Which gate should I enter through to go to the Summer Palace and go directly to the Seventeen-Arch Bridge?

To go to the Summer Palace, you can go directly to the Seventeen-Arch Bridge from the East Palace Gate, enter from the East Palace Gate, and then walk a short distance south to the Seventeen-Arch Bridge.

Extended information:

The Seventeen-Arch Bridge is located in the Summer Palace in the western suburbs of Beijing. It is a long bridge connecting the east bank of Kunming Lake and Nanhu Island. Built during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty (1736-1795), it is the largest stone bridge in the park. The bridge is composed of 17 bridge holes and is 150 meters long. It spans the East Embankment and Nanhu Island and looks like a rainbow lying on the waves.

Its shape has the characteristics of Beijing Marco Polo Bridge and Suzhou Baodai Bridge. The stone carvings on the bridge are extremely exquisite. There are 544 lions of different sizes carved on the pillars of each bridge railing.

There are also stone sculptures of strange animals at the two bridgeheads, which are very vivid. The inscriptions on the north side of the bridge are "Lingmo Yanyue" and the inscriptions "Xiu Lingbo" on the south side, which contain profound cultural heritage and have extremely high aesthetic value, academic value and use value.

The Seventeen-hole Bridge connects Nanhu Island to the west and Kuuru Pavilion to the east. It spans between the East Causeway and Nanhu Island. It is not only the only way to Nanhu Island, but also an important scenic spot in the lake area. The bridge is 150 meters long, 8 meters wide, and consists of 17 holes. It is the largest bridge in the Summer Palace.

From a distance, it looks like a rainbow flying across the blue waves. All plaques and couplets on the Seventeen-hole Bridge were written by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. The four characters "Xiu Lingbo" are engraved on the south end of the bridge, describing the seventeen-hole bridge as a rainbow flying over the blue waves of Kunming Lake.

The horizontal couplet at the north end of the bridge has the characters "Ling Ni Yan Yue", which also compares the seventeen-hole bridge to a mythical beast lying in the water like a half-moon. Another couplet at the north end of the bridge reads: "The rainbow lies on the stone beam bank, causing the wind to blow continuously.

It should be noted that passengers must be clear: the Summer Palace in Beijing covers a large area, and the palace gate There are many entrances to the park. In terms of entrances where you can buy tickets to enter the park, they include: the main entrance of the Summer Palace (East Palace Gate), Xinjian Palace Gate, South Ruyi Gate, Beigong Gate, North Ruyi Gate, and the newly opened Garden Gate opposite the Central Party School. etc. Usually, out-of-town tourists and infrequent local tourists enter the park through three entrances: East Palace Gate, North Palace Gate and Xinjian Palace Gate. However, there is a distance of nearly two kilometers from Xinjian Palace Gate to the East Palace Gate. Beigong Gate is nearly two kilometers away.

If it is not made clear in advance, whether taking a bus or a taxi may cause unhappiness between the two parties. The locations of the main attractions and the three main entrance gates of the Summer Palace are attached on a map. Visitors are asked to refer to our recommended tour route before choosing the entrance to the garden.

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia - Seventeen-Arch Bridge