Wanshou Park

　　Wanshou Park is located on the north side of Baizhifang East Street in Xuanwu District, Beijing. It is the first park in Beijing designed for the elderly and also one of the city's parks with the most comprehensive disaster prevention and emergency facilities.

　　The site of Wanshou Park was originally the Guan Yu Temple, commonly known as "Wanshou West Palace." It was first built in the eighth year of the Wanli era during the Ming Dynasty (1580), and the temple enshrined Guan Yu, Zhuge Liang, and Lü Dongbin. Another account states that Wanshou Park was built on the site of a Guan Yu Temple constructed in the forty-fifth year of the Wanli era (1617), and some surviving hall structures and stone inscriptions remain in the park today. To its east was the Hongren Wanshou Palace, commonly known as "Wanshou East Palace" (now demolished). In June 1956, the municipal gardening department acquired over 50,000 square meters of land here to establish a park, initially named Wanshou West Palace Park. In 1995, with an investment of 13.8 million yuan, it was developed into a standardized park for the elderly. The park covers an area of 47,000 square meters, with a built-up area of 4,370 square meters. The entire park is divided into eight scenic areas. In addition to the nearly one thousand existing trees, over 6,800 new trees including pines, cypresses, locusts, ginkgos, and various shrubs were planted, along with more than 6,600 perennial flowers (clumps). Lawns spanning over 25,000 square meters were laid out, ensuring flowers bloom in three seasons, with autumn colors as a highlight. Calligraphy inscriptions for various scenic spots were contributed by over 30 calligraphers.

　　Source: Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development