Beihai Park

With the Forbidden City and Jingshan Park to its east, Beihai (North Sea) Park is another well-preserved imperial garden.

The garden, begun about 1,000 years ago, is a classic combination of grandiose northern and refined southern China landscapes, as well as the integration of magnificent imperial palaces and solemn religious buildings.

Beihai Park covers about 69 hectares, more than half of which is taken up by the lake. In the southern end of the lake lies the Jade Flowery Islet, topped by the imposing White Dagoba, a city landmark.

The White Dagoba was built in 1651 on the former site of the Palace in the Moon where Kublai Khan received Marco Polo. At the suggestion of a Tibetan lama, Emperor Shunzhi, the first emperor of the Qing Dynasty, agreed to build a Tibetan dagoba to show his belief in Buddhism and his desire for the unification of China's ethnic groups. The White Dagoba was destroyed in the 1976 Tangshan earthquake and later reconstructed. Resting on a huge stone base, it stands 35.9 meters high and is capped by two bronze umbrella-like canopies, with 14 bronze bells hanging around them.

Cost: 10 yuan (April 1 to October 31) / 5 yuan (November 1 to March 31)

Opening Hours: 6:30 a.m.- 8 p.m. (January, February, March, November, December)

6 a.m.- 9 p.m. (April, May, September, October)

6 a.m.- 10 p.m. (June, July, August)

Transport: Taxis recommended.

Website: www.beihaipark.com.cn/en/about/index.htm