Introducing Fragrant Hills ,Fragrant Hills Guide, Fragrant Hills Travel Guide
Article from Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism
Fragrant Hills, located at the east foot of Xishan Mountain of Beijing, is so named because the huge stones within the mountain look like the censer. The Yong'an Temple was built here by the emperor of the Jin Dynasty in 1186, with temporary palaces built aside. The temple was expanded by later generations. To the tenth year of Emperor Qianlong's reign (1745), Fragrant Hills was expanded to be a temple with 28 spots, and was renamed Jingyi Garden.
At Fragrant Hills, the variety of Red Leaves include 7 species of 13 sorts of trees, with a total amount of 120 thousand trees and total planting area of about 87 hectares. The sight is rather magnificent.
Featured Attraction of Fragrant Hills
The first one is to go along the north route, where visitors will see Spectacles Lake (Yanjing Lake), Study of Reading Heart (Jianxin Zhai), Bright Temple (Zhao Miao), etc. Spectacles Lake is a lake divided in half by a bridge. Study of Reading Heart was built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and was noted as the park inside Fragrant Hills Park. Bright Temple is a large Tibetan style lamasery complex built in 1780 as the residence for the sixth Panchen Lama during his visits to Emperor Qianlong.
Buildings in the complex have been partially burned down. Among the surviving treasures are a majestic glazed-tiled archway in front of the complex, a Tibetan style terrace and a glazed-tiled pagoda. Bells hung on the eaves of the pagoda chime in breeze. Another route leads to the south area of the park.
Main attractions along the route include Tranquility Green Lake (Jingcui Lake), Shuangqing Villa, Fragrant Temple, Incense Burner Peak, etc. This route is a little hard for the highest peak, Incense Burner Peak. However Fragrant Hills is worthwhile to visit. One of the must see points of interest is the Shuangqing Villa, which is attractive not for its natural beauty but more for its place in Chinese history - it was once the residence of Chairman Mao Zedong, as well as an early site for the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.
Quick Facts on Fragrant Hills
Name: Fragrant Hills
Location: 20 Km Northwest of Downtown Beijing
Phone: +86-10-62591264
Dates: Jing Dynasty (1115 - 1234)
Best Time to Visit: April to October
Recommended Time for a Visit: 4 Hours
Opening Hours: 06:00-18:30 (Apr 1 to Oct 31); 06:00-18:00 (Nov 1 to Mar 31)
Admission Fee: CNY 10 (Apr 1 to Oct 31); CNY 5 (Nov 1 to Mar 31)