Swans and Fish in Beijing's Old Summer Palace

Fish and swans in the Old Summer Palace form a beautiful ecological landscape in the park. Fish • Fish in the Old Summer Palace swim leisurely between the lakes and are an indispensable aquatic life in the park. • "Tan Tan Dang Dang" (commonly known as the Goldfish Pond), one of the 40 scenic spots in the Old Summer Palace, is a great place to watch fish. This attraction is located on the west bank of the Back Lake, and the garden layout is very similar to the "Jade Spring Fish Watching" in Hangzhou. The regular water pool is stacked with rockeries and thousands of goldfish. Emperor Qianlong came here every year to watch and feed the fish. There are several fish nests surrounded by Taihu stones in the Goldfish Pond. This design is very clever. Every winter, the surface of the fish pond freezes, but because the fish nest is very deep and the temperature is higher, the fish can overwinter in the fish nest. • In addition, "Flower Harbor Fish Watching" is also a place to watch fish in the Old Summer Palace. It is located in the open hall across the river in the north of Xifeng Xiuse, and was built in the mid-Qianlong period to imitate the same scenic spot in West Lake, Hangzhou. Here, you can see the evergreen island with pine trees and rocks in the west, and look down at the fish swimming in the lake. Swans • The swans in the Old Summer Palace are mainly black swans. In recent years, with the improvement of the environment in the park, the number of black swans has gradually increased, becoming a unique landscape in the park. • The elegant posture and white feathers of black swans are leisurely in the water. They sometimes lower their heads to forage and sometimes look up at the sky. Their tranquility and elegance make people stop and watch. • The management office of the Old Summer Palace also attaches great importance to the protection of black swans. They monitor the black swans every day and strengthen patrols in key waters where black swans often move to ensure their safety. • However, it is worth noting that as an exotic species, the surge in the number of black swans in the Old Summer Palace also poses a certain risk of species invasion. Therefore, while strengthening protection, relevant management departments also need to monitor and manage the black swan population to maintain the ecological balance in the park. In general, fish and swans in the Old Summer Palace create a harmonious and peaceful natural environment for tourists and are an indispensable part of the park. When visiting the Old Summer Palace, you might as well slow down and savor this gift from nature.