Yiheyuan, the Summer Palace of Peking’s water and hills
Published on 08/29/2026 at 07:59 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Yiheyuan, known in English as the Summer Palace, is an imperial garden on the north?western edge of Peking where water, hills and pavilions form a single vast landscape. Centred on Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill, it brings architecture and scenery together on a scale that feels closer to a small town than a park.
Imperial garden on the edge of Peking
Yiheyuan lies in Haidian District, in the western suburbs of Peking, some distance from the old imperial core around the Forbidden City.The complex is described as a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces. Its lakeside setting gave the Qing court a retreat that still sits clearly apart from the dense inner city, with Kunming Lake stretching across much of the site and Longevity Hill rising above it.
The garden in its present form dates mainly from the eighteenth century, when Emperor Qianlong of the Qing dynasty ordered large?scale works between 1751 and 1764.German?language guides describe the project as a birthday gift for his mother during those years. Empress Dowager Cixi later had the garden repaired and extended in the late nineteenth century, giving it the name Yiheyuan, commonly rendered in English as “Garden of Nurtured Harmony”.China?focused overviews note that she adopted the name Yiheyuan following reconstruction in the 1880s
Water, hill and the classic Chinese garden plan
The overall plan of Yiheyuan follows a clear composition: Longevity Hill stands to one side and Kunming Lake spreads out below, with palaces, temples and walkways stepped around the slopes and shore.Descriptions of the site identify Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake as its main natural features. The water surface covers most of the ground, while islands, bridges and causeways divide the lake into distinct scenes that can be explored gradually.
Within this layout, the palace quarter close to the eastern shore forms the formal entrance sequence, with gates, halls and courtyards aligned along an axis that reflects traditional Chinese palace planning.Official presentations note that the site covers about 3.09 square kilometres, with water accounting for much of that area. To the rear of the formal buildings, paths run up Longevity Hill to higher terraces, pavilions and a temple complex, from which broad views open across Kunming Lake towards the city.
UNESCO status and later life as a city park
Yiheyuan is recognised as a masterpiece of imperial Chinese garden design and forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage list.International summaries note that the garden has been included as World Heritage since 1998. Its mixture of natural contours, engineered water and architecture has made it a reference point for later garden design in East Asia.
After the end of imperial rule in 1911, Yiheyuan ceased to be a private retreat of the Qing court.Overviews of its history describe how it was opened to the public and became a park for residents of Peking from the 1920s. Paths, lakeside promenades and pavilions that once served emperors and their household now form one of the city’s major green spaces, where visitors move between shaded walkways, open water and wooded slopes in a setting that still reflects eighteenth?century ideals of landscape.
Visiting Yiheyuan: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Yiheyuan lies in Haidian District on the north?western side of Peking, with main gates on Xinjiangongmen Road and metro connections at Xiyuan, Beigongmen and along the Xijiao Line.
- The terrain combines lakeside promenades with hillside paths on Longevity Hill, and some routes involve extended flights of steps and sloping walkways.
- Within the grounds, distances between the main gate area, the hilltop temple precincts and the far side of Kunming Lake can be substantial, so a visit involves sustained walking.
- English is widely used on visitor materials inside the park, while the official language of the country is Chinese and the currency is the renminbi (yuan).
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
Searching for Yiheyuan on social platforms
These links open searches for Yiheyuan on each platform.
Frequently asked questions about Yiheyuan
Where is Yiheyuan located in Peking?
Yiheyuan stands in Haidian District in the north?western suburbs of Peking, with its grounds spread around Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill.
What can visitors expect inside the Summer Palace?
Visitors encounter palace courtyards, lakeside walkways, wooded slopes and hilltop temples, along with bridges and islands that divide Kunming Lake into distinct scenic areas.
What makes Yiheyuan distinctive among Chinese gardens?
Its scale, with most of the area occupied by Kunming Lake, and the way formal palaces, religious buildings and natural contours are integrated, gives it a character that feels like a landscape in its own right.
