Attractions >> Beijing >> Beijing Attractions

Beijing Xiangshan Park

Situated in the east part of western hills, 28 kilometers (17 miles) northwest of the Beijing City, Beijing Xiangshan Park, also called Fragrant Hills Park is a large park of hills and forest covering 160 hectares (395.4 acres). Both its natural sceneries and cultural relics are abundant. Xianglu Peak (Incense Burner Peak), 557 meters (1827.4 feet) high, is its highest peak.

The park was first built in 1186 in the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) and later extended to a large scale in the Yuan and Ming dynasties. In 1745, Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799) ordered the addition of many new halls, pavilions and gardens and gave it a new name, Jingyi Garden (Garden of Tranquility and Pleasure). Unfortunately, in 1860 and 1900 after the Summer Palace and the Yuanming Yuan (the Old Summer Palace) were set on fire, lots of relics in the Fragrant Hills were damaged by foreign troops. Since 1949, with a half-century's restoration and development by Chinese government, Fragrant Hills Park has been recognized as one of the ten most famous parks in Beijing.

Between the third week of October to mid November are the best time to visit the park, when the smoke tree leaves turn red. Every year, thousands of tourists come to the park. The cable car is a great way to take in the beautiful scenes.

A poem of Marshal Chen Yi reads:

The red leaves of the Western HillsBecause even redder as the frost thickens.

And an earlier poem by the Tang Dynasty poet Du Mu treats the same subject:

Stopping in my sedan chair in the evening, I sit admiring the maple grove;The frost-covered leaves are redder than the flowers of spring.

There are two main routes through the park. One route goes through the north area, with Spectacles Lake (Yanjing Lake) and the bridge, Study of Reading Heart (Jianxin Zhai) and Bright Temple (Zhao Miao). Study of Reading Heart was built in the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644) and is a landscaped park inside Fragrant Hills Park. Bright Temple is a large Tibetan style lamasery complex built in 1780 as the residence for the sixth Panchen Lama during his visits to Emperor Qianlong. Buildings in the complex have partially been burned down. Among the surviving treasures are a majestic glazed-tiled archway in front of the complex, a Tibetan style terrace and a glazed-tiled pagoda. Bells hung on the eaves of the pagoda chime in breeze.

The second route leads through the south area of the park. Main attractions along the route include Tranqulity Green Lake (Jingcui Lake), Shuangqing Villa, Fragrant Temple, and Incense Burner Peak. This route is a little harder because it leads across the highest peak, Incense Burner Peak.

Another point of interest in the park is the Shuangqing Villa, once the residence of Mao Zedong and also an early site for the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. It is also known for I M Pei's work - the Fragrant Hills Hotel.The Temple of Azure Clouds (Biyun Si) is located just outside the north gate of Fragrant Hills Park.

Edited By Athena Lee