Jingshan Park
| Jingshan Park | |
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| 景山公园 Jǐngshān Gōngyuán |
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One of the peaks of Jingshan
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| Type | Urban park |
| Location | Beijing, China |
| Coordinates | 39°55′25″N 116°23′26″E / 39.92361°N 116.39056°ECoordinates: 39°55′25″N 116°23′26″E / 39.92361°N 116.39056°E |
| Area | 23 ha (57 acres) |
| Created | 11th century (built the hill) 1179 (as imperial garden) 1267 (rebuilt) 1651 (rebuilt) 1928 (as public park) |
| Jingshan | |||||||||
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| Chinese | |||||||||
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| Literal meaning | Prospect Hill | ||||||||
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| Wansui Hill | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | |||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | |||||||||
| Literal meaning | Long-life Hill Ten-Thousand Year Hill |
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| Feng Shui Hill | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | |||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | |||||||||
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| Coal Hill | |||||||||
| Chinese | |||||||||
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| Transcriptions | |
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| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Jǐngshān |
| Wade–Giles | Ching-shan |
| Transcriptions | |
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| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Wànsuìshān |
| Wade–Giles | Wan-sui Shan |
| Transcriptions | |
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| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Fēngshuǐshān |
| Wade–Giles | Feng-shui Shan |
| Transcriptions | |
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| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Méishān |
| Wade–Giles | Mei-shan |
Jingshan Park is a public park covering 23 hectares (57 acres) immediately north of the Forbidden City in the Imperial City area of Beijing, China. The focal point is the artificial hill Jingshan, literally "Prospect Hill". Formerly a private imperial garden attached to the grounds of the Forbidden City, the grounds were opened to the public in 1928. The park was formally established in 1949. It is listed as a Key State Park and is administratively part of both Xicheng and Dongcheng districts in downtown Beijing.
Jingshan's history dates to the Liao and Jin dynasties, almost a thousand years ago. The 45.7-meter (150 ft) high artificial hill was constructed in the Yongle era of the Ming dynasty entirely from the soil excavated in forming the moats of the Imperial Palace and nearby canals. It is especially impressive when one considers that all of this material was moved only by manual labor and animal power. Jingshan consists of five individual peaks, and on the top of each peak there lies an elaborate pavilion. These pavilions were used by officials for gathering and leisure purposes. These five peaks also draw the approximate historical axis of central Beijing.
The dictates of feng shui long praised tombs and residences sited south of a nearby hill, serving to channel both harmful yin and cold northern winds. With Jingshan serving that purpose, it gained the name Feng Shui Hill. It is also well known to locals as Coal Hill, from an old rumor that the emperors kept a hidden stash in the park.
The Chongzhen Emperor, the last ruler of the Ming dynasty, committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree in Jingshan in 1644 after Beijing fell to Li Zicheng's rebel forces.
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Wikipedia