Heralded as one of the best examples of Chinese garden art is Beihai Park, which came to verdant life in the tenth century and it is amongst the largest of all landscaped gardens in China. Make the park part of you visit at the Beijing luxury hotel such as the Grand Millennium Beijing. Elegant interiors and attentive hospitality make it an excellent city hotel Beijing has to offer its guests.
Spanning over 69 hectares, you will definitely need more than a day to fully explore everything that this delightful garden has to offer, but during your first visit, a few key sites should be visited. The Bai Ta is an ornate stupa that extends skyward for about forty metres and its white stone casts a gleaming contrast against the peacock-blue sky. A reliquary is housed within the stupa, bearing relics in the form of Buddhist scriptures, monks’ alms bowl and mantles, and their cremated remains. Notable temples scattered throughout the park include the Chanfu Temple, and the Yong’an Temple, which translates to the “Temple of Everlasting Peace”. You will also find the exquisite Five-Dragon Pavilions built during the Ming Dynasty and the Nine-Drago Wall, which is rare as it is one of only three in the entire country. Comprising colourful glazed bricks, it depicts nine dragons cavorting in the clouds on both sides. As you stroll along, you will also encounter many charming smaller gardens such as the Jingxin Room, as well as the unique Taihu Rocks from the Henan province.