Beihai Park

---

Beihai Park (beihai gongyuan) is in the west of forbidden city. The original design for the park originates from an ancient tale. Chinese legend has it that there were three islands across the eastern seas where fairies and immortals lived.



A walk around the various scenic spots in Beihai can be pleasant. There are various places to take in along the way including: Jade Islet Isle, the Jade Jar of Dushan, the Painted gallery, the Nine Dragon Screen, the Liulige Tower, Yong'an Temple, the Five-Dragon Pavilion.



The White Tower



The White Tower is the main part in the whole composition of Beihai Park, lying at the top of the Jade Isle. It is 35.9 metres high, shaped like an awl, and pedestal like a bell, while the colour of its peak is grey melting with a little white, therefore the Jade Isle could also be named the White Tower Hill. The constructions on this isle are very exquisite and wonderful, decorated by towering old trees and a lot of grotesque stones, and most of these stones are carved into precipitous rocks.



The Jade Isle



The Jade Isle, the center of the park, features luxuriant trees and a host of temple halls. Atop the isle is the 35.9-meter-high White Dagoba. The dagoba together with a painting depicting Emperor Shunzhi (the first emperor of the Qing) meeting with the Fifth Dalai is the witness of the Central Government-Tibet alliance at that time. The top is a gold-gilded copper lid decorated with dozens of bells which jingle in the wind. In front of the Dagoba stand the Temple of Eternal Peace (Yong'an si) and Hall of Universal Peace. At the back of the island is the Hall of Rippling Water.



The Nine-Dragon Screen



The Nine-Dragon Screen was established in A.D 1756. It is situated to the south of Beihai Stadium, which is also a historic relic remaining from Ming Dynasty. It is made of coloured glaze bricks, 6.65 metres high, 27 metres long and 1.42 metres deep. It is engraved with nine bright-coloured vivid dragons, flying and dancing in the billows of the clouds. The nine-dragon screen has been the most precious works among the craft constructions by the coloured glaze in China.

---