Beihai

Author: Bai Zhenzhen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: Beijing is an ancient city with a history of over three thousand years. Especially as the capital of the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, it rose to become the political and cultural center of the nation. This historic and cultural city is not only a masterpiece of feudal imperial palace architecture in China but also, as the capital of the People's Republic of China, it inherits historical heritage and unparalleled status, making Beijing an extremely valuable historic and cultural city for humanity. In 1206, Genghis Khan ascended the throne and established the Mongol Empire. In the third year of the Zhengyu era of the Jin Dynasty (1215), before the Mongol army captured the Jin capital Zhongdu, it first seized Wanning Palace. Although Wanning Palace suffered some damage, it remained largely intact. In 1260, Kublai Khan (the Yuan Emperor) arrived in Zhongdu. Due to the ruins of the Jin imperial palaces, which had been ravaged by war, Kublai Khan had to temporarily reside in the Taiping Palace on the Qionghua Island outside Zhongdu. The Guanghan Hall on Qionghua Island became Kublai Khan's temporary residence. In 1265, when Kublai Khan placed the "Dushan Jade Sea" in the Guanghan Hall, the city of Dadu (modern-day Beijing) had not yet been built. In 1267, Kublai Khan decided to abandon the old city of Zhongdu and build a new city, Dadu. First, he constructed the imperial palaces around the lake of Taiping Palace, and then, surrounding this newly built walled city, he built a large city according to a complete urban planning. This became the historically renowned city of Dadu, which is the predecessor of today's Beijing. From then on, Qionghua Island and the lake it was located on were incorporated into the imperial city of the Yuan Dynasty. The Yuan Dynasty marked a major turning point in the urban development of Beijing. Kublai Khan shifted the capital from the southwest to the area centered around Beihai's Qionghua Island. He built the main imperial palace to the left of the Taiye Pool and the Longfu Palace and Xingsheng Palace to the right of the Taiye Pool. Thus, Beihai's Qionghua Island became a crucial factor in determining the location of the Yuan Dynasty's capital. The Inner Garden of Wanshou Mountain during the Yuan Dynasty was located between the Eastern Palace (imperial palace) and the Western Palace (Longfu Palace and Xingsheng Palace) within the imperial city of the Yuan Dynasty, equivalent to the status of Beihai and Zhonghai today. Qionghua Island was then renamed Wanshou Mountain, and the central lake became the Taiye Pool. The Jin Dynasty's imperial villa thus became the Yuan Dynasty's imperial garden. Kublai Khan built the Inner Garden of Wanshou Mountain on the ruins of the Jin Dynasty's Taiping Palace on Qionghua Island and then constructed the city of Dadu around it. The newly built city of Dadu became the predecessor of the Beijing city of the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is clear that the Jin Dynasty's Taiping Palace on Qionghua Island had a significant origin relationship with the formation and development of Beijing. The geographical location of today's Beijing city originated from the Yuan Dynasty's Dadu, and Kublai Khan built the imperial city (imperial city) of the Yuan Dynasty around the Jin Dynasty's imperial villa—Taiping Palace on Qionghua Island in the northeastern suburbs of Zhongdu. As the saying goes, "First came Qionghua Island, then the Forbidden City." The Beihai Garden not only has a long history but also serves as the foundation of Beijing's architecture. In June 1925, Minister of the Interior Gong Xinzhan proposed opening Beihai, and with the approval of the Provisional Government under Duan Qirui, the matter was handed over to the Beijing Municipal Public Office to handle the opening. The Municipal Public Office appointed a committee to prepare for the opening of Beihai and established the "Beihai Park Preparation Office." On June 13, the Preparation Office officially took over Beihai, ordered the fire brigade stationed in the garden to move outside, and had the Beijing Municipal Police Department station guards in the garden. The Municipal Public Office advanced 5,000 yuan as the initial operating expenses for the park's opening, and the Preparation Office then hired workers to level the roads, clear the thorns, install streetlights, and slightly improve the condition of the vehicles and boats. The Preparation Office also drafted the "Beihai Park Tourist Regulations," "Ticket Seller Compliance Rules," "Ticket Inspector Compliance Rules," and "Ticket Selling and Collection Methods." After the "preliminary scale" of the park's opening preparations was completed, the Preparation Office began selling tickets to visitors on August 1, and Beihai Park was officially opened to the public. The daily opening hours were set from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., with ticket prices of