Recently, Jun and I spent a leisurely September afternoon at Beijing’s Summer Palace.
We’ve missed the West Lake all these years living up in Beijing, and found strolling around the Summer Palace to be Beijing’s answer to our favorite destination in Hangzhou.
The Summer Palace is built around a lake (Kunming Lake) with many features recalling the West Lake — from its bridges and willow-lined causeway (modeled after the West Lake’s Su Causeway) to the pagodas and towers perched along the hills that frame the lake.
And did I mention the Summer Palace, like the West Lake in Hangzhou, also includes a number of osmanthus trees, which were just beginning to perfume the air with their heavenly scent?
One wonderful thing about the Summer Palace is that you can enjoy it at your own pace — and even take time to smell the flowers along the way — despite how many people there are.
It took us a few hours to circle the lake, and the experience left us with plenty of good memories — and the hope that we’ll return again soon!
Have you ever visited Beijing’s Summer Palace? What was your experience there?
you have a wonderful mid-autumn festival tomorrow 😃😃😃.
btw, how is the covid 19 situation in beijing or china in general?
the information about it is very lacking here in canada.
i have been watching quite a few chinese travel vlogs on youtube . it seems to me that it is very safe (comparing to canada) now.
thank you.
Thanks for the comment, Nelson! The COVID-19 situation is being managed pretty well over here. Obviously this is a highly contagious virus that we’re still learning about and so most people do expect there are still going to be small reports of cases or even small outbreaks from time to time; but that said, I would say people feel relatively safe here. Most people, though, plan to travel closer to home or even within their own cities.
Hoping you stay safe and healthy in Canada!