Shichahai is a famous scenic spot lying in the center of Beijing, which is about 3 kilometers to the north gate of the Forbidden City. Beijing people would like to rent a boat to peddle on the lake in summer or come to ice-skate in winter here. Shichahai is circled by former residences of ministers, temples, well-kept Siheyuan(quadrangles) as well as residences of celebrities in the past. With its richest old Beijing characteristics and traditional scenery and houses, Shichahai area has been offically listed as one of 25 historical and cultural protection areas in Beijing.
History of Shichahai Area
The history of Shichahai area can be traced back to the Jin Dynasty(1115-1234). As for the name of Shichahai, there isn’t any fixed explanation. It is widely believed that there used to be altogether ten Taoist and Buddhist temples here. In Chinese, “shi” has the same sound as “ten”, and “cha” means temples, thus the name of Shichahai came from the temple abutting a body of water in the Ming Dynasty. Therefore “Shichahai” literally means “tem temple sea”. And then it was changed into the name of water with a history of more than four or five hundred years. It is said that this has something to do with nomadic Mongolians. Generations of Mongolians lived in inland areas, where waters were seldom seen. So they usually called any water area “Hai” or “Haizi” meaning sea, but it may actually be a lake or pond.
Shichahai is composed of the Front Sea(Qianhai), the Back/Rear Sea (Houhai) and the West Sea(Xihai). It is a lake form northwest to southeast occupying a total area of 147 hectares. Because it is located to the north of Zhongnanhai and Beihai, it is also called the Hind Three Lakes. These three lakes connect together and the Back/Rear Sea(Houhai) is the largest one. In the Yuan dynasty, Shichahai was the most prosperous area where used to be the starting point of the northern part of the Great Canal of China linking Hangzhou in the south to Beijing in the north. It was the important port for the rice trade with southern China. Every day the coming ships carrying grain from the Yangtze River in the south anchored here. The two banks of the lake were naturally crowded with stores and wine shops which were never deserted. Therefore Shichahai area used to be the most important commercial district with all kinds of activities going on. With several dynasties passing by, this ar ea developed so fast, finally it was in its flourishing period because more and more people lived here and they needed water. So the lake here could serve as a water resource for living in the Ming and Qing dynasties. As it has wide open water and beautiful scenery, many imperial masions, temples and gardens were built here. In the Qing dynasty, the scenic spots were gradually moved to the Front Sea(Qianhai) and the Back/Rear Sea (Houhai)
Nowadays, large quantities of tourists come to visit this beautiful natural scenery together with the old style streets and buildings to learn local people’s life and traditional culture. Large quantities of amusements, restaurants with tradtional culture have been built recently, where people can take part in sport activities, go sightseeing and enjoy bar service. The nice area of Shichahai with rich cultural connotation and strong Beijing taste as well as lots of historical sites in a wonderful place to exhibit Chinese unique tradtional culture to people all over the world. Now it is a trendy place with numerous restaurants, pubs or bars and cafes bordering the lakes. And it is also a well-known night club for local people and visitors.
---------------------------------------------------------------Author: AmoyTrip.com--History of Shichahai Area
Free Inquiry: ryan@amoytrip.com
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