Here's the best pic I have of the actual Summer Palaces. Barry and few other bus mates just happen to be in the frame. lol. There was no time to get closer to the palaces --- the joys of being on a tight schedule with 27 other people [and perhaps a bit of a dictator'ish local tour guide].
The Palaces are located on Longevity Hill, a hill constructed from the excavation material obtained from the construction of Kunming Lake. 9000 years of history, several dynasties, much evolution, way too much history to even begin to describe who, why, etc. Lots of info on the internet tho .....
In 1998 UNESCO added the Summer Palace Gardens to the World Heritage List, "a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design".
