The area was later converted into a park and was named the Park of Tranquility and Pleasure. Along with Yuanmingyuan and the Surmmer Palace, the park was twice destroyed in 1860 and in 1900. The destruction was so serious that the reconstruction efforts made in the later years were never able to restore its original scale and splendour. The brilliant foliage is the main attraction. No one is sure where the sumac trees originated.
Legend has it that a south wind carried the seeds of the red-leaf trees to Beijing.
Then the seeds survived, and as years passed they grew into a lovely forest. In November, the frosted leaves of these trees, along with the persimmons and maples, spread over the Fragrant Hills like a thick red blanket. For two centuries, it has been a resort for the residents in Beijing. Spectacles Lake Built in l745, the Spectacles Lake actually consists of two ponds separated and spanned by a stone bridge. When the water reflects the sunlight, the twin lakes resemble a pair of spectacles, hence the name.