Beihai Park, found northwest of the Beijing’s Forbidden City, is a royal garden. The garden was built sometime in the tenth century, and has been a public park since 1925. The popular park is considered to be among the finest examples of traditional Chinese garden art. It is one of the largest Chinese gardens, spanning an area of nearly seventy hectares, although over half of the park area is taken up by a lake. Beihai Park is also one of the most important parks in China, containing many temples, palaces and other historical structures.
As with most imperial gardens in China, Beihai Park was created to imitate famous scenic spots from different parts of China. The elegant gardens in Suzhou, the intricate canals and pavilions in Yangzhou and Hangzhou and Lake Taihu all serve as inspiration for the park. To the park’s north visitors will find Taiye Pool (also called Beihai which literally means Northern Sea), a large pool that connects two other pools, the South Sea (Zhongnanhai) and the Middle Sea. The buildings found around Zhongnanhai house many of China’s leaders.
At the Park’s centre is an island, Qionghua, with a high point of thirty two metres. The Bai Ta (White Dagoba), a stupa roughly forty metres in height marks the island’s highest point. The structure which is engraved with designs of astronomical bodies, like the moon and sun, was ruined in 1679 but was rebuilt a year later. One will also be able to find a reliquary here containing the ashes of dead monks, Buddhist scriptures and alms bowls. The Five Dragon Pavilions, built during the Ming Dynasty, can be found on the North bank. While to the north of the Five Dragon Pavilions is the Nine Dragon Wall.
The park is a very popular tourist spot in Beijing, and can be reached by bus and subway. While the transport system in Beijing is quite good, the city’s layout can be a bit confusing so it is important in finding a city hotel Beijing with a central location. The Grand Millennium Beijing is a Beijing luxury hotel located in the heart of the city, making it an ideal place to stay.