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Looking for a romantic place to capture the sunrise in the downtown Beijing...
1. It is important to know when the sun will rise and set. Different day and season has its unique sunrise or sunset time. Check Beijing Real Time Photos for the general ideal of the sunrise time.
The shortcoming is that the official opening hour of Jingshan Park is set at 6:30am, which makes some seasons, especially summer time impossible to capture the first rays of the sunrise.
The sunrise time from March to October is after 6:30am in Beijing. That means people cannot watch the first rays of sunrise from the hill top of Jingshan Park.
3. So the best time for watching the sunrise from Jingshan Park falls on later autumn (November) to the early spring (February) when the sunrise time is after 6:30am, the opening hour for Jingshan Park.
4. Though the time between March and October is not the good time for watching the sunrise from Jingshan Park, basically it won’t deter you to go there for a splendid sunrise experience! Before you clamber up the hilltop of Jingshan waiting for the sunrise, you are advised to go to the northwest corner outside the moat of Forbidden City, a perfect spot capturing the first rays of sunrise over Forbidden City and the moat, an amazing supplement for the shame caused by the improper opening hour of Jingshan Park.
After watching the sunrise over the moat and Forbidden City, continue to walk to the Jingshan Park to watch the sunrise already a bit higher over skyline in the east of Beijing.
Jingshan Park is located just across the north gate to Forbidden City. Jingshan Park has three gates with south gate facing the north exit of Forbidden City. At such early hour in the morning, you’d better take a taxi from your hotel, and ask your taxi driver to drop you off at any of the three gates – east, west and south.
Opening hours: 6:30 am – 9:00pm. Entrance fee: RMB 2 (RMB10 per person during Peony Festival April and May). Basically it takes 3-5 minutes to walk up to the hilltop of the a park. On the hill, there are five pavilions with Wanchun Pavilion perched in the middle along Beijing’s North-south axis and two couple of pavilions on both side the Wanchun Pavilion. The Wanchun Pavilion is the best spot to watch the sunrise.
If the sunrise time is before the opening time of the Jingshan Park, you may go to the northwest corner outside the moat of Forbidden City, a perfect spot capturing the first rays of sunrise over Forbidden City and the moat, a amazing supplement for the shame caused by the improper opening hour of Jingshan Park.
Now, follow me to experience the sunrise from Jingshan Park.
Leaving my home around 5:50am and drive directly to the west gate to Jingshang Park. After parking my car at the parking lot west of the west gate, I have to walk fast to the northwest corner of Forbidden City to catch the rising sun since it has been already 6:00am, a sunrise time today!
It is a 3-5 minute walk from the parking lot to the northwest corner of Forbidden City. To my pleasant surprise, there have been already a few crazy people there chatting, and taking pictures. This is a perfect spot to shoot the magnificent turret of Forbidden City and its reflection on the moat.
It is a cloudy today and the sunrise is blurred and shreds dotted rays, adding much colors to the skyline decorating the Turret ornately.
Mesmerized by the stunning view, I’ve almost forgotten the time. It is past 6:30am, so I walk quickly to the west gate to Jingshan Park and walk up to the hilltop – Wanchun Pavilion and enjoy myself with the whole city below me.
The sun has been higher over the skyline
Below the east sunrise is the skyline of the new CCTV office building, World Trade Center Phase 3 Building (at 330M Beijing’s Tallest)…
The rising sun finds a hole in the clouds and appears triumphantly
In the north below my feet is the massive Forbidden City looking brilliantly under a radiant rising sun.
If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours, here are some options for Beijing guided tours:
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