Fragrant Hills Park
The Fragrant Hills Park,about 30 kilometres northwest of Beijing,is one of the most favourite resorts in the city's outskirts.It covers an area of 160 hectares.
In 1186,in the Jin Dynasty,the Fragrant Hills Temple was built and terraces,pavilions and pagodas were added by the subsequent dynasties.The area was later converted into a park and was named the Park of Tranquility and Pleasure.
Along with Yuanmingyuan and the Surmmer Palace,the park was twice destroyed in 1860 and in 1900.The destruction was so serious that the reconstruction efforts made in the later years were never able to restore its original scale and splendour.After 1949,large-scale restoration took place and now the Fragrant Hills Park is a pop- ular place in late autumn for holiday-makers when the maple leaves redden.The brilliant foliage is the main attraction.No one is sure where the sumac trees originated.Legend has it that a south wind carried the seeds of the red-leaf trees to Beijing.Then the seeds survived,and as years passed they grew into a lovely forest.Another story goes that the sumacs were transplanted to the area by Emperor Qianlong (l736-l795) of the Qing Dynasty.In November,the frosted leaves of these trees,along with the persimmons and maples,spread over the Fragrant Hills like a thick red blanket.For two centuries,it has been a resort for the residents in Beijing.