. Many and varied sites along the pathways make for entertaining walks: a bronze reclining ox, the "cloud dispelling bell", seventeen-arch bridge, Longevity Hill, and so on. For more information, go to: www.cits.net