A Trip to the Summer Palace

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009 | All Posts by Quinn Wharton, Perpetual Motion: SFB on Tour

The Summer Palace is the most intense cultural experience I’ve had in China so far, excluding that evening I got lost in the slums of Shanghai. The Palace is where the emperor and his family would go during the summers to escape the city heat of Beijing. It’s a glorious, old place resting on a lake northeast of the city. The day I went it was really foggy. So while that obscured the view a bit, it also meant less people which is always preferable when you’re doing touristy things. And the fog actually helped some of the ambiance as well. The grounds contain a large forest that was made more magical by the calm hush of the clouds overhead. And looking out over the lake, all I could see were gentle shapes drifting in a netherworld of white toy boats losing their way in the mist. All of the palace grounds—the gates, the gardens, the pagodas—were all very beautiful, but the centerpiece is what took my breath away.

The main palace consists of two large temples—one in front of the other. Both overlook the lake and are protected by a large gate and courtyard. I had to make my way up five or six huge staircases before finally reaching the top, but the architecture was amazing so there was plenty to see. In my mind, the temples bear a striking resemblance to some Mayan and Aztec structures such as the sets of long, stone stairs and the shapes of the buildings. The only major differences from my perspective are the decorations and fluted roofs tops.

Inside each temple are huge Buddha statues and quite a few tourists praying. These massive, ancient halls are dominated by a single, golden figure so very different from the churches and cathedrals I’m used to seeing in the West. They carry the weight of ancient times. I could easily picture them thousands of years ago: the emperor praying in front of them standing just as tall and impressively as they do now. It made me wonder why we appreciate these connections to our past so much.

I cherish old buildings and art and places of great significance. I suppose they are reminders of what we have done and where we have come from, which in our quickly changing world is a valuable thing to have. It’s a gentle reminder every now and again to for me step outside my small span of time and feel the sweep of eons past. Then again, maybe we just like to gloat about how great we are now and how far we have come, but I suppose that would be a cynical way of looking at it. Regardless, the Summer Palace was a great trip, and I’m glad I got to experience it.

Tags: China Tour

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