The Summer Palace - one time home of the powerful Empress Dowager. She placed 3 boy kings on the Chinese throne, ruling China through them. The last of these was the Last Emperor.

The architecture of the palace is quite impressive. One of the more interesting stories surrounding this area is of how the Empress Dowager diverted funds from the Chinese Navy to renovate an enormous marble boat that sits in the 3 foot deep lake outside the palace.

The garden attached to the Forbidden city has ancient trees that have grown together, called marriage trees.

Back to the Vacation Page | On To The Great Wall!