View from the Tower of Buddhist Incense 佛香阁

Okay, the title might be a little bit misleading. There is no way for visitors to go up the Tower of Buddhist Incense, although it would have very nice to be able to. The tower, however, sits on top of a hill which is basically the highest place in the entire area. Visitors will already have a good view of the surrounding area from the ground floor of the tower.

Looking down from the tower, you can see the rest of the palace grounds. In typical Chinese imperial palace design, much of the grounds is retangular with the bright orange tiles of the roofs showing prominently when viewed from above. The rest of the palace extends all the way to the water’s edge and it would not be surprising to know that the emperors would come here to survey the area or to view military drills as it was used at that time.

You can also have a good view of sparkling Kunming Lake. I was impressed to see how large Kunming Lake actually was, to think that emperors have had the lake deepened and widened over the years. Further afar, are the outskits of the city of Beijing. For all its breakneck dash to modernity, Beijing still keeps much of her history intact. The Summer Palace serves as a place for relaxation for the city’s residents, it also serves as a link to its colorful past.

[xmlgm {http://www.worldwanderings.net/kml/SummerPalace.kmz} zoom=19]