Beihai Park

The Beijing summer that I'd been warned about has set in and it's an oppressive thirty-three degrees. To escape the heat we visited Beihai Park, a welcoming oasis within the city, sandwiched between the Forbidden City and Hou Hai and cooled by a strong southwesterly breeze off the water. From the island on the east side of its lake, you can climb a steep set of stairs to the towering White Dagoba, built in 1651. From there, you have a great view of the city, for as far as the haze will permit. There's a joke in the city that Beijing's official bird is the crane and, in every direction, construction cranes dot the horizon as the city grows before your very eyes.