- Shichahai
Shichahai (zh-cp|c=什刹海|p=Shíchàhǎi) is a scenic area consisting of three lakes in the north of central
Beijing inChina . They are located to the north-west of theForbidden City and north-west of the Beihai Lake. Shichahai consists of the following three lakes: the Front Sea (前海), the West Sea (西海) and the Back Sea (后海). In former times it was called "Riverbank" (zh-cp|c=河沿|p=héyán).Description
Shichahai consists of 147 hectares and dates back to the Jin Dynasty. From the time of the
Yuan Dynasty it was the northernmost part of the Grand Canal linkingHangzhou in the south to Beijing in the North of China. Because of this the Shichahai area used to be the most important commercial district with all kinds of activities going on. It harbors several temples and mansions.Around the lake there are ten famous
Taoist andBuddhist temples. Around the lake are also several formal royal mansions and gardens. The most well known is thePrince Gong Mansion (恭亲王府) and thePrince Chun Mansion (醇亲王府).The borders of the lakes are surrounded by large trees.
Shichahai is a scenic spot in Beijing, near the north-gate of the
Beihai -park.In the summer tourists can rent boats to peddle on the lakes. In the winter a lot of people come to ice-skate.
In 1992 the municipal government of Beijing declared the district an "Historical and Cultural Scenic District".
Nearby famous places
*
Prince Gong Mansion
* Prince Chun's Mansion
* Former residence ofSoong Ching-ling (Ms.Sun Yat-sen )
* Former residence of Chinese writerGuo Moruo
* Typical Chinese Hutong streets, with typicalsiheyuan courtyard houses.
* Drum Tower and Bell TowerReferences
* [http://www.illustrip.com/dest/beijing/Tour-i1-Back_Lake.aspx Illustrip: Interactive and printable map of Shichahai (Hou Hai)]
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