Just outside Beihai Park's southern entrance is this raised, circular platform crowned with the Hall of Divine Light (Chéngguāng Diàn). You can peek inside at a 1.5m-tall statue of Sakyamuni, made from white jade and originating in Burma. In front of the hall is the only surviving relic of Kublai Khan's palace, an enormous wine vessel of green jade dating from 1265.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.46 MILES
Enclosed by 3.5km of citadel walls at the very heart of Beijing, the Unesco-listed Forbidden City is China’s largest and best-preserved collection of…
3.18 MILES
An oasis of methodical Confucian design, the 267-hectare Temple of Heaven Park is unique. It originally served as a vast stage for solemn rites performed…
8.04 MILES
A marvel of Chinese garden design and one of Beijing's must-see attractions, the Summer Palace was the royal retreat for emperors fleeing the suffocating…
1.38 MILES
Flanked by triumphalist Soviet-style buildings, Tian'anmen Sq is an immense void of paved stone (440,000 sq metres, to be precise) at the symbolic centre…
0.39 MILES
Beihai Park, inside the old Imperial City, looks much as it would have done in the 18th century when it served as Emperor Qianlong's private gardens. The…
2.87 MILES
This immense fortress, part of the Ming City Wall Ruins Park, guarded the southeast corner of Beijing's city walls. Originally built in 1439 but repaired…
1.06 MILES
Instantly recognisable by its giant framed portrait of Mao, and guarded by two pairs of Ming dynasty stone lions, the double-eaved Gate of Heavenly Peace …
6.84 MILES
Contemporary art meets communist history at this thrilling enclave of international galleries installed within China's model factory complex of the 1950s…
Nearby Beijing attractions
0.16 MILES
Rising up the steep southern slope of Jade Islet, the Temple of Eternal Peace is best accessed via the south entrance of Beihai. The complex climbs…
0.21 MILES
Topping Jade Islet (琼岛; Qióngdǎo), the 36m-high Tibetan-style White Dagoba was built in 1651 by the first Qing emperor to honour a visit by the Dalai Lama…
0.21 MILES
Outside the northwest walls of the Forbidden City is this Qing dynasty Buddhist temple, once used for worshipping the god of rain. It's one of several in…
4. Palace of Gathered Elegance
0.37 MILES
This hall contains interesting photos of the last emperor Puyi, who lived here as a child ruler at the turn of the 20th century. Empress Dowager Cixi also…
0.39 MILES
Beihai Park, inside the old Imperial City, looks much as it would have done in the 18th century when it served as Emperor Qianlong's private gardens. The…
6. Palace of Eternal Longevity
0.4 MILES
One of the six western palaces in the Forbidden City, this was the residence of various empresses and imperial concubines. The Chongzhen Emperor (1628…
0.4 MILES
In the late Qing dynasty, the Hall of Mental Cultivation was where empress dowagers Cixi and Cian took charge of the state affairs behind a screen, when…
0.41 MILES
The Forbidden City’s north gate, for exit-only. From here you can cross the road into Jingshan Park. During imperial times, the gate was used by servants…