円明園

The Old Summer Palace was once the most magnificent of the Qing dynasty's imperial gardens, a sprawling royal retreat in northwest Beijing so beautiful it was celebrated as the "Garden of Gardens." Made up of three linked garden areas, it combined Chinese landscape design with European-style palaces, fountains, and waterworks, and it housed priceless collections of art and treasure. Today it is remembered as much for its tragic history as for its former splendor, making it one of Beijing's most poignant places to visit.

In 1860, during the Second Opium War, Anglo-French forces looted and burned the main palaces, and the grand European-style structures were left in ruins. Visitors now come to walk among fragmentary marble columns and scattered stonework, most famously the haunting remains of the Western Mansions, whose carved arches stand as a memorial to what was lost. Rather than restored halls, the site offers evocative ruins set within a large park of lakes, canals, and wooded islands, and it carries a strong sense of reflection on a turning point in China's history.

The grounds are very extensive and mostly green and open, so a visit is really a long, contemplative walk; give yourself a couple of hours or more, and be ready to cover distance on foot. The ruins of the Western Mansions usually require a separate ticket from the main park entry, so check as you go. The park is beautiful across the seasons, with lotus flowers on the lakes in summer and golden foliage in autumn; mornings are peaceful, while weekends and holidays draw more visitors. Comfortable shoes and water are worth bringing.

The Old Summer Palace sits close to the Summer Palace in the northwest of the city, and the two make a natural, if contrasting, pairing, one a living garden, the other a memorial of ruins. Many travelers combine them across a day exploring this leafy district, perhaps alongside the nearby universities. For anyone interested in Chinese history and the encounter between China and the outside world, this evocative site adds real depth and emotional weight to a Beijing itinerary.