The Hall of the Sea Wisdom (智慧海 Zhi Hui Hai) is the Summer Palace's building that symbolizes the mighty force and the infinite wisdom of Tathagada Buddha. Built on the pinnacle of the Longevity Hill, the Hall has been designed to stand at the upper end of an axis stretching from the Kunming Lake to the summit. When initially built during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799), it was a 2-storied building entirely made of colored glaze bricks, without any timber beams: a realization known as the "No Beam Hall". Thanks to its timber-free frame, the hall survived the fire set by the Anglo-French allied force in 1860 although the holy statue of Amitayus Buddha, as well as 1008 smaller engraved Buddhas surrounding it, were destroyed.

Moreover, the Hall of the Sea of Wisdom is also where the worship of the Goddess of Mercy (Kuanyin) is occurring. Sitting straightly in the lotus throne with a jade pure bottle in one hand and willow leaves in the other, the statue is surrounded by other noteworthy relics such as the statues of Manjusri and Samantabhadra which are said to have been cast in the reign of the Emperor Qianlong. Visitors having some time visiting the hall will be impressed by the three characters written on the architraves of the hall for they form the Buddhist's chant: a real journey to spiritualism.