It would be a pity to visit Beijing without going to Beihai Park.

Beihai Park is located in the center of Beijing, adjacent to the Palace Museum and Jingshan Park. It was built in the sixth year of the Dading period of the Jin Dynasty (1166 AD) and has a history of more than 850 years, spanning the Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. It is the oldest and best-preserved imperial garden in China. 😎 We chose to enter from the south gate, which was less crowded and more comfortable. The city wall building on the left is called "Tuancheng", known as "the smallest castle in the world". You need to enter through another gate, but it is best to check if it is open on site. As you walk in, you will see Yong'an Bridge and White Pagoda Hill. Yong'an Bridge is the largest stone bridge in the park, connecting Qionghua Island with the White Pagoda, which is the symbol of "Beihai". Go straight and you will enter Qionghua Island. If you want to see the White Pagoda up close, you need to climb up. Go ahead and you will see the "Qionghua Chun Yin Stele", which was erected by Emperor Qianlong. There are also imperial poems engraved on both sides, and two round stone-carved dragon pools in front of the stele. Continue forward and you will come to a row of ancient buildings with a long corridor by the water, called Yilan Hall, which was restored to its appearance during the Qianlong period in 2022. If you want to see the Nine Dragon Wall, Five Dragon Pavilion, and Jingxin Zhai, you can visit them in the direction of the north gate. Of course, you can also take a boat ride on the lake, but the boats stop running in winter when the lake is frozen. So if you have enough time and want to visit the whole park, you can enter from the north gate. For those who want to take the lazy route like us, you can leave through the nearby east gate after visiting, and go straight across the street to Jingshan Park. The cultural and creative products here are "mallard ducks" and the White Pagoda.