We went to the park back in July when it was still summer, there was a lot of retirees using the park as a place for choir practice, to dance, play badminton, recite poems, practice calligraphy... they made the park seem very vibrant. We rented the paddle boat for 90 minutes for around $70RMB and paddled our way through the lake, it was such a nice park to just chill and hide away from the urban jungles outside. The architecture of the whole park was very serene, it really just melts your troubles away...

We went to the white pagoda after a flight of almost ladder like stairs and saw the most amazing scenes... Beihai Park is very well preserved and just an amazing place to absorb the Chinese culture.

Beihai park is a veritable sanctuary from the polluted urban jungle that is Beijing. I think one of the most fun things to do is ride the boats around, though the paddle boats sometimes seem to have defective paddles, making it really hard to get around. You can also ride duck boats, which are funny. I think it's a really good display of Chinese culture, also. When I was there there was an impromptu performance of traditional Chinese music in one of the enclosed spaces which was nice to listen to from a distance. There's also enough room for people to spread out on the grass and play cards. I went and played cards with my friends. The park atmosphere also seems to make people more friendly, as several passers by joined us at cards--something that probably wouldn't have happened if we weren't in a park. Overall, definitely worth a trip.

Beihai Park is near the Forbidden City and can be a good place to spend an afternoon. There wasn't much memorable about the park that really differentiated from the other parks but it was a nice walk. The old men that draw and write in traditional chinese characters with water on the sidewalks are pretty entertaining. They are very talented...i guess they have plenty of practice. If you need someplace to relax and have a picnic consider Beihai park