Old Chinese Buildings? Check. Lotus leaves? Check.
Just by going through the first group of buildings at the Summer Palace, you may be forgiven if you would think the Summer Palace was only a place to work and to watch operas. However, as much as ninety percent of the Summer Palace is practically garden and is essentially a personal park for the emperor. The Summer Palace complex was built around Kunming Lake which was expanded and deepened by succeeding emperors. It was built was the emperor’s respite from the searing heat at Beijing.
Pond? Check. Chinese Style Bridge? Check.
I would often think of going to the mountains to cool off but the emperors certainly have their way to kicking back. The lake is surrounded by numerous gardens which can make you forget about the daily stresses of emperor life. When visiting these gardens you can immediately see common elements in Chinese gardens, a pond, lotus, bridges and willow trees. It is like they already have a formula for making gardens. But who am I to complain, it works and I like what I see.
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