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Royal River Cruise on Beijing’s Waterways

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The Long River has a history of over 700 years and was historically known as the Imperial River. During the Yuan Dynasty, it was called the "Gaoliang River," and in the Ming Dynasty, it was renamed the "Jade River." It is the only waterway in Beijing’s water system that carries an imperial hue. The Empress Dowager Cixi’s Waterway was the mandatory water route she took every summer to visit the Summer Palace for leisure and to escape the heat. It originated in the Qianlong era, flourished in the Guangxu era, and spanned the reigns of six emperors: Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang, Xianfeng, Tongzhi, and Guangxu. It was an exclusive waterway for the Qing Dynasty’s emperors, empresses, princes, and princesses. One Cixi Waterway tells half of the Qing Dynasty’s history—between the 16th year of Qianlong and the 34th year of Guangxu, over the course of 157 years, six emperors, one empress dowager, and more than a hundred empresses and consorts cruised along this ancient waterway. Empress Dowager Cixi visited the Summer Palace 32 times in her lifetime, traveling by boat from the Temple of Longevity every year, and the waterway is named after her.

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The Long River has a history of over 700 years and was historically known as the Imperial River. During the Yuan Dynasty, it was called the "Gaoliang River," and in the Ming Dynasty, it was renamed the "Jade River." It is the only waterway in Beijing’s water system that carries an imperial hue. The Empress Dowager Cixi’s Waterway was the mandatory water route she took every summer to visit the Summer Palace for leisure and to escape the heat. It originated in the Qianlong era, flourished in the Guangxu era, and spanned the reigns of six emperors: Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang, Xianfeng, Tongzhi, and Guangxu. It was an exclusive waterway for the Qing Dynasty’s emperors, empresses, princes, and princesses. One Cixi Waterway tells half of the Qing Dynasty’s history—between the 16th year of Qianlong and the 34th year of Guangxu, over the course of 157 years, six emperors, one empress dowager, and more than a hundred empresses and consorts cruised along this ancient waterway. Empress Dowager Cixi visited the Summer Palace 32 times in her lifetime, traveling by boat from the Temple of Longevity every year, and the waterway is named after her.

Source: Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development