ShichahaiⅠ

Covering an area of 147 hectares, Shichahai is a scenic spot in the north of central Beijing, near the north-gate of the Beihai Park. It consists of the following three lakes: Qianhai, Xihai and Houhai. In imperial times it was called the Riverbank.

You may find that nearly all the water areas have the name 'hai' which means sea, for example, Beihai, Zhongnanhai and Shichahai. It is said that this has something to do with nomadic Mongolians. Generations of Mongolians lived in inland areas where they called a water area 'hai' or 'haizi' meaning lake instead of sea.