The Summer Palace in Beijing is a complex of gardens, palaces and lakes in Beijing. It was one of the imperial gardens and was used by the emperors of the Qing Dynasty as a retreat from city life.
The main components of the facility are Kumming Lake and Longevity Hill. Kumming Lake extends over 2.2 square kilometers and was man-made. The earth masses from the excavation form the basis of Longevity Hill.
In the course of history parts were destroyed again and again, but also rebuilt. In 1998 UNESCO put it on its World Heritage List as one of the masterpieces of Chinese landscape garden design.
