Long Road to Ruin

One of my favorite places that we visited in Beijing was the Old Summer Palace which is also known as the Ruins of the Yuanmingyuan (the Garden of Perfection and Light). The Palace was built in the 18th and early 19th Centuries. It was burnt down by the British in 1860. I don’t know the whole story. Anyway, the Old Summer Palace is in the northwest part of Beijing. It is only one subway stop away from the Summer Palace. The grounds of the Old Summer Palace were beautiful. There were lots of Lotus flowers and lots of weird statues among the ruins. Here are the pictures.

Lake covered with Lotus Flowers near the entrance

Stone Arch Bridge

Looking at Lotus Flowers

Lotus Flowers

Walking by flowers

Climbing on some rocks

View from the Rocks

A channel through the Lotus

The palace ruins

Interesting stone sculptures

They look like aliens.  I've seen this creature in a movie.  I'm not sure what movie though

More alien carvings in the pillars

I think the Predator was based off of this one.

Animal heads on human bodies

A Maze

We took a boat back to the entrance

Looking at the Lotus

On the boat ride

Back to the Stone Arch Bridge