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Summer Palace (World Wonder)

The Yiheyuan (also known in English as the "Summer Palace") in Beijing is a masterpiece of Chinese imperial gardens. Prior to the construction of the Summer Palace, the land was used by the Yuan and Ming dynasties to divert water into an artificial lake as a reservoir of the court's water supply, and temples and pavilions were built along its scenic shores. During the Qing Dynasty, the Qianlong Emperor celebrated his mother's 60th birthday by further expanding the artificial lake and naming it Kunming Lake (after the Kunming Reservoir which was commissioned by Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty to train the navy). The excavated earth was piled up on the Urn Hill to the north of the lake, which was renamed Longevity Hill. The Qianlong Emperor built pavilions and other buildings for enjoyment, and the imperial garden was completed in 1750, initially named Qingyiyuan ("Garden of Clear Ripples"). This royal garden adopted the "one reservoir and three mountains" model originated from Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, while the architectural design of the landscape on the lakeshore imitated the famous scenery south of the Yangtze River. With the gorgeous architecture integrated into the landscape and scenery, this garden is a grand example of Chinese landscaping arts. However, the garden was destroyed in a fire during the invasion of Beijing by the British and French forces in 1860. The Empress Dowager Cixi exploited the funds collected in the name of navy to restore the garden and renamed it as Yiheyuan ("Garden of Preserving Harmony").


Supports English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Japanese.


Credits
The Foxiang Pavilion part is based on the Summer Palace model of Age of Empires III.
Special thanks to IthildinX for importing the model and texture.