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Xiangshan
Park was called Jingyi (Tranquillity) Park in ancient times. It
is located in the southern side of the Temple of the Azure clouds
at the foot of the Western Hills, northwest suburbs of Beijing.
Xiangshan forms like a crescent moon, behind which the connected
peaks from north, and south encircle a col of 6 square kilometers.
The Xiangshan Park is built in this col.
It is a mountain forest park, which utilizes the natural environment with artificial
embellishment. Every pavilion, terrace, tower, pagoda, hall, loft, hill stone is made suitable for the
requirement of natural scenery. Beautiful environment of the nature and various buildings at different layers are made in accordance with each other's beauty, appearing in very harmonious grace.
The red maples are the picturesque scenery known far and near. Every year after the frost descent (in the last ten days of October), a great tract of maples of more than 90 maple trees on the south-west slope of the mountain become red. Among which some
leaves of pine,
cypress, persimmon and white birch dot the scene, inlaying green and yellow with red like a natural embroidery.
In the middle of the slope of the northwest mountain of Xiangshan Park, there is a tablet on which the Emperor Qian Long of the Qing Dynasty inscribed "Fine day snow in the Western Mountains", one of the eight sights of old Beijing.
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