Covering 400 hectares, the garden is close to the Fragrant Hill. It has some 560,000 plants of 5,000 species. The plants exhibition garden has 11 sections displaying magnolia, mei blossom, Chinese flowering crab-apple and other plants. The Wofo (Reclining Buddha) Temple, the tomb of revolutionist Liang Qichao (1873-1929) and Memorial of Cao Xueqin are also located in the garden that has a nature reserve and scientific research area.
Olympic Park
Lying on the northern end of the central axis of Beijing, the Olympic Park is specially designed and built for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Taking up 1,200 hectares, it has 15 halls and centers for matches and training sessions. The main stadium has a capacity of 80,000 seats. There are also the Beijing International Exhibition and Sports center, two comprehensive stadiums and the athlete village. The forests and meadows cover 760 hectares. Twelve major games were held here during the 2008 Olympics. The park has become a center of sports, exhibition, culture and recreation after the Olympics
Yanqi Lake
The lake gained the name Yanqi (Habitat of Wild Geese) as many wild geese come here to breed in spring. The lake at the foot of the Yanshan Mountain about 8 km to the north of Huaiyou District is surrounded by recreational facilities. One can enjoy rocket bungee-jumping, parachuting on water and water screen movie among other things.
No. 1 Waterfall in Eastern Beijing
At a fall of 200 m, the waterfall in northeastern Miyun District boasts of the biggest volume of water in the capital"s suburbs. Among the 10 major pools, the biggest is called the Blue Dragon Pool.
Chinese Ethnic Culture Park
Lying to the southwest of the Asian Games Village, the park is a museum of all 56 ethnic groups of China. All the 56 ethnic villages in the southern and northern parts of the park are built at the real size. The cottages, houses, pagodas and bridges among hills and streams provide visitors with glimpses of the ethnic cultures. Many performance troupes from remote areas stage live shows for visitors.
Longtanhu Park
Inside Zuo"anmen Gate of Chongwen District, the park features the culture of dragon, a symbol of the Chinese nation. Besides the Longtan (Dragon Pool) Lake, the park is also known for the Longyin (Dragon Roar) Mansion. The Dragon Stone Forest consists of stone tablets that carry 229 characters of "dragon" written in various styles that appeared in the history of Chinese language.
Yuyuantan Park
Lying to the north of China Central Television on the eastern side of the 3rd Ring Road, the park is famous for the cherry blossoms that herald the arrival of spring. Every year, a cherry blossom festival is held in the park. There are some 2,000 Japanese flowering cherry trees in the park.
Zizhuyuan Park
Lying on the Baishiqiao Street, the park is known for bamboo. It is home to some 700,000 bamboos of more than 60 kinds. The most famous type is the purple bamboo (zizhu) after which the park is named.
Shidu
Along the banks of the Juma River in southwestern Fangshan District, Shidu is the only scenic area in northern China that features karst landscape with mountains and valleys. Shidu (Ten Ports) gained the name as there were ten ports on the way from Zhangfang to the place. The area features breath-taking view throughout all four seasons. Interesting sights include the Southern Canyon, Mu Ke Village, Lonely Hill Village, Fairy Valley of 10,000 Scenes, Dragon Island and others.
Wuling Mountain
T h e ma i n p e a k o f Ya n s h a n Mountain Range stands at 2,118 m above sea level on the border of Beijing"s Miyun District and Xinglong of Hebei Province. Mists and clouds shroud the mountain year-round. In the Qing Dynasty, it became part of the eastern imperial tombs. Today, the densely wooded mountain plays an important role in preserving and purifying water for the Miyun and Panjiakou reservoirs, two of the major sources for the water that Beijing residents drink everyday.
Kangxi Grassland
The summer resort lies to the west of Kangzhuang Village near the Badaling section of the Great Wall. The country"s biggest horse racing ground can be found here.
Yunmeng Mountain
At the border of Miyun and Huairou districts, Yunmeng Mount a in i s pr a i s ed a s the smaller Huangshan Mountain, which is one of the country"s most famous mountains in Anhui Province. The main peak of the mountain is 1,414 m high. The dense wood offers ideal routes for tracking.
Banbidian Forest Park
At 10 km to the south of Huangcun, Daxing District, the park is known for the pastoral scene. A special memorial wood here is open to the public. Newly weds can plant a tree together to mark their love. There are many types of trees to choose from for different occasions.
Taoranting Park
The park named after Taoran (Happy and Carefree) Pavilion is built to the northwest of Taoran Bridge on the southern 2nd Ring Road. The pavilion was built by Jiang Zao, a highranking official during the rule of Emperor Kangxi, in 1695 of the Qing Dynasty. Earth dug out of the two lakes near the pavilion has become a small hill. The Cibei Nunnery inside the park can be dated back to the Yuan Dynasty.
Qinglong Gorge
