Incense Burner Peak
Views over Beijing.
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A wooded hill park at the foot of the Western Hills in Haidian, north-west Beijing, covering 160 hectares of pine and cypress forest with maples, smoke trees and persimmons; first laid out in 1186 under the Jin dynasty, it became an imperial garden that the Qianlong Emperor enlarged in 1745, and after damage in the wars of 1860 and 1900 it was restored. Its highest point, Incense Burner Peak, 575 m high, is named after two great rocks at the top that look like incense burners, and the paths up through the woods pass pavilions, halls and small lakes. In late October and early November the smoke trees and maples turn red, and the hills become one of Beijing's best-loved autumn sights. Tickets are CNY 10 from April to mid-November and CNY 5 in winter, and it is open from 6 am to 7.30 pm in season, per visitor guides. In the red-leaf weeks go early on a weekday, as the crowds are huge.
Views over Beijing.
Late October.
Pine and cypress.
Foot of the Western Hills, Haidian District, north-west Beijing
Usually from late October to early November, the park's busiest weeks, so go early on a weekday morning.