Jingshan Park (also known as Coal Hill or Prospect Hill)
Jingshan Park (Jingshan Gongyuan) was a part of the Forbidden City until the early 1900's when the walls were pulled down and a road cut through it destroying several gates and buildings between the park and the rear entrance of the palace.
The hill in Jingshan Park was made with the earth removed to create the palace moat. It is well worth the climb on a clear day for spectacular views of the Forbidden City and Beijing.
View of the Forbidden City's many rooftops
The best view of Beijing is from the Pavilion of Everlasting Spring (Wanchun-ting) perched on top of the middle peak, which used to be the highest point in the city. Northwards, one can see the Drum and Bell Towers, a traditional feature of old Chinese cities. To the northwest, the two slabs of water of the Shichahai and Beihai Lake are intersected by Di’anmen Dajie. To the south, the golden roofs of the Imperial Palace can be seen stretching into the distance.
Just north of the Imperial Palace, the site occupied by Prospect Hill was a private park reserved for the use of the emperor in the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368). During the Ming (1368-1644), an artificial hill with five peaks was made, utilizing earth excavated when the moat of the Imperial Palace was dug.
One of the Forbidden City's corner pavillions
There is an old but fallacious story that an emperor kept supplies of coal hidden under the hill, hence its other name, Coal Hill (Meishan). A pavilion was erected on each peak, and five bronze Buddhas given pride of place in them. Four of the statues were removed by the troops of the Allied Expeditionary Force when they came to Beijing to relieve the Siege of the Legations in 1900. Prospect Hill was opened to the public in 1928. Designated as a park after 1949, and closed during the Cultural Revolution, it can now be visited between 6.00 a.m. and 8.00 p.m.
Further north on the same axis as the Forbidden City lie the Bell and Drum Towers.
At the southern approach is the Gorgeous View Tower (Qiwanglou). Previously visited by emperors coming to pay their respects at an altar to Confucius, it is now an exhibition venue for displays of paintings, porcelain and calligraphy.
On the eastern slope there used to be an old tree (said to be cassia) from which Chongzhen, the last Ming emperor, is supposed to have hanged himself in 1644. According to one version of the incident, the emperor decamped to the hill upon hearing that rebels intent on overthrowing the dynasty had already stormed the city. He had evidently retreated in some disarray: he wore no head-dress, had only one shoe, and the sleeves of his robe were freshly stained with the blood of his consort and two princesses. The story goes that he committed suicide with his own belt. The spot was once marked by a stone tablet. Later emperors in the early Qing, passing this place to go to the Hall of Imperial Longevity behind the hill, were required to alight from their sedan-chairs and proceed past the tablet on foot, perhaps in order to show more humility when contemplating the salutary example of an unpopular predecessor. Part of the Hall of Imperial Longevity is now the Beijing Children’s Palace.
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