Taking a summer escape away from hot and stuffy air is not a modern idea. At a time when air conditioning and the refrigerator were not even a summer dream, traveling to a place for milder weather and cooler water seemed more important to people, including for the emperors.

Like clockwork, many emperors would stay at a summer resort with their concubines and ministers during the hottest months each year. Here we take a look at some of the summer resorts lived by the royal families, which now can be enjoyed by ordinary people.