The best way to get around the lake area of the mountain resort - a network of pavilions, bridges, lakes and waterways - is to rent a rowing boat (¥10 an hour). Much of the architecture here is a direct copy of southern Chinese buildings. In the east, the Golden Hill , a cluster of buildings grouped on a small island, is notable for a hall and tower modelled after the Golden Hill Monastery in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province. The Island of Midnight and Murmuring Streams , roughly in the centre of the lake, holds a three-courtyard compound which was used by Kangxi and Qianlong as a retreat, while the compound of halls, towers and pavilions on the Ruyi Island , the largest, was where Kangxi dealt with affairs of state before the palace was completed.

Just beyond the lake area, on the western side of the park, is the Wenjinge, or Knowledge Imparting Library , surrounded by rockeries and pools for fire protection. The grey-tiled building seems to have two storeys from the outside; in fact there are three - a central section is windowless to protect the books from the sun. A fine collection is housed here, including The Four Treasures, a 36,304-volume Qing-dynasty encyclopedia, but sadly you can't go inside.

A vast expanse of grassland extends from the north of the lake area to the foothills of the mountains, comprising Wanshun Wan (Garden of Ten Thousand Trees) and Shima Da (Horse Testing Ground). Genuine Qing-dynasty yurts sit here, the largest an audience hall where Qianlong received visiting dignitaries from ethnic minorities.

The hilly area in the northwest of the park has a number of rocky valleys, gorges and gullies with a few tastefully placed lodges and pagodas. The deer who used to graze here and were wiped out by imperial hunting expeditions have recently been reintroduced.