You know the way some people are really photogenic

(LOL, I said some people ... I didn't say me!).

They always look good anytime you snap a pic of them.

You don't have to pose them to get an interesting angle, they look good from every angle

Well there are buildings like that too!

It's almost impossible to not get a really good looking shot. No matter the distance, no matter the angle.

For me, The Summer Palace in Beijing is one of those buildings. I'm a very mundane photographer - but even I ended up with spectacularly beautiful photos of the Palace.

Actually, The Summer Palace

refers to the whole park and complex of palaces, lakes, temples, and halls.

Summer Palace
Simplified Chinese
颐和园
Traditional Chinese
頤和園
Literal meaning
"Garden of Preserving Harmony" (isn't that beautiful?)

Pictorial plan of the Summer Palace, c. 1888 - source: wikipedia.org

So, I am taking a liberty to refer to just the main residence as "The Summer Palace" with its exquisite photogenic personality.

"The Summer Palace (Chinese: 頤和園; pinyin: Yíhéyuán), is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces in Beijing, China. It serves as a popular tourist destination and recreational park. Mainly dominated by Longevity Hill (万寿山; 萬壽山; Wànshòu Shān) and Kunming Lake (昆明湖; Kūnmíng Hú), it covers an expanse of 2.9 square kilometres (1.1 sq mi), three-quarters of which is water" - wikipedia.org

"Longevity Hill is about 60 metres (200 feet) 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." - wikipedia.org

all photos courtesy of @twiceuponatime unless otherwise indicatated

Also see: Seventeen-arch Bridge (Shiqi Kong Qiao) in the Summer Palace park
Bridge of Sighs: https://steemit.com/travel/@onceuponatime/bridge-of-sighs

And: Scratch That Off My Bucket List! (The Great Wall) https://steemit.com/photography/@onceuponatime/scratch-that-off-my-bucket-list