Beihai ParkOnce part of the Forbidden City, Beihai Park is now open to the public. It covers 700,000 square meters and is over thousand years old. It has several large lakes, which cover about half its area, and an intriguing island called Qionghua. The north pool is called the Taiye Pool while the other two are called the Middle Sea and the South Sea.
The most marvelous structure of the Beihai Park is the Bai Ta, the White Dagoba. The Dagoba is built of white stone, its purity highlighted by the fact that bones of Buddhist monks of high morality lie within the structure. It’s situated on the highest point of Qionghua island and stands 40 meters high. The current structure was built in 1680, after a 1679 earthquake destroyed the original.
Another famous building is the beautifully carved Five Dragon Pavilion. The dragons float on the water and connect the five pavilions. On a moonlit night you can see why emperors and their wives once came there to enjoy the moonlight. The Nine dragon wall just adjacent to it is one of the three most prestigious and famous walls in China. It was built in 1756 of in five colors. There are nine dragons playing in the lovely blue clouds on either side of the wall. The carvings are quite lifelike, and almost seem like they might speak.
In the northern end of the Park has a smaller park within it. This Quieting Heart Room cuts the Beihai Park into two halves and also has a small stream flowing though it. The park also has an eatery within its boundaries. The cuisine there is authentic to the era when the park was first built. Another important structure in this sector is the iron wall. Built during the Yuan Dynasty, it depicts many creatures and dragons with clouds in iron.
The circular wall around the Hall of Received Light is another prominent feature of Beihai Park. There is also a 1.6 meter high Buddha statue carved out of a single piece of jade and decorated with many precious stones. Unfortunately, the statue’s left arm was damaged.
