Shichahai

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Coordinates: 39°56′17″N 116°23′13″E / 39.93802°N 116.38706°E / 39.93802; 116.38706

Shichahai

"Silver Ingot"- or "Yinding" bridge (银锭桥)

Shichahai (Chinese: 什刹海; pinyin: Shíchàhǎi) is an historic scenic area consisting of three lakes in the north of central Beijing in China. They are located to the north-west of the Forbidden City and north-west of the Beihai Lake. Shichahai consists of the following three lakes: the Front Sea (前海), the West Sea (西海) and the Back Sea (后海). In imperial times it was called the Riverbank (Chinese: 河沿; pinyin: héyán).

[edit] Description

Shichahai consists of 147 hectares and dates back to the Jin Dynasty. From the time of the Yuan Dynasty it was the northernmost part of the Grand Canal linking Hangzhou in the south to Beijing in the North of China. Because of this the Shichahai area used to be the most important commercial district with all kinds of activities going on. It harbors several temples and mansions.

A group of buildings at the border of the Shichahai

Around the lake there are ten famous Taoist and Buddhist temples and several formal royal mansions and gardens. The most well known are the Prince Gong Mansion (恭亲王府) and the Prince Chun Mansion (醇亲王府).

The borders of the lakes are surrounded by large trees.

Shichahai is a scenic spot in Beijing, near the north-gate of the Beihai Park.

In the summer tourists can rent boats to peddle on the lakes. In the winter a lot of people come to ice-skate.

In 1992 the municipal government of Beijing declared the district an "Historical and Cultural Scenic District".