Summer Palace

This was my second visit to the Summer Palace. The first was in 1998, on a day when the place was not filled with a sea of tourists. I missed the peaceful walk along the Long Corridor, taking my time to admire the paintings above, depicting scenes from Chinese classical literature, and delicate drawings of popular Chinese flora and fauna.

It traces its history back to the Jin Dynasty and boasts of occupying 290 hectares, with 3,000 garden architecture. In 1998, it was listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Major renovations were done during the Qing Dynasty and brought the Summer Palace to its height of glory. It's an irony that the finances used by Empress Dowager Cixi were meant for the defence of the country during that turbulent period of time.

Well, take a walk with me anyway!





A pair of Dragon and Phoenix near the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity (I think)






Cluster of architectures on the Longevity Hill that resembles a Tibetan lamasery.





A handsome bronze ox overlooking the Kunming Lake.




Don't you think this Seventeen-arch Bridge resembles the Lu Gou Bridge (Marco Polo Bridge)? Got to return there one day to take a closer look.




Lastly, the trip will not be complete without a brief stopover to have a look at the Marble Boat.

Beijing flora

I was lucky to spot this perfect dandelion in front of the Peking University Library. I just had to snap a picture of it before the wind tries to disintegrate the flower...

The sweet Osmanthus was in season when I visited the Summer Palace. The little blooms and sweet fragrance made the trip very memorable.

Fresh dates were in season. They were crunchy and very sweet!









Have you seen gingko nuts on trees before? I haven't till my friend pointed out to me that those were fresh gingko nuts when we visited Tsinghua University - another great campus, full of modern, well laid out buildings, and a beautiful lotus pond.

Peking University

This was my second visit to Peking University. It was established in 1898. Located at a former Qing Dynasty royal garden, it retains some of the beautiful landscape and architecture.





The Weiminghu Lake, or, also known as Unnamed Lake (Yet-to-be-named Lake)







I believe these were parts of the former royal garden.