eflsummerschool

A postcard from the Summer Palace, Beijing

Here’s an open letter to my 6-year-old nephew, Bertie. I sent him a postcard from the Summer Palace in Beijing with a link to this blog post written on the postcard. If he receives it, it will give him some fun themed activities he can access himself or with his class mates if his teacher thinks it might be relevant. I sent the postcard to him via his school.

This blog is part of a series on a similar theme. If you would like to read another blog post in this series, click here: A postcard from the Forbidden City, Beijing.

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Dear Bertie

I hope you and your friends are well.

I recently went to the Summer Palace in Beijing. With a lake at it’s centre, this vast area contains a variety of gardens and palaces; all spread out over 2.9 kilometres. It’s history dates back to 1153 and became an official residence during the Qing dynasty to escape the hot summers.

I walked a lot but the views were fantastic. I first walked around Kunming Lake, walked over bridges, and saw some old buildings. Next, I climbed to the top of Longevity Hill were I had a panoramic view of the area. It really was a lot of walking!

I found out that Kunming Lake is completely artificial and the excavated earth was used to build Longevity Hill. The Summer Palace was used until the end of the Qing dynasty in 1912 and two years’ later, it was opened to the public for the first time.

Here’s a video from my day:


Video link: https://youtu.be/9h9xYgj2F9Y?feature=shared

It was funny how all the boats were frozen in the lake. I suppose it is a summer palace and not a winter palace!

I’ve made a themed activity for you which involves dice. In fact, you can make your own dice! Click here: Summer Palace dice. You need to download and print the template before cutting it out. Fold carefully on the lines and stick your dice together by glueing the flaps to the adjacent sides. Once you have made your dice, you can play the game! Working with a friend or in a team, take turns to throw the dice and answer the questions!

If you are feeling adventurous, I have a blank template you can use where you can write your own questions. Click here: Dice template.

Take care and I’ll send another postcard soon!

Uncle Oliver x

References:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_Palace

https://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/beijing/summer.htm

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/880/

https://www.chinahighlights.com/beijing/attraction/summer-palace.htm

Are you a teacher? If yes, you might be interested in these adaptable games and board games, including a language dominoes template: Games and board games

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