Beibei Park

Beibei Park

Beibei Park is a second-tier standardized management park in Chongqing, covering an area of 7.43 hectares. It is located on Flame Mountain in the center of Beibei District, on the southern bank of the Jialing River. The park enjoys a prime location, surrounded by streets on all sides, making it very accessible. It features the Zuofu Memorial Garden, a bonsai garden, pheasant animal exhibits, a leisure tea garden, and more. It is a comprehensive mountain park that blends cultural and natural landscapes, integrating leisure and entertainment, and was opened to the public free of charge on May 1, 2005.

The original site of Beibei Park was the Dongyue Temple on Flame Mountain. With its relatively high elevation, visitors can enjoy a close-up view of the urban streetscape of Beibei and the sailing boats on the Jialing River, as well as take in distant vistas of mountains and waterscapes such as Jinyun Mountain, Fei’e Mountain, Jigong Mountain, Guanyin Gorge, and Wentang Gorge, making it an ideal spot for sightseeing and relaxation. In 1930, the renowned patriotic industrialist and then-director of the Jialing River Three Gorges Defense Bureau, Mr. Lu Zuofu, demolished the temple’s deities in an effort to develop Beibei’s local economy and culture. He built the Gorge District Museum, reclaimed over twenty acres of burial land and thirty acres of wasteland and farmland, and initiated the construction of a park and zoo, naming it “Beibei Flame Mountain Park.” It was soon renamed “Beibei People’s Park.” Initially, the zoo focused on raising high-quality poultry and livestock, but gradually shifted to displaying wild animals. After enduring the Sino-Japanese War and the civil war, the park fell into near abandonment. In 1950, it was taken over by the Cultural and Educational Department of the Beibei Military Control Committee and renamed “Beibei Park.” It was then incorporated into the national public institution system and gradually developed and expanded.

The plant arrangement in Beibei Park follows a natural yet well-organized design, blending trees, shrubs, flowers, grasses, and bamboos in a harmonious layout to create an elegant, rustic, and wild natural landscape. In its early stages, the park had a forest coverage rate of around 50%. Over the decades, it has developed distinctive plant attractions typical of a mountain park, now boasting lush trees and abundant blooms, with a green coverage rate exceeding 90%. Towering trees grow densely throughout the park, with a rich understory of flowers, shrubs, and bamboos. There are also several rare ancient trees, four of which have been designated as second-class protected trees by Chongqing Municipality. Notably, ascending the steps from the park’s front entrance, the pathway is lined on both sides with dense, tall osmanthus trees, forming a multi-layered and seasonally dynamic plant scene alongside rhapis palms, crape myrtles, camellias, and ground cover. In summer, the crape myrtle blossoms blaze like fire, gently swaying in the breeze; in autumn, the slender osmanthus trees are adorned with red and white blossoms whose fragrance wafts for miles; in winter, the camellias bloom in vibrant colors, competing in beauty and exuding a lively springtime vibrancy despite the cold season. The Yiyuan scenic area mainly showcases spring flowers, featuring crabapple, Bauhinia, wisteria, and azaleas. In early spring, bright red crabapple blossoms cluster along the branches, dazzling and eye-catching, while the crimson Bauhinia dances gracefully in the breeze accompanied by the murmuring sound of a nearby waterfall.

Beibei Park has long maintained animal exhibits, starting with the breeding of high-quality poultry and later expanding to display fierce animals such as tigers, lions, and wolves, as well as other wildlife. As times have changed and awareness of animal welfare has grown, the original enclosures have become unsuitable for animal habitation. Large carnivorous species have gradually been phased out, and the current exhibits mainly feature pheasants and small animals that are particularly popular with children.

Following its redevelopment, Beibei Park has become a flagship mountain park in Chongqing. It serves as a regional, comprehensive leisure and recreation park in the heart of Beibei’s urban center. As a stop along the tourist route of the Jinyun Mountain–Beibei Hot Springs–Diaoyu City Scenic Area, it attracts visitors from all over with its beautiful ecological garden landscape, cultural heritage related to Lu Zuofu, and its renowned bird and flower exhibits.