Jingshan Park, east of Beihai Park, lies at the center of Old Beijing facing the north gate of the Forbidden City. At the top of Jingshan, visitors can enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the Forbidden City and its surroundings. The park draws its name (meaning: “scenic site”) from its fruit trees and vibrant cypresses. It served as an imperial garden in the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties.
In the south of the park is Qiwang Hall, housing a statue of Confucius. On the north side of the hill are the Yong’en and Guande Chambers, housing the bodies of the past emperors. The lotus tree on the east side of the hill marks the place where Emperor Chongzhen hanged himself. Unfortunately, the site was destroyed during warfare. Wanchun Pavilion sits on the hill’s central point and is the highest point in Beijing. Here, visitors can marvel at a full, clear view of Old Beijing: in the north is Di’an Gate Street with the Bell and Drum Towers on the far end of the street; in the east are Yonghegong Lama Temple and the Imperial Academy; in the west is Beihai Park with the White Pagoda rising against the sky; and in the south is the magnificent Forbidden City. The park also has the biggest peony rose garden in Beijing, blooming in full in May each year.
Jingshan Park Attractions
Jingshan Park Stories
1. The Plan View of the Park Assembles a Sitting Man
In March 1987, Beijing Remote Sensing Achievement Exhibition reported that the plan view of the park looks like a seated man. Since then, it has been nicknamed “Jingshan Seated.” Jingshan Hill, a simple mound named Qingshan hill in the Yuan Dynasty, sits right across from the south gate of the Forbidden City. In 1416 when Ming Emperor Yongle built the Forbidden City, he ordered bricks of old city walls and mud from the city moat to be carried to Qingshan Hill, and it was renamed Wansui Hill (Imperial Longevity). Because it was also intended suppress the royalty of the former dynasties, it was known as Zhenshan Hill (Suppress). In the Qing Dynasty, royals stored coal and wood for heating in this area, earning the hill the nickname “Coal Hill.” In 1655 under Emperor Shunzhi’s rule, the name was given its final name: Jingshan Hill (Prospect).
The secret of the plan view was discovered by Kui Zhongyu, a famous geographer. When he was developing the film of the plan view photograph, Kui was shocked to notice that the Park looked like a man sitting cross-legged. The Shouhuang Chamber building group is the head of the man—the major hall and gate are his eyes, nose and mouth. The eyebrows are the trees in the yard. The triangular grove on each end of the yard resembles a beard. The frame of the photo is made up of the walls of the park covering 0.23 km2. If this truly is a portrait, it is unquestionably the largest in the world, painted only with buildings and streets.
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