Dragon Boat Ride
Kunming Lake
Beijing China
2014

Shi Qi Kong Qiao

The Seventeen-Arch Bridge is the only connection to the Nanhu Island. It was built during the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). No matter how you look at the great bridge, it is beautiful, like a rainbow or an ornamental ribbon. The Summer Palace does, indeed, offer many scenic spots. The Seventeen-Arch Bridge is an imitation of the celebrated Marco Polo Bridge (Lugou Bridge) in Fengtai District, Beijing.

As the name suggests, it has seventeen symmetrical arches, with the largest one in the center and the others diminishing in size on either side. The arch and its reflection in water are an awesome sight. The bridge is 150 meters (164 yards) long and 7 meters (23 feet) high, which gets corresponds with the grandeur of the imperial garden. The bridge is decorated with 544 delicately carved lions. This vivid lions, sitting on the white marble balusters, have different expressions and postures.

The Nanhu Island with an area of over one hectare (2.5 acres) is the largest one among the three islands in the Kunming Lake. The island situated in the southeast of the lake, is connected with the east bank by the Seventeen-Arch Bridge. The whole island is edged by laid huge stones and enclosed with carved stone fence. Seen from the distance, the island together with the Seventeen-Arch Bridge looks like a tortoise stretching his neck. As tortoise is a symbol of longevity in Chinese culture, the similarity in shape justly satisfied Emperor Qianlong, who built this garden in the name of celebrating his mother's sixtieth birthday.




The main structures on the island are the Hanxu Hall and the Dragon King Temple. The pavilion-style Hanxu Hall is the shelter where Empress Dowager Cixi inspected the navy drill. The Dragon King Temple is said to have been built on the bank in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Its surrounding land was deliberately retained when the lake was excavated and enlarged afterwards, thus the isolated island emerged. In ancient times, Dragon King was deemed as a mythical divine master of the rain. Every time Cixi came to the Summer Palace by waterway, she made a stop-over for the set purpose of worshiping at the temple.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunming_Lake

Kunming Lake is the central lake on the grounds of the Summer Palace in Haidian District, Beijing, China. Together with the Longevity Hill, Kunming Lake forms the key landscape features of the Summer Palace gardens. With an area of 2.2 km², Kunming Lake covers approximately three-quarters of the Summer Palace grounds.


In this private Beijing tour, you will visit three major must-sees in the city: Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Summer Palace. A dragon boat ride across the Kunming Lake inside Summer Palace is also included. Itinerary
Stop at: Tiananmen Square (Tiananmen Guangchang)
Details: Meet your guide at 9:00am and start the tour from Tian’anmen Square which has witnessed some of the most dramatic chapters of China history.
Duration: 40 min(s)

Stop at: Forbidden City-The Palace Museum
Details: From here, you enter the Forbidden City, commonly called Palace Museum or Gugong by the Chinese people. It was built from 1406 and served as the imperial residence for 24 emperors of Ming and Qing dynasties. China’s history unfolds as you explore the huge compound and the various rooms in the palace complex. Your tour also includes the very interesting treasures museums, as well as going up the newly opened wall of the Forbidden City.
Duration: 2 hour(s)
Admission Ticket Included

Stop at: Summer Palace (Yiheyuan)
Details: Have your lunch in a nice restaurant recommended by the guide if you like (at your own cost), then take a Uber car to see the Summer Palace, the largest imperial garden and palace existing in China. You will see the main attractions like the working and living quarters of the emperor; the Long Corridor; Longevity Hill; Marble Boat(Qingyan Stone Boat), Seventeen Arch Bridge and so on. Then you will take a big dragon boat to enjoy the beauty of Kunming Lake and leave the Summer Palace.
Duration: 1 hour(s) 20 min(s)