One thing's for sure. Beijing is not for the lazy and the impatient; you really, really need to use the body God has given you. You must walk, walk, and walk. Endure. Beijing's beautiful tourist destinations are huge; they really do cover a vast track of land. So, it's a relief that we were in Beijing during the last days of fall and early days of winter. There was no heat to complain of.
And so, we arrived at the Summer Palace late noon, and the guide ushered us to a map and told us where we were going. She said that we'll only have little time to spend inside the Summer Palace since we still have to go to the Beijing Zoo's panda section later in the afternoon and to catch an acrobat show at night.
We entered the Summer Palace through this inconspicuous gate:
We climbed up and down a small but beautiful bridge and walked towards the marble boat. There were not so many tourists around and so taking pictures without people walking in front of the camera was hassle-free.
Mind you, we only saw a teeny, tiny portion of the Summer Palace; our tour was so expedited. Our guide said you need two days to fully explore at a leisurely pace the palace grounds and do all picture-snapping to your heart's content.
At least, we saw the Marble Boat. It just sits there majestically at the lake, so calm, so serene. The guide pointed to us that there are big mirrors on the two floors. What for? I don't know. Perhaps to catch all the beautiful rays of the sun? Or for the Empress to gaze at her own reflection? For sure, it reflects Empress Cixi's caprice, vanity and unnecessary extravagance. But because of that, we have something to marvel at: The marble boat's a masterpiece.
Before we reached the Marble Boat, we came upon an interesting bridge, and the harsh mid-day sun prevented me from taking its picture without being bathed in shadows. Please be reminded that this bridge is near a rest room, in case you have to go.
After taking quite a number of pictures of the marble boat, the guide ushered us to the Long Corridor, and indeed, it was really long. Again, I was mesmerized by the detailed paintings on the beams; I ended up not paying attention our guide but I heard that the long corridor was built for the emperor's mother (didn't heard which emperor, though). On one side of the corridor is a paved pathway traversing the edge of the Kunming Lake. The pathway is fully tree-lined, and the strong winds just add to the Summer Palace's charm: the leaves and branched were swaying, the water on the lake gently lapping. On the left side of the corridor is a structure, apparently, it's a restaurant of some sort but I could not be certain as I was not really paying attention to the vital information relayed to us by the guide. I guess, it's my fault to have such a short attention span. I mean, how can you blame me? I am happiest gazing at the beauty of nature and marveling at the skills of craftsmen and artists. I just happen to love the beauty that surrounds me.
The structure on the upper right is the Hall of Listening to the Orioles. It used to be a theater, now it's a restaurant, presumably one of the best in China, or something. And this is the pathway I'm talking about:
Guess we were not the only ones who enjoyed a walk in the palace grounds:
