Beihai Park, an extensive imperial park said to be a thousand years old, located to the north west of the Forbidden City. Set in 69 ha with a large 39 ha lake covering half the park’s area, it boasts of several historically important palaces, temples, manmade hills and an island. The park’s origins hark back to the 10th century and five dynasties of Chinese royalty were engaged in adding to and improving the park. The park was used for conducting religious ceremonies, for amusement and relaxation by various emperors and their courts and as quiet spaces for scholars to produce literary works. The four main areas of the park are the Qionghua Island, the circular city and the eastern and the northern bank areas. Among the garden’s many remarkable features is Taiye, a large lake or North Sea as it is known and two smaller lakes named the middle and south sea, the manmade Qionghua Island with a highest point of 32 metres; the 45 metre Bai Ta or White Pagoda atop the island is rumoured to have Buddha’s relics enshrined there. The island is connected to the garden by the Yong’an Bridge. The five Ming Dynasty temples on the water’s edge known as the Five Dragon Pavilion is another famed attraction. This was the place that many emperors came to fish, watch fireworks and enjoy the moonlight.
Other remarkable attractions include the 14th century coloured glazed brick nine dragon wall, the garden within a garden that is the Jing Xing Room, the Hall of Received Light with a 1.6 metre white jade statue of the Buddha presented by a Khmer king in the 12th century and the Yong’an Temple which is the largest building complex there.
The garden is also the location of several pavilions, small shrines and Buddhist temples with ancient paintings and statues of Bodhisattvas venerated to this day. There are also many independent traditional Chinese gardens, collections of large jade jars said to have been used to store wine by Kublai Khan, who apparently lived in one of the palaces in the park in the 13th century, 495 steles with inscriptions, pine and cypress trees several hundred years old and Taihu rocks from the Henan Province. Beihai Park occupies an iconic position in garden design in China. Built to replicate several scenic spots and architectural masterpieces from various regions in the country, the gardens and its artfully placed buildings amply illustrate the skills of ancient Chinese garden designers.
Opened to the public in 1925, the park’s lakes, botanical gardens, pavilions, ancient artefacts, beautiful vistas and lawns are now much valued treasures. That it is appreciated by the people is amply demonstrated by the fact that the park is thronged with crowds and the lake full of boats. The park also offers restaurants and bars and several entertainment options from classical opera to modern dance competitions,
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