Fragrant Hills

The Fragrant Hills or Xiangshan park (香山公园, Xiāngshān Gōngyuán in Chinese) in the Western Hills (西山, xishān in Chinese) is a former imperial park located a few km west of the Summer Palace in the northwest of Beijing. The park extends over the slopes of the western hills and covers an area of 1.6km. A number of paths lead from the east gate to the Xianglu peak (香炉峰 in Chinese), a 557 meters hill with two large stones resembling incense burners at the top. The Xianglu peak can also be reached comfortably with a chairlift. All over the park there are buildings, pavilions and gate in classical Chinese architecture. People come here in autumn when the leaves of the trees become red.