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Beihai Park
Beihai Park is one of the most popular
parks in the city of Beijing. It covers a total area of
over 68 hectares, more than half of it is taken up by the
lake. Early in the 10th century, the Liao Dynasty built
a secondary imperial residence here, called Yaoyu or Jade
Islet. When the Jin took over, they renamed the capital
Zhongdu, meaning Central Capital, and built an imperial
palace. Qionghua (Jade Flowery) Islet was built of earth
dug out from the lake, and the rocks used for piling on
the hill were brought from Kaifeng, Henan Province. During
the Yuan Dynasty, the place was rebuilt three times, and
Guanghandian or the Palace in the Moon where Kublai Khan
used to live and many other palace buildings were built
on top of the hill. It was in this palace that Kublai Khan
received Marco Polo. Unfortunately it was destroyed. The
Islet became the centre of Dadu (Great Capital) and is still
situated in the heart of modern Beijing.
The Ming Dynasty saw more construction
and renovation: the Five Dragon Pavilions and the Nine-Dragon
Screen on the north bank of the lake and many pavilions
and galleries were erected during that period. From the
White Dagoba, visitors can have an excellent view of the
Five Dragon Pavilions standing on the opposite bank of the
lake, with colourful ferry boats travelling back and forth
between the shores. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong,
construction lasted for 30 years. The project included many
other pavilions, halls and terraces which made the park
even more harmonious in design.
The layout of the park is based on an
ancient Chinese legend. According to the legend, there were
supposed to be three islands to the east of Bohai Bay where
the gods lived. One of them was called Penglai Island where
a kind of herbal medicine grew, that was supposed to prolong
life. The first emperor of the Qin Dynasty wanted to live
fovrever. He sent people to the islands to look for the
longevity medicine, but failed. Emperor Wudi of the Han
Dynasty also wanted to live an eternal life. He ordered
that a big pool be dug at the back of his palace, complete
with three artificial hills to represent Penglai and the
other islands. So these legendary hills were built in the
eastern capital of Luoyang during the Sui Dynasty and also
in the Tang Dynasty capital of Chang'an. Such a traditional
style of gardening was followed during the succeeding dynasties
and Beihai Park was built after this traditional style.
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