Visitors will be able to enjoy themselves in a quiet and clean Imperial Summer Resort this year, after all commercial activities are banned in the famous tourist destination.
In order to protect environment and maintain visitor numbers, over 60 business centers have been removed and 16 out of the 72 scenic attractions have been restored.
In the past, shops, zoos and amusement parks operated in the garden, causing pollution and ruining the natural landscape.
Covering an area of 5.6 million square meters, the world-renowned Summer Mountain Villas in Chengde, in north China's Hebei Province, was Emperor Kangxi's and Emperor Qianlong's temporary imperial palace resort in the Qing Dynasty 1644-1911).
With a group of unique classical architectural structures, it is the largest intact classical imperial garden in China, and has been listed on the UNESCO's World Heritage List.
Emperor Kangxi (1662-1722) came to the resort almost every summer during his reign. Here he and his successive emperors gave feasts in honor of Mongolian nobles and ethnic chiefs from Xinjiang and Tibet, practiced archery on horseback and went hunting, reviewed military drills, and on occasion received foreign envoys.
This year is the 300th founding anniversary of the Imperial Summer Resort.
(Xinhua News Agency June 6, 2003)
