Jingshan Park, with a history of over 800 years, was first built in the Jin Dynasty (1179 A.D). This Park is located directly to the north of the
Forbidden City. It is a beautiful imperial park and in former times belonged only to the emperors
in the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties (1271-1911).

Inside Jingshan Park, an area of approximately 57 acres, is Jingshan Hill which rises to a
height of 48 meters, and from its top visitors can oversight the entire city of Beijing. Jingshan Hill
was built in 1420 during the Ming Dynasty and was initially called “Long Live Hill” and then later
was named “Zhen Hill”. In later periods coal was piled at the foot of the hill and it became
known as “Mei Shan” (Coal Hill). However in 1655 during the Qing Dynasty the name was
changed to Jingshan Hill, the name by which it is known today.

On 17 March 1644, the last Ming Emperor Chongzhen was forced to flee to the eastern foot of
Jingshan Hill where he hanged himself from a Chinese scholar tree when the forces of Li Zi
cheng captured the inner city of Peking. The original scholar tree no longer exists, but the
replacement tree has an historical storyboard attached to it to explain that era of Ming Dynasty history.

In recent years many shows have been held in the Jingshan Park, where there have been exhibitions
of fish and flowers, notably the beautiful peonies for which the Park is famous. The best time for
viewing the more than 200 varieties of peonies inside the park is from late April to mid-May. Visitors
will really enjoy these displays.

Jingshan Park has a dramatic history and offers equally dramatic views over the Beijing city and
especially of the Imperial Palace. Located at the highest point of the central axis of Beijing, it’s a pretty
Royal Garden surrounded by red walls and the red roofs of the Forbidden City. It is a definitely pleasant
place to visit despite this gory history and is conveniently central.