Houhai

Largest lake in central Beijing, part of the imperial Shichahai water system in Xicheng district. It was dug as part of the water supply for the Yuan capital Dadu in the 13th century, and its banks attracted officials and imperial relatives whose courtyard residences still form the hutong fabric around the shore. Soong Ching-ling, Sun Yat-sen's widow, lived in a mansion on the north bank that now operates as a memorial museum. Since the early 2000s the Yandai Xiejie alley has filled with bars and cafes; in summer tourists pedal boats across the water, in winter locals strap on skates and slide over the frozen surface.