Garden scenery

A "museum of gardens", the Summer Palace, or Yiheyuan, used to be a resort for imperial families who sought shelter from the heat while enjoying a glimpse of the country's representative scenes recreated in the spacious garden in Beijing's northwestern corner. For decades, it has also been a spot for sketching by painters, such as Dai Ze, a retired professor of the Central Academy of Fine Arts who turned 100 years old this year. Centenarian Painter Under the Sunny Scenery, an exhibition at the De He Garden in the Summer Palace, shows dozens of Dai's oil paintings and watercolors, depicting the imperial garden's changing views throughout the year and a variety of architecture. It also shows the career navigation of a colorist over the years: Dai is able to present an atmosphere of serenity with a soft palette, making viewers of his work feel as if time has stopped. The exhibition ends on Oct 9.

8 am-6 pm, closed on Mondays. 19 New Palace Gate Road, Haidian district, Beijing. 010-6288-1144.