Fragrant Hills Park, located on the west side of Beijing, which is a large forest park with the characteristics of imperial gardens in which natural landscape is combined with artificial scenery. Along with Yuanmingyuan and the Summer Palace, the park was twice destroyed in 1860 and in 1900. The destruction was so serious that the reconstruction efforts made in the later years were never able to restore its original scale and splendor. Let TOC be your guide and do the sights of the major places.
Built in l745, the Spectacles Lake actually consists of two ponds separated and spanned by a stone bridge. When the water reflects the sunlight, the twin lakes resemble a pair of spectacles, hence the name. On the shore is a small stone cave with a spring above it. The water drips down over the entrance of the cave, forming a water screen that freezes into icicles in winter. Studio of Tranquil Heart was first built in mid-16th century under the Ming and was reconstructed in the Qing period. In the enclosure there is a large semi-circular pool in the shape of a heart. The studio was burned down in 1860 and was renovated after 1949. Lying to the south of the Studio of Tranquil Heart, the Bright Temple was built in 1780 as a residence for the Sixth Bainqen Erdeni when he visited Beijing. The compound has a 10-metre-high red terrace in Tibetan style. It was destroyed by the Anglo-French troops in 1860.
Visitors can take an 18-minute cable car ride to the top of Incense Burner Peak while leisurely enjoying the beautiful scenery below and get an excellent view of Beijing.
