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Beihai
Park
 The
park in the center of Beijing has an area
of more than 70 hectares with a water surface
of 39 hectares. To its north is Shishahai
Lake, to its east is Jingshan Park. The
Palace Museum is to its southeast over a
short distance.
The imperial court of the Liao
Dynasty built a temperory palace on the
site of present Beihai Park in the 10th
century. During the following Jin Dynasty
a lake was dug. The excavated earth was
piled to make a hill. Around the lake and
on the hill palatial halls, corridors and
pavilions were erected. The imperial court
of the Yuan Dynasty after the Jin expanded
Jionghua Islet in the lake and made it the
center of its capital Dadu City. During
the Ming Dynasty five pavilions linked with
zigzag bridges were built in the northwestern
part of the lake. During the regin of Emperor
Qian Long (1736-1796) a large-scale project
was carried on over 30 years, making the
palace a grand imperial garden.
Beihai Park is composed of Tuancheng
(Circulate City), Jionghua Islet, Eastern
Shore Scenic Area and Northwestern Shore
Scenic Area, with Jionghua Islet as the
center. The small island is connected with
other parts by a stone bridge and ferry
boats.
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