What is "shichahai"

Shichahai is a historic scenic area consisting of three lakes in the north of central Beijing in China. They are located to the north-west of the Forbidden City and north of the Beihai Lake. Shichahai consists of the following three lakes: Qianhai (前海), Xihai (西海) and Houhai (后海). In imperial times it was called the Riverbank .