The Imperial Summer Villa Stock Photography

The Imperial Summer Villa, located in the city of Chengde in northeastern Hebei province, is China’s largest imperial garden. Twice the size of Beijing’s Summer Palace, construction spanned nearly ninety years, beginning under Emperor Kangxi in 1703 and lasting through the greater part of Emperor Qianlong’s reign. The Imperial Summer Villa often saw use as a de facto second capital as Kangxi set a precedent followed by Qianlong and a succession of other Qing emperors of spending much of the year at the garden. In 1994, the Imperial Summer Villa became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.