The Summer Palace (颐和园) is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces in Beijing. It was an imperial garden during the Qing dynasty. Inside includes Longevity Hill, Kunming Lake and Seventeen Hole Bridge. It covers an expanse of 2.9 square kilometres. The Summer Palace, which is inspired by the gardens of South China, contains over 3000 Chinese ancient buildings that house a collection of over 40000 valuable historical relics from various dynasties. The entire Summer Palace is centered around Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, with the latter covering about three-quarters of the area.

Below is a selection of photos taken during a visit to the Summer Palace on May 30, 2010. Click on a small photo for a larger view, then select the next one with the cursor keys or the arrows on either side of the photo.