Information
Landmark: Beihai ParkCity: Beijing
Country: China
Continent: Asia
Beihai Park, Beijing, China, Asia
Overview
Beihai Park (北海公园, Běihǎi Gōngyuán) ranks among Beijing’s oldest imperial gardens, its white pagoda gleaming above still waters that have mirrored the city for centuries.You’ll find it in the city’s center, a short walk northwest of the Forbidden City, spread across roughly 69 hectares of tree-lined grounds.Beihai Park, with roots stretching back more than a thousand years, blends graceful pavilions, glistening lake views, and a calm that settles over you like soft evening air.Beihai Park, once part of a grand network of imperial gardens, was first built during the Jin Dynasty (1115–1234), its lakes and pavilions designed for the emperor’s private retreat.The park grew and changed through the Yuan (1271–1368), Ming (1368–1644), and Qing (1644–1912) dynasties, each era leaving its own touch-from carved stone bridges to winding garden paths.Once a royal garden, the park offered emperors and their families a quiet escape, where the scent of blooming peonies drifted through shaded paths.In the Qing Dynasty, the park turned into a favorite retreat for the imperial court, its winding paths and quiet pavilions shaped by the elegance of traditional Chinese garden design.Between 1711 and 1799, the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty drove a major expansion of the park, adding winding paths and intricate pavilions that still shape its beauty today.Design and Layout: Beihai Park follows the traditional Chinese garden style, blending winding stone paths, still ponds, and graceful pavilions into one harmonious whole.At the heart of the park lies Beihai, a wide, still lake, with gardens unfolding in a ring around its shore.The lake splits into three sections-North Lake, South Lake, and Middle Lake-each with its own scenery, from quiet pine-lined shores to wide stretches of open water.The park features graceful pavilions, ornate temples, towering pagodas, and arched bridges, each tucked among trees and ponds to highlight the landscape’s beauty and invite quiet moments of rest or reflection.You’ll often see these structures built in traditional Chinese style-wooden pavilions with curved tile roofs, graceful stone bridges, and cool marble carvings you can trace with your fingertips.The park’s best-known landmark is the White Pagoda (Bái Tǎ, 白塔), rising from Qionghua Island in the lake’s center, its white stone glowing in the afternoon sun.The pagoda stands as the park’s centerpiece, offering sweeping views of rolling hills and quiet, tree-lined paths.Key Attraction: White Pagoda - built in the 13th century under the Yuan Dynasty, this Buddhist pagoda still rises with pale stone that catches the afternoon sun.It’s shaped like an octagon and rises 35 meters, about as tall as a twelve‑story building.The pagoda stands as Beihai Park’s most famous landmark, where you can take in sweeping views of the Forbidden City’s golden roofs and the leafy hills of Jingshan Park.Qionghua Island sits in the heart of the lake, where the white walls of the pagoda rise above quiet temples and shaded pavilions.The island feels calm and inviting, perfect for wandering shaded paths, breathing in the salt air, and soaking up the park’s untouched beauty.The Five-Dragon Pavilions are linked by graceful stone bridges that stretch across the lake, their arches casting rippled shadows on the water.The Five-Dragon Pavilions take their name from the five sculpted dragons curling through the carved beams of the buildings.From the pavilions, you can take in a sweeping view of the lake, its surface rippling in the breeze, and the lush gardens that circle the shore.The Seventeen-Arch Bridge is another striking landmark in Beihai Park, its graceful arches carrying visitors across the water to Qionghua Island.Seventeen arches mark each archway leading to the island, and visitors often stop here for photos or strolls along the water’s edge.In the park, you’ll also find a historic circular city ringed by stone walls, a place that long ago served as an imperial residence.It’s a fascinating detail that deepens the park’s history, like the worn stone steps leading up to the old lookout tower.Stone Boat: Sitting right on the lake’s edge, this ornate marble pavilion looks like a wooden boat, its smooth stone sides gleaming in the sun.Built during the Qing Dynasty, it gave the royal family a quiet retreat where they could unwind and watch the sunlight ripple across the lake.Beihai Park holds a special place in Chinese culture, valued for its centuries of history and its lively role as a spot where people stroll beneath willows, gather, and relax.Across Chinese history, it’s been a retreat for emperors to unwind by lotus-filled ponds, a stage for weighty political councils, and a quiet space for moments of spiritual reflection.The park’s design follows feng shui principles, arranging trees, pavilions, and ponds so nature, architecture, and water seem to breathe in harmony.The central lake stands as a symbol of imperial power, while the gardens around it-quiet paths lined with pine and plum-reflect the harmony with nature the emperors strove to weave into their rule.The park holds deep spiritual meaning, especially because of the White Pagoda, a Buddhist landmark whose pale walls seem to glow in the afternoon sun.People visit the park for its quiet beauty, and many come hoping to find a sense of peace beneath the rustling trees.Today, Beihai Park ranks among Beijing’s favorite escapes, drawing families with picnic baskets and camera-toting travelers to its shaded paths and quiet lakeshore.It’s a spot where people unwind, breathe in fresh pine-scented air, move through slow Tai Chi steps, or slip away from the city’s constant rumble.The park is still a cultural heritage site, alive with traditional Chinese music drifting from its stage, vibrant cultural exhibitions, and lively festivals.People love coming here in spring, when tulips and wildflowers burst into color, and again in autumn, when the leaves blaze gold and crimson.Take a slow boat across Beihai Lake, the water rippling softly under the oars, and you’ll see the park’s islands, graceful bridges, and ornate pavilions from a view you can’t get on land.You can rent a paddle boat, or join a guided tour that shares the park’s history and why it matters, all while the water laps gently against the hull.Walking Tours: Stroll along winding paths shaded by graceful willows, where ponds glint in the sun and traditional Chinese gardens frame the view.You can stroll around the lake, step across weathered stone bridges, and wander through pavilions, temples, and gardens tucked into quiet corners of the park.Photography: Beihai Park draws crowds with its stunning sights-like the White Pagoda gleaming above the lake, the graceful Five-Dragon Pavilions, and the long sweep of the Seventeen-Arch Bridge.Historic buildings set against rolling green hills offer countless chances for striking photos, from stone archways to sunlit garden paths.The park’s design blends grand imperial arches with the quiet beauty of winding tree-lined paths.Stone carvings, shaded wooden pavilions, smooth marble accents, and sweeping traditional roofs blend together in Beihai Park, offering a serene showcase of classical Chinese garden and architectural design.Carefully shaped islands, rugged stone outcrops, and graceful pavilions come together to form a peaceful scene, where the curve of a bridge or the ripple on the water blends nature and craft into one.Beihai Park is a historic gem, blending quiet willow-lined lakes with traces of imperial grandeur and rich cultural heritage.One of Beijing’s oldest parks, it offers a quiet escape where visitors can wander shaded paths and catch a glimpse of the city’s imperial past.
