颐和园位于北京西北郊区，距离市中心大约15公里。园内主要有三大部分构成：宫殿区域、居住生活区和休闲娱乐区域。宫殿区是古代皇上处理国事的地方。慈禧晚年大多数情况下，就在仁寿殿垂帘听政。居住生活是皇上及皇家夏季居住生活的地方，包括玉澜堂, 乐寿堂和宜芸馆。休闲娱乐区包括昆明湖、长廊、17孔桥，及几个小岛。颐和园由中国著名建筑设计师雷发达设计。设计时增加了杭州西湖的元素,这是乾隆皇帝的心愿。乾隆在下江南时，很喜欢西湖。
The Summer Palace (颐和园) is located at the northwest suburb of Beijing, about15 km away from the downtown（市区）. It consists of three main areas: The Palace Area is where ancient emperors used to take care of state affairs. The Hall of Benevolence and Longevity (仁寿殿) was the place where Empress Dowager Cixi （慈禧）held court behind a screen in most of the time of her late years. The Residence Area is for living: Jade Ripples Hall (玉澜堂), Hall of Joyful Longevity Hall (乐寿堂) and Yiyun Hall (宜芸馆) are the major places where emperors and the royal family used to live during summer. The Tour Area is for relaxation and recreation: Kunming Lake, Long Corridors, 17-Arched bridge, islands. It was designed by the well-known Chinese architect (建筑设计师) Lei Fada (雷发达) who added some elements from the West Lake in Hangzhou instructed by Emperor Qianlong who liked Hangzhou very much during his south inspections.
如果您想乘船游园，您可以在下列码头上下船：八方亭、文昌阁、玉澜堂、 排云殿、石丈亭、铜牛、石舫、和南湖岛。您也可以自己租用各类船---划桨船、电动船、水轮船、龙船、大型观光船及包租船。
If you would like to take a cruise to tour the Summer Palace, you can take on and off at these stop Docks: Bafang Pavilion (八方亭), Wenchang Pavilion (文昌阁), Jade Ripples Hall (玉澜堂), Hall of Dispelling Clouds (排云殿), Shizhang Pavilion (石丈亭), the Statue of Bronze Ox (铜牛), the Marble Boat (石舫), South Lake Island (南湖岛).You can also rent rowing boat, battery boat, water cycle, dragon-shaped boat, large-scale pleasure boats as well as chartered boats.
颐和园从中文字面上讲就是休闲安宁的花园，是皇帝及皇家夏季避暑之地，和故宫、天坛、长城一样，是旅游北京首选之地。园内由精心设计建造的诸多宫殿、寺庙、花园、凉亭、湖、长廊构成，是中国最大的花园，是今天全世界游客向往的地方。
The Summer Palace (颐和园) literally meaning "the Garden of Restful Peace" in Chinese, is one of the most visited scenic spots together with the Forbidden City（故宫）, Temple of Heaven（天坛） or Great Wall （长城）in Beijing. The Summer Palace where emperors and the imperial family used to retreat at summer time. The garden is beautifully composed of palaces, temples, gardens, pavilions, lakes and corridors. As the largest garden in China, the Summer Palace is today the center of interests of all tourists from all over the world.
