|
Honestly, aren't you sometimes getting just a little fed up with the noise and the grime of the city? So why not do something about your frustrations and head out to the Fragrant Hills? The place is well-known
for its breath-taking views in autumn, when the leaves of the sumac trees change from a dusty green to brilliant gold and red, and the capital's citizens arrive in their thousands. In summer, walking in the shade of those trees is a welcome respite from the heat of the city, a popular place to cool down and chill out.
But even when everything is frozen all around you the park has much to offer. The powerful scene of snow on the pine trees just grabs people's attention, it seems. And then there is the snow on the ground, and all those things one can enjoy doing with it. Building snowmen seems to be a favourite hobby of snow-deprived Beijingers, with hundreds and hundreds of those short-lived statues dotting the hillside. Some of the younger visitors - or simply those young at heart - are finding it hard to resist the temptation of lying down in that soft deep blanket of snow or sliding down the grass on their haunches.
There's plenty to see at the bottom of the hill, places like the Spectacles Lake, for example. This actually is two ponds that are joined by a stone bridge - you get the picture. By its side, there is a small cave with a spring above it. In winter, as the water trickles down, it freezes into icicles.
But, if you are one of those people who doesn't just like to take a stroll around the bottom of the hill, you have a choice. Take the cable car right up to the summit, or choose the central or southern route. The second option involves quite a hike and is a good test of your physical condition, but there are lots of things to see. The scenery is staggering in its beauty, and on those winter days when the snow has been falling, it is absolute magic. Whatever route you take, the view from Incense Burner Peak, with an altitude of close to 600 metres, is a sight for sore eyes.
Taking the cable car, you can be in and out of the park within an hour - it's best to wrap up in plenty of warm clothing. But who would want to do that, when the place offers so much beauty and tranquillity - plus that rare commodity: fresh air that is a joy to breathe. Doing it this way, it's quite easy to spend at least half a day there.
On the other hand, if you do not feel like stressing yourself out too much, but still get some exercise, there are quite a few places to go to: One is the Azure Cloud Monastery (Biyun Si) to the north of the park's north gate. It is an impressive structure, and you might enjoy walking up and down the 300 or so stone steps in its many courtyards.
Its main attraction is the Arhat Hall, a square shaped building that houses statues of the magical Four Kings and 508 arhats. Arhats are those disciples of Buddha who have conquered their greed, anger and delusions. They have 'nothing more to learn,' it is said, and are therefore no longer trapped in the cycle of being reborn - except as statues, that is. Lucky arhats!
Outside the park, at the foot of the Fragrant Hills, you will find the Botanical Gardens - where the Beijing City Government builds a bridge out of 9,999 roses for Valentine's Day - as well as the Reclining Buddha Temple (Wofo Si) with its 5.2 metre long gilded statue of Buddha.
Talking about Buddha, let's have a brief look at the history of the Fragrant Hills: Construction of a resort began as early as 1186, almost as soon as Beijing had been chosen as the capital of the Jin dynasty (1115-1234). Hundreds of years later, Emperor Qianlong (1736-1796) had huge numbers of palaces and pavilions built, and called the park Jingyi Garden (Garden of Tranquillity and Pleasure). Tranquillity was not to last! In 1860, the place was smashed up by foreign invaders. And again in 1900. By the way, how did the Fragrant Hills get their name? There are those who say the aroma of the many fruit trees and flowers are the reason, while others refer to the shape of the hilltop. Two large stones rest on the peak, on a misty day it looks like an incense burner.Yet others refer to the fragrance of the incense that used to be burnt in the many temples in the area. We shall probably never know which theory is correct.
Halfway up on the southern hillside one finds a place of fairly recent historical interest: Shuangqing Villa. Situated in a quiet courtyard, surrounded by pine, cypress and ginkgo trees, the present villa was built in 1917. Towards the end of its battle with the Kuomintang, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China moved its headquarters to this spot in March 1949. Mao Zedong, staying here with other members of the Party's leadership, commanded the final battles of the civil war and developed his plans for the rebuilding of the country.
|
