Cuiwei Mountain lies in the northern part of the Shijingshan District in Beijing's western suburbs. It is a tranquil, secluded spot of great natural beauty famous for its compact arrangement of temple buildings and many fine trees.

The pines and cypresses of Cuiwei Mountain greatly impressed the Qing scholar and poet Gong Zizhen. In one of his poems, Gong extolled the four "hundred-foot-tall" white-barked cypresses by the spring on the mountainside, and four pine trees at Dengwei Mountain in Suzhou, as "the eight great pines under heaven." Although the four white-barked cypresses in the poem no longer exist, there are still numerous other pines and cypresses on Cuiwei Mountain to be enjoyed.

Travel tips:

Address: Between Shijing Mountain District and Haiding District;

Entry ticket: 20 yuan (Fahai Temple)

Opening hours: 9:00-16:30

Transportation: Take Subway Station and get off at the Pingguoyuan station, and then take Bus No. 311 to Moshikou Stop, arrive at Fahai Temple;

Tel: 010-88964661-2186 (Badachu Park)

(China.org.cn May 17,2008)