A park with a view in Beijing

25 million people. We got a feel for that this day when we went to a park with a hill and lots of good views of Beijing.

On the walk toward our park we passed beautiful buildings and interesting monuments.

Appears that the top of the art museum sits on the subway station.
Monument for May 4, 1919 when students protested the Treaty of Versailles
Post Office tucked inside an old building
National Art Museum
Forbidden City. Dirt removed from this large moat was piled up to make the hill at Jingshan Park!

At Jingshan Park just across the street from the Gate of Divine Prowess, we were willing to pay the entrance fee but they waved us in, possibly because of our age. The ticket agent looked at our passports carefully.

Entrance to Jingshan Park
Top Pavilion
UNESCO plaque
Jingshan Park, one of many Beijing Central Axis sites

What a gorgeous park! The wide variety of trees was exotic to us. Some smaller bushes and plants were likely native, but many were recognizable European species.

Site where an emperor committed suicide in the 17th century
Old tile roof

We started up the hill to see the pavilions, all built in 1750. The trail was steep in parts but well made and not too long.

Fulan Pavilion
Jifang Pavilion
Wanchun Pavilion
Guanmiao Pavilion
Zhoushang Pavilion

The pavilions were similar but not the same, and the views of the city were certainly worth the hike up the man-made hill.

The White Dagoba (upper right) in a park west of the Forbidden City is a Tibetan stupa built to honor the visit of the 5th Dalai Lama in 1651. The picture above is a view of the Forbidden City.
Tile roof
Closeup of roof
Small building we were able to enter
Bamboo artwork
Pavilion from far below
Horse statues made of twigs
Natural looking limestone in pond
What did the cub do?

Outside the garden, we walked through the area near Beijing University, seeing buildings that could have been dorms and some classrooms or research centers.

Lunch at a college hangout
Lanterns at lunch
Face sculpture using natural lines of the limestone
Russian influence
This old building is adjacent to the hotel.
A section of the Communist Party holds conferences in the old building pictured above, the former math building of Peking University. It was the home of an empress until the Cultural Revolution.

Our hotel, the King Parkview, was very hard to find! It is in an older area on an alley or hutong. We walked up and down all the adjacent alleys before finally finding where we would stay. Later, we saw this nice sign obscured by bamboo.

After meeting our fellow travelers and guide, we all went out for Peking Duck. The chef is carving two roast ducks for our table.

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