Beijing: Houhai Lake

Houhai Lake is located at Di’anmen venue of Beijing and it is a part of Shichahai Lake which is composed by Qianhai, Houhai and Xihai. It stretches from the outer street of Di’anmen in east to Xinjiekou Street in west, south to Ping’an Street and north to the second ring, covering a total area of 146.7 hectares, with 11.5 hectares green area. This is the ancient waters of Yuan Dynasty 700 years ago in Beijing. Last time when I joined a Beijing to Xian tour, I went to Houhai and take many beautiful photos. I will put some to share with you.

In Houhai Lake is a place where you can watch mountain and appreciate swaying willows. The residences and their residents, together with the surrounding palaces and Chinese celebrities’former houses shows the Beijing-style and its long history. People come here to listen to the insects rustling, to see the Siheyuan building complexes of ancient Beijing and to trace the passing royal charm.

Houhai Lake is situated in the center of Beijing, only four or five stops away from Tian’anmen Square. It is connected with the famous Beihai Lake, and faces Jingshan Hill and the Forbidden City. Walking along the bank, green tiles and red walls can be seen everywhere. What you can see is only the verdant trees inside the walls, which makes the city more mysterious. If you travel Xian, you will find Xian is a ancient city that is very similar to Beijing.