Bejing’s Summer Palace Revisited: A Lake in Two Seasons

Sunil Bhattarai

Jul 4, 2026 4 min read

I was reminded that life is a journey of endless adventure and discovery. Every destination has its own story to tell, and every season reveals a new face of the same place. My travels through China have taught me that no two visits are ever alike. Each return brings fresh perspectives, unforgettable moments, and the quiet thrill of witnessing the country’s timeless beauty unfold in new and unexpected ways.

The first time I stood by Kunming Lake at Beijing’s Summer Palace, the lake was a silent canvas of cool winter and a world of silence, its water lying frozen beneath a blanket of ice. The trees stood leafless, bare against the pale sky, their reflections replaced by a frozen stillness. The marble bridges overlooked a world wrapped in quiet, every footstep echoing through the crisp air and the pavilions appeared majestic against the pale winter sky. Families of young and old people glided across the frozen surface, laughing as they skated and enjoying the coldness of the season.

Years later, I returned in summer.

The same lake now shimmered beneath the warmth of sunny day, dressed in the colors of summer. Willow branches swayed gently in the breeze skimming the water, lotus flowers and leaves floated on the calm water, and pleasure boats drifted across the vast mirror beneath the Long Corridor tracing slow circles beneath the elegant Seventeen-Arch Bridge.

The palace seemed to breathe with the rhythm of the season – alive, graceful and endlessly inviting, the lake reflecting blue skies and the grandeur of imperial China, creating a scene that seemed lifted from a traditional Chinese landscape painting.

The contrast reminded me of Nepal’s Rara and Phewa Lakes. In summer, Rara, the country’s largest and perhaps its most enchanting, glows in shades of sapphire and emerald, surrounded by lush forests alive with birdsong. Phewa, a vibrant jewel of the Himalayas, vibrates with its crystal-blue waters framed by green forests and wildflowers.

Winter paints another portrait altogether. Snow dusts the surrounding hills of Rara, the air sharpens, and the lake settles into profound tranquility. Coolness settles on the surrounding hills of Phewa, the air turns crisp, and the lake becomes a sanctuary of quiet beauty.

Although they rarely freeze completely, the change in mood between the two seasons is just as dramatic. Both landscapes teach the same lesson: nature is never static. It tells a different story with each season.

Beijing’s Summer Palace with its Kunming Lake and Nepal’s Rara and Phewa Lakes lay thousands of kilometers apart, shaped by different histories and cultures. Yet each possesses the rare gift of reinvention. Summer celebrates movement and color; winter invites reflection and silence.

Separated by geography and culture, they share a remarkable quality. They are never the same place twice. Summer celebrates life with color, movement, and warmth. Winter strips away distraction revealing a deeper, quieter elegance.

Perhaps that is why revisiting a familiar place is never merely a return. It is an encounter with time itself. The landscape changes, the seasons pass, and so do we. A lake remembers every season, quietly reflecting not only the sky above but also the traveler who comes back to see it anew.

Revisiting Beijing’s Summer Palace was more than a return to a famous landmark. It was a reminder that nature is an artist with an ever-changing palette. The seasons repaint the same landscape with fresh colors and new emotions, making visitors to see not only the place differently but also themselves.