Beihai Park is an imperial garden to the northwest of the Forbidden City in Beijing. It is one of the oldest, largest, and best-preserved of all the ancient imperial gardens in China. This ancient garden, with over 1,000 years’ history, is not only a classic combination of the grandiosity of the northern gardens and the refinement of the southern gardens in China, but also a perfect integration of magnificent imperial palaces and solemn religious constructions.
BeiHai Park is an excellent living example of the ancient Chinese art of landscaped gardens, with artificial hills, pavilions, halls, temples and covered corridors blended with trees, hills and a lake in a harmony of man and nature. Indeed, it is like a mini Summer Palace in the heart of Beijing.