The gorgeous Yuanmingyuan

Right after the Yiheyuan, my daughter and I continued our day /trip to the Yuanmingyuan, which was just a couple of stations away from the Yiheyuan/ Summer Palace....Entry to this place costed us RMB25 per person...

The Yuanmingyuan was first built in the year of 1709 during Emperor Kangxi 's reign (Qing Dynasty1644-1911). Over the next 150 years of the Qing Dynasty, this Garden was continuously expanded until it was a huge Chinese emperors' private pleasure garden, covering an area of 3.5 square kilometer, about five times bigger than the Forbidden City..

His imperial majesty, Emperor KangXi... picture credit to google....

Emperor Kangxi who wrote three characters of the name in Chinese calligraphy named it Yuanmingyuan. Yuan meaning the perfection of human morality which surpasses what the commoners have; Ming meaning the advisability, perfection and extension of political achievement. 

This gorgeous garden consists of three parts - Yuanmingyuan, Wanchunyuan (the Garden of Blossoming Spring) and Changchunyuan (the Garden of Eternal Spring). So you can see, it is a 3 in 1 kinda garden, known by its common name,  Yuanmingyuan....

Hundreds of scenic spots in the garden are made up of exquisitely reproduced famous landscapes of Southern China, composed by pavilions, temples, lawns, lakes and bridges. It is definitely a feast for the eyes for photographers, wannabe photographers, selfie enthusiast and people who love to appreciate beautiful sceneries.... Everywhere you look, besides the people who go there, you only see scenic and beautiful spots....

Along the way, you can also find some traditional stalls selling souvenirs as well as blown sugar figurines...

My daughter was interested in one so we got one for about RMB10 (after some bargaining....)

While here , you can not help but be overwhelmed by the beauty and majestic of this amazingly beautiful garden...After all it was once upon a time known to be an exquisite garden with hundreds of rare flowers and trees. Outside the Forbidden City, Yuanmingyuan Imperial Garden was the place lived by the most emperors. 

Look at the scenery... Isn't it just soooooo gorgeous... I know I am gushing but seriously I could not help it when I was looking at the sceneries myself... There are not many such beautiful gardens around..

Beautiful lakes and ponds filled with lotuses of a few different varieties...take the time to stroll along the garden and enjoy the magnificent sceneries and take lots of photos.....

It is a very long walk from the entrance of the garden to the ruins of Yuanmingyuan. More then a km!!! No kidding, so be prepared with a bottle of water and comfortable pair of walking shoes....

Yuanmingyuan Park once upon a time quite a magnificent imperial palace, that was sacked by British troops. 

This old Summer palace was different from all the imperial Chinese architecture but instead as you can see, very much inspired by western architecture. During back then, China had regular contact with Europe. 

See all these Greek like columns etc... that really reminds me of Europe.....If I am not mistaken, it was also called the 'garden of gardens' or the 'Versailles of the East' in Europe during that era. 

This beautiful place was burned and looted by the British and French troops who carted a huge amount of imperial treasures such as large number of books, treasures and cultural artifacts which were kept there away....

It is almost impossible to imagine how the Yuanmingyuan Park used to be the site of the Imperial Summer Palace since all there is left are just ruins, some columns and broken pieces of the building left.... but according to some 

That was how tragic it is. The Yuanmingyuan Park is now some sort of archeological park with ruins all around, possibly waiting for someone to piece it all together. I really wish someone would try to reconstruct this place ....

This place is so beautiful even in ruins and somehow it just reminds me of parts of Angkor Wat, Borobudor and the other lovely ancient sites that have been restored but still partly left in ruins...

By the time we were done here, yours truly was extremely exhausted and could not even imagine or think of a walk back to the entrance/exit of the Yuanmingyuan...Seriously.. just thinking of a walk over 1km out was making my knees weaker then ever.... 

Fortunately, there was a tram/ buggy ride outside the ruins area and with RMB5, we got a ride 3/4 of the way back to the exit/entrance area....

http://www.yuanmingyuanpark.cn/

It has been thought that.... the beautiful old summer palace would like this...Isn't it just so gorgeous..

(Both pictures above here are taken from Google and are not mine... just used for illustration purposes...)

How to get there.......

By Bus:

1. Take bus 365, 429, 432, 562, 614, 664, 681, 699, 717, 982, Te 4, Yuntong 105, Yuntong 124, and get off at Yuanmingyuan Dongmen (East Gate) Station.

2. Take bus 365, 562, 664, 681, 982,  Te4, Yuntong 105, 432, 614 and get off at Yuanmingyuan Dong Lu Station.

3. Take bus 331, 432, 438, 498, 508, 579, 594, 601, 664, 696, 697, Te 18, Te 19, Te 6, Yuntong 124  and get off at Yuanmingyuan Nanmen (South Gate).

By Subway:

Subway Line 4: get off at Yuanmingyuan Station and get out of the station from Exit B (northeast exit).