Beihai Park
北海公园
Beihai Park is 500 meters to the west of the north gate of the Forbidden City. The original royal park was out of bounds to ordinary citizens. It covers an area of over 700 000 sq meters, and more than half is water. Since the Liao Dynasty, the Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties built royal parks here. The lake and marsh in the Liao Dynasty was built into xanadu, the highest palace serving as a dressing table for Empress Dowager Xiao. Later in the Jin Dynasty, Qionghua (Jade Flower) Island, Yaoguang Hall and Guanghan Hall were constructed，and the Taihu stone of the Gen Mountain in the Song Dynasty was moved from Kaifeng，Henan. Xanadu was built into Daning Palace on the outskirts of the capital of the Jin Dynasty in 1179. Emperor Kublai Khan of the Yuan Dynasty then ordered the construction the new capital Dadu，Surrounding Qionghua (Jade Flower) Island (renamed Wanshou Mountain) and Taiye Pool. Taiye Pool was cut into two parts, and the lake dug during the Ming Dynasty and Beihai，Zhonghai and Nanhai came into being. Many halls, chambers and pavilions were built successively along its banks during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. A Tibetan- style white pagoda was built on the original site of Guanghan Hall，and Wanshou Mountain renamed White Pagoda Mountain in 1651，the 8th year of Shunzhi reign. The original Taiye Pool and Qionghua (Jade Flower) Island were constructed into the largest and most beautiful royal park. When the eight-Power Allied force invaded Beijing in 1900，Beihai Park was the base for the headquarters of Japan，France and Russia，and almost reduced to ashes. Two years later, empress dowager Cixi renovated the park as a residence for herself. It remained closed to the public until 1925， marking an end of its history as imperial park.
北海公园在紫禁城西北门500米处。原来的皇家园林是禁止普通公民进入的。它的面积超过70万平方米，一半以上是水。自辽，金，元，明，清，每个朝代都在这里修建皇家园林。辽代的湖泊和沼泽被内置到元上都，是萧太后梳妆台最高的宫殿。后来在晋代，琼花（玉花）岛，瑶光殿和广汉堂被建成，以及宋代的根山太湖石是从河南开封运过去的。1179年元上都内置到元代城郊的大宁宫。后来元朝皇帝忽必烈下令在琼花（玉花）岛和太液湖周边再建造新的大都，（改名为万寿山）。太液湖被切割成两部分，并在明代，北海、中海湖挖和南海应运而生。明清时期许多大厅、内庭和阁楼沿河岸建成。一座西藏风格的白色佛塔建于广汉馆的原址，以及于1651年，顺治在位的第8年，万寿山改名为白塔山。原来的太液湖和琼花（玉花）岛是国内规模最大、最美丽的皇家园林。在1900年八国联军力入侵北京，北海公园是日本、法国和俄罗斯总部的基地，而且几乎化为灰烬。两年后，慈禧太后重新装修园林作为自己的住所。直到1925年它才向公众开放，标志着其历史上的帝国园林的结束。
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