Located just north of the Forbidden City is the Beihai Park, one of China’s oldest and largest parks. With a history of over 1000 years, the Beihai Park has many stunning attractions and beautiful structures making it a must-visit location by those who come toward the Forbidden City. For a comforting stay at an apartment near Forbidden City Beijing, make a reservation at one of the many types of serviced apartments of the Ascott Raffles City Beijing.
The Beihai Park was built somewhere around the 11th Century during the reign of the Liao Dynasty, and was considered to be the largest imperial garden at the time. In 1925, the garden was opened to the public, and was transformed into a park over the years. Spreading over a vast 69 hectares, the Benhai Park is home to many smaller attractions which are of historic and aesthetic value. The park is great for spending a day outdoors while being immersed in China’s rich culture and heritage.
The park is known for its vast open spaces, lush greenery, quaint flower gardens and beautiful lawns, this making it ideal for a relaxing and intriguing walk. Some of the notable attractions of the park include the Jade Flower Island which lies on the lake that flows through the park. At the centre of the island is the White Pagoda; a shrine made completely of white stone and designed with various traditional Chinese art. The Nine Dragon Wall is also another famous attraction, which essentially is wall constructed with glazed bricks, depicting nine colorful dragons at play. The Jingxin Studio; with its many grand halls and towers, the Five Dragon Pavilions; known for their stunning architectural beauty, and the Hao Pu Creek Garden; home to some of the park’s best independent gardens, are also some of the notable attractions at Beihai Park.
The park is a great way to enjoy nature and discover Chinese history and culture, so you can be assured that the Beihai Park will not disappoint.
Uditha Dharmawardhane is a travel writer who writes under the pen name Roland Lefevre. He specializes in creating features on leisure as well as business travel destinations across the globe.