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Wanshou Temple (Temple of Longevity)vsSummer Palace (Yiheyuan)
Wanshou Temple and Summer Palace are both highly recommended by writers. On balance, Summer Palace is the choice of most professionals compared to Wanshou Temple. Summer Palace scores 95 with recommendations from 7 reviews including Lonely Planet, Fodor's and Afar Magazine.
Wanshou Temple (Temple of Longevity)
Fodor's
Frommer's
Michelin Guide Frommer's
Suzhou Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100081
From $0/night
Fodor's "A Ming empress built this temple to honor her son in 1578. Qing emperor Qianlong later restored it as a birthday present to his mother." Full review
Frommer's "The Longevity Temple, now home to the Beijing Art Museum (Beijing Yishu Bowuguan), was funded by a eunuch and was originally constructed in 1577." Full review
Michelin Guide 2 Stars
"En route to their summer residence, the Ming emperors stopped at the 16C Temple of Longevity."
i
Enjoy a stroll through the strange rock garden facing the 17C Temple of the Eternal Buddha.
Frommer's "Wanshou Si, otherwise known as Longevity Temple, was built by a eunuch in the 16th century to house Buddhist scripture." Full review
Summer Palace (Yiheyuan) Fodor's
Concierge
Travel + Leisure Michelin Guide Travel + Leisure
Afar Magazine
Lonely Planet
19 Xin-jian-gong-men Rd, Haidian District, Beijing 100084
From $0/night
Fodor's "The greenery provides a welcome relief from the loud, bustling city. It also teaches a fabulous history lesson." Full review
Concierge "Once a warm-weather retreat for the Qing dynasty's imperial court, the Summer Palace... is a lovely place to escape the urban smog."
i
Arrive early to avoid crowds, or dodge them with a stroll around the water, as the Qing Empress Dowager Cixi might have done in the 19th century.
Travel + Leisure "It must have been quite a schlep for emperors of old—who traveled in slow-moving palanquins along with hundreds of courtiers to get to this beautiful, serene lakeside palace." Full review
Michelin Guide 3 Stars
"This summer palace was restored at great expense at the end of the 19C by the empress Cixi."
i
This enchanting site... should not to be missed.
Travel + Leisure "Considered a masterpiece of Chinese landscape design, visitors can avoid the crowds by packing a picnic, renting a boat, and exploring some of the lesser-known halls and pavilions." Full review
Afar Magazine "China's largest royal park was once called the Garden of Cultivated Harmony." Full review
Lonely PlanetTop choice
"This former playground for emperors fleeing the suffocating summer torpor of the old imperial city easily merits an entire day’s exploration." Full review
