Jingshan Park is just located behind the Forbidden City with a total area of 23 hectares. It is the best locate to take a bird-eyes view of Forbidden City. Jingshan means Prospect Hill. It lies on the north-south central axis of Beijing with five pavilions built on the top of the hill. It was an imperial garden in the old days, but was pened to the public since 1928. Now it has been protected as one of the important historical sites under special preservation by the Chinese Government since 2002.
In 1271, after Kublai Khan overthrew the Jin Dynasty he too Jade Flowery Islet in Beihai as the center of his capital. At the same time he built his imperial palace there and his inner court palaces in the present Jingshan Park area. In 1406, when the construction of the Forbidden City started in front of Jingshan the earth dug up from the moat around the Forbidden City was piled up on the present site of Jingshan which was just behind the Forbidden City. Actually the site where the earth piled on was the exact place where the rear palace of the Yuan Court was located. Then the artificial hill was called Dominating Hill, which signified that the Yuan Dynasty could never stand up and return, because the artificial hiss was built on top of former Yuan Court Palace. Then the Ming dynasty named the hill as Long Life Hill for the artificial hill also served as a natural screen of the Forbidden City and prevented common people nearly from seeing inside. It was also called Coal Hill because coal used in the Forbidden City was heaped around the foot of it.
This artificial hill got the name Prospect Hill during the Qing dynasty because the Qing emperor could enjoy the beautiful scenery in the distance and have a bird’s -eye view of the Whole city from the top of the hill. So in the old days the hill was also a part of the Imperial Palace for the emperor. In 1928 here was opened to the public as a park and was named as Jingshan Park.
The Mainly five structures in Jinshan Park are Qiwanglou, Five Square Pavilions, Shouhuang Hall, Yongsi Hall and Guande Hall.
Qiwanglou
Qiwanglou is a two-storey building located at the south foot of Jingshan Hill. It was built in 1750 during Qing Emperor Qianlong’s reign, and it was the palace to worship Confucius. Originally there were classrooms on the southeast in front of Qiwanglou, in which the Manchu students studied inside but the classrooms had collapsed already. In the old days the Manchu students often went to Qiwanglou to worship Confucius showing their respects to Confucius.
Five Square Pavilions
Jingshan Hill is 45.7 meters high with five square shaped pavilions built on the top, which are respectively named Wanchun Pavilion, Zhoushan Pavilion, Jifang Pavilion, Guanmiao Pavilion and Fulan Pavilion. These five pavilions were built in 1751 during the Qing Dynasty. Wanchun Pavilion is a square shaped pavilion with triple eaves and yellow glazed titles on the top, It is located in the center with Zhoushan Pavilion and Jifang Pavilion on both sides. These two pavilions are octagonal shaped pavilion with double eaves and green glazed titles on the top. The other pavilions are Guanmiao Pavilion on the east and Fulan Pavilion on the west and both are circular shaped pavilion with double eaves and blue glazed titles on the top. Originally there was a bronze Buddha statue placed in each pavilion, but four of them were robbed away by the Allied Force of the Eight Powers in 1900 and the one inside the Wanchun Pavilion was damaged. Today the Buddha statue inside the Wanchun Pa vilion was made in 1998.
Shouhuang Hall
Shouhuang Hall is located to the north of the Jinshan Hill. It was a place where the Qing emperors came to pay their homage to their ancestors. During the early Qing Dynasty, Emperor Kangxi used to examine the arrow shooting here. After he died his portrait was enshrined for worshiping by his son, Emperor Yongzheng. After Emperor Yongzheng died, Yongzheng’s portrait was also put here, enshrined for worshiping by emperor Qianlong, the son of Emperor Yongzheng. In 1749, Emperor Qianlong rebuilt this building according to the design of the Supreme Ancestral Temple with Tablet Pavilion, Well Pavilion, Divine Kitchen and Divine Storehouse in front of the hall. After that it became the place for the Qing emperors to come to pay their homage to their ancestors.
Today this building is used as the Children’s Palace. Children from different schools come here for all kinds of activities.
Yongsi Hall and Guande Hall are located to the east of the Shouhuang Hall. During the early Ming Dynasty, here was the place for practicing arrow shooting while in the Qing Dynasty, after Emperor Qianlong died his coffin was placed her for a period of mouring before it was moved to the Eastern Qing Tombs. Now here was the library of the Children’s Palace.
There is also a special crooked locust tree which is located on the east slope of Jingshan Hill. Here was the site where the last Emperor of the Ming Dynasty Chongzhen hanged himself. In spring of 1644, Li Zicheng, the Peasant Uprising Army leader attacked Beijing and finally he took over Beijing and overthrew the Ming Dynasty. The last Ming Emperor Chongzhen was so threatened and tried to call in his officials in the Forbidden City but failed. Then he killed his empress first and ran out of the Forbidden City from the north gate and got into the Coal Hill, where he committed suicide by hanging himself on the locust tree with his hair covering his face , which meant that he had no face to meet his ancestors.
---------------------------------------------------------------Author: AmoyTrip.com--Jingshan Park
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