Western Hills

Introduction

West of Beijing lies an extended range of hills known as the Western Hills. The hills are home to a number of interesting sites including, the Fragrant Hills Park, the Temple of the Sleeping Buddha (wofo si), the Temple of Azure Clouds (biyun si) and the Eight Great Sights (badachu). Unlike the manmade complexes of Beihai Park and the Summer Palace, the landscape of the Western Hills has been preserved in its original form. The pavilions, temples and buildings that are found in the area, all seem to have been designed to blend into the natural landscape.