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| Jingshan Park |
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Located to the east of Beihai Park and north of the Imperial Palace,
Jingshan Park is another beautiful spot to visit. Now covered in
fruit trees, pines and cypress trees, the hill was originally made
with the earth from the moat surrounding the Forbidden City. From
the top there are wonderful views of Beijing, especially over the
Forbidden City, hence its name, which means "Scenic Hill."
The park was an imperial garden during the Yuan (1271 - 1368), Ming
(1368 - 1644) and Qing (1644 - 1911) dynasties.
The main sites of interest in the park include the Hope Tower "xiwanglou,"
where people still worship at a memorial tablet for Confucius, which
is in the Keeping Benevolence Hall (yong'endian). The Visiting Virtue
Hall (guandedian), to the north of the hill, is where the coffins
of the Qing emperors and empresses lie. The 43-metre-high Million
Spring Pavilion (Wanchunting) sits atop the hill. From here it is
possible to appreciate a spectacular 360 degree vista of the city
of Beijing. Directly to the north is Di'anmen Street, running straight
as an arrow up to the Drum and Bell Towers (zhonggulou); to the
east is the Yonghegong Lamasery, the Imperial College, and the Confucian
Temple; to the west is Beihai Park, where the White Pagoda rises
above a blue lake full of boats; and to the south is the Imperial
Palace.
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949,
the park has been renovated several times. It is now famous for
its peony flowers.
Apart from its flowers and views, the park is also remembered
for a Chinese scholar tree that used to grow on the eastern slope
of the hill. It was from this tree that the last emperor of the
Ming Dynasty, Chongzhen, hung himself. The Emperor Chongzhen took
shelter in the park in 1644, when Lizicheng took Beijing for the
Manchus who were to found the Qing Dynasty. Having shamed his ancestors
by his defeat, Chongzhen committed suicide by hanging himself on
the Chinese scholar tree. The tree no longer survives as it was
destroyed in subsequent upheavels.
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