Beyond the South Gate of Beihai Park, between the Beihai Bridge and the left gates of Chengguang, rises the Round City (Tuancheng). It is a circular city platform 4.6 meters above the ground with a perimeter of 276 meters. It occupies the area of half a football field, yet it is one of the most interesting corners of the Beihai Park system.
Most people, entering Beihai Park through the South Gate, ascend the Yong`an Bridge and head for the White Pagoda, and only a few turns left and climb the inconspicuous steps. But the Round City holds three national treasures: the "Jade Jar of Mount Dushan" — the earliest and heaviest giant jade vessel in Chinese history, a statue of Buddha Shakyamuni carved from a single piece of white jade, on whose left arm a sabre mark still remains, and two 800-year-old ancient trees to which the emperor officially granted titles.
History of the Round City
As early as the Jin era, when the imperial country palace "Palace of Great Tranquility" was being built in the Beihai area, the place where the Round City now stands was a small island in Lake Taiye, surrounded by water on all sides, and was called "Round Rock." In the Yuan era, Kublai Khan made Beihai the center of the construction of the Great Capital and built a bridge on each of the three sides — east, west and north — of Round Rock Island. In the Ming era, the water space between Round Rock and the eastern shore was filled in, and the island in the center of the lake officially turned into what we today call the Round City.
Today`s Round City rises 4.6 meters above the ground. The eastern gate is called the Gate of Clear Scenery, the western — the Gate of Spreading Prosperity. On the platform, the center of the composition is the Hall of Perceiving Light, supplemented by the Pavilion of the Jade Jar, the Hall of Ancient Songs, the Hall of Pure Rest and other structures, with axial symmetry and a compact layout.
Three Treasures That Must Not Be Missed
Treasure One: The Jade Jar of Mount Dushan
This is one of the first examples in the history of Chinese jade carving. Entering the Round City, you will first of all see the huge dark-green "Jade Jar of Mount Dushan," the earliest and heaviest giant jade product in Chinese history.
It was created by order of Kublai Khan (1265) in the imperial jade workshop of the Great Capital, and the purpose of its creation was to reflect the might of the Yuan state. The jade jar is carved from a single piece of jade, weighs 3500 kilograms, and its body is decorated with relief images of sea dragons, sea horses, sea pigs, sea rhinoceroses and other creatures; the lines are rough and powerful, the images majestic.
Treasure Two: The White Jade Buddha — a Sabre Mark on the Left Arm
In the main building of the Round City, the Hall of Perceiving Light, is installed a statue of Buddha made of white jade. This statue is carved from a single piece of white jade, entirely snow-white, with a kind countenance, 1.5 meters high and about 2.5 tons in weight; it is the largest surviving jade Buddha statue in Beijing.
Its history is very interesting: in 1898, a monk by the name of Ming Kuan, under the pretext of "obtaining a Buddha statue by highest decree," collected donations in Burma and brought this jade statue to Beijing, where he presented it to the Empress Dowager Cixi. Cixi treasured it exceedingly and ordered it installed in the Hall of Perceiving Light.
However, in 1900, when the troops of the eight European powers invaded Beijing, the statue was damaged — the left arm was cut to pieces, and the ornaments and jewels were stolen from it. Although it was later restored, the sabre mark has remained to this day. This statue recalls those complex events and at the same time is a masterpiece of the Buddhist art of the Qing imperial court.
Treasure Three: Two Ancient Trees to Which the Emperor Granted Titles
In the Round City also grow two ancient trees more than 800 years old, both planted in the Jin era. These are not ordinary ancient trees — the Qianlong Emperor personally granted them titles.
One of them is an oil pine, which received the title "Marquis of Shade." Legend says that one summer the Qianlong Emperor, strolling through Beihai, came to the Round City. At noon the room was unbearably stuffy, so the courtiers placed a table in the shade of this pine. A fresh wind blew, and the heat and sweat disappeared; the emperor was very pleased and, imitating the story of how the Qin Shi Huangdi granted the title "Wudafu" to five pines, granted this pine the title "Marquis of Shade."
The other tree is a white-bark pine, which received the title "General in a White Robe." Its silvery-white trunk and emerald crown are very beautiful against the blue sky, red walls and golden tiles. To the emperor it seemed like a mighty general in a white battle robe.
Practical Information
Tickets: the Round City requires a separate ticket, costing only 1 yuan. At the same time it is also included in the combined ticket of Beihai Park (in high season 20 yuan, in low season 15 yuan), which covers: entrance to the park, the Qionghua Island area and the Round City.
Opening hours: the Round City belongs to the "parks within the park," is usually open from 8:30 to 17:00 and is closed on Mondays (except official holidays). The main gates of Beihai Park are open longer: in high season 6:00–21:00, in low season 6:30–20:00.
Duration of visit: the area of the Round City is very small; 30–45 minutes is enough to calmly examine all the main objects.
Location: the Round City is located to the west of the South Gate of Beihai Park, right next to the Beihai Bridge. The most reasonable solution: before entering Beihai Park through the South Gate, first for 1 yuan ascend the Round City, examine the three treasures, and only then buy a ticket to the park. If you have a combined ticket, you can also visit it on the way out of the park.
