Jingshan and Beihai Parks

Our excursions last weekend were to two parks just outside of Tiananmen Square: Jingshan and Beihai Parks.

First was Jingshan Park, which boasts the highest point in Beijing, providing great views of the Forbidden City. This hill is actually artificial and was made from the leftover dirt dug out during the construction of the moat that surrounds the Forbidden City.

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Gu Laoshi and his favorite students. At the highest point in Beijing--a pavillion in Jingshan Park. That would be the Forbidden City behind us. Fun fact about Jingshan: The giant hill on which we are standing was made from the leftover dirt dug out during the construction of the moat that surrounds the Forbidden City.

That's us and Gu Laoshi standing at a Pavillion at the highest point that overlooks the Forbidden city.

Jingshan is a popular gathering place for elderly people; right as we entered the park grounds we saw a group of elderly women doing traditional Chinese fan dancing.

Beijing is in the midst of a heat wave (and we thought it couldn't get any hotter), so much of the day was spent taking refuge in shady pavilions that overlooked old Beijing.
When the older parts of the city were being built, the major buildings of Beijing were built along a central axis, with Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City at the center; Jingshan lies just north of the Forbidden City along this axis. Another point of interest: Within Jingshan Park is the tree on which Emperor Chongzhen hung himself after a peasant uprising.

Next it was on to nearby Beihai Park, which is an imperial garden. Beihai, meaning literally "Northern Sea," is located northwest of the Forbidden City with a lake that covers more than half of the entire park. We walked around the perimeter of the lake, taking occasional breaks to appreciate the enormous lotus flowers that densely populate the water. We grabbed a quick lunch, and then decided to stay in the area around Tiananmen and explore.

Our first stop was the Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall, which we'd read about in one of our guidebooks. This museum of sorts was designed to showcase the long history of the city of Beijing, displaying both ancient and modern achievements of design and development. It seems more suited for a cocktail hour with dignitaries than a place you'd want to spend the day exploring. The hall was sort of empty and the exhibits somewhat sparse, but we nonetheless spent hours there reveling in the air-conditioning, cushy seating, and pristine bathrooms.

My favorite part by far was the scale model of Beijing. At the center of this exhibit (pictured) is a 3D model of Beijing's downtown, built to scale; around the perimeter are sky-view photos of the rest of the city. We were even able to locate Tsinghua's campus amongst the 1,000 square-meters of photos.

We had originally planned to eat at a renowned dumpling restaurant, but after a fruitless search in the sticky heat, we settled for the closest restaurant we could find. After dinner, we explored the nearby hutong and did some shopping. Having stumbled upon a small tea shop, we spent a lot of time sampling different teas ("Mythic Fungus" was not one of them). I left with Jasmine, Rose Hips, and Lychee Black Tea.

Overall, a successful day. Though I didn't drink much tea before I came here, I am now a loyal convert. Once I'm back in the States, I can't wait to savor my tea in a newly-purchased tea mug as a fond memory of my time here.