Around the World in (Approximately) 80 Days: Day 17: The Emperor's Summer Palace in Beijing, China

Sunday, October 2, 2016

When I mentioned at the hostel that I was planning to visit the Summer Palace, the Canadian guy who teaches English, asked if he could come along. Like everyone else in China, he was on vacation for Golden Week and had nothing to do. He speaks pretty good Chinese after 10 years living in the country, so that's helpful. He'd been to the Summer Palace a few times before, but they charge twice as much to give you access to all the attractions. He had never done that before, so we decided to go for it. But once we were faced with the packed crowds, I regretted not just buying the basic entry. Now I felt obligated to see everything, despite the lines.

My favorite of the extra attractions was a theater show. The Canadian guy hung back because he really hates crowds, but I got right up near the front to photograph the audience as well as the performer. Afterwards, I couldn't find him, despite his 6'4" (1.95 meter) height. He found me instead. We were practically the only non-Asians out of 50,000 visitors that day.

Construction began on the Summer Palace in 1750, to provide a luxurious garden and relaxation area for the royal family to escape the heat of the Forbidden City, 21 km away, and to entertain their guests. It later became the permanent residence of the royal family towards the end of the Qing Dynasty. Many believe it is the best preserved Imperial Palace in the world, and it's included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1998.

Kumming Lake was originally constructed in 1291 as a reservoir, but was enlarged and enhanced by 10,000 workers to compliment the palace and the views. Total area is 2.2 square kilometers (0.8 sq. mi.), but the average depth is only 1.5 meters (5 feet), so it's really like a huge pond.

The Canadian guy kept complaining that his feet hurt, not from walking so long or so far, but from walking too slow. He said he can walk five hours at a brisk pace, but he can't stand for one hour. My feet were also hurting, but I didn't say anything or take a break. I wasn't sure if it was from hiking up and down the Summer Palace, or because of my extensive walking in the Forbidden City and climbing the Great Wall the two previous days.

It was nice to ride the subway back to Dongsi neighborhood and enjoy a Hot Pot dinner. The cool thing about Hot Pot is you get to pick out your ingredients, which they weigh and charge accordingly. Then they transform them into a delicious soup. That way I can control the amount of food, plus keep it vegetarian with noodles, veggies and tofu. Afterwards, I rewarded myself with a well-earned pedicure.

Entry to the Summer Palace. Basically you walk up the hill, then down the backside to Kumming Lake, then the whole thing in reverse.

Looking down on the entry

Imperial roof decorations. Only high status people could have them, and the more mythical animals, the higher the status.

You'll notice I'm a sucker for a cute kid. More photos of little girls to follow.

I had to laugh at this Danger! No Climbing sign. You'd think the Chinese had never seen rocks before, they were so excited to climb on them.

Danger! No climbing!

Danger! No Climbing!

Many vendors inside the Summer Palace.

A cutie with a hot dog on a stick. Chinese, like Filipinos, love pork.

There are more than 21 million Muslims in China, as compared to 3.3 Muslims in the U.S.

A nice covered walkway along the lakeside.

I was kinda jealous because the tall Canadian was the rock star at the Summer Palace. Often strangers will ask to take their picture with me. But not that day. The only other white foreigners I saw were elderly Americans in a tour group.

A nice pose in front of Kummel Lake.

We paid extra for certain attractions. This was my favorite, the pantomime.

Selfie sticks help get a view over the crowd.

And the crowd went wild.

The star shook hands with many people in the audience.

Then comes the trick of all these people exiting through a small gate. I had no clue where my companion had disappeared to.

Beautiful clothing from one of China's 55 ethnic minorities.

Guards were in full force for the holiday crowd, but I never saw any commotions at all.

Several people were writing Chinese characters on the sidewalk with a brush dipped in water. Supposedly this is very popular.

I would have loved to rent a pedal boat, but the lines were too long, and my companion said he only likes kayaks or canoes.

Chinese tourists dressing up in imperial clothing for a photo session. I've done this before in Vietnam and Cambodia.

Nice mother-daughter portrait. The tennis shoes won't show in the photographer's picture.

Heading back, we walked a different route along the lake, to avoid the crowds.

This guard is working 24/7.

There's the tall guy in the background.

I forgot to bring my headdress to be twinsies with this cutie.

Looking back down on Kummel Lake.

A Buddhist monk comes to visit the temples of the Summer Palace.

The Suzhou Market Street recreates traditional shops. It was said that the emperor and his concubines enjoyed pretending to shop, but in reality everything was purchased for them. This was one of the attractions we paid extra for, but i would think the shop owners would prefer everyone could look at their shops.