The Qinglong (Blue Dragon) Gorge in Huairou District offers a series of exciting activities centered on the Qinglong Dam. In bungee-jumping, the height can be 68 m. Downhill and rock climbing are also thrilling games at the valley.
Beijing Wildlife Park
At the safari in Yufa Town of Daxing District, visitors can find wolves, wild boars, lions and baboons living together. It is possible to see predators catching their prey. In another area, visitors are allowed to play with deer, roe, muntjac, squirrel and others.
Longqing Gorge
Longqing Gorge is praised as the "Lijiang River (a famous picturesque river in Guilin of Guangxi) outside the Great Wall". Even in hottest summer, the area"s temperature is about 5 C lower than that of downtown Beijing. As the ice won"t melt until spring, the locals are fond of making ice sculptures. An ice lantern festival is held here every January and February.
Yunxiu Valley
Lying in northeastern Miyun District, the Yunxiu Valley has charming waters, red rocks and giant boulders left by glacial movement. The Miyun International Hunting Park is the biggest and best-equipped of its kind in northern China. There is also a frisbee shooting ground, where one can fully enjoy shooting.
Beijing World Park
The park that takes up 46.7 hectares lies in southwestern Fengtai District. The architectures are laid out according to the five continents and the water system resembles the four oceans of the world. Visitors can find the Japanese garden, Sydney"s opera house, African aboriginal village, the White House and Golden Gate Bridge of the United States, windmills of Holland and other scenes along the way. It is an interesting place to catch glimpses of the diversified cultures of the world.
World Number Ones in Beijing
Beihai Park:
oldest existing imperial garden
Forbidden City:
biggest imperial palatial complex
Tian"anmen Square:
biggest square in urban center
Great Wall:
longest military defense work
Yunju Temple:
oldest and biggest library of Buddhist and Taoist classics carved on stone
Summer Palace:
most intact imperial garden
Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian:
richest findings in paleoanthropology
Ming Tombs:
imperial cemetery with the biggest number of emperors
Temple of Heaven:
biggest building complex to offer tribute to the heaven
Yongle Bell:
a bell engraved with the biggest number of words in
the world — some 227,000 words of Buddhist and
Taoist scripture
Eight Sights of Yanjing (old Beijing)
Foggy Wood at Jimen (Jimen Yanshu)
At about 4 km to the northwest of Deshengmen Gate, there were the ruins of ancient Jizhou that could be dated back to the Liao and Yuan dynasties. It is said that the area was densely wooded. Even on sunny days, the moisture rising out of the leaves would make it appear to be foggy.
Sunset at the Golden Platform(Jintai Xizhao)
Jintai (Golden Platform) was located at Guandongdian of today"s Jintai Street. There was a military training ground in the Qing Dynasty (1616-1911). The high platform in the center was called Jintai. Upon sunset, the last rays of sunlight would cast a golden spell over the platform for a while.
Moon over Lugou Bridge at Daybreak (Lugou Xiaoyue)
At dawn, when a crescent moon hangs low over the Lugou Bridge, one might see the Western Mountain and the ancient Sanggan River shrouded in mist. It would be an ideal traditional Chinese painting.
Bouncing Jade Spring(Yuquan Baotu)
The spring on Yuquan (Jade Spring) Hill of Beijing"s western suburbs was called Number One Spring in the World. In the rule of Emperor Qianlong in the 18th century, the spring"s water began reducing. But it is still one of the best springs in the city.
Layers of Green over JuyongGate (Juyong Diecui)
One of the towers with the Juyong Gate of the Great Wall was built in a 15-km-long valley. The picturesque mountains covered in forests gained praise as "Juyong Diecui " (Layers of Green over Juyong Gate) as early as the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234). It was listed as the most famous scene of all eight sights in old Beijing.
Spring Shade at the Qiongdao Island (Qiongdao Chunyin)
This refers to the wooded area to the east of Qionghua Island in Beihai (North Sea) Park. With few architectures, the ancient trees arch over the quiet lake, making it a serene site in the busy capital.
Sunny Day after Snow at the West Mountain (Xishan Qingxue)
From the ruined Xiangshan Temple at the Fragrant Hill, one can climb up and reach Wenfeng (Hearing Wind) Pavilion and Chaoyang (Facing the Sun) Cave. At the waist of the mountain is a tablet written with the words "Xishan Qingxue" (Sunny Day after Snow at the West Mountain). Every winter, if one reaches the tablet after a snow, the visitor will be rewarded with a breath-taking bird"s-eye view of the silvery mountains.
Autumn Breeze over the Ethereal Lake (Taiye Qiufeng)
The tablet bearing the four characters can be found in Shuiyunxie (Water & Cloud) Pavilion in Nanhai (South Sea) of downtown Beijing. The stone bridge between Zhonghai (Middle Sea) and Nanhai is called Jin"aoyudong (Golden Turtle and Jade Rainbow). The pavilion by its side is Shuiyunxie. As the clouds are reflected on the lake surface, the delicate pavilion seems to be a blossoming lotus flower.
