Lotus Pond Park (known as Lianhuachi Park) is a major urban park in
Beijing
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Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
, China. It is located in the western part of the city and covers an area of around 53.6 hectares. It is right next to the
Beijing West railway station
Beijingxi (Beijing West) railway station (), colloquially referred to as ''West Station'' (), is located in western Beijing's Fengtai District. Opened in early 1996 after three years of construction, it was the largest railway station in As ...
and the
Third Ring Road. The main part of this park is the lake of Lianhuachi, which literally means Lotus Pond. This lake is believed to be the most important water source of ancient Beijing city since the
Zhou dynasty
The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by th ...
. As mentioned in the
Commentary on the Water Classic
The ''Commentary on the Water Classic'' (), or ''Commentaries on the Water Classic'', commonly known as ''Shui Jing Zhu'', is a work on the Chinese geography in ancient times, describing the traditional understanding of its waterways and ancient ...
, a masterpiece of geographic record in ancient China, water from this lake supported Beijing from the very beginning of the city history until the
Yuan dynasty
The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...
(1276–1368), during which the city of Beijing was rebuilt and shifted towards northeast a bit, and the lake lost its importance as the water source.
During the
Ming
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
and
Qing
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speaki ...
dynasties, the lake became an attraction outside of Beijing. It gradually became the place for the royal family and noblemen to enjoy the nature. In 1982, the Beijing government rebuilt this park and made it one of the major urban parks in the city. In 2000, the park was largely renovated, and many landscapes and scenic areas were added to it.
Parks in Beijing
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