Name: Taoranting Park
Star Rating: 4A
Admission: 2 RMB
Opening Hours: 6:00 - 21:30 (stops selling tickets at 21:00)
Phone: 010-63532385
Address: No. 19 Taiping Street, Xuanwu District
Description:
Taoranting Park is a city park located to the north of Beijing's Southern Railway Station in Xuanwu District, the southern part of the city. A former location for literati to get together, while most of Beijing's gardens were reserved only for imperial families during the Qing Dynasty, it gained its name from a poem by the Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi, "Wait till the chrysanthemums are yellow and home-made wine is ripe, (I'll) drink with you and be carefree." The park has a total area of 59 acres (240,000 m2), and the water area accounts for 17 acres (69,000 m2). It was built in 1952. There are Cibei An, Taoran Pavilion in it. It also hosts the tomb of Gao Junyu and Shi Pingmei as well as that of Sai Jinhua.
Taoran Pavilion was built during Kangxi’s 34th year (1695), Qing Dynasty. The chief engineer, Jiang Zao, who supervised the kiln workshop, oversaw the construction.
The park has a lake with many pavilions scattered around its bank. It is popular with residents and visitors for walking and boating.
Featured Attractions:
During the Jin Dynasty, Taoranting Park laid in the suburbs of the capital. On the southwestern side of the Central Island in the lake was a small hillock on which stood the ruins of the Temple of Mercy of the Liao Dynasty. Today the Liao and Jin dynasty stone pillars inscribed with Buddhist scriptures can still be found here. In the past, scholars from all over China wrote poems and essays in praise of Taoranting, though in imperial times, the scenery was not particularly attractive.
Visitors can entertain and refresh themselves either in the Mini Golf Center or at Water Wonder Land and see the Peacock, China Rose, and Deer Gardens and so on as well.
Transportation:
Subway: Subway Line 4: get off at Taoranting Station; Get out from Exit C and walk eastwards for 650 meters to the north gate.
Bus: East Gate: 613, 343, 40, Te 5, 66, 70, 106, 102, 14, 603, 213 Taoranqiao Bei.
South Gate: Yuntong 102, 63, 72, Te 12 (Inner and Outer Lines), 997, 485, 821, 958, 53, 692, Te 3, 741, 84, 122, 458, get off at Taoranting Gongyuan Nanmen.
North Gate: 613, 40, 59, 213, get off at Taoranting
Nearby Accommodation: Xinyandu Hotel; Home Inn (Taoranting branch)
