Beihai Park is a

public park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a city park, municipal park (North America), public park, public open space, or municipal gardens (United Kingdom, UK), is a park or botanical garden in cities, densely populated suburbia and oth ...

and former imperial

garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...

immediately northwest of the

Forbidden City The Forbidden City () is the Chinese Empire, imperial Chinese palace, palace complex in the center of the Imperial City, Beijing, Imperial City in Beijing, China. It was the residence of 24 Ming dynasty, Ming and Qing dynasty, Qing dynasty L ...

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. First built in the 12th century, Beihai is among the largest of all surviving Chinese gardens and contains numerous historically important structures, palaces, and temples. Once part of the Imperial City, it has been open to the public since 1925. As with many of Chinese imperial gardens, Beihai was designed to imitate renowned scenic spots and architecture from various regions of China, particularly Jiangnan around the

Yangtze Delta The Yangtze Delta or Yangtze River Delta (YRD), once known as the Shanghai Economic Zone, is a megalopolis generally comprising the Wu Chinese, Wu-speaking areas of Shanghai, southern Jiangsu, northern Zhejiang, southern Anhui. The area lie ...

. Various aspects of the park evoke the elaborate pavilions and canals of

Hangzhou Hangzhou, , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly romanized as Hangchow is a sub-provincial city in East China and the capital of Zhejiang province. With a population of 13 million, the municipality comprises ten districts, two counti ...

and Yangzhou, the delicate gardens of

Suzhou Suzhou is a major prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu province, China. As part of the Yangtze Delta megalopolis, it is a major economic center and focal point of trade and commerce. Founded in 514 BC, Suzhou rapidly grew in size by the ...

, and the natural scenery around

Lake Tai Taihu (), also known as Lake Tai or Lake Taihu, is a lake in the Yangtze Delta and the third largest freshwater lake in China. The lake is in Jiangsu province and a significant part of its southern shore forms its border with Zhejiang. With ...

with its famously porous stones. Beihai Park itself is now reckoned one of the masterpieces of Chinese gardening and landscaping. The present park has an area of around with a lake that covers more than half of its area. At its center is Jade Flower Island ''Qiónghuádǎo''), whose highest point is . The park's lake is connected at its northern end to the Shichahai.

Name

"Beihai" is the

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, officially the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, is the most common romanization system for Standard Chinese. ''Hanyu'' () literally means 'Han Chinese, Han language'—that is, the Chinese language—while ''pinyin' ...

romanization In linguistics, romanization is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Latin script, Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and tra ...

of the Mandarin pronunciation of the garden's Chinese name, meaning "Northern Sea". The name corresponds to the "Central Sea" ''Zhōnghǎi'') and "Southern Sea" ''Nánhǎi'') immediately to the park's south, still usedunder the combined name

Zhongnanhai Zhongnanhai () is a compound that houses the offices of and serves as a residence for the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the State Council of the People's Republic of China, State Council. It was a former imperial gard ...

as the restricted headquarters of China's paramount leaders.

History

In 1179, Emperor Zhangzong of the Jurchen Jin

dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...

had a country resort built northeast of Zhongdu, his empire's central capital located in what is now southwestern Beijing. Taiye Lake was excavated along the Jinshui RiverDu, Pengfei & al. "History of Water Supply in Pre-Modern China" from ''Evolution of Water Supply through the Millennia''
pp. 169 ff
Accessed 16 November 2013. and the Palace of Great Peace ''Dàníng Gōng'') was erected on Jade Flower Island in the lake. During the reign of Kublai Khan of the Mongol

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty ( ; zh, c=元朝, p=Yuáncháo), officially the Great Yuan (; Mongolian language, Mongolian: , , literally 'Great Yuan State'), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Div ...

, the island was redesigned by various architects and officials including Liu Bingzhong, Guo Shoujing, and Amir al-Din. Taiye Lake was enclosed within the walls of the Imperial City of the Yuan Empire's new capital

Khanbaliq Khanbaliq (; , ''Qaɣan balɣasu'') or Dadu of Yuan (; , ''Dayidu'') was the Historical capitals of China, winter capital of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty in what is now Beijing, the capital of China today. It was located at the center of modern ...

. The

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

was initially based at

Nanjing Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400. Situated in the Yang ...

but moved to

under the Yongle Emperor, with construction of his palace complex beginning in 1406. At this time, Taiye Lake was divided by bridges into three lakes described as the "Northern", "Central", and "Southern Seas". These lakes formed part of an extensive royal estate within the Imperial City called the Western Garden (, ''Xīyuàn''). In 1747, the

Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, personal name Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China pr ...

ordered that three rare calligraphy works made by Wang Xizhi, Wang Xianzhi, and Wang Xun then housed within the Hall of Mental Cultivation along with 134 other calligraphic works from the Imperial Collection were to be carved into stone and displayed at the Pavilion of Reviewing the Past beside Beihai.

Notable places

Beihai Park includes several Buddhist temples within its grounds, including the Temple of Everlasting Peace ''Yǒng'ān Sì'') and the Chanfu Temple. The White Dagoba or Pagoda , ''Báitǎ'') is a Tibetan-style

stupa In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...

placed on the highest point on Jade Flower Island, built to honor the visit of the 5th Dalai Lama in 1651. It is high and made of white stone. It houses reliquaries with Buddhist scriptures, monks' robes and alms bowls, and relics, the ash and bones of monks left after their

cremation Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a corpse through Combustion, burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India, Nepal, and ...

. Sun, moon, and flame engravings decorate the surface of the tower. Destroyed by the 1679 Sanhe-Pinggu earthquake, it was rebuilt the following year. Damage from the 1976 Tangshan earthquake was repaired the same year. On the lake's north bank lies the Five Dragon Pavilions, five connected pavilions with spires and pointed upswept eaves, built under the Ming. The

Nine-Dragon Wall A Nine-Dragon Wall or Nine-Dragon Screen () is a type of Spirit screen, screen wall with reliefs of nine different Chinese dragons. Such walls are typically found in imperial Chinese palaces and gardens. Early reference to the tradition of putti ...

lies north of the Five Dragon Pavilions. It was built in 1402 and is one of three walls of its kind in China. It is made of glazed bricks in seven colors. Nine complete

dragons A dragon is a magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in Western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depict ...

playing in the clouds decorate both sides of the wall. Many smaller gardens exist throughout the park. The Jingxin or Quieting Heart Room is a garden on the north bank that covers more than . The Hall of Received Light (''Chengguangdian'') is the main structure in the Round City ''Tuánchéng''). It is a spacious building with a double-eaved roof made of

yellow Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In t ...

glazed tiles bordered in

green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...

. Inside there is a

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

that is tall, which was presented to the

Guangxu Emperor The Guangxu Emperor (14 August 1871 – 14 November 1908), also known by his temple name Emperor Dezong of Qing, personal name Zaitian, was the tenth Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China ...

of the Qing by a 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 during the 1900 Battle of Beijing. The Taihu rocks in Beihai Park were shipped from

Henan Province Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Luo ...

. There are also various pieces of art ranging from Yuan jade jars to a collection of 495 centuries-old stelas.

Legacy

The Five-Pavilion Bridge and Lotus Tower in Yangzhou's Slender West Lake Scenic Area were self-consciously modeled on Beihai Park's Five Dragon Pavilions and White Dagoba to curry favor with the Kangxi and

s during their southern tours of Jiangnan in the 18th century.

Gallery

File:The Russian road to China (1910) (14755599651).jpg , The park bridge in 1910 File:Beihai Park 65402.jpg, Jade Flower Island File:White pagoda, beihai park, beijing, china.jpg, The White Dagoba File:The Five-Dragon Pavilions.JPG, The Five-Dragon Pavilions Image:Beihai wlt1.jpg, One of the dragon pavilions File:Pavilion of Sharing Coolness.JPG, Pavilion of Sharing Coolness Image:Beihai nanbudian.jpg, The Daci Zhenru Hall Image:Beihai cfs.jpg , The entrance to the Chanfu Temple File:Xiao Xi Tian.JPG, Xiaoxitian Image:Beihai_mxt.jpg, The Miaoxiang Pavilion File:Nine Dragon Wall in Beihai Park.JPG, The Nine-Dragon Wall File:Beihai Park, Beijing3.JPG, The Nine-Dragon Wall (detail) Image:Beihaiparkpic1.jpg, Chinese gardens are found throughout the park Image:Beihaiparkpic6.jpg, Lotuses in the park Image:Beihaipark2.jpg, Bridge and Rockery at the Studio of Mental Serenity Image:Beihaipark1.jpg, Western Paradise in the park

References

Citations

Bibliography

* .

External links

Official Website

- China.org.cn {{Old Beijing Buildings and structures completed in the 11th century Chinese architectural history Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Beijing Parks in Beijing Gardens in Beijing Xicheng District Religious towers