Lesson 6

BeiHai Park

BeiHai Park, covering an area of 68.2 hectares, was the imperial garden in Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. The center of the park is Qiong Island, which is

1,913 meters in circumstance and 32.8 meters high.It was constructed in 1179 (in the Jin Dynasty) with the earth from that came from the digging of the lake. The 35.9 meters high White Dagoba on the island was build in 1651.

There is a stone tableterected in 1751in the northeast of Qiong Island, with “Qiong Dao Chun Yin” (Spring Shade on the Qiong Island) on it.This area, noted for itsbeautiful surrounding, was counted as one of the eight outstanding views of Beijing. There is a “Wu Long Ting” (Pavilion of five Dragons) on the north shore of the lake, built in 1602,where the emperors used to fish and watch fireworks. The “Jiu Long Bi” (Screen of nine Dragons) was built in 1756. It was made of colorful glazed tiles, with nine lively dragons on each side It has proved the creativiness of working people in China. The “Tie Ying Bi” (Screen of Iron Shade) is a relic of the Yuan dynasty.
北海公园原是辽、金、元、明、清历代封建帝王的御花园。总面积共有68.2公顷。公园的中心——琼岛，周长1913米，高32.8米，是1179年(金代)用挖海的泥土堆成的。岛上白塔建于1651年，塔高35.9米。
琼岛东北部有“琼岛春阴”碑，为1751年建立，附近风光秀丽，过去是燕京八景之一。海北岸有“五龙亭”，建于1602年，是封建皇帝钓鱼和看焰火的地方。九龙壁，建于1756年，全壁用五彩琉璃瓦砌成，两面各有蟠龙九条，姿态生动，反映了我国劳动人民的创造才能。贴影壁，是元代文物。