Beihai Park

Beihai Park (zh-cp|c=北海公园|p=Běihǎi Gōngyuán) is an imperial garden to the northwest of the Forbidden City in Beijing. Initially built in the 10th century, it is amongst the largest of Chinese gardens. Prior to the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1911 this area was connected to the Forbidden City, but since 1925 it has been open to the public.

The Park has an area of more than 700,000 m², with a lake that covers more than half of the entire Park. At the center of the Park is an island called "Qióng-huá (琼华) Island" with a highest point of 32 m. In the north of the park there is a large pool called the "Taiye Pool" connecting the two other pools, which are called the "Middle Sea" and the "South Sea" respectively. Therefore the "Taiye Pool" is also called the "Beihai".

"Beihai" literally means "Northern Sea". There are also corresponding "Central" and "Southern Seas" ("Zhongnanhai"). The complex of buildings around Zhongnanhai houses China's paramount leaders.

Noticeable places

The Bai Ta (White Dagoba) is a 40 m high stupa placed on the highest point on Qiónghuá Island. Its body is made of white stone. Sun, moon and flame engravings decorate the surface of the tower. Destroyed in 1679 by an earthquake, it was rebuilt the following year, and rebuilt again in in 1976, because of an earthquake which occurred at Tangshan City, near Beijing City. A Reliquary, secreted inside the structure are Buddhist Scriptures, monk's mantles and alms bowl, and the bones of monks (their remains after cremation).On the north bank lies the Five-Dragon Pavilions, five connected pavilions with spires and pointed upswept eaves, which was built in the Ming Dynasty.

The Nine-Dragon Wall lies north of the Five-Dragon Pavilion. It was built in 1756 and is one of three walls of its kind in China. It is made of glaze bricks of seven-colors. Nine complete dragons playing in the clouds decorate both sides of the wall.

Also on the north bank is the Jingxin Room (Quieting Heart Room). It is a garden within the garden, and covers an area of more than 4,000 m².

The Circular Wall (Tuancheng) has as its main structure the Hall of Received Light (Chengguangdian), a spacious building with a double-eaved roof made of yellow glazed tiles bordered in green. Inside there is a 1.6 m tall Buddha presented to Emperor Guangxu by a Cambodian (Khmer) king. It is carved from a single piece of pure white jade inlaid with precious stones. The Eight-Nation Alliance damaged the statue’s left arm in the Battle of Peking in 1900.

In the Beihai Park, one could find Taihu rocks shipped from the Henan province and a variety of art collections ranging from jade jars from the Yuan-era to a collection of 495 steles bearing inscriptions by trees of hundreds of years old.cite web|url=http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/124/|title=Beihai Park|publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|date=2008-09-03]

The structures and scenes in the Beihai Park are described to be masterpieces of gardening technique that reflects the style and the superb architectural skill and richness of traditional Chinese garden art.

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ee also

*Chinese dragon

References

External links

* [http://www.beijingtrip.com/attractions/park.htm Beihai Park, Beijing]
* [http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/beijing/31006.htm Tuancheng]