Beihai ParkA ~ Z

Introducing the Beihai Park (Beihai Gong Yuan)

Located in the center of Beijing, the Beihai Park is an imperial garden to the northwest of the Forbidden City. It was first built during the Liao Dynasty (907-1125), then continuously rebuilt and renovated in the Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. It is amongst the largest of Chinese gardens and contains numerous historically important structures, palaces and temples. The Beihai Park covers a total area of 69 hectares, with a lake that occupies more than half of the entire park, and a 32 meters high Qionghua Island. The same as most of Chinese imperial gardens, the Beihai Park was built to imitate famous scenic spots and architectures from various regions of China: the Taihu Lake, the elaborate pavilions and canals in Hangzhou and Yangzhou, the delicate garden structures in Suzhou and others. The structures and scenes in the Beihai Park are described as masterpieces of gardening technique that reflects the style and the superb architectural skill and richness of traditional Chinese horticulture.

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White Dagoba

First built in1651, the White Dagoba is a lamaist pagoda located on the top of Qionghua Island. Its body is made of white stone. Sun, moon and flame engravings decorate the surface of the pagoda. Construction of the pagoda was actually based on a suggestion from a Tibetan Lama named Nur Momhan. He said that a white pagoda must be built to prolong the rule of the Qing Dynasty. Qing Emperor ShunZhi was a devoted Buddhist, who built it to show his desire for that and the unification of China’s various ethnic groups. During the Qing Dynasty, on the 25th day of the tenth lunar month each year, there would be a big Buddhist ceremony held in the White Dagoba. Destroyed in 1679 by an earthquake, it was rebuilt the following year, and restored again in 1976, after another earthquake which occurred in Tangshan city, 200 km away from Beijing. The later earthquake also unveiled a reliquary secretly put inside the structure, containing Buddhist Scriptures, monk’s mantles and alms bowl, and the bones of monks.

Nine-Dragon Screen

The Nine-Dragon Screen was built in 1756 during the reign of Qing Emperor Qianlong. It is 5 meters high, 27 meters long and 1.2 meters thick. On either side of the screen, there are nine dragons in different postures, playing with a pearl in the waves of cloud. There are altogether three Nine-Dragon Screens in China. The largest one is located in the city of Datong, Shanxi Province. The other one is in the Forbidden City and the one in Beihai Park is the only screen with nine huge dragons on both sides. Apart from the nine dragons carved on both sides, there are also a lot of dragons carved on the roof, eave, upside and downside, with a total number of 653 dragons. Originally, the screen used to serve as a screen for the temple behind it, but the temple was destroyed in 1900 by the Eight Power Allied Forces.

Dushan Jade Jar

The Dushan Jade Jar kept in Circular Wall of Beihai Park, was made in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). Carved out of a whole big piece of colorful dark jade, it is one of the biggest and oldest jade-carved articles in China. Designs of dragon and animal coming in and out among sea waves were carved on all sides of the jar. The jar is 5 meters in circumference, weighs 3.5 tons and could hold 1.5 ton of wine. The giant jade jar was built in 1265 and originally put on Qionghua Island by Kublai Khan who established the Yuan Dynasty. It was used to store wine to entertain the meritorious generals and ministers in founding the Yuan Empire, as well as representing the prosperity of the Yuan. The Dushan Jade Jar was quite different from jade articles that featured the style of being slim and fragile in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) but demonstrated the straightforward spirit of exploiting the country in the Yuan Dynasty. It marked the pinnacle of jade-carving craftsmanship in the Yuan Dynasty. For unknown reason, the giant jar was later placed in a Taoist Temple nearby the west gate of the Forbidden City, and was used by the Taoists to store pickled vegetables. Later Emperor Qianlong bought it and brought it back to Beihai Park with a big sum of money.

Qionghua Island

Qionghua Island is in the center of the Beihai Park with a white Dagoba on the top. Made of white stone, the White Dagoba is a 40 meters high stupa placed on the highest point of Qionghua Island. The island is 45 meters high and 880 meters in circumference. On the south slop of the island, there are a group of Buddhist temples descending the hillside. The buildings on the south slope are: Yong’an Temple, the main temple built on the south slope; Falun Hall; Puan Hall and Shanyin Hall. On the north side of the island are a complex of rockeries and caves. The famous Fangshan Restaurant, which serves Imperial Cuisine, is located at the foot of the north slope.

Circular City

The Circular City (Tuancheng) is actually a huge earth mound surrounded by a 4.6 meters high wall. It is connected by Yongan Bridge with Qionghua Island to the north. The Circular City used to represent Yingzhou, one of the three fairylands for the legendary immortals in ancient times. Now it is a major scenic spot in the Beihai Park that requires a separate ticket to get in. The Circular City has a long history which dates back the Liao Dynasty (907-1125). Among the various halls, towers and pavilions built on the Circular City, the most important building is the Chengguang Hall which holds a very precious white jade Buddha statue introduced from Burma at the end of Qing Dynasty. In front of the hall is the Dushan Jade Jar used by Kublai Khan for storing wine.

Additional Information

Kublai Khan

Kublai Khan (1215-1294), also called Hubilie in Chinese, was the fifth Khagan of the Mongol Empire. He reigned from 1260-1294, and was the founder of the Yuan Dynasty in Mongolia and China, a division of the Mongol Empire. Kublai Khan was the forth grandson of Genghis Khan, who conquered almost one fifth of the world’s inhabited land area. After defeating his younger brother Alibuge who intended to grab the crown in 1264, Kublai Khan succeeded the throne, with "Zhiyuan" as the reign title. Afterwards, he moved the capital to Yanjing (Beijing) and renamed it "Dadu". In 1271, Kublai Khan set "Yuan" as the official name of the nation and then confirmed Dadu as the capital in 1272. After defeating the Southern Song Dynasty in 1279, Kublai Khan accomplished great unification around the whole country and founded the Yuan Dynasty. Through adopting legal systems of the Han nationality, Kublai Khan established political systems, formed politics of centralized state power, resumed normal ruling orders, and also, created the system of administrative province. In addition, he implemented some measures beneficial to the production of agriculture and handicraft industry. They include the establishment of Ministry of Agriculture, cultivation of fields, reclamation of wasteland, construction of irrigation works, and restriction on enslaving loyal subjects. Furthermore, he intensified management on border areas, built roads connecting China to foreign countries, and also, consolidated and developed a multi-ethnic country. Most importantly, Kublai Khan was eager in studying Han culture. He was modest in learning Confucian administrative doctrines from lots of scholars. It is in the Yuan Dynasty that the over 300 years’ splitting status of China after the Tang Dynasty (618-907) was ended. It is also in the Yuan dynasty that the border areas were exploited, effective administrative jurisdiction on Xinjiang, Tibet and other places was implemented; Tibet was included in China's territory for the first time; and the scale of Chinese territory was primarily settled.

Opening Hours

06:30-21:00 (Apr.-Oct.)

06:30-20:00 (Nov.-Mar.)

Price

Entrance Fee:

¥ 10 (Apr.-Oct.)

¥ 5 (Nov.-Mar.)

Through Ticket:

¥ 20 (Apr.-Oct.)

¥ 15 (Nov.-Mar.)

Address

No.1 Wenjin Street, Xicheng, Beijing, China

(北京市西城区文津街1号)

Distance

Downtown

Getting There

Subway:

Line 6 Beihai North Station Exit D (southwest)

Taxi:

请带我到北海公园

(Please take me to Beihai Park)

Last Updated

2018-05-04 09:04:03

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