Beijing Tour Shichahai and Leshou Hall Information

Beijing is a city of surprise, the scenery and architectures are amazing. I would like to introduce you Leshou Hall in Summer Palace and Shichahai, preparation for your Beijing tour.
Leshou Hall in Summer Palace

There are two buildings called Leshou Hall among the imperial garden buildings in Beijing, one is in Ningshou Palace, northeast region of Forbidden City, and the other one is in the Summer Palace. The Leshou Hall in Summer Palace was the building as part of Qingyi Park during Emperor Qianlong period, as well as the main building in the residential living area of Summer Palace. This building is built for the mother of Emperor Qianlong (Queen Shengxian) for her 60th birthday. As Queen Shengxian believed in Buddhism, the upper part of Hall was arranged like a temple for worship.
Leshou Hall was repaired in Jiaqing seven years (1802), but was destroyed in Xianfeng then years (AD 1860), and was rebuilt in Guangxu seventeen years (1891).
Leshou Hall faces the Kunming Lake, leaned against Longevity Hill, east of Dehe Park and Renshou Hall, and west of the long gallery, is the best place to live and play in the Summer Palace. The golden inspcription "Leshou Hall" on the tablet was inscribed by Emperor Guangxu. There is copper deer, copper crane, and copper vases displaying inside the Leshou Hall, meaning "six peaces". Inside the hall, there are plants and flowers such as planted magnolia, crabapple, peony, full House, which have meaning as "wealth". Now a magnolia in front of on the Yaoyue Door is transplanted by Qianlong from the south.
Leshou Hall is a large quadrangle courtyard, the main hall in the yard is the Leshou Hall, there are side halls on the east and west side, and nine Houzhao halls in the backyard.
Shichahai Beijing

Located in the northwest part of Beijing, Shichahai is a famous scenic area that includes three lakes, surrounding places of historic interest and scenic beauty, and remnants of old-style local residences, Hutong and Courtyard. Shichahai consists of the following three lakes: Qianhai, Xihai and Houhai. In imperial times it was called the Riverbank.
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.
Its history can be traced to as far back as the Jin Dynasty (1115 - 1234). During the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368), it was the terminal point of the Great Canal, which was a main reason for its prosperity. In the period of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), when the channels ceased to be as smooth as they used to be, it changed from a bustling hub to a place of leisure where people could stroll around to admire the vast scenery or enjoy the cool shade under williow trees.
The greatest point of interest in it today is its residences, Hutong and Courtyard. Visiting Hutongs by pedicab has become a popular activity for visitors from China and abroad. The most famous is Jin Si Tao, which actually includes 18 hutongs and keeps the original layout. Another one is Skewed Tobacco Pouch Street (Yandai Xiejie), meaning an oblique street which looks like a long-stemmed pipe.
This street used to be a famous street selling long-stemmed pipes. In the east area, South Gong and Drum Lane (Nanluogu Xiang) is an interesting hutong renowned for its long history, culture, specialty stores and distinctive foods.
Around the lake there are also ten famous Taoist and Buddhist temples and several formal royal mansions and gardens. The most well known are the Prince Gong Mansion and the Prince Chun Mansion.
At night, Bar street becomes a good destination for many youngers. 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.
Grey courtyard walls, lush and green willow trees, quiet water…all this displays the generosity of this city. Different from other famous attractions in Beijing, Shichahai has its own features. Maybe it’s not so well-known, but the scenery there never fail to make your trip regretful.

Explore Beijing Ancient History and Culture

To discover the charm of Beijing ancient history and culture, visiting the historical sites like Great Wall, Forbidden city, Summer Palace, Siheyuan or Hutong, Guozijian Street and so on is a good ideal. All are very amazing and the people are so clever at that time.
Great Wall of China
There is a saying goes, who never climbs the Great Wall is not a real man. Just like a gigantic dragon, the Great Wall winds up and down across deserts, grasslands, mountains and plateaus, stretching approximately 8,851.8 kilometers (5,500 miles) from east to west of China. With a history of more than 2000 years, some of the sections are now in ruins or have disappeared.
However, Great Wall is still one of the most appealing attractions all around the world owing to its architectural grandeur and historical significance. One must visit place for people travelling to Beijing.
The main Great Wall line stretches from Shanhaiguan in the east, to Lop Lake in the west, along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia. Its historic and strategic importance is matched only by its architectural significance.
One of the most striking sections of the Ming Great Wall is where it climbs extremely steep slopes. It runs 11 kilometers (6.8 mi) long, ranges from 5 to 8 meters (16–26 ft) in height, and 6 meters (20 ft) across the bottom, narrowing up to 5 meters (16 ft) across the top.
Wangjinglou is one of Jinshanling's 67 watchtowers, 980 meters (3,220 ft) above sea level. Southeast of Jinshanling, is the Mutianyu Great Wall which winds along lofty, cragged mountains from the southeast to the northwest for approximately 2.25 kilometers (about 1.3 miles). It is connected with Juyongguan Pass to the west and Gubeikou to the east. This section was one of the first to be renovated following the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution.
At the edge of the Bohai Gulf is the Shanhai Pass, the traditional end of the Great Wall known as the "Number One Pass Under Heaven". The part of the wall that meets the sea is name the "Old Dragon Head", within the Shanhai Pass complex. 3 km north of Shanhaiguan is Jiaoshan Great Wall, the site of the first mountain of the Great Wall.

15 km northeast from Shanhaiguan, is Jiumenkou, which is the only portion of the wall that was built as a bridge.
Great Wall carries a considerable part of Chinese culture. It has long been incorporated into Chinese mythology and symbolism. The most well-known legend is about the collapse of a section of the Wall caused by Meng Jiangnu, who cried bitterly over the death of her husband after he died while building the wall. This legend has been spread widely through textbooks, folk songs and traditional operas.
Siheyuan in Beijing's Hutong
The historical Siheyuan (Chinese courtyards) are a symbol of ancient Chinese architecture that dates back 2,000 years. The layout of the courtyards is prevalent as a template for many palaces, housing complexes, temples and monasteries. To see the traditional buildings one of the best places to visit is the Hutongs in Beijing.
The Hutongs in Beijing consist of numerous courtyards joined together. The histories of the Hutongs are interesting as it demonstrated the social class status beginning from the Ming Dynasty where the Forbbiden Palace was the center. Nobles and rich merchants lived in luxurious courtyards situated in the east and west. Commoners were located to the north of the palace.

Usually a whole family lives in a compound. The elder generation lives in the main house, the younger generation lives n the side houses, and the south house is usually their sitting room or study. All the houses have large windows at the front and small windows high up in the back walls. Some houses do not even have back windows.
Some larger residencies have two or more courtyards, they are usually inhabited by a big traditional extended family with several generations. There are still some siheyuan in Beijing, mainly former mansions of princes, some of which have been turned into museums, and others are used as government offices.The typical Siheyuan consists of four buildings and the main gate always faces the south. The Hutongs are a unique part of Beijing culture. Although the most famous remaining Hutongs are residencies of the rich and famous the most interesting part of visiting these areas is catching a glimpse of the everyday life that still continues.
Beijing in winter is in another scenery, with snow, also very beautiful. Chinese New Year is coming. How about participate in the bustling by halal tours China?