Experts' Choice Award Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan)
What the experts agree on
Haunting ruins of three imperial gardens where marble columns and scattered stones dot wooded pathways. Experts recommend bringing a picnic to explore this vast, peaceful park preserved as a poignant reminder of Beijing's tumultuous past.
“Only the stark marble columns of the Western-style section remain, as the wooden portions were burned down by the Anglo-French forces.”
– Afar Magazine
Fodor's "eijing has chosen to preserve the vast ruin as a "monument to China's national humiliation," though the patriotic slogans that were once scrawled on the rubble have now been cleaned off." Full review
Frommer's "An amalgamation of three separate imperial gardens, these ruins create a ghostly and oddly enjoyable scene, beloved for years as a picnic spot." Full review
Michelin Guide 2 Stars
"All that remain are its majestic ruins, however it is very pleasant to stroll though this park dotted with remnants from a former time."
Afar Magazine "The Old Summer Palace is also known as Yuanming Yuan (Garden of Perfection and Light)." Full review
The Telegraph "Once the gilded retreat of the Qianlong Emperor. Rambling and romantic, a few shattered lumps of stone are all that remain. Fix yourself a picnic and find a quiet corner within its wooded pathways" Full review
