Half a kilometer to the west of the north gate of the Forbidden City is the famous Beihai Park. It is used to be the former palace of the emperors in successive dynasties, called the Winter Palace by Westerners.

Besides the lake, the main things to see are the Round City, which contains a jade vase from the time of Kublai Khan; the Temple of Eternal Peace; the Nine Dragon Screen, which is actually a 5-metre-high, 27-metre-long wall covered with glazed tiles carved into nine intertwining dragons; and the White Dagoba on Jade Isle in the center of the lake.