| The Summer Palace |
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| ¡¡¡¡The Summer Palace, originally named as Qingyiyuan
(Garden of Clear Ripples), was designed by the famous
court architect Lei Jiaxi, and was bui1t between 1750
and l764. Covering about l90 hectares, the imperial garden
is chiefly composed of the Longevity Hill and the Kunming
Lake. It was burned and destroyed by the British-French
a1lied army in 186O. The Empress Dowager Ci Xi had it
renovated in l888 with the 5 million tae1s of si1ver that
had been appropriated for building the Chinese navy, and
changed its name to the present Yiheyuan, or the Garden
of Harmonious Unity. Blended harmoniously with the landscape,
the halls, towers, pavilions, corridors, walkways and
bridges in the gardcn display exquisite workmanship. The
Summer Palacc is the best preserved imperial garden in
the wor1d with rich scenes and concentrated structures. |
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