Things have finally taken a dip for us. For a short spell our semester was a little hectic, however everything appears to be in order now. At least things should be okay until final exams hit us next month. We had been hearing that right now, in spring, visiting Beijing's famous city parks was a must. This past Wednesday we decided to take that advice and visit Bei Hai Gong Yuan. Bei Hai is actually rather close to our school's campus. We hopped on the subway and in 20 minutes we reached Tian'an Men Xi subway station. From there we walked roughly 20 minutes north until we reached the park. We were surprised at how easy it was for us to get there.
Originally built as an imperial garden over 1,000 years ago during the Liao dynasty, the park was rebuilt and renovated during four subsequent dynasties. It actually was not allowed to the public until 1925. Now, the city takes great measures to preserve this immaculately landscaped garden.
The first attraction we decided to visit at the park was the White Dagoba. Located at the center of the park on top of the Jade Flowery Islet. This Tibetan-style stupa was built to honor the visit of the fifth Dalai Lama in 1651. Directly in front of the White Dagoba is a shrine that for two extra yuan (the park entrance fee with attractions cost 20 yuan a person) we could visit. The panoramic view of the city from this shrine was amazing! Definitely worth the extra kuai!Since the park is named after its extensive lake, Bei Hai , we decided to take the park boat from one end of the lake to the other. Officially the park is 0.27 square mile in size. Once we reached the shore of lake's northern end, we went to visit the Nine Dragon Screen. This 27 meter (89 foot) long spirit wall is made of over 400 colorful glazed tiles. This is one of only four such screens in all of China! It was built during the Ming dynasty with the purpose of warding off evil spirits.
Ultimately, we spent the next few hours just enjoying the calm and tranquil setting of this spectacular attraction. We took a relaxing stroll down the park's main walking path, taking in all the sights and sounds. On top of all of this I almost forgot to mention that it was such a gorgeous day with a clear blue sky, a rare treat for us here. With such rich and deep history, Bei Hai is definitely a Beijing treasure.Due to such a pleasant experience at this park, keep a look out for our adventures at other gong yuan in Beijing!
Check out the incredible natural beauty this park had to offer!
