Summer Palace on Kunming Lake

Welcome to the Summer Palace!  It ranks Number One among China's ancient parks.  Built during the first year of Emperor Zhenyuan (1153) of the Jin Dynasty.  In 1888, Empress Dowager Cixi diverty\ed millions of tales of silver for the reconstruction of the Summer Palace. 
We drove north quite a ways to get there.  It is a marvelous place...a maze of rooms, courtyards, gardens,  large buildings, passage ways...all with intricate painting.  It isn't as well maintained as the Forbidden City, but very pretty along the water.  We went on a weekend and it was so very crowded, it was hard to appreciate the beauty.  We walked about 1 to 1 1/2 miles along the water, again on a wooden floor/covered walkway, beautifully painted.   Friends and families were there enjoying a warm and wonderful day...it got a little claustrophobic.  It was a treat to be able to pay about $15.0 and take a dragon boat  back across the lake to the parking lot rather than fight the crowds.  We enjoyed it all from the water. 
You can see in some of the pictures the walkways with seating...people just sitting and enjoying the pretty day amongst all the hustle and bustle.  It didn't take long before I realized that you cannot often take a picture without people stepping into your picture or crowds swarming around you.  I got over it! 

From there we were dropped off at a huge (square block) 9 story building FULL of aggressive vendors selling all kinds of stuff from knock off Gucci and Coach bags, to clothing of all brands, watches, do dads, jewelry, cameras...you name it, they had it.  I pickup up a pair of red lanterns Faith and Avery wanted and asked about the price and she punched into a portable calculator 350 Chinese dollars.  I said "No" and started walking away...she went to 350 and and I still said "NO".  She handed me the calculator and asked what i would pay.  I punched in 50.  We went back and forth ~ I knew there would be more Bazaars so I wasn't willing to budge.  Finally, she threw the calculator down and the counter and took my 50!  I went through the same dickering routine with another vendor and went from 750 back down to 50!  It was a bit nerve racking...they are very pushy.  But maybe a little fun, too.  Andy still thought I paid too much!