Spoiler alert. The bamboo wasn’t purple. I had to research it as soon as I saw that this park existed. Even though there wasn’t purple bamboo, the park was still beautiful and worth the visit!
The Purple Bamboo Park, also known as Zizhuyuan and located in Beijing’s Haidian district, is one of the seven largest parks in all of the city. It was a short walk from the nearest metro station, and there’s no entrance fee to visit the park. Both of these facts make visiting even more of a no brainer!
As you can see from the map above, the park is mostly made up of three connected lakes.
While the carvings on the bamboo below make for interesting photos, I can’t imagine that it’s good for the bamboo. No reason is reason enough to damage the beauty of the nature on this Earth.
As soon as I found my way to the first of the three lakes in the park, I knew I wanted to take a ride on one of the boats! I quickly made my way to the boat launching site, managed to figure out how to buy a ticket, and then found myself enjoying the breeze while riding around the lake. This was a relaxing way to spend twenty minutes and was a nice way to get out of the direct sunlight for a bit. I did feel a little bad for the guy who was the sole manpower for the boat. There were some different kinds of boats there, and I just happened to end up on this particular kind.
The next few pictures show some of what was seen from the boat.
How amazing would it be to live in one of these apartments overlooking the lake!?
The view below is where I enjoyed my lunch. I brought lunch with me this day and I walked until I found an available bench in a peaceful, beautiful location. This spot was the perfect place to take a little break and enjoy the nature around me!
Peaceful scenes everywhere you look!
The colorful Chinese architecture has become a favorite of mine!
Important Information for Visiting the Purple Bamboo Garden
Address: China, Beijing, Haidian District, 北下关中关村南大街35号 邮政编码: 100089
Hours: April – October (6:00 – 21:00) November – March (6:00 – 20:00)
Admission Fee: Free
Directions: Take the Line 4/Line 9 subway to the National Library stop. Take Exit D and walk west for two minutes. You will soon reach the East gate of the park.
