概览
颐和园位于北京西北郊，是以昆明湖、万寿山为骨架的大型皇家山水园林，面积约 290 公顷，水面约占四分之三。其前身为清乾隆十五年（1750 年）始建的清漪园，光绪年间重建后改名颐和园，取「颐养冲和」之意，集江南园林之秀与北方山水之雄于一体，1998 年被列入世界文化遗产名录。[2]
历史沿革
清漪园历时十五年建成，咸丰十年（1860 年）被英法联军焚毁。光绪十二年（1886 年）起，清廷挪用海军经费重建，1888 年改名颐和园，成为慈禧太后晚年理政与居住之所。光绪二十六年（1900 年）又遭八国联军破坏，1902 年再度修复。1924 年颐和园正式辟为公园对外开放。[2]
看点
728 米的长廊梁枋上绘有一万四千余幅彩画，被誉为「世界最长画廊」；佛香阁踞万寿山前山中轴，登阁可俯瞰全园；昆明湖西堤仿杭州苏堤而建，十七孔桥连接南湖岛，冬至前后「金光穿洞」是著名景观。此外还有石舫、苏州街、谐趣园、德和园大戏楼等精华，一园看尽南北造园手法。[1]
参观贴士
全园游遍需大半天，经典路线为东宫门入—仁寿殿—长廊—佛香阁—石舫—乘船至南湖岛—十七孔桥—新建宫门出。旺季建议提前网上实名预约并购联票，昆明湖游船按季节运营。清晨与傍晚光线最佳；佛香阁台阶较陡，宜穿舒适的鞋，夏季注意防暑补水。西堤六桥仿杭州苏堤而建，春柳时节最有江南味道。[1]
Overview
Northwest of Beijing, the Summer Palace is a vast imperial landscape garden organized around Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill, covering about 290 hectares — three quarters of it water. First laid out as the Garden of Clear Ripples in 1750 under the Qianlong Emperor, it was rebuilt and renamed in the Guangxu era, blending southern garden refinement with northern mountain scenery. UNESCO listed it in 1998.
Burned by Anglo-French forces in 1860, the garden was rebuilt from 1886 — controversially with navy funds — and renamed Yiheyuan in 1888 as the Empress Dowager Cixi's retreat; damaged again in 1900, it opened as a public park in 1924. The 728-meter Long Corridor carries more than 14,000 painted scenes; the Tower of Buddhist Incense crowns the hill; the Seventeen-Arch Bridge is famous for the winter-solstice 'golden light through the arches'; and the Marble Boat, Suzhou Street, and the Garden of Harmonious Interests complete the must-sees.
Allow at least half a day: enter at the East Palace Gate, follow the Long Corridor to the Tower of Buddhist Incense and the Marble Boat, then ferry across to South Lake Island and exit by the Seventeen-Arch Bridge. Timed reservations and combination tickets are advised in high season, and boats run seasonally. The hilltop climb involves steep steps — wear comfortable shoes.
