The Beihai Park

 Located in the center of Beijing stands Beihai Park, an imperial garden built 1000 years ago which stands well preserved today. Beihai has stood through the Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, and most of the current buildings there today were constructed during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911 A.D.) by the Emperor QianLong.  
 
First opened to the public in 1925, Beihai was placed under State Council protection in 1961 as one of the most important cultural sites. The total area of the park is over 65 hectares, and comprises of a large lake which occupies over half of its total area. Beihai park is a exhibition of traditional Chinese garden-scaping, and the pavilions and towers set amidst lakes, hills, grass and trees makes the scenery here classically picturesque.  It is said that the design of Beihai was inspired by a legend, which tells of three fairyland mountains, Penglai, Yingzhou and Fangzhang that rise above the East Sea. In these mountains, the immortals were said to live, and they possessed the coveted potion of longevity, sought after but never found by first emperor of the Qin Dynasty (reigned 211-210 B.C.) and Emperor Wu Di of the Han Dynasty (reigned 140-87 B.C.). After his failure, the Emperor Wu Di ordered a large lake, named Taiye Lake, to be dug behind his Jianzhang Palace in the capital city of Chang'an (now Xi'an in Shaanxi Province) and created three islets out of the excavated earth to reflect the structure of legend.    
 
In the ultimate years of the Yuan dynasty, the decadent Emperor Shun Di ordered a 40 meter dragonboat to be constructed, and dressed 16 palace maidens as legendary fairies who entertained him while the boat sailed on the lake.
Date:2008-3-29