Beijing Botanical Garden

Beijing Botanical Garden is located at the foot of the Western Hill, in Haidian District, northwest of downtown Beijing. Covering an area of 400 hectares, it is renowned as the largest botanical garden in North China. The garden contains not only a great variety of rare trees and stunning flowers, but also houses a number of historical attractions.

The plant conservatory, resembling a crystal palace, lies at the center of the garden. The greenhouse is the largest one in Asia, and exhibits thousands of tropical and subtropical plants. There are dedicated areas for various varieties of trees and flowering plants. Eleven theme gardens form a spectacular sight within the garden, featuring the rose, peony, lilac, bamboo, magnolia, bonsai, prunus mume, perennial flowers, herbaceous peony, ornamental peach and the Chinese flowering crabapple. In the woodland zone, gingko, cypress, linden, willow, berberidaceae and other rare trees color the area a rich green.

Historical attractions can also be found in the garden, including Cao Xueqin Memorial Hall, Tomb of Liang Qichao, Temple of  the Sleeping Buddha and December 9th Pavilion. Cao Xueqin, a celebrated novelist of China, is well-known for his masterpiece: A Dream of Red Mansions. The Cao Xueqin Memorial Hall depicts a vivid scene of a mountain village and evokes the mystery of this great author. The Tomb of Liang Qichao, a famous reformist in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), lies beyond the wooded area of the garden. The Temple of the Sleeping Buddha was constructed early in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) when a huge copper Sakyamuni statue, together with twelve smaller Buddha figurines was worshipped. The December 9th Pavilion is built in memory of the December 9th Movement, which took place in 1935 and called for an end to the civil war and resistance towards the Japanese aggressors.

With intriguing rockeries, clear ponds and elegant bridges interspersed throughout, the garden is a place of great natural beauty. A visit to the garden is highly recommended as an instructive and delightful experience.

China Bee Museum

The China Bee Museum, established in 1993, is housed in a bungalow subtly hidden in the beauty of the Beijing Botanical Garden in Haidian District.

This bee kingdom possesses three exhibition halls, and the main theme of the exhibition is 'Bees are friends of human beings'. The exhibits here vary as follows: the origin and fossils of bees, the history of bee culture, the cultural origins between bees and human beings, China resources of bee keeping, bee biology, bee pollination, bee products, and bee venom therapy, among others.

On entering this bee wonderland, one grows quite excited and feels as if he is wandering in the ancient world afar. There are a total of 475 pictures and diagrams and over 600 specimens. One picture of an ancient rock attracts the most attention. It describes how men in ancient times climbed cliffs to collect the wild honey. Moreover, all the bee fossils and specimens are vivid and great in style, expressing the history and life of the bee in every possible way. After learning the ins and outs of the interesting and particular kinds of bee dances, one may well understand the mystery of the insect world.

The word ''Mi' (honey in Chinese) was discovered in the inscriptions on bones and tortoise shells of the Shang Dynasty (16th-11th century BC), which demonstrates that China has a long history of bee culture. In addition, a consulting service regarding bee products is also provided. One can buy inexpensive but excellent products, books about bee keeping, and souvenirs from the sales exhibition.

 Beijing Attractions:

• Grand View Garden
• Kangxi Grassland
• Beijing Zoo
• Taipingyang Underwater World
• Beijing Aquarium
• Shijinglong Ski Resort