Along the corridors at the two sides of Paiyun Hall, passing the Chuantang Hall and Dehui Hall, we will see the highest architecture on the Wanshou Hill, having mounted the 114 steps. The Foxiang Pavilion is a religious architecture, idolizing Buddhism.

When the Qingyi Garden was built in 1749, Emperor Qianlong originally had a nine-story pagoda built here as part of the grand Baoen Yanshou Temple. But he changed his mind when eight stories had been completed, and ordered to build a three-story octagonal pavilion with four eaves. Unfortunately, the war of 1860 reduced all wood-en architectures to ashes, including the original Foxiang Pavilion. Only the stone base was left. Then, it was restored to the present state in 1891, the 17th year of the Emperor Guangxu's reign. The restoration project consumed over 780,000 liang of silver, the largest one of the construction of the Summer Plalace.

Built on a 20-meter-high stone base, the Foxiang Pavilion was sustained by eight iron pillars. The 41-meter-high pavilion is rather complicated considering the overall structure. Thanks to its grandeur, elaborate pattern and the location on top of the Wanshou Hill, it has long been counted as the central architecture of the Summer Palace. Amitabha was worshipped in the pavilion. On every first and 15th days of the lunar month, the Empress Dowager would burn joss sticks and prayed for auspices.

Tourists can have a bird's-eye view of Kunming Lake, the Yuquan Hill in the west and the lovely pagoda. So the Foxiang Pavilion has been considered the perfect place for sightseeing and photography.

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