# Houhai Lake and Shichahai, Beijing > Houhai is the largest of the three Shichahai lakes in old Beijing, north of Beihai Park. It’s an open lakeside promenade: free and accessible around the clock. Allow about 90 minutes to walk around from Silver Ingot Bridge, longer for an evening of bars and live music. Metro Line 8 to Shichahai. Boats in summer, skating in deep winter. Web page: https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/houhai-lake - City: [Beijing](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing), China - YesGo score: 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 1 h 30 min - Opening hours: Open at all times — a public lakeside; boats roughly 9:00–20:00 in summer, rink 8:00–17:00 when the ice is thick - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Free — the lakeside paths are always open - Boats: Unofficial: 4-seat pedal boat ¥180 an hour, electric boats ¥240–280; hire 9:00–20:00, last tickets 19:00 - Ice rink: Last winter: speed zone ¥30 weekdays / ¥40 weekends, family zone ¥100; skates ¥30 plus ¥200 deposit; 8:00–17:00. This season not announced yet - Metro: Line 8 — Shichahai (Exits A1, A2, C); Line 6 — Beihai North (Exits A, B, D) - Time needed: About 90 minutes to circle Qianhai and Houhai; an evening with dinner and drinks - Payment: Cash in yuan, or WeChat Pay / Alipay linked to a foreign card - For a taxi: 银锭桥 (Yinding Bridge), 什刹海, Xicheng District - Coordinates: 39.94111, 116.37889 - Facts checked: 04.11.2026 ## Key facts - **3 lakes** — Qianhai (Front Lake), Houhai (Rear Lake) and Xihai (West Lake) together make up Shichahai (source: English and Chinese Wikipedia; Visit Beijing (official portal)) - **34 ha** — of water across the three lakes — the only open water inside Beijing’s old Inner City (source: Visit Beijing (336,000 m²); Chinese Wikipedia) - **Free** — to walk the shores; you only pay for boats, skating, bars and mansion museums (source: Visit Beijing (official portal): Silver Ingot Bridge and Yandai Xiejie — “no appointment required”; English Wikipedia) - **10 temples** — once surrounded the lakes — hence Shichahai, “Sea of Ten Temples” (source: English and Chinese Wikipedia; Visit Beijing) - **Yuan dynasty** — when grain barges from the south sailed up the Grand Canal to its northern end here (source: English Wikipedia; Chinese Wikipedia (Shichahai is part of the Grand Canal listing)) - **Ming dynasty** — when Silver Ingot Bridge, the single stone arch between Qianhai and Houhai, was first built (source: Visit Beijing (2024); Beijing Municipal Government (2022)) - **Western Hills** — visible from Silver Ingot Bridge on a clear day — one of old Beijing’s classic views (source: Visit Beijing (2017); Chinese Wikipedia) - **1992** — Shichahai declared a protected historic and cultural area by the Beijing government (source: English and Chinese Wikipedia) - **2024** — Wanning Bridge at the east end of Qianhai became part of the Beijing Central Axis World Heritage Site (source: Chinese and English Wikipedia) - **100,000 m²** — of ice at last winter’s Shichahai rink, with a speed zone and a family zone with sleds and ice bikes (source: Beijing Municipal Government, January) - **2000s** — when lakeside houses turned into bars, cafés and restaurants, creating Houhai’s bar street (source: English and Chinese Wikipedia) ## What is Houhai Lake? **Houhai** (“Rear Sea”) is the middle and largest of the three **Shichahai** lakes in Xicheng District, directly north of [Beihai Park](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/beihai-park). Small **Qianhai** (“Front Sea”) lies to its south-east and quiet **Xihai** (“West Sea”) to its north-west. Together they hold 34 hectares of water — the only open lakes inside Beijing’s old city. The lakes are man-made. Under the Mongol Yuan dynasty they were the northern end of the Grand Canal: barges loaded with southern grain sailed right into the capital, and the shores became a busy market district. The name Shichahai, “Sea of Ten Temples”, comes from the monasteries that once ringed the water. Princes later built mansions along the shore — the best known is [Prince Gong’s Mansion](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/prince-gong-mansion). Today it’s a place to stroll: willows over the water, retirees fishing and flying kites, cyclists and rickshaws. From the 2000s, lakeside houses turned into bars, cafés and restaurants, and after dark Houhai becomes one of Beijing’s best-known nightlife strips. Walking the shores costs nothing and there are no gates. > **Ask the price before you sit down** Some Houhai bars charge a minimum spend, a fee for a waterside table or a music cover, and don’t show prices until you’ve ordered. Touts on the promenade steer you to the pricier places. Ask for the menu, check for a minimum and a service charge, then sit. A beer from a corner shop by the lake costs a fraction of the bar price. ## Is Houhai Lake worth visiting? Yes — for an evening, or as the easy finish to a day at the Forbidden City, Jingshan and Beihai. It’s free, it’s central, and it shows a side of Beijing the palaces don’t: water, willows and ordinary people out for a walk. The walk from Silver Ingot Bridge around Houhai takes about **90 minutes** on level paths, fine for a pushchair. Be realistic about the bar street. It’s touristy, loud and pricier than most of Beijing, with music spilling out of door after door. If you want a quiet drink, head for the north shore of Houhai or the small bars in the lanes east of the lakes near the Drum Tower. If you want calm water, keep walking to Xihai, which few visitors reach. It’s less worth a special trip in midday heat in summer or on a grey November afternoon, when the boats are gone and there’s no ice yet. Then it’s a pleasant walk rather than an event. ## What to see around Shichahai - **Silver Ingot Bridge** (银锭桥, Yinding Qiao) — a small Ming-dynasty stone arch over the channel between Qianhai and Houhai. On a clear day you can see the Western Hills from it, one of old Beijing’s classic views. It has been rebuilt many times on the same spot. - **Qianhai and Lotus Market** (荷花市场) — the west shore of the Front Lake by Beihai Park’s north gate: a painted archway, cafés and the main boat pier. In summer lotuses bloom along the bank. - **Wanning Bridge** (万宁桥) — at the east end of Qianhai on Di’anmenwai Street, where the little Yuhe stream leaves the lake; part of the Beijing Central Axis World Heritage Site. - **The Houhai shores** — the south bank is the bar strip, the north bank is quieter and more local. A full loop of Houhai takes about an hour at an easy pace. - **Xihai** — the calmest of the three lakes, in the north-west. On an islet by its north shore stands **Huitong Temple** with a small memorial to Guo Shoujing, the Yuan-dynasty astronomer and water engineer. - Close by: Prince Gong’s Mansion south of Houhai, Soong Ching-ling’s former residence, the [Drum and Bell Towers](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/beijing-drum-and-bell-towers) to the east, and Yandai Xiejie — covered with the lane walk on our [Beijing hutongs](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/beijing-hutongs) page. ## How to get to Houhai Lake 1. From Tiananmen Square, take **Line 1** from Tiananmen East one stop to **Wangfujing**. 2. Change to **Line 8** and ride four stops north — Jinyu Hutong, National Art Museum, Nanluoguxiang — to **Shichahai**. About 30 minutes in total. 3. Leave by **Exit A1 or A2** onto Di’anmenwai Street: Wanning Bridge and the east end of Qianhai are right by the station. 4. Walk north-west along the shore, or through Yandai Xiejie, to **Silver Ingot Bridge** — about five minutes. Houhai is on your right, Qianhai on your left. 5. To start at Beihai and Lotus Market, take **Line 6** to **Beihai North** (Beihaibei), Exit B, and walk north along Qianhai — about 15 minutes to the bridge. 6. For quiet Xihai, **Jishuitan** on Lines 2 and 19 is closer — about 10 minutes’ walk to Huitong Temple. 7. By taxi or DiDi, show **银锭桥** (Yinding Bridge) — about 4 km north of the square as the crow flies. On Friday and Saturday evenings the roads round the lakes jam up; the metro is quicker. ## Houhai bar street at night Evening is Houhai’s main event. From sunset into the late evening, bars with lakeside terraces line the south shore of Houhai and the east shore of Qianhai, many with live bands playing anything from Chinese pop covers to jazz. Neon reflected in the water, music from open doors and a crowd on Silver Ingot Bridge — that’s Houhai at night. You don’t need to sit in a bar to enjoy it. Walk the loop, stop on the bridge, buy a drink or a snack from a shop by the water. The scene is liveliest from May to October; in winter many terraces close and evenings end earlier. Payment: most bars and shops take WeChat Pay or Alipay, and both accept foreign Visa and Mastercard cards once linked to your passport. Carry some small yuan notes too, in case a scan fails or your phone has no signal. ## Boats and ice skating through the seasons **Boats.** From spring to autumn you can hire **pedal, electric and rowing boats**, mainly from the pier at Lotus Market on Qianhai’s west shore. We found no official fare list. A recent China Bound guide quotes **¥180 an hour** for a four-seat pedal boat, ¥240 and ¥280 for four- and six-seat electric boats, and ¥80 per person for 30 minutes in a rowing boat; hire runs 9:00–20:00, last tickets at 19:00. Expect a deposit. Worth it? It’s a gentle hour on the water, good with children — but the view from the boat is much like the one from the shore, and Beihai’s boats come with an imperial garden around them. If you only have time for one boat ride, choose one place. **Skating.** In a properly cold winter the lakes freeze and the **Shichahai rink** opens, one of the largest in Beijing. Last season it opened on 20 January and, according to the Beijing government, ran **daily 8:00–17:00** across about 100,000 m²: a speed zone on Houhai at ¥30 on weekdays and ¥40 at weekends and holidays, a family zone with sleds and ice bikes at ¥100, and skate hire at ¥30 with a ¥200 deposit. Tickets were sold only by scanning a QR code on site. Dates depend on the weather — the last two seasons opened in January; never step on the ice outside the fenced rink. ## Houhai or Beihai Park? | | Houhai and Shichahai | Beihai Park | Hutongs by the lakes | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Entry | Free, always open | ¥5 November–March, ¥15 with the island | Free | | What it is | City lakes, promenade, bars | Imperial garden, White Dagoba | Lived-in lanes, Yandai Xiejie | | Best time | Sunset and evening | Morning and daytime | Morning | | Metro | Shichahai, Line 8 | Beihai North, Line 6 | Shichahai, Line 8 | You don’t have to choose: Beihai and the Shichahai lakes are joined by water, so do the park by day and walk north to Houhai for the evening. The hutongs are in the same blocks and quietest in the morning. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] 银锭桥 and 后海 saved in Chinese for a taxi - [ ] Offline map — Google Maps is blocked in China without roaming or a VPN - [ ] WeChat Pay or Alipay working with my foreign card - [ ] Some small yuan notes - [ ] Money for a boat or skate deposit (¥200 for skates) - [ ] I’ll check the bar menu and minimum spend first - [ ] Timed to reach Silver Ingot Bridge for sunset ## Beijing’s waterside sights compared Every waterside sight in Beijing rated by YesGo. - [National Centre for the Performing Arts (The Egg)](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/national-centre-for-performing-arts) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · ¥40 building visit, half price ¥20 - [Beijing hutongs](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/beijing-hutongs) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free; rickshaw about ¥100–200 - [Houhai Lake and Shichahai](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/houhai-lake) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free - [Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan)](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/old-summer-palace) — YesGo score 34/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · ¥10, ¥25 with the ruins - [Beihai Park](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/beihai-park) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · ¥5–10, ¥15–20 with the island - [Summer Palace](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/beijing-summer-palace) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h 30 min · ¥20–30, ¥50–60 through ticket - [Gubei Water Town and Simatai Great Wall](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/gubei-water-town) — YesGo score 16/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · ¥140 entry; ¥170 with Simatai wall - [Longqing Gorge](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/longqing-gorge) — YesGo score 16/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · ¥40, boat ¥100 ## Beihai, Prince Gong and an evening on Houhai Beihai Park by day, then on foot to Prince Gong’s Mansion and Houhai, the lanes by the Drum Tower and the evening by the water. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and transfers. 1. [Beihai Park](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/beihai-park) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · ¥5–10, ¥15–20 with the island 2. [Prince Gong's Mansion](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/prince-gong-mansion) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ¥40, book ahead with passport 3. [Houhai Lake and Shichahai](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/houhai-lake) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free 4. [Beijing hutongs](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/beijing-hutongs) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free; rickshaw about ¥100–200 5. [Drum and Bell Towers](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/beijing-drum-and-bell-towers) — YesGo score 34/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ¥30 for both towers > **Come back in the morning** Before 9 am the shores belong to locals doing tai chi, dancing, kicking shuttlecocks and fishing, and the bars are shut. If your evenings are booked, come early: same water, Silver Ingot Bridge without the crowd and soft light for photos. ## Good to know Houhai is also the name of a business district in Shenzhen, in southern China — a different place entirely. In Beijing, “Houhai” means both the Rear Lake and the whole neighbourhood around it; metro and street signs more often say Shichahai. ## Tips - Arrive an hour before sunset to walk the loop in daylight and be on Silver Ingot Bridge as the lights come on. - Quietest shores: the north side of Houhai and all of Xihai. Busiest: Houhai’s south bank and Qianhai’s east bank. - Take rickshaws only from a rank and agree a price for the whole vehicle before you get in. - In summer heat, go early or late — there’s little shade on the promenade at midday. - Pair the lakes with Beihai Park by day and the hutongs in the morning — all within 15 minutes’ walk. - Public toilets are in the lanes just off the promenade, on almost every corner. - In winter, watch the Beijing government’s English news pages: the rink’s opening date is announced shortly beforehand. ## Questions ### What is Houhai Lake known for? Its lakeside bar street and live music at night, Silver Ingot Bridge, the hutongs around it, boats in summer and a big ice rink in cold winters. ### Is Houhai Lake free? Yes. The lakes and promenades are public and always open. You only pay for boats, skating, bars and sights such as Prince Gong’s Mansion. ### How do I get to Houhai Lake by metro? Line 8 to Shichahai, Exit A1 or A2, then five minutes to Silver Ingot Bridge. Or Line 6 to Beihai North and 15 minutes’ walk north along Qianhai. ### Is Houhai worth visiting at night? Yes, for the lights on the water and the live music. It’s touristy and bars are pricey — ask about minimum spend before you sit, or just walk the loop. ### How long do you need at Houhai? About 90 minutes to walk around Qianhai and Houhai. With dinner, a drink or a boat, plan the whole evening. ### Can you rent a boat on Houhai? Yes, from spring to autumn, mainly at Lotus Market on Qianhai. Unofficially, about ¥180 an hour for a four-seat pedal boat and ¥240–280 for electric boats. ### Can you ice skate on Houhai? In cold winters, yes. Last season the Shichahai rink opened on 20 January, 8:00–17:00, at ¥30–100 depending on the zone. Dates depend on the ice. ### What is the difference between Houhai and Shichahai? Shichahai is the whole area of three linked lakes — Qianhai, Houhai and Xihai. Houhai is the largest of them, and the name is often used for the whole neighbourhood. ### What is Silver Ingot Bridge? A small Ming-dynasty stone bridge between Qianhai and Houhai, named for its ingot-like shape. On a clear day it gives a view of the Western Hills. ### Is Houhai safe at night? Yes, it’s busy and well lit. The main risk is overpaying in a bar, so check prices and any minimum spend first. ## How we checked The English core comes from search results and related questions: Houhai Lake, bar street and nightlife, is it worth it, how to get there, boats, skating, Silver Ingot Bridge. Rink prices and hours are from the Beijing government but cover last season; this season isn’t announced, so the row is marked checking. Boat prices are unofficial only: China Bound (August) gives ¥180–280 an hour, other guides anything from ¥80 to ¥220, so we use the most recent. Visit Beijing and Chinese Wikipedia give 34 ha of water for all three lakes; English Wikipedia gives 35 ha for Houhai alone and 147 ha for the whole area — the protected zone, not the water — so we show 34 ha of water. The 1285 date for Wanning Bridge and the 1984 and 2011 rebuilds of Silver Ingot Bridge appear only in Chinese Wikipedia, so we leave them out. Sources disagree on the Guo Shoujing memorial’s hours (Visit Beijing: Tue–Sun 9:00–16:00; The Paper: 9:00–17:00), so we don’t give them. Walking times are from Wikidata and Chinese Wikipedia coordinates. No booking is needed for the lakeside: Visit Beijing says “no appointment required”. ## Sources - English, Russian and Chinese Wikipedia: Houhai, Shichahai, Хоухай, 什刹海, 银锭桥, 万宁桥, 汇通祠; Wikidata Q1804621 - Visit Beijing (official Beijing tourism portal): Shichahai (2020), Yinding Bridge (2017, 2023), Beijing’s ancient bridges (2024) - Beijing Municipal Government (english.beijing.gov.cn): Shichahai ice rink last winter (January); Silver Ingot Bridge (2022); Beihai Park tickets - English Wikipedia: Shichahai and Beihaibei stations; Beijing Central Axis - China Bound (China Daily-affiliated portal, August): boats, pier, metro exits — unofficial - YesGo notes on China and Beijing: payment for foreign visitors, distances --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.