The Beijing Botanical Garden is a large comprehensive botanical garden which combines the functions of scientific research and tourism. It is one of the key botanical gardens in China. It is situated in the northwestern outskirts of Beijing, China between Xiangshan Park and Jade Spring Mountain in the Western Hills. It is a national AAAA composite scenic spot, as well as an important base for science education, research and tourism. It is one of the key construction projects in China.
The gardens cultivate 6,000 species of plant, including 2,000 kinds of trees and bushes, 1,620 varieties of tropical and subtropical plants, 500 species of flowers and 1,900 kinds of fruit trees, water plants, traditional Chinese.
In the plant exhibition area there are various groves, gardens and greenhouses for various types of plants. There is a rose garden, a Chinese rose garden, a green peach garden, a lilac garden, a cherry garden, a magnolia garden, the potted landscape garden, a bamboo garden, a Chinese peony garden, a perennial bulb garden, a rose garden, a peony garden and other gardens. In the trees’ garden, there are a ginkgo, pine, and cypress section and areas for other kinds of trees.
It is remarkable that it centers on a greenhouse exhibition of plants. The Beijing Exhibition Greenhouse occupies a total area of 9,800 square meters, and it is Asia’s largest exhibition greenhouse. It is said to be the world’s biggest single greenhouse. The Greenhouse began to take shape in 1998 and was open to the public in 2000. With floor space of nearly 9,800 square meters (about 2.5 acres), it enjoys the reputation of 'the biggest display greenhouse in Asia'. The Greenhouse Exhibition Area is divided into 4 parts: the Tropical Rain Forests Area, the Desert Plants Area, the Garden of Seasons and the Theme Exhibition Rooms. Plants of 3,100 varieties with population of 60,000 thrive in the greenhouse, including Lithops, pencil bush and cymbidiums. It makes the Greenhouse an important base for scientific education and research. The first room is filled with evergreens and members of the palm family.
The econd room is given over to tropical aquatic plants, including water lilies and flowering taros. The third room displays commercial plants and their breeding and propagation. Here there are specimens of the triple-leaved rubber plant, cocoa and coffee trees and the sugar producing sweet-leaved chrysanthemum which has been introduced into China from abroad.
In the Scenic Spot and Historic Resort, famous relics you can see include the Reclining Buddha Temple (Wofo Temple, built up in Tang Dynasty 618AD - 907AD), the Cherry Furrow (one of the gardens in the Beijing countryside), the Relic of Long Jiao Temple, the Memorial Hall of December 9, the Grave of Liang Qichao, and the Memorial Hall of Huang Yecun. Among the ancient architecture, there is the Reclined Buddha Temple that people started to build more than a thousand years ago.
There will be thousands of beautifully colored flowers. Beijing Botanical Garden is a relaxing venture into a serene place away from the noise of the city.