Summer Palace (颐和园) is the largest and most complete existing royal garden, reputed as the royal garden museum. Located in Haidian district, about 15km from Beijing center, Summer Palace covers an area of 290 hectares. Its predecessor was the Garden of Clear Ripples (Qingyiyuan) started in 1750 and burned down by the British and French allied troops in 1860. In 1886, Empress Dowager Cixi used navy outlays and other funds in the reconstruction and renamed the park as Summer Palace in 1888.The Summer Palace in northwest suburban Beijing is the largest and most complete imperial garden existing in China.