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Explore the region
About Taoranting Park
Its name comes from Taoran Pavilion, associated with gatherings of scholars and a poem by Bai Juyi, while Cibei An preserves the temple strand of the site’s history. Pavilions around the lake make the park suitable for a visit based on changing views rather than a single monumental building. Begin with the historic pavilion and temple setting, then continue along the water to understand how those earlier places sit within the later park.
The park's site was a brickyard supplying tile and brick for the palace and city walls during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and scholar-officials had built private gardens in the area since the Yuan dynasty. Between April and October 1952 lakes were dug and hills raised on the site to create Taoranting Park, the first modern garden built in Beijing after the founding of the People's Republic; Guo Moruo (郭沫若) wrote the inscription over its gate, and the park opened to the public in 1955.
The lake-encircled central island holds Cibei An (慈悲庵) and Taoran Pavilion (陶然亭) on its southwest mound, flanked by Jinqiu Mound (锦秋墩) to the north and Yantou Hill (燕头山) to the southeast. Jinqiu Pavilion (锦秋亭) tops the former; nearby are the graves of Gao Junyu (高君宇) and Shi Pingmei (石评梅). Lancui Pavilion (览翠亭) tops Yantou Hill, facing Jinqiu Pavilion across the park. The park's three lakes, East, West and South, are connected by the Xiehu, Yuhong and Yun'an bridges.
The park covers 59 hectares, of which 17 hectares is water. In 1954, the architect Liang Sicheng (梁思成) proposed relocating the Qianlong-era Yunhui Building and Qingyin Pavilion from Zhongnanhai to the park's southwest corner rather than demolishing them; their bricks, tiles and timbers were numbered and reassembled on the new site.
What to look for
- Taoran Pavilion and Cibei An: look at the historic core that gives the park its literary and religious associations.
- Lakeside pavilions: compare their positions around the shore and the views they frame across the water.
Location & getting there
Getting to Taoranting Park
The park lies north of Beijing South railway station in the southern part of Xicheng. Use Taoranting Park as the destination rather than the railway station itself.
- Choose the arrival side according to whether you want the pavilion-and-temple area or a longer lakeside walk first.
Combine your visit
Suggested order within this visit:
-
Taoran Pavilion
Start with the building behind the park’s name.
-
Cibei An setting
Connect the pavilion with the site’s older temple history.
-
Lakeside pavilion walk
Finish with the water and garden landscape around the historic core.
This sequence is an editorial suggestion based on the features described in the sources. Access to individual buildings or areas should be checked locally; no travel time or shared admission is implied.
Find Taoranting Park
陶然亭公园 · 西城区
The pin marks the area, not the entrance.
More places nearby
Approximate straight-line distances between map pins, not travel distances.
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View guide →Sources & visit information
The linked encyclopedia sources support background and place descriptions. Current opening hours, ticket prices, booking rules and transport schedules have not been independently verified for this guide. Confirm them with the venue or operator before travelling.
Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikipedia contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 1363315346.
Background paragraphs translated and condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "陶然亭公园", Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 93210206.
Background paragraphs condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "Taoranting Park", English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 1363315346.