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.