Xihaizi Park 西海子公园

About Xihaizi Park

Its value lies in that relationship between everyday neighborhood recreation and the older canal-city skyline. A short visit can begin with the pagoda view, continue through the park, and return to the nearby streets for context. It is better treated as part of a focused old-Tongzhou walk than as a destination requiring a long excursion on its own; the park and pagoda surroundings provide the useful local combination.

The park was first laid out in 1936 and enlarged in 1985; a renovation carried out from December 2016 to 2020 restored Hulu Lake (葫芦湖), part of the site's original watercourse. It covers 23 hectares at the meeting point of five rivers in Tongzhou's old town and was once the only large park in the former Tong County. The park is divided into three sections: the ancient pagoda scenic area, the Tonghui River scenic area and the Grand Canal scenic area.

During the Ming dynasty, when the Tonghui River was built, an existing lake west of the stone dam outside the north gate was deepened to let canal boats moor and transfer cargo onto vessels bound for Beijing; connected to the old Xiao River to its west, its gourd-like shape gave it the names Hulu Tou (葫芦头) and Laolongtou (老龙头). A 2019 renovation restored this lake, lined its banks with pebbles, and added a waterside pavilion and rest pavilions; a stone carving of a Guangxu-era city map stands east of the waterside pavilion.

What to look for

• Randengfo Pagoda view: look at the historic tower as a landmark above the surrounding neighborhood.
• Park-and-old-street setting: compare the green space with the adjacent commercial streets.

Location & getting there

Getting to Xihaizi Park

The matched listing places the park on Xihaizi West Street in Tongzhou.

• Use that street address rather than a general Tongzhou destination, which covers a much larger district.