Wanshou Temple

Wanshou Temple - Purple Bamboo Park - Zhenjue Temple - Beijing Zoo - Aquarium

 
Start off at 08:30 am and head to Wanshou Temple in the urban area of Beijing city, another name of Wanshou Temple is Beijing Art Museum. Take bus No. 4 on the west side of Dongdan Road and get off on the east side of Gongzhufen (9 stops). Then bus No. 704 can take you to the Wanshou Temple directly (6 stops). It's about 13 kilometers in total.

Wanshou Temple used to be a royal temple built in Tang Dynasty, and this was the right place where Emperor Qainlong celebrated his mother's birthday twice. Having undergone three reconstructions, Wanshou Temple forms a large scale ancient architectural complex composed by the temple, Xanadu and a garden. Wanshou Temple is a typical Buddhist Temple with main buildings in central axis and with some supplementary houses in both sides. After entering the main portal, you can see Tianwang Hall in front of you. Behind it is the Great Hall. Go forward to north, you can see Wanshou Ge, Dachan Hall, Royal stele Pavilion and Wanshou Lou one by one. The Art Museum, where mainly display the artworks of Ming and Qing Dynasties, locates here and you can pay a visit. The admission fee is CNY20.00.

Walk out the Wanshou Temple, you can go to east direction for about 250 meters along the Wanshousi Road, and across the street when you see Shancheng Gourmet Restaurant, then walk to west until you reach the Guangyuan South Road. You need to turn to east when you are at the first crossing, and then walk to the north Gate of Purple Bamboo Park directly. This part is about 0.6 kilometer and the whole walking process may take you about 12 minutes. The Purple Bamboo is a very quite leisure park in Beijing. It is also a kingdom for various kinds of bamboos for almost all of the scenic spots here are all related with bamboo. One third of the park is covered by water and five arch bridges connect the three lakes, two islands, banks and other sites. When you are visiting the park, you may find yourself are in a different world -- do not need to be hurry and always live in tranquility and peace. There are very clear road signs and you may follow them.

Beijing Zoo

Exit from the east gate of the park and then turn left and walk to north along the narrow path in front of the east gate. When you see the Purple Bamboo Park police station, you can turn right until you reach Zhongguancun South Street. Come across the street through the overline bridge or the subterranean and then you may walk to north until you see the first path extends to east. You may walk to northeast and after a short while, you can see the north gate of the Beijing Zoo. The Zhenjue Temple is on the opposite side of the Zoo. Actually, you may find a river call Nanchang River winds through the Purple Bamboo Park. And this river is also on your way to the Beijing Zoo and also winds through the Zoo. It will be easier for you to find your way if you follow it.

Zhenjue Temple is also called Five-Pagoda Temple, it is the right place for the Museum of Stone Carving Art in Beijing with large amount of collections of rare stone carving. The most famous site in the temple is the Pagoda with Vajra-base. There are 6 vajra-basod pagodas in China, and the pagoda here is the most beautiful one with the finest carving art and the longest history. In east, north and west around the pagoda, the Museum of Stone Carving Art sets up nine areas for displaying more than 500 precious stone carvings relics, including steles, epitaphs, stone carving and inscriptions. The most particular is an area for displaying Steles of Jesuits. You can visit these carefully if you are interested. The admission fee is CNY20.00 and the temple is closed on every Monday.

Before visiting the Beijing Zoo, you need to buy your ticket outside of the north gate. The Aquarium is a part of the Zoo, and if you plan to visit it, we suggest you buy one-for-all ticket at CNY120.00, if you only want to visit the Zoo including the Panda House, the ticket charge is CNY20.00.

Beijing Aquarium

Enter the Zoo and the first you can see is the Aquarium. Elephant Hall, the Rhinoceros & Hippopotamus Hall and the mountain of eagles are in the west respectively. Come across the Nanchang River to the west part of the zoo, you can visit the Hall of African Animals, Giraffe Hall, Small Animals' Club, Herbivorous Animal Area one by one. And then visit the southwest part. Here, you can visit all kinds of primates, penguin, otter, etc. In the northeast of Otter Hall, you can visit various kinds of rare birds including cockatoo, crested ibis, flamingos and some other song birds. The lake adjoining it in the east provides scenic environment for waterfowls. In the north of the lake, you can visit the civet cats, raccoon, etc. Go ahead to north, you can visit the Australian Animals, and then go ahead to east to visit the Mountain of Tigers and Lions, the region for wolves and the region for bears is at the east end of the zoo. Follow the sign to the southwest, you may find the Hall for nocturnal animals. After that, you can visit the panda houses in the zoo where the lovely pandas are playing with trunk or eating fresh bamboo. The next hall in the east and also close to the main portal is the pheasant hall and the nursery for baby animals.

The buses and the subway line 4 are all available outside of the Beijing Zoo. For the buses, you can take 7, 15, 19, 27, 65, 332, 334, 347, 360, 360kuai, 362, 534, 601, 632, 634, 685, 697, 808, 814, T4, T5, 105, 106, 205, 102, 103, 105, 107, 111, etc. The transportation here is really convenient and we believe you can find your way easily.