The Summer Palace

        Tao was our tour guide to the (new) Summer Palace.  We took a long taxi ride to the other side of town and got dropped off at the back entrance.  It started off sunny cool, but ended rather windy and chilly by the time we reached the front entrance by the lake.  See the theme here?

Glad they put a non-stick strip on the marble steps.  As is most sights to see, main entrance fee and separate fee for other sections.  Always a trying time to get a taxi to pick us up.  The black car(personal cars acting as taxi wanna be.  You have to preset a price to a destination.  I've only been in two to go a short destination, never by myself!) wanted way too much, we know how much we paid to get there, around 80rmb~$12.50.   

The history:  The old Summer Palace called the ruins of Yuanmingyuan began in 1709and plundered in 1860.   I have been here before,  just looks like a bunch of Roman ruins to me, not much to see there.  The new Summer Palace began in 1750, with use of embezzled funds from the navy so that Empress Dowager Cixi could have a resort to spend the rest of her life in.  Opened to the public in 1924.