The Summer Palace, originally named as Qingyiyuan (Garden of Clear Ripples), was designed by the famous court architect Lei Jiaxi, and was built between 1750 and l764. Covering about l90 hectares, the imperial garden is chiefly composed of the Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake. It was burned and destroyed by the British-French allied army in 1860. The Empress Ci Xi had it renovated in l888 with the 5 million taels of silver that had been appropriated for building the Chinese navy, and changed its name to the present Yiheyuan, or the Garden of Harmonious Unity. Blended harmoniously with the landscape, the halls, towers, pavilions, corridors, walkways and bridges in the garden display exquisite workmanship. The Summer Palace is the best-preserved imperial garden in the world with rich scenes and concentrated structures.