Beihai Park

Beihai Park is called Běihăi Gōngyuán, in Chinese.

Beihai Park is located northwest of the Forbidden City and it is a traditional Chinese park with a long history that starts in the 10th century. During the Qing dynasty it was a part of the Forbidden City and since 1925 it has been open to the public.

The park is 7.5 million square feet big and more than half of the park is covered with water. In the middle of the park there is an island called Qionghua. A 420 feet white-stone building stands on top of the island; the well-know Bei Ta. In 1679 it was destroyed by an earthquake but was rebuilt the following year. In 1976 it once more collapsed because of an earthquake, so the present version is not so old. Inside the tower are Buddhist writings, a blanket, a bowl for alms, and pieces of bones from monks that have been left after they were burned.

On the northern shore there is a nine-dragon-wall, which is called Jiu Long Bi in Chinese. It was built in 1756 and is one of three walls of the same kind in China. The wall is decorated on both sides with nine dragons playing in the clouds.

Beihai Park is a very nice park, well worth a visit. However, it can be quite crowded, so you should avoid it on any Chinese public holiday.