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Yuanmingyuan Park

Qing Hua Xi Lu, 蓝旗营, Bei Jing Shi

Description

Yuanmingyuan (圓明園), or the Old Summer Palace, was the main imperial residence of Qianlong Emperor and his successors under the Qing Dynasty after its construction during the reign of the Kangxi Emperor in the early 18th century. The complex consisted of three gardens (Perfect Brightness, Eternal Spring, and Elegant Spring) covering 350ha, several lakes and dozens of halls, pavilions, temples, and bridges. The palace was destroyed by an Anglo-French expeditionary force in 1860, during the Second Opium War. Only a few Chinese-style and European-style buildings survived and the site was abandoned until it was turned into a historical site in the 1980s.

Access & Transport

The palace is about 17km northwest of the city centre of Beijing. There are several bus services heading there and metro line #4 reaches all the way - visitors should alight at Yuanmingyuan station.

Instructions & Recommendations

Although there is some degree of overlap, the proximity to the Summer Palace makes this a good combo.

Meta review

The attraction is generally featured in travel guidebooks but not considered a highlight, unlike its neighbour the Summer Palace. Online reviews are good but not much more and the complex is mostly described as "huge" and "a park full of lakes and beautiful bridges" with some ruins of limited interest thrown in. It can be busy near the entrance on weekends and public holidays but stray away and this should no longer be an issue.

Environmental & Social

We consider this attraction environmentally neutral. Part of the country's architectural and historical heritages.

Conclusion

The Old Summer Palace is clearly not even a shadow of its former self and it takes some imagination to reconstruct what it would have looked like, relegating the Summer Palace to a second tier complex! That being said, the various lakes and bridges make for an enjoyable walk with some culture thrown in - the perfect opportunity to learn or revise the history of the Second Opium War and generally of China's troubled relationship with the West under the Qing dynasty.

Key positive

Plenty of green spaces and an interesting history

Metro station nearby

Key negative

Not many buildings remain to be seen

A little time consuming to get to from the city centre

Suitability

Accessible

About this Rating

TYPE

Desktop

RESEARCHED IN

February 2024

PROVIDER

Koreval

Included Items
None
Timing
Duration of visit
Last admission is 2h before closing

av. transport time:1h

est. visit time:2h

Regulated hours

Start of Season 1:Apr, 01

Season 1

MONDAY07:00 - 20:30

TUESDAY07:00 - 20:30

WEDNESDAY07:00 - 20:30

THURSDAY07:00 - 20:30

FRIDAY07:00 - 20:30

SATURDAY07:00 - 20:30

SUNDAY07:00 - 20:30

Start of Season 2:Nov, 01

Season 2

MONDAY07:00 - 19:30

TUESDAY07:00 - 19:30

WEDNESDAY07:00 - 19:30

THURSDAY07:00 - 19:30

FRIDAY07:00 - 19:30

SATURDAY07:00 - 19:30

SUNDAY07:00 - 19:30

Pricing
Age band
Age band
Regular price / pers.
Senior
60 - 99
CN¥0
Adult
18 - 59
CN¥25
Child
3 - 17
CN¥0
Infant
0 - 2
CN¥0

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