Botanical Garden

The Botanical Gardens are situated in the north-west part of Beijing. Between Fragrant Hills and The Summer Palace. It is quite easy to reach by bus, if you be able to get on the bus. It is more a large garden than a botanical garden. All will be become clear if you continue reading.

Botanical Garden

The Botanical Gardens

The Botanical Gardens are gardens which contain the following attractions: several flower/grass themed gardens, The Wofo Temple, The Cherry Valley, and the Conservatory. The Conservatory is the only things I would call botanical. It houses many sorts of (foreign?) flowers.

We entered through the South East Gate; the South East Gate is the entrance where the buses stop. From there you can walk in any direction of the park. The most attractions, like the Wofo Temple and The Cherry Valley, are situated in the north. It is approximately 2 kilometers to the Wofo Temple from the entrance.

Pond of The Wofo Temple

The Wofo Tempel is a temple which contains a reclined Buddha, which is quite unusual according to the information signs. For those how cannot draw a picture of a reclined Buddha; a reclined Buddha is a Buddha which lies on a bed. As it is prohibited to take photos, I cannot attach one. The temple itself is not that big, but it is very serene and calm. At the front entrance there is a large pond with lots of fish and turtles. For a couple of Yuan you can either buy one or feed them.

Play time

Some meters to the north from the Wofo temple is The Cherry Valley. It is a walk-board walk through the northern part of the gardens. It leads to the source of a spring and a rock which contains a bed. They say a wise monk once slept on that bed. However, all of this is not enough for the locals. Underneath the walk-boards, water sprays where attached which made fog between the trees. This was such a spectacle that all locals just walked off the walk-board into the trench to make photos. The funny part was that the made photos with the sign in the background prohibiting walking in the greenery.

The Conservatory is a large green-house containing all sorts of plants from all kinds of climate types. There is a rain forest, a dessert, and a sub-tropical part. The orchids are getting the most attention, as there are many in The Conservatory. It is not that big, as you can finish in half an hour. However, if you buy a through-ticket, it is already included.

I really like visiting this kind of attractions, and the combination with The Wofo Temple and The Cherry Valley makes it quite a varying day!

The Conservatory