Beihai Park, Beijing, China


  • Date
    8/15/1993 (creation)
Related person
John P. Schooley Jr. (was created by)
Description
Located on the western perimeter of the Imperial City, Beihai Park is made up of the North Sea Lake and the area surrounding it. Most of the buildings of Beihai are located either on the island of Resplendent Jade or on the northern and eastern shorelines. The Lake itself takes up over half of the 68 hectares (170 acres) of the park. The lakes and islands of the park were created in the Liao Dynasty but it wasn't until the Qing Dynasty that the buildings that are standing today were built. The Nine Dragons Screen was built in 1956, the same period as the Nine Dragons Screen in the Forbidden City. The Nine Dragons Screen in Beihai Park is similar to that of the Forbidden City in that the dragons are set in a wave-filled sea separated by mountains, but the postures and bold lively appearance differs from those of the Forbidden City. The Screen at Beihai is 25.86 meters (85 feet) long and 6.65 meters (22 feet) high. This image was taken by John P. Schooley, FAIA, during the 1982 People-to-People Architecture Delegation to the People's Republic_access of China. The People-to-People Citizen Ambassador Program sponsored the delegation lead by Professor David Glasser of the Department of Architecture, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. This delegation allowed architects and planners from the United States to visit landmarks as well as communities at various scales, and to meet professionals involved in their planning and continued development.
Style/Period
Liao Dynasty ( 916 CE - 1125 CE)
Yuan Dynasty (1260 CE - 1368 CE)
Ming Dynasty (1368 CE - 1644 CE)
Qing Dynasty (1644 CE - 1912 CE)