We set off early to explore the Summer Palace, essentially a giant, luxurious garden for Emperors and their concubines to chill out in when things got a bit hectic in the Forbidden City. Being the largest and most well-preserved royal park in China, it was a welcome break from the chaos of central Beijing, offering tree-lined walkways and shady gardens to relax and escape the heat.
Scattered throughout were traditional old Chinese buildings with wonderful names like the Hall of Happiness and Longevity and the Hall of Jade Ripples. But our best bit was Suzhou Street, a collection of tiny shops along a riverbank built in the style of an ancient market, so Emperors could feel as if they were strolling down a real commercial street, while their servants put on a big show of pretending to be peddlers and shopkeepers…weird.
Thank goodness for some peace – looks really pretty and very stereotypically Chinese –
This looks a bit like a place we went to when we were in Hong Kong, an island called Lantau with a giant Buddha. My most vivid memory of that trip apart from the crowds was going to the ladies loo and just seeing two rows of squatting holes facing each other. No doors, no tissue! I had tissues of course in my pocket but no door!
Suzhou Street looks very pretty though and nice to be by the water. They did have some style, but it sounds as though the sheer volume of trippers now are not enabling the preservation of what are truly beautiful buildings with names to match.