Beihai Park
北海公园
An imperial garden right next to the Forbidden City, where the White Dagoba reflects in Beihai Lake. It is the lake from the song Let's Row Our Boats.
Beihai is one of the oldest surviving imperial gardens and was developed as early as the Liao and Jin dynasties. The White Dagoba on Qionghua Island is its landmark. From the island you can look out over the Forbidden City and Jingshan Hill. On the north shore are the Nine Dragon Screen, the Five Dragon Pavilions and the Hall of Serenity. Outside the south gate, Tuancheng has a jade urn and white-barked pines. In summer you can rent pedal boats and motorboats, and in winter the lake opens as an ice rink. In peak season, the entrance fee is about 10 yuan, and combined tickets cover Qionghua Island and Tuancheng. You can walk from the west gate of Jingshan Park and combine Beihai with Jingshan and Shichahai for a half-day route. Metro Line 6 stops at Beihai North Station.
Opening hours
06:30–21:00 (earlier closing in winter; attractions inside about until 17:00)
Nearby sights
- Prince Gong's Mansion
- Jingshan Park
- Shichahai
- The Palace Museum (Forbidden City)
- Zhongshan Park (Beijing)
- Drum Tower & Bell Tower
- Nanluoguxiang Hutongs
- Imperial Ancestral Temple