Situated in the Haidian District, northwest of Beijing, the Summer Palace is 15 kilometers away from the downtown area. Being the(large) and most well-preserved royal garden in China, it(great) influences Chinese horticulture (园艺) and landscape with(it) famous natural views and the works of humankind.
Originally(name) Qingyi Yuan or the Garden of Clear Ripples, the Summer Palace was first constructed in 1750. It later(become) the main residence of royal members at the end of the Qing Dynasty. However, like most of the gardens in Beijing, the Summer Palace(destroy) by fire and was razed to the ground by the Anglo-French Allied Forces. Rebuilt in 1886, it was supposed to servea summer resort for the Empress Dowager Cixi. The year 1900 saw the Summer Palace(suffer) another hit by the Eight-Power Allied Forces. Then the government spent two years repairing it. In 1924, it was open topublic. The Summer Palace was added to the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1998, and became one of the first national AAAAA tourist(spot) in China.
