Serenity at the Old Summer Palace

圆明园的宁静

The Old Summer Palace is a stunning park located in the massive city of Beijing, capital of China. The park itself is enormous, easily requiring more than half a day to visit every section of the Old Summer Palace. Although it was quite busy since I went there during the Golden Week, it was well worth the visit. The Old Summer Palace boasted beautiful scenery consisting of majestic willow trees swaying in the cool wind present at the time. The sky added an extra touch to the greenery, creating a tranquil feeling while walking the grounds of the park.

The Old Summer Palace, also known as YuanmingYuan, historically was a grand complex of gardens and palaces. It was built in 1709 serving as a retreat for the emporers during the Qing Dynasty. Sometime during the Second Opium War in 1860, the Old Summer Palace was largely destroyed by fire, leaving behind only ruins.

圆明园是一个位于中国首都北京的大型公园。整个公园非常广阔，要花费半天以上的时间才能游览完每个区域。虽然我是在黄金周期间去的，所以人非常多，但确实值得一游。圆明园拥有美丽的景色，雄伟的柳树在当时凉爽的风中摇曳。天空为绿树增添了一份额外的色彩，在公园中漫步时，给人一种宁静的感觉。

圆明园，历史上又称圆明园，是一个宏伟的花园和宫殿群。它建于1709年，作为清朝皇帝的避暑胜地。1860年第二次鸦片战争期间，圆明园大部分被火焚毁，只剩下遗址。

The Old Summer Palace gave a feeling of tranquility regardless of the crowds present at the time. The park is organized in a way that blends natural greenery with man-made constructs to create stunning scenery throughout the grounds. I imagine that the Old Summer Palace has a unique touch added to it depending on the season you visit. Although walking around the gardens was exhausting, it also felt rejuvenating mentally to be surrounded by admirable beauty.

无论当时有多少人，圆明园都给人一种宁静的感觉。公园布局巧妙，将自然绿化与人工建筑融为一体，营造出令人惊叹的景色。我想，根据你参观的季节，圆明园会呈现出独特的风貌。虽然在花园里漫步令人疲惫，但被令人钦佩的美景所环绕，精神上却感到焕然一新。

Besides the beautiful park area, there are areas in which require a small price to pay allowing visitors to see the remains of the Old Summer Palace. The remains of the Old Summer Palace can be seen from a distance as they are protected from visitors potentially damaging the remains. However, it is possible to get near enough to the remains to obtain a sense of feeling behind what the structures were like historically.

除了美丽的公园区域，还有一些需要支付少量费用才能参观的地方，让游客看到圆明园的遗迹。遗迹被保护起来，防止游客可能对其造成破坏，所以只能从远处观看。然而，你可以走近到足以感受到这些建筑在历史上是怎样的。

I genuinely hope that you have enjoyed my photography of the Old Summer Palace. What are your thoughts on the Old Summer Palace? Is it somewhere you would like to one day visit? Or have you already been there? Feel free to share in the comment section below!

希望你喜欢我的圆明园摄影作品。你对圆明园有什么看法？这是否是你将来想参观的地方？或者你已经去过了？欢迎在评论区分享！