Located at the northern end of the central axis of the Inner City to the north of Di'anmen Street, the Bell and Drum Towers are a group of ancient buildings that represent the symbol of old Beijing with the prominent structures. Bells and drums originally functioned as the musical instruments in the ancient times, later they became the time-teller and watches for all.

Built in 1272, the Bell and Drum Towers was rebuilt twice after fires. It tolled the hours during the ancient China's Yuan (1271 - 1368), Ming (1368 - 1644) and Qing (1644 - 1911) dynasties. In 1420, under the Ming Emperor Yongle, the building was reconstructed to the east of the original site and in 1800 under the Qing Emperor Jiaqing, large-scale renovations were carried out. In the 1980s, after much repair, the Bell and Drum Towers were opened to tourists.

The garden lies at the back of the residence, covering an area of 28,000 square meters (6.9 acres). The complex has over 20 twenty scenic spots, pavilions, ponds and artificial hills including rock originating from the Taihu Lake in Jiangsu. In the stone cave of the rockery above the lake, there is the Emperor Kangxi's inscription of Chinese character (Good Fortune).

Ticket:
CNY 40 (Entrance Fee);
CNY 70 (including watching Beijing Opera and performances)

Opening Hours: 07:30 - 16:30 (Mar. to Nov.); 08:30 - 16:30 (Dec. to Feb.)

Bus Routes:
Take Bus 13, 42, 107, 111, 118, 701, 810, 823 or 850 and get off at North Gate of Beihai.

Covering 60,000 square meters (14.8 acres) of land in the heart of Beijing, it is the world's largest courtyard house. Consisting of the living quarter and a garden, the Prince Gong Residence is imposing and magnificent. Rooms and yards are laid out in turnings and in maze, while the scenery is exquisite and delicate. In the old days there was murmuring stream flowing through the garden which has many similarities with the Grand View Garden.

The living quarter containing the mansion buildings is located in the south, including five Siheyuan courtyards from south to north in file. On the central line stand one behind another, three structures: the Main Hall, the Rear Hall and a 160-meters-long building with more than 40 rooms.

In 1851, Emperor Xianfeng (grandson of Emperor Jiaqing) assigned the palace to his brother Prince Gong. It is his name that is currently given to the compound.

In 1921 Prince Gong's grandson had to hand over the property as a mortgage to the Catholic Church. It was bought by the Furen Catholic University for use as a university buildings, and afterwards for the Beijing Normal University and then for the Chinese Music Academy. Till 1982 it was declared as one of the Chinese National Cultural Heritages in Beijing. Since November 1996 the buildings and the gardens have become a new publicly open scenic spot for tourists.

Prince Gong's Mansion is Beijng's most complete example of historical mansions, which is situated in a charming Hutong district west of Qian Hai. It usually combines with the Hutong walking tour around Shichahai.

This fine example of ancient Chinese architecture was constructed around the year 1777 and was originally built for minister He Shen's Residence during the Emperor Qianlong's reign in the late Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911). From a young age, He Shen got the trust of Emperor Qianlong, and was able to make large promotion in the imperial administration. In this way he became very wealthy. Because of accusations of corruption, He Shen was executed and the mansion was confiscated in 1799, under the reign of Emperor Jiaqing, the 17th and youngest son of Emperor Qianlong.

Compared with the hustling-bustling scenes during the daytime, Shichahai is quiet at night. The small bars here are exquisite although they don't have showy names. They attract those people who know how to enjoy the tranquility of night. On summer nights, it was a really special treat to chats with friends over tea under the dim light inside a small bar by the lake, sitting next to a window. Occasionally you may hear gossip in the pure Beijing dialect of local grandpas and grandmas living in the nearby hutongs, strolling past while shaking a cattail leaf fan with a hand; or the bicycle bell of some young people returning home late, all breaking the quietness.

Entrance Fee: Free

Bus Routes:
A. Take Bus No. 5 and get off at Di'anmen
B. Take Bus No. 13, 42, 107, 111, 118, 701, 810, 823 or 850 and get off at North Gate of Beihai.

Currently, there are ten famous Taoist and Buddhist temples and several formal royal mansions and gardens remaining around the lake. The most well known are the Prince Gong's Mansion and the Prince Chun Mansion, the residence of Soong Ching Ling, wife of Dr Sun Yat-sen and China's late honorary president, the residence of Guo Muruo (poet), and the residence of Mei Lanfang (great master of Peking Opera).

In the evening, standing on the Yinding Bridge provides the best view of Shichahai Lake. In summer, visitors prefer to go boating on the lake and songs and music. Some young people like to float small paper boats with lit candles inside on the water. All of sudden, it gives the feeling of boating on the Qinhuai River in Nanjing.

Shichahai dates back to the Jin Dynasty (1115 - 1234) when the water area of Shichahai was called 'haizi'. It consisted of Xihai, Qianhai and Houhai which were unknown to the public. From the time of the Yuan Dynasty (1279 - 1368) it was the northernmost part of the Grand Canal linking Hangzhou in the south to Beijing in the North of China. Because of this the Shichahai area used to be the most important commercial district with all kinds of activities going on. 

With Beihai Lake becoming an imperial backgarden, some 20 temples were built in the area of Shichahai Lake. It was said that these temples were established for the convenience of women to leave the imperial families. 'Cha' refers to a small temple while 'shi' can mean 'tens', hence the name of Shichahai.

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.

There are several palaces at the foot of the hill. At the northern foot of the hill is the Shouhuang Palace (Hall of Imperial Longevity), where the portraits of the ancestors of the imperial family were housed. To the east of the Shouhuang Palace are located the Yongsi and the Guande Palaces which were used as the mourning place for the decreased emperors and empresses of the Qing Dynasty. Currently, Shouhuang Palace and Guande Palace function as children's palace and library.

At the foot of the hill there also stands a tree where it is believed that last emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), Chongzhen took his life by hanging himself on the tree in 1644.