North Lake Park

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Description

(Local Name: Beihai Gongyuan) The North Lake Park lies to the northwest of the Imperial Palace. It is one of the oldest imperial gardens in Beijing. The park was laid out at the beginning of the 10th C. Its name is taken from Lake Beihai (north lake) which is situated here. The name north lake was adopted because it joins the lakes Zhonghai (middle lake), and Nanhai (south lake), in the south. On the south lake is the seat of the state council and its Central Committee of the Communist Party.

When the Jin rulers dug out the Xihua Tan lake in the 12th C the Island of Exquisite Jade was created, and the Guanghan Gong Palace was built on it. The Round City, which lies at the southern point of the lake was the center of the capital Dadu in the Yuan period (1271-1368). Many of the buildings still standing today date from the time of Emperor Qianlong (reigned 1735-96).

The park, which is surrounded by a high wall, has become one of Beijing's favorite recreational venues. Access can be gained through the south, north, and east gates.

Hobbies & Activities category: Garden or botanic display; Lake; Provincial or municipal park

North Lake Park Highlights

Five-Dragon Pavilions

The north bank of North Lake can be reached by ferry. Here can be seen the Five-Dragon Pavilions (Wulong Ting) (1602), connected by stone bridges.

Hall of Enlightenment

The main attraction of the park is the Hall of Enlightenment (Chengguang Dian) (1690). A niche in the rear section of the palace conceals a splendid Buddha, standing 1.5m/5ft high, and carved from

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Iron Wall

To the north of the Five-Dragons Pavilion is the Zhenguan Hall with the Iron Wall (Tieying Bi) which dates back to the Yuan period. It is made from volcanic stone and stands almost 2m/6ft high and 3

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Island of Exquist Jade

Over the Bridge of Eternal Peace (Yong'an Qiao) which dates from the Yuan period (1271-1368), is the Island of Exquisite Jade (Qionghua Dao), on which once stood the Palace of Guanghan Gong, built under the Mongol ruler Kublai Khan.

Living Quarters of Mei Lanfang

Living Quarters of Mei Lanfang (Mei Lanfang Guju) Mei Lanfang (1894-1961), famous star of the Peking Opera, specialized in playing the role of the woman. He spent the last ten years of his life in

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Nine Dragon Wall

The Nine Dragon Wall (1417) in the north is 5m/16ft high and 27m/29ft long. It is decorated in seven colors with representations of nine dragons.

In the northern corner of North Lake is the

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Residence of Guo Moruo

The residence of Guo Moruo, where the famous writer and historian lived from 1963 until his death in 1978, is built in the traditional Chinese courtyard house style. It is situated not far from the

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Residence of Prince Gong

Residence of Prince Gong (Gongwangfu) West of the central north lake (Shicha Hai) is the important old residence of the Prince, named after its former proprietor the Manchu Prince Gong (1833-1898),

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Residence of Song Qingling

On the eastern banks of the central North Lake, behind a high wall, is the opulent residence of Song Qingling (1893-1981) in which the widow of the founder of the republic, Sun Yat-sen, lived for 1

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Round Fort

The Round Fort dates from the Yuan period (1271-1368), and is situated near the south gate. It is surrounded by a 5m/16.5ft wall built in the 15th C. Many of the present buildings were erected by Emperor Qianlong (1735-96).

Temple of Eternal Peace

In 1651 the Temple of Eternal Peace (Yong'an Si) was built on the palace ruins, the buildings extending across the hill. On the way up is the Shanyin Dian Hall with its yellow and green glazed tiles and 455 niches housing Buddhas.

White Pagoda

Behind the Temple of Eternal Peace on the Island of Exquisite Jade rises the Tibetan style White Pagoda (Baita), also built in 1651, on the occasion of the visit of the Dalai to Beijing. The pagoda

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