Fragrant Hills Park

Xiangshan, the fragrant hills, was an imperial retreat from the twelfth century and became a public park in 1956, covering wooded slopes rising to about 557 metres at Incense Burner Peak. Its fame rests on autumn: around a hundred thousand smoke trees planted across the hillsides turn crimson through late October and early November, and the resulting weeks bring hundreds of thousands of Beijingers, with subway extensions and traffic controls laid on to handle them. A chairlift climbs toward the summit, and paths run past temples, the Biyun Temple with its marble pagoda, and the villa where Mao stayed in 1949. Outside the autumn weeks the park is quiet woodland.

History

The park was first built in 1186 under the Jin dynasty and enlarged under the Yuan and Ming, taking its name from Incense Burner Peak, whose two great stones look like incense burners. In 1745 the Qianlong Emperor added halls, pavilions and gardens and renamed it the Garden of Tranquility and Pleasure, Jingyiyuan; the park was badly damaged in 1860 and again around 1900, and among its later buildings is the Fragrant Hills Hotel by I. M. Pei (Wikipedia, Fragrant Hills).

Highlights

• The red leaves - smoke trees colouring the hillsides in late autumn.
• Incense Burner Peak - the summit reached by chairlift or a steep climb.
• Biyun Temple - the temple complex with a marble Diamond Throne pagoda.
• The imperial garden remains - traces of the Qing retreat across the slopes.

When to go

Late October to mid-November for the red leaves, with the exact peak announced by the park each year; that period is extremely crowded, with timed tickets and queues. Outside it, spring and early autumn are pleasant and empty.

Before you go

During the leaf season the crowds are genuinely overwhelming, with queues for the chairlift running hours. Tickets are capped and must be booked online in advance. Outside the season the park is ordinary woodland.

Nearby

The Botanical Gardens are adjacent; the Summer Palace lies southeast.

Key facts