What fun places are there in Shichahai?

The interesting places in Shichahai include Prince Gong’s Mansion, Prince Qing’s Mansion, Bell and Drum Tower, Guanyue Temple, Guanghua Temple, Yinding Bridge, etc.

1. Prince Gong’s Mansion

Prince Gong’s Mansion is located in the northwest corner of Shichahai. It is a typical royal garden with both a central axis and symmetrical techniques. Built at the end of the 18th century, it is the most complete Qing Dynasty palace in Beijing and can be called the "Pearl of Shichahai". It once belonged to the residence of Heshen, a great scholar in the late Qianlong period, and was later given to the palace of Prince Gong Yixin. There is a unique garden behind the mansion, the famous Jincui Jin Garden, covering an area of ??about 30,000 square meters.

The garden is surrounded by horseshoe-shaped hills on the east, south and west sides. The scenery in the garden is unique and exquisite. It is a national key cultural relic protection unit. The front part of the mansion was originally the workplace of the Dream of Red Mansions Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Arts. After the unit moved out, it was renovated and is now open to tourists; part of Prince Gong's Mansion is now the former residence of Guo Moruo and is also open to tourists.

2. Prince Qing’s Mansion

Prince Qing’s Mansion is one of the existing royal palaces in Beijing. The first generation of Qing Wang Yonglin was the seventeenth son of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty and the half-brother of Emperor Jiaqing. Prince Lao Qing's Mansion is located on the north side of Qianhai West Street, which is part of Heshen Mansion. In the 30th year of Daoguang's reign, Yi Kuang, a descendant of King Yonglin of Qing Dynasty, attacked the general of the auxiliary state. In the first year of Xianfeng, the emperor ordered Yikuang to move from the old palace to the former scholar Qishan's residence on Dingfu Street. It underwent large-scale reconstruction in accordance with the regulations of the palace and was first called the palace.

At this time, Yikuang was doing a lot of construction work in the mansion, building Wanzi Tower and Theater Building. The mansion was magnificent and vast in area. It was divided into five courtyards, with nearly a thousand large and small buildings, and a vermilion gate. The tall palace, with a mud tile roof instead of glazed tiles, became one of the most gorgeous palaces in the capital at that time.

3. Bell and Drum Tower

Every time the bell and drum tower comes to the regular watch, they "beat the drums first, then ring the bells." Beat the drums"; when it comes to the bright watch, it is "beat the drums first and then ring the bells". The method of beating the drum is to hit 18 times quickly, then 18 times slowly, then 6 times, and finally 108 times. The same goes for ringing the bell.

4. Guanyue Temple

Guanyue Temple is located at No. 149 Gulou West Street, Xicheng District. This was originally the temple of Prince Chunxian, the seventh son of Emperor Daoguang. Prince Chunxian Temple was built in the 17th year of Guangxu and completed in the 25th year of Guangxu. The temple faces south and is divided into three courtyards. The middle courtyard has an east-west courtyard. The central axis is the glazed screen wall, the middle door, the splayed wall on the outside, and a glazed door on each side.

In the middle courtyard, there is a silk burning furnace in the east and a sacrificial vessel pavilion in the west. There are 7 main halls, a platform in front of the hall, 5 east and west auxiliary halls, and 5 sleeping halls in the back. The construction area is about more than 3,000 square meters.

5. Guanghua Temple

Guanghua Temple is located at No. 31 Ya'er Hutong, north of Shichahai. It is a large Buddhist temple. Guanghua Temple was first built in the Yuan Dynasty. Legend has it that it was built by an eminent monk who asked for alms and raised money for alms. Hence the name of the temple.

6. Silver Ingot Bridge

The Silver Ingot Bridge is located between Houhai and Qianhai. It is a north-south single-hole stone arch bridge at the southern end of Yandai Xiejie. It is named after its shape like a silver ingot. When the weather is good, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Western Mountains while standing on the Yinding Bridge.

Reference for the above content: Baidu Encyclopedia-Shichahai