[Photo via VCG]

Jingshan Park, which is a national key protected cultural relic, was an imperial park in the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911). The park constitutes the commanding height on Beijing's Central Axis with its location selected according to the principles of feng shui. The construction of the Forbidden City started during the reign of Emperor Yongle in the Ming Dynasty, when a city moat was dug, and mounds of soil were moved to the ruins of the old palace of the Yuan Dynasty. That was how Jingshan Hill, or Wansuishan as it was previously known,,was formed. The palaces and gardens in the park served as sites for worshiping nature and the ancestors, and have thus become unique examples of the national sacrifice rituals and traditions in the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Address: No. 44 Jingshanxi Street, Xicheng District, Beijing

Opening hours: 6:00–21:00 (last entry at 20:30) from April 1 to October 31;

6:30–20:00 (last entry at 19:30) from November 1 to March 31

Tickets: CNY 2/person (adults), CNY 1/person (students with valid student ID card)

Official tel.: (8610)64038098

(Source: Cloud Central Axis Mini Program)