Directly south of Houhai, and on the northwest corner of the Forbidden City, is Beihai park, an imperial garden which dates back to the days of Kublai Khan. Beihai Park is best known for the striking White Pagoda Temple, another unmistakable landmark in Beijing’s plethora of temples and palaces. The White Pagoda was built as a memorial to a visit by the Dalai Lama in 1651, and is perched atop a hill in the southwest corner of the park, making it visible throughout the park. The colourful Nine-Dragon screen is another famous feature, and provides a picturesque backdrop for a photo opportunity. As with Houhai, a favourite activity in the summer months is hiring a boat and rowing on the lake.
Beihai park is also quite well known for the broad range of lotus, which can be seen there. Among the famous species are Chun Xiao (Spring dawn), Wufei Lian (Dancing concubine), Yizhang Qing (Long-petalled white), Fenchuan Tai (Pink River Platform), Manjiang Hong and Yimeng Hong Lian (Yimeng and Manjiang Red lotus). Beihai offers a very good environment for a weekday stroll, on weekends it can become quite crowded here. In the evening you can just go out of the North gate and visit Houhai for the evening stroll. Actually you can visit a nice Restaurant here, being the Kejiacai Restaurant at Qianhai, nust next to Houhai. It offers good Kejia cuisine at very reasonable prices, especially in comparisson to the places at Houhai, just across the small lake. In fact, as you are sitting across the lake of all the fashinable bars in Houhai you get the good view, especially in the evening.
