Ripples of history: Walking the Summer Palace in the morning light
The Summer Palace in Beijing stands not only as China's largest surviving imperial garden, but as a layered living landscape with its picturesque lake, hills and pavilions. Walking its paths today feels like drifting between layers of time. The moment Kunming Lake comes into view, morning light casting silver ripples across its surface, you get an idea why emperors and empresses once came here to take a breath.
This UNESCO World Heritage Site has roots reaching back to imperial gardens around Beijing's western hills, but the version we know today was largely established during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912). Starting in 1750, the palace was expanded and transformed into the "Garden of Clear Ripples," completed in 1764.
At the heart of the design are two anchors: Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill. Despite being largely man-made, the lake looks as though it has always existed, mirroring mountains, sky and passing dynasties with the same calm indifference.
As you walk in, the place starts revealing itself through sensation. You notice it first in sound – the rhythmic splash of oars against Kunming Lake and the faint rustle of willow branches leaning toward the water.
Then come the light – rays of the sun slip between the eaves of the pavilions, catching on glazed tiles and briefly turning them gold. Colors feel different here. The reds and greens of the pavilions are sun-worn, but they gracefully carry centuries of weather and worship. Even the air seems to emanate the warmth of cobblestones in places permeated by the cool drift coming off the water.
Along the Long Corridor – a 728-meter covered gallery where Qing artisans painted stories across hundreds of beams – brushstrokes from a bygone era stretch above your head. As light from the sun moves, the paintings seem to shift, becoming almost liquid. You may even pause to make sure it's just the light playing tricks on your eyes.
Then the Marble Boat comes into view. Built in 1755, it's a lakeside pavilion carved from stone. Though its original cabin was destroyed in 1860, it was rebuilt during the late Qing. Today, it sits still at the water's edge, a symbol of stability in an ever-shifting world.
Over time, the Summer Palace endured destruction – notably during the 1860 Anglo-French invasion. It was later rebuilt under Empress Dowager Cixi and has since undergone gradual restoration.
Today, it stands as a testament to China's enduring history and ability to weather upheaval with grace through the quiet strength of a place shaped by time rather than shaken by it.
*Editor's note: Zaruhi Poghosyan is a multimedia editor for CGTN Digital. This article is part of China, Soft Focus – a slow journalism series that offers human-centered glimpses into culture, history and everyday life across China through measured pace and intimate storytelling.
RELATED STORIES
CHOOSE YOUR LANGUAGE
- Albanian Shqip
- Arabic العربية
- Belarusian Беларуская
- Bengali বাংলা
- Bulgarian Български
- Cambodian ខ្មែរ
- Croatian Hrvatski
- Czech Český
- English English
- Esperanto Esperanto
- Filipino Filipino
- French Français
- German Deutsch
- Greek Ελληνικά
- Hausa Hausa
- Hebrew עברית
- Hungarian Magyar
- Hindi हिन्दी
- Indonesian Bahasa Indonesia
- Italian Italiano
- Japanese 日本語
- Korean 한국어
- Lao ລາວ
- Malay Bahasa Melayu
- Mongolian Монгол
- Myanmar မြန်မာဘာသာ
- Nepali नेपाली
- Persian فارسی
- Polish Polski
- Portuguese Português
- Pashto پښتو
- Romanian Română
- Russian Русский
- Serbian Српски
- Sinhalese සිංහල
- Spanish Español
- Swahili Kiswahili
- Tamil தமிழ்
- Thai ไทย
- Turkish Türkçe
- Ukrainian Українська
- Urdu اردو
- Vietnamese Tiếng Việt
互联网新闻信息许可证10120180008
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466