The Greenhouse (South Garden) at China National Botanical Garden 国家植物园 (Beijing, China)

Quick Facts

• Location: 北京市海淀区香山南辛村20号（南园）
• Hours:6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
• Cost: 10 RMB for visting both north and south parks of the China National Botanical Garden. The succulent greenhouse is inside the south park of the garden.
• Kid Friendly: Yes
• Dog Allowed: Not sure
• Accessibility: Not sure

Contents

1. About South Garden
2. About the Exhibition Greenhouse
3. History
4. Visiting China National Botanical Garden in 2024
   1. Lithops
   2. Conophytum
   3. Haworthia
   4. Cacti
   5. Others
5. Conclusion
6. Special Note

About South Garden

The Beijing Botanical Garden of the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, also known as South Garden, is a key base for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of germplasm resources in northern China.

The garden features nine specialized plant exhibition areas, including a perennial flower garden, a rare and endangered plant area, and a greenhouse displaying tropical and subtropical plants. It collects and preserves over 7,000 species of plants.

The seed bank, built from some of the introduced seeds, now houses more than 83,000 seeds from over 20,000 species, making it the second-largest in the world by quantity.

About the Exhibition Greenhouse

The greenhouse comprises nine exhibition rooms: the Four Seasons Flower Hall, Palm House, Shade-loving Plants Room, Gymnosperm Room, Carnivorous Plants Room, Fruit Trees Room, Succulent Plants Room, Aquatic Plants Room, and the Bodhi Room. It exhibits more than 2,000 species of tropical and subtropical plants, including cultivated varieties.

The greenhouse displays not only national gift plants related to China's diplomacy, such as the Bodhi tree, but also rare plants collected by researchers from abroad, like the red-skinned baobab and the beautiful deer antler fern. The Aquatic Plants Room offers year-round viewing of water lilies and the giant leaves of Victoria water lilies.

History

I grew up in Beijing but only learned about the China National Botanical Garden in 2022.

As a child, this garden was known as Xiang Shan Botanical Garden or Beijing Botanical Garden, a favorite destination for school field trips, including mine.

The name China National Botanical Garden emerged in 2022 when both South Garden (Chinese Academy of Sciences) and North Garden (Beijing Botanical Garden) united to form the China National Botanical Garden.

Visiting China National Botanical Garden in 2024

In July 2024, I visited South Garden for the first time with my aunt. I was amazed by the variety and quality of succulents in the succulent rooms within the greenhouse. For instance, I had never seen a greenhouse with large clusters of lithops before. This greenhouse presented massive clusters of various lithops species, a sight that must have taken years to cultivate.

Lithops

Conophytum

Haworthia

Haworthia Truncata

Cacti

Others

Echeveria 'Rain Drops'

Lophophora williamsii

Aloe Vera

Aloinopsis Schooneesii

Conclusion

Besides succulents, there are many impressive plants in the greenhouse as well as in both the South and North Parks. If you are ever in Beijing, China, make sure to visit this garden!

Special Note

Please note that all the photos are copyrighted. If you wish to use any of them, please contact me.