Object description

Other Chinese imperial residences far exceed it in size, namely the 6.1 square kilometer Zhongnanhai which lies just west of the Forbidden City, the 2.9 square kilometer Summer Palace in Haidian District, Beijing, and the 5.6 square kilometer Chengde Mountain Resort in Chengde, Hebei Province. It lies at the center of the Imperial City of Beijing, and the city is built around the palace complex. It is surrounded by numerous opulent imperial gardens and temples including 54-acre Zhongshan Park, the sacrificial Imperial Ancestral Temple, the 171-acre Beihai Park and the 57-acre Jingshan Park.