Kunming Lake

The Long Corridor (simplified Chinese: 长廊; traditional Chinese: 長廊; pinyin: Cháng Láng) is a covered walkway in the Summer Palace in Beijing, China. First erected in the middle of the 18th century, it is famous for its 728 m (2,388 ft) length in conjunction with its rich painted decoration (more than 14,000 paintings).

The Ministry of State Security (MSS or Guóānbù; Chinese: 国家安全部; pinyin: Guójiā Ānquán Bù; lit. 'State Security Ministry'; IPA: [kwǒ.tɕjá án.tɕʰɥɛ̌n pû]) is the principal civilian intelligence, security and secret police agency of the People's Republic of China, responsible for foreign intelligence, counterintelligence, and the political security of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). One of the largest and most secretive intelligence organizations in the world, it is headquartered in the Haidian District of Beijing, with powerful semi-autonomous branches at the provincial, city, municipality and township levels throughout China.The origins of the MSS begin with the CCP's Central Special Branch, better known as the Teke, which was replaced by the Central Social Affairs Department (SAD) in 1936, which was in turn succeeded by the Central Investigation Department (CID) – the MSS's immediate predecessor – in 1955. In 1983 CID was merged with the counterintelligence elements of the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) to create the MSS. The MSS is active in industrial and cyber espionage, where it has replaced the People's Liberation Army (PLA) as the country's most sophisticated and prolific advanced persistent threat actor. It makes arrests through its own component of the People's Police, and maintains the authority to conduct its own extrajudicial court hearings.The ministry is also be known to be involved in transnational repression, organized crime, surveillance and harassment of dissidents abroad and influence operations targeting overseas Chinese diaspora in collaboration with the United Front Work Department.Today the agency is estimated to have at least 110,000 employees, with 10,000 directly attached to MSS headquarters and 100,000 spread across its dozens of provincial branches. The agency's military intelligence counterpart is the PLA Intelligence Bureau of the Joint Staff Department.

The Summer Palace (simplified Chinese: 颐和园; traditional Chinese: 頤和園; pinyin: Yíhéyuán) is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces in Beijing. It was an imperial garden in the Qing dynasty. Inside includes Longevity Hill (万寿山; 萬壽山; Wànshòu Shān) Kunming Lake and Seventeen Hole Bridge. It covers an expanse of 2.9 square kilometres (1.1 sq mi), three-quarters of which is water. Longevity Hill is about 60 metres (200 ft) high and has many buildings positioned in sequence. The front hill is rich with splendid halls and pavilions, while the back hill, in sharp contrast, is quiet with natural beauty. The central Kunming Lake, covering 2.2 square kilometres (540 acres), was entirely man-made and the excavated soil was used to build Longevity Hill. Inspired by the gardens in South China, the Summer Palace, there are over 3,000 various Chinese ancient buildings that house a collection of over 40,000 kinds of valuable historical relics from each dynasty. In December 1998, UNESCO included the Summer Palace on its World Heritage List. It declared the Summer Palace "a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value". Notably in Chinese history, it is also the Central Route terminus of the South-North Water Transfer Project having traversed 1,267 km (787 mi) from Danjiangkou Reservoir, Hubei, making it Beijing's main water supply.

The Marble Boat (Chinese: 石舫; pinyin: Shí Fǎng), also known as the Boat of Purity and Ease, is a lakeside pavilion on the grounds of the Summer Palace in Beijing, China. It was first erected in 1755 during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor. The original pavilion was made from a base of large stone blocks which supported a wooden superstructure done in a traditional Chinese design.In 1860, during the Second Opium War, the pavilion was burnt on the orders of Lord Elgin. It was restored in 1893 on order of Empress Dowager Cixi. In this restoration, a new two-story superstructure was designed which incorporated elements of European architecture. Like its predecessor, the new superstructure is made out of wood but it was painted to imitate marble. On each "deck", there is a large mirror to reflect the waters of the lake and give an impression of total immersion in the aquatic environment. Imitation paddlewheels on each side of the pavilion makes it look like a paddle steamer. The pavilion has a sophisticated drainage system which channels rainwater through four hollow pillars, which is finally released into the lake through the mouths of four dragonheads. The boat design of the pavilion may relate to a quote attributed to Wei Zheng, a Tang dynasty chancellor. He is said to have told Emperor Taizong that "the waters that float the boat can also capsize it", implying that the Chinese people can not only support an emperor, but can also topple him. With this in mind, the Qianlong Emperor might have chosen to construct the Marble Boat as an auspicious symbol of a stable reign.The Marble Boat is often seen as an ironic commentary on the fact that the money used to restore the Summer Palace largely came from funds originally earmarked for building up a new imperial navy. The controller of the Admiralty, Prince Chun, owed much of his social standing as well as his appointment to Empress Dowager Cixi, who had adopted his eldest son, Zaitian, who was enthroned as the Guangxu Emperor. Because of this, he probably saw no other choice than to condone the embezzlement. The pavilion is 36 meters (118 ft) in length and stands on the northwestern shore of Kunming Lake, near the western end of the Long Corridor.

Summer Palace West Gate station (simplified Chinese: 颐和园西门站; traditional Chinese: 頤和園西門站; pinyin: Yíhéyuán Xīmén Zhàn) is a station on Xijiao line (light rail) of the Beijing Subway, it opened to public on 30 December 2017.

The Jade Belt Bridge (simplified Chinese: 玉带桥; traditional Chinese: 玉帶橋; pinyin: Yù Dài Qiáo), also known as the Camel's Back Bridge, is an 18th-century pedestrian moon bridge located on the grounds of the Summer Palace in Beijing, China. It is famous for its distinctive tall thin single arch. The Jade Belt Bridge is the most well-known of the six bridges on the western shore of Kunming Lake. It was erected in the years 1750, during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor, and was built in the style of the delicate bridges in the country-side of southern China. It is made from marble and other white stone. The ornate bridge railings are decorated with carvings of cranes and other animals. The clearance of the arch was chosen to accommodate the dragon boat of the Qianlong Emperor. As the Kunming Lake inlet to the neighboring Yu River, and when during special occasions, the emperors and empress and their dragon boat would specifically pass under this bridge. It is one of the most beautiful bridges in the Summer Palace. A similar arch bridge called Xiuyi Bridge is located on the southeast of Summer Palace.

Beigongmen Station (simplified Chinese: 北宫门站; traditional Chinese: 北宮門站; pinyin: Běigōngmén Zhàn) is a station on Line 4 of the Beijing Subway. The station provides close access to the North Gate of the Summer Palace.

The University of International Relations (UIR; Chinese: 国际关系学院; pinyin: Guójì Guānxì Xuéyuàn) is a national public university in Beijing, China. The Institute for International Relations, later translated into English as Institute of International Relations, was established in 1949 by the first premier of the People's Republic of China, Zhou Enlai, to train diplomats. It became one of the National Key Universities in 1960, and was one of the first in China to offer master's degrees. In 1983, the school became the first foreign studies institute in China to evolve into a comprehensive university.The University of International Relations has offered a joint doctoral program with the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, the 11th Bureau of the Ministry of State Security (MSS), China's civilian intelligence agency.: 93  A 2011 report by the Open Source Enterprise stated, "CICIR appears to have a close relationship with the University of International Relations in Beijing, with nearly half of the organization's senior leadership — including President Cui Liru and Director of the CICIR Institute of American Studies Yuan Peng — having either taught or studied at the school."

Xiyuan station (Chinese: 西苑站; pinyin: Xīyuàn Zhàn) is an interchange station between Line 4 and Line 16 of the Beijing Subway. Also, there is enough space to build another platform in between Line 4 and Line 16 platform for a potential Line 15 westward extension. The station was the terminus of Line 16 until December 31, 2020, when it was extended south to Ganjiakou.

The Central Party School of the Chinese Communist Party (Chinese: 中共中央党校), officially the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and commonly known as the Central Party School (中央党校), is the higher education institution which trains Chinese Communist Party (CCP) cadres. It is located in Haidian, Beijing, close to the Old Summer Palace and Summer Palace. The current president is Chen Xi, a member of the CCP Politburo.

Wanliu Area (simplified Chinese: 万柳地区; traditional Chinese: 萬柳地區; pinyin: Wànliǔ Dìqū), or Haidian Town (simplified Chinese: 海淀镇; traditional Chinese: 海澱鎮; pinyin: Hǎidiàn Zhèn), formerly Haidian Township (simplified Chinese: 海淀乡; traditional Chinese: 海澱鄉; pinyin: Hǎidiàn Xiāng) is a town, more precisely area, of Haidian District, Beijing, located immediately to the east of Kunming Lake. As of 2020, it had a total population of 2,022, making a drastic decline from 2010's population of 28,062 due to the demolition of Liulangzhuang village within the township.

Anheqiaobei station (simplified Chinese: 安河桥北站; traditional Chinese: 安河橋北站; pinyin: Ānhéqiáo Běi zhàn) is a station on Line 4 of the Beijing Subway. It is the northern terminus of Line 4 and located just outside the northwest corner of the 5th Ring Road. It is the only station on Line 4 built above-ground and has separated platforms.