SUMMER PALACE, Introduction

Hi, my name’s Rick, and I’m your personal guide. Along with MyWoWo, I’d like to welcome you to one of the Wonders of the World: the Summer Palace.

The Summer Palace is the largest and best-preserved royal park in China.

Its origins date to 1153, when the fourth emperor of the Jin dynasty ordered the building of a palace on a small hill known as Jar.

Around 1271, after the Yuan dynasty established its capital in present-day Beijing, a project was undertaken to create a reservoir that would guarantee a water supply for the palace, and the Western Lake was thus created.

In the 16th century, Emperor Zhengde had another palace built on the banks of this lake, thus turning the area into imperial gardens....