The Summer Palace, equally famous as the Forbidden City, lies in the north western outskirts of Beijng. Occupying an area of 290 hectares, the gardens consist mainly of a hill, the longevity Hill and a lake, the Kunming Lake, with halls ,towers, galleries, pavilions, bridges and islands dotted all over the land, hill and lake. Blending southern China-style garden architecture with northern China's natural landscapes, the gardens are probably the best of their kind in Chinese garden architecture