Běijīng Botanical Gardens 北京植物园
香山卧佛寺路
Part of A Better Guide to Běijīng’s coverage of Běijīng Suburbs and Beyond
The large, slightly scruffy 72-hectare site was begun in 1956 and claims to be home to 2000 species of trees and shrubs, 200 species of herbaceous plants, the largest rose garden in China — seven hectares with 100,000 Chinese roses of 500 species (the Chinese rose is the city flower of Běijīng) — Běijīng’s largest peony garden with several hundred vaieties, 22 species and cultivars of lilac, and so on.
A miniature railway runs around the site from the main (south) gate to the Wòfú Sì (Sleeping Buddha Temple) and beyond. Trains wait until there are enough people to start — not a problem in the spring or autumn, when the gardens are very popular with Běijīng people.
Běijīng’s revamp for the celebration of 50 years of communist rule reached as far out as this suburb, with the construction of a very impressive multiple-environment giant glass and steel conservatory, which opened in January 2000 at a cost of ¥200 million (8am–4pm summer; 8.30am–3.30pm winter). The areas inside have been designed by experts who studied at London’s Kew Gardens and include a tropical environment to house plants from the far south’s Yúnnán Province, as well as a desert area and displays of imported species.
Buildings on the southeast side of the site have an exhibition of documents connected with Cáo Xuěqín (黄叶村曹雪芹纪念馆, Huáng Yè Cūn Xuěqín Jìniànguǎn, ‘Yellow Leaf Village’, ¥10), the author of the Chinese classic Dream of Red Mansions, also known as The Story of the Stone (see also Prince Gōng’s Mansion, and the Grand View Garden). Chinese sources contradict each other as to whether this is a ‘former residence’ or just a ‘memorial hall’, as its name in Chinese suggests, but wooden buildings contain the hagiographic account expected in such locations.
Sleeping Buddha Temple 卧佛寺
Wòfó Sì, 8am–3.30pm summer; 8.30am–3.30pm winter. ¥5.
Directly north of the main south entrance, this temple is said to be of Táng origin (618–907), renovated in the Yuán (1279–1368), although clearly much is of considerably later date. There’s a substantial tiled páilou gateway at the entrance, followed by halls with Generals Hēng and Hā, the four heavenly or Deva kings, and three Buddhas with attendant luóhàn. One of the luóhàn here, quite lively in style but modern, is said to be an image of the Qiánlóng emperor.
‘Sleeping’ Buddhas may be lying down, but they are dying and about to attain nirvana (extinction), not just having a nap. Around China some are even referred to as ‘sleeping’ Buddhas when their eyes are open, although those of this 5.3m-long coppery image are closed. A more accurate translation of wò here (塊, a character which should be familiar to travellers from their sleeper train tickets) would be ‘recumbent’.
It’s claimed that this Sakyamuni (‘awakened one’ — the historical Buddha) was cast in 1321, but it is much more likely to be a modern copy, and weighs 250,000kg. Twelve delicate and pale attendant clay figures are supposedly receiving final instruction from their dying master.
The statue is robed except for its feet, and, rather charmingly, glass cases around the figure contain pairs of giant shoes left as offerings.
Apicultural Museum of China 中国蜜蜂博物馆
Zhōngguó Mìfēng Bówùguǎn, t 6259 6412, 8.30am–4pm. Free.
About 15mins’ walk into the Botanical Gardens, straight north from the south gate heading towards the Sleeping Buddha Temple, fork left when you see an English sign and follow the path around, ahead and up a slope to the gate of The Bee Research Institute. Inside, straight on and slightly to the left, the museum is a bamboo-shrouded hall to your right where you can see some hives, which may have veiled collectors picking up specimens with their fingers.
The museum is small and tatty but erudite, and has some explanations in English. Its displays include fossilised bees, a timeline chart of bee development and of the character for bee, photographic images of apiculture from around the world, the role of the lost wax process in casting, ethnic minority bee keeping, a translation of a poem from the early Qīng which draws Confucian morals from bee behaviour, bee kites, giant wild honeycombs in glass cases, lots of dried bees in boxes pinned like butterflies, samples of plants and trees that bees like (including sophora), images of bees in art from around the world (including Lucas Cranach’s Cupid Complaining to Venus), and photographs of various species.
There are also bee products, tools used in beekeeping and honey production, and details of bee life-cycles. See also:
▶ Běijīng Zhíwù Yuán, off NW Fifth Ring Rd, 10km beyond the Summer Palace, gps 39º59’54”N, 116º12’57”E, t 6259 1561, www.beijingbg.com, 6am–7.30pm summer; 7.30am–4.30pm winter, ¥5 park entrance only, or ¥50 all-inclusive tào piào. m Botanical Gardens (Xī Jiāo Line). b to 植物园南门: , 运通112线 (from m Pínguǒ Yuán), 331 (from the Summer Palaces), 505. 563, 563区间; to 卧佛寺 (one stop west): all the above, plus b 696.
There’s also separate research section to the south opposite the main entrance, the Běijīng Academy of Science Botanical Research Institute (中国科学院植物研究所, Běijīng Kēxuéyuàn Zhíwù Yánjiūsuǒ, t 6283 6013, 8am-5pm summer, 4pm winter, ¥10).
It’s easy to continue by b 563 or 563区间 a short way west to the Fragrant Hills Park, or south down the road opposite the entrance by b 运通112线 to m Píngguǒ Yuán, passing near Bā Dà Chù.
A few stops east the road taken by buses passes through a heavily militarised area (like much of this side of Běijīng, with its secret airfield and underground escape routes) with a compound near the prominent pagoda to the south a well-guarded and rarely mentioned presidential residence. Another compound to the north of stop 娘娘府 contains the Míng Jǐngtài Líng (明景泰陵), the tomb of the usurping Jǐngtài emperor (reigned 1450–57) who was excluded from the main Míng Tombs complex. The tomb is now inaccessible inside a military base.
A short walk from the garden’s northwest exit (actually well south of the Sleeping Buddha Temple) lies the almost forgotten grave of opera superstar Méi Lánfāng (梅兰芳墓, see Méi Lánfāng Memorial Hall on the In the Depths of Many Flowers walk.) Walk west from the gate and turn right to find stairs to the right up a hillside.
Next in Běijīng Suburbs and Beyond: Fragrant Hills Park
Previously: Císhàn Sì
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