For the nearest hill to go in a daily excursion, most of Beijingers would choose to go the Western Hill, they are close by and convenient to reach, the recently finished Subway Line 4 will take you very close to there. The hills range in elevation about 500-600 meters above sea level, is very suitable for climbing up, and most importantly the area is rich with natural and historical points of interests: the Fragrant Hill Park is most renowned for its autumn leaves, the Beijing Botanical Garden is a nice spot for photographying in early spring, the Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wofosi) is best known for its giant reclining Budda, in the Temple of Azure Clouds keeps a well preserved Vajrasana Throne Tower (there is another similar build at the Five-Pagoda Temple Wutasi), and in the south side of the hill, locates the Park with 8 temples – Badachu Park, it was a very popular place for the Beijingers in the ancient days.

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The Temple of the Reclining Buddha is located in the Western Hills at the southern foot of Jubao (also called Shou’an) Mountain, about 20 kilometers from Beijing downtown. It is inside the Beijing Botanical Garden, so if you want to visit this temple, you have to pay the garden ticket first.

The temple was first built during the Zhenguan period (627-249) of the Tang Dynasty, when it was also known as the Temple of Peaceful Longevity (Shou’ansi 寿安寺). In later periods it fell into ruin and was rebuilt and renamed several times. One of the last major renovations was completed in 1724.

As early as the Tang Dynasty, the temple contained a sandalwood sculpture of the reclining Buddha. In 1330-1331 during the Yuan Dynasty, a large-scale bronze image of the Buddha attaining Nirvana was cast, and from that time on, the temple was popularly called the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. According to the history of the Yuan Dynasty, the casting of this Buddha required 250,000 kilograms of bronze and 7,000 laborers. At the main entrance of the temple stands a glazed tile ornamental archway, and inside there are a bell tower and a drum tower flank a semi-circular pool.

The famous bronze Buddha is more than five meters long. The Buddha lies in a sleeping position, with one arm extended and the other propping up his head, and is surrounded by 12 smaller Buddhas. According to legend, this scene represents the Buddha on his deathbed giving instructions to his 12 disciples, who were seated under a pair of sal (poluo) trees.

The rear of the temple is set against the mountain cliffs, on top of which, a sutra repository was built; and at its front are open fields. On the western side are rockeries, pavilions.

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This temple was initially built during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and was reconstructed during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The interior buildings almost retain the style of the Ming.

The gate of Azure Clouds which is faced by the stone lions is called the Mountain Gate. Close to it is a very deep pool where visitors can view a river that never dries up. On both sides of this temple are two Buddhist guardians which were carved during the Ming Dynasty and each being five meters in height. Upon entering this temple, tourists first visit the Front Palace where the stout Maitreya is displayed and then they encounter the Sakyamuni’s Palace where there are statues of Sakyamuni and his disciples as well as the Arhats.

There are three places very famous inside the temple.

First, is the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, which is in the center of the temple. A red wooden plaque hanging above the front gate of the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, the words on the plaque which is engraved in gold was written by his wife, Song Qingling. Inside this hall lies an empty crystal coffin presented by the USSR government in 1925 in memory of Sun Yat-sen, because his body had already been sealed inside the Vajra Throne Tower, the coffin was left here till now. Later in 1929, Sun’s body was moved and buried in Nanjing, the capital of China Republic. Photos of Sun Yat-sen, his handwriting, his books and his statue are also on display inside this hall.

Second, is the Five Hundred Arhats Hall located on the west side of the Temple of Azure Clouds, includes nine rooms, four small wells and a pavilion. The inner side of the front gate has figures of four heavenly kings, and three powerful Buddhas, Burning Lamp Buddha, Sakyamuni and Maitreya, are placed in the middle of this hall.

Altogether there are 512 statues, of which include 500 wooden Arhats, 11 Bodhisattvas and one statue of Ji Gong. All the Arhats are vivid, life-size statues with different poses and expressions. It has been said that two of these Arhats were the statues of Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911).

The third place is the magnificent Vajrasana Throne Tower, it is the highest building in the Temple of Azure Clouds. This 35 meter-high tower with elegant decorations is well-known within the area of Beijing City for its high elevation. It is still open to public, as a perfect observational position to view all the scenery in the suburbs of Beijing City, it is a very worthy to climb up. you can take a panorama photo on the top just like I did.

By the way, in a little courtyard on the side way, where the Fourth Session of the First Central Committee of Kuomingtang was convened in 1925 and lasted for 10 days, and it was recorded as Western Hills Meeting in history, the group had a political goal of ousting the Communist Left.

It is suggested that tourists visit the Temple of Recumbent Buddha (Wofo Si) first, then Xiangshan (Fragrant Hill), and lastly the Temple of Azure Clouds. These three tourist spots are all on one tour itinerary and can be reached by public transportation, bus 318, 333, 360 or 904.

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The eight ancient Buddhist temples and monasterie: 1, 长安寺 Changan Temple (Temple of Eternal Peace); 2, 灵光寺 Lingguang Temple (Temple of Divine Light); 3, 三山庵 Sanshan Nunnery (Three-hill Nunnery); 4, 大悲寺 Dabei Temple (Temple of Great Mercy); 5, 龙泉庵 Dragon Spring Nunnery (Dragon Spring Nunnery); 6, 香界寺 Xiangjie Temple (The Temple of the Fragrant World); 7, 宝珠洞 Pearl Cave (The Cave of Precious Pearl); 8, 证果寺 Zhengguo Temple. Except the 1st is not opened to public, others can be visited, but as the 8th one is in another direction, not many people would visit it.

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The Bronze Pavilion on the hill of the Summer Palace.

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The area was later converted into a park and was named the Park of Tranquility and Pleasure. Major places of interest in the park include:Xianglufeng,The Jade Flowers Villa, Shuangqing Villa.

Xianglufeng (The Incense Burner Peak): The Incense Burner Peak is the summit of the Fragrant Hills. To its west is a precipice nicknamed the Devil Frowning Peak 鬼见愁, which is very (difficult to climb. On top of the hill is a huge piece of rock, which looks like an incense burner at a distance, so it is also named the Incense Burner Peak. It is 557 meters above sea level, the highest peak among the nearby hills. Up there, visitors can have a magnificent view of the surrounding area.

The Jade Flowers Villa: The Jade Flowers Villa was one of the 28 sights in the park. It is now a courtyard where visitors can take a rest and have a cup of tea. It is a good spot for viewing red leaves in late autumn. North of the Villa is the Hibiscus Hall, an elegant courtyard full of flowers and shrubs.

Shuangqing Villa: In the southeast corner of the park is a small pool fed by two springs named Shuangqing or “Two Streams.” The water from these springs is not only clear but also rare in north China. It contains no alkali in it. In March, 1949 when the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party was moved to Beijing, the Fragrant Hills Park became its headquarters.

There are two ways to get to the top of hill, first way needs only about 10 minutes by cable, tickets at one way costs 30 yuan, and two ways ticket costs 50 yuan. Another way is to climb up by yourself, it may takes 40 minutes or longer depends on your pace, there are some different routes leading to the peak.

The park is good to visit almost all the time around the year except in the cold winter, local residents have a monthly ticket to go here for morning exercise, (the air is much fresher than in the downtown!). It is good to see all the flowers bloom in the early spring, when it is very hot and humid in downtown Beijing during the summer, here is cooler, and in autumn almost all the Beijingers will come here to see the colored trees.

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The Coal Hill Park lies right to the north of the Palace Museum. It used to be a private garden of the imperial family. When the Imperial Palace was built in the early Ming Dynasty, the earth excavated to make the moat was piled up, and five peaks took shape. Coal was once heaped around the foot of the hill, it is therefore also known as Coal Hill. In Qianlong’s time, fruit trees grew and birds were raised in the grounds, the place was then called the Hundred Fruits Garden.