The Guajia Valley Villa covers an area of about 5 square kilometers, 20 kilometers from the Pinggu urban area. Two dragon-shaped mountains around the village form the narrow valley which is full of trees and vegetation. The village is very beautiful and picturesque with a natural ecological environment.

In 2003, the village invested in building "five waterfalls, ten pools, two lakes", and other tourism and landmark projects, such as fresh fruit picking, summer cabin enjoyment, and fishing in Luming Lake. There are peaches, apples, persimmons, walnuts, dates, cherries, apricots and other fruits in this green ecological orchard. Hop on over to enjoy the fresh fruits and vegetation in this area. The “picking period” takes place from May to October every year. Visitors can enjoy flowers in spring and escape the summer heat by retreating to this venue to pick fresh fruit in autumn.

Shuanglongshan Forest Park is located to the northwest of the Ming Tombs in Changping district of Beijing, about 55 kilometers from downtown. It covers an area of 200 hectares and stretches about four kilometers. With its main peak at 988 meters high, the average temperature in the area at summer time is 7-9 degrees Celsius lower than that of urban areas. The park has a dense forest, with vegetation coverage of about 95 percent. Exotic flowers and rare herbs, steep peaks and grotesque rocks, as well as relics of the ancient city walls all serve to add to the charm of the place. Perhaps the most attractive feature is the wild fruits that grow everywhere in the mountain. The hillside is covered by fruit trees of more than 10 kinds including cherries, apricots, plums, hawthorns and apples. Tourists have the chance to taste all kinds of fresh fruit by just  raising their hands, as there are over ten thousand fruit trees spread over the hill and dale; hence the park is regarded as a paradise for fruit picking. It's truly an ideal place for sightseeing, vacationing, and getting in touch with nature.

Featured Attractions: Training bases, including a Youngsters’ Popular Science Education Base, a Green-Action Tree-Planting Base, a Garden of Picking and Growing, and Folk Customs Village were all built in succession near the area for everyone’s benefit. A youngster’s education will overflow with such wonderful courses, training children in things like survival in the wildness, environmental protection, popular science, as well as other tourist activities such as experiencing other simple folk customs, planting trees, and picking flowers.

Bus No. 345, 345 Express, 845, or 919 to Changping, Transfer to Bus No. 5.

Tiger Valley Nature Reserve is a national level scenic spot that was opened to the public in 1987, integrating both natural scenery and landscaping. Located in the Nankou Township of Changping District and at the northern end of the Badaling Expressway, it has an area of 94 km² and stretches for 12.5 kilometers, very close to Juyong Pass. One can access the site by bus.. 

With mountains, valleys and streams, this scenic spot has 36 interesting features, including Tongtian Pool, Mount Huyu, Tianqiao Cave, Huyu Falls, Quer Cave, and more. Huyu Falls is one of the ancient “eight greatest scenic spots of Beijing.” The 30-meter high falls above the Tongtian Pool plunge into the deep pond and the roaring sound together with the echoes can be heard from distances far, far away. White clouds gather in front of the Quer Cave, and the wind is strong at the mouth of the cave.

When one enters the cave, it feels as if a fairy is trying to push you back. The cave is deep and fog always flows out of it on rainy days. The nine pools connected by nine falls are extremely beautiful and rare. The man-made landscapes include Hundred-Fairy Cave as well as Luck Palace, Xuanyuan Ancestral Temple, Mazu Ancestral Temple, Guangong Ancestral Temple, Zhaogong Ancestral Temple, Huiyuan Palace, Puguang Palace, Jiuru Palace, Liuhe Palace, Xianning Palace, Desheng Palace, Yuanjue Palace, and Taixu Palace. There are 128 statues including those of Sakyamuni, Laozi, Mazu, Guangong, and many others. The statue of “dripping Guanyin” is in a cave 70 meters high. There is also the scenic sight known as the “Primitive World” inside the Hundred-Fairy Cave.

Yan Capital Museum of the Western Zhou Dynasty is located at Liulihe Shang, which is a national key cultural heritage protection site. After more than 20 years of excavation, which started in the 1960s, when the city site had been discovered and the tombs of the Yan nobles uncovered. Over 1,000 cultural relics, replicas, materials, models, tombs and horse carriage tunnels give a systemic and vivid introduction to the range, pattern and panorama of the ancient Yan Capital. The glorious culture and advanced civilization of the Yan Kingdom have been retraced.

The main cultural relics displayed here include: two sets of tombs preserved in their original locations, several chariot pits where slaves were buried alive; some bronze ware artifacts unearthed from the tombs of Yan nobles, of which the violet tripod caldron (the largest one of all bronze wares) and Boju caldron are the most important; lacquerware such as the Gu (type of goblet) and the Dou (type of standing cup), the only ones of the early Western Zhou period which could be restored to their original condition; and a lot of exquisite pottery, jades, stone and agate vessels. These rare art treasures represent the creative abilities of the ancient Chinese people and their significant contributions to world civilization.

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The most attractive exhibits are the well preserved tombs and horse carriage tunnels. Their original looks are presented before the visitors’ eyes through high-tech means. You will see what the earliest city built in Beijing looks like and know the vicissitudes of a famous ancient city within Beijing.

Bus No. 922 at Qianmen to Liangxiang, and transfer to Bus No. 917.

Longmenjian Canyon, about 90 km from downtown Beijing, occupies an area of about 20 km² and is 15 km long. The canyon zigzags among the forested mountains and is known for its grotesque stones and steep cliffs, strangely-formed peaks and caves, lush grass and crystal waters.

In the canyon, the air is fresh and cool, and people visiting will feel much refreshed there. Because the Longmenjian Canyon has steep cliffs and narrow gorges, the relative height difference ranges from 300 to 600 meters from the peaks to the canyon bottom and the steepest section of the canyons across a distance of less than four meters. It is humid all year round and often has a mild amount of precipitation, leading to very lush vegetation. The content of negative oxygen ions is high, about 400-500 times higher than that in urban areas, and it is therefore a natural oxygen bar. Due to its special geographical position, the temperature here is 7-8 degrees Celsius lower than that in urban areas. Even in the baking summer season, it is cool here. The roads stretch up relatively flat shallow inclines and are thereby not overly exhausting to climb.

Longmenjian is a predominantly karst (eroded limestone) landform. The erosion of rocks is slow, the frost wedging in the rock layers is stronger than an erosive effect, and it is therefore called “the cream of the karst in northern China.” Because it is located at the edge of the Yanhecheng great fault zone, after the orogenic movement about 150 million years ago, water flow cut into and eroded the soft rocks. Longmenjian Canyon was gradually took form, with numerous gorges and ravines and more than 170 different waterfalls coming into being. Water in the canyon contains quality minerals, including several trace elements required by the human body. The green mountains, crystal water and canyon together produce a landscape similar to that of southern China in that every bend of the canyon is like a watercolor painting. The canyon is nicknamed “the small Guilin of western Beijing” and “Beijing’s Small Sanxia.”

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The area resembles a series of unique and natural paintings featuring Jianpi Peak, General’s Stone, and The Cave in the air, Narrow Sky Cave, Black Dragon Pool, Sisters’ Peak, Goddess’ Peak and Sky Ladder Waterfall. From Longmenjian Canyon, you can feel the surreal melody of the Three Gorges in Yangtze and the atmospherics of Yangshuo in Guilin. Longmenjian Canyon is referred as the Geological Museum of Northern China by some scholars.

Take Bus No. 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 20, 52, 57, 22, 54, 120, 802, special Bus No.1 to Zhongshan Park stop or Tian An Men stop.

Lipao Red Apple Folk Resort is located at the foot of the Great Wall at Badaling and also the “Advanced Green Ecological Village of Mountainous Area”. In the village, you can pick apples, go fishing, stay at a small primitive farm house, and taste the pure flavor of the grassland barbecue and wild vegetable dishes. Visitors can climb the Great Wall castles which are the Shang Dynasty’s ancient beacon towers with about more than 2,000 years of history in the east and gallop on the Kangxi Grassland in the west.

There are 1,100 Mu of orchard gardens in Lipao village, with 8 Mu per household. Currently 15 folk households have been developed. Each year from May, visitors can experience different projects every month. You can enjoy apple flowers and climb the residual Great Wall in May; you can pick apricots in June and pick greening nine peach and Austria plum in July; in August you can pick the precocious red Fuji Apple; in September you can pick the ripe red Fuji apple, snowflake pear and grapes. Now, Lipao village has become a famous professional production base for the Fuji Apple in the Beijing suburbs. The fruits picked here are pure natural green foods, free from pesticides and pollution.

Take Bus No. 919 Branch from Deshengmen to Waipao Village, and walk to the south for 200 meters.

Liugou was once a battlefield during the Song and Liao Dynasties and remains of walls, gates and ancient temples can be found around the village. It’s said that in the early years of the village, standing on Mount Yanyu, Liugou was the shape of a phoenix stretching its wings – which is why Liugou is also called the “Phoenix Ancient City.”

In this village, there are over 100 households, and it is a large village in the countryside around Beijing. Liugou Village has been developed into a folk culture village offering the well-known “Tofu Feast” or “Bean Curd Banquet” and farmhouse Inn service for urban residents and oversea travelers. Almost all the households in the village specialize in hosting the Tofu Banquet.

Features: The village’s north gate exemplifies the style and features of this ancient village. The gate remains splendid, with well-bedded bricks and a wide opening through which cars can pass. The village also has many ruined temples. It’s said that there were 20 temples in the past, though only the three main halls of Chenghuang Miao (Town God’s Temple) remain. Walking around it, one can catch the fading colors of frescos on the walls. A well in the village also attracts attention. According to a signage plate, the well was built in the early years after liberation by the People’s Liberation Army. The wall inside the well is built from twisted wood, giving it its name: Panmu.

The well water is limpid and sweet, making it perfect for cooking tofu. It’s because of the deliciousness of its “tofu meal” that Liugou has gained its reputation. Hundreds of thousands of visitors go there every year for its tofu. The clay braziers to cook the tofu were originally used for warming one’s hands. Later, villagers came up with the idea of putting a casserole of tofu, noodles, cabbage and pork inside the pan. The tradition almost died out before the Liugou government brought it back for a folk tourism event in 2003. Villagers altered the size of the traditional brazier pot to cook for 10 people at a time. The launching of the “brazier pot, tofu meal” folk festival not only saved a tradition but also injected some much-needed cash flow into villagers’ hands. The village is about 90 kilometers from downtown Beijing and lies in the southeast of Yanqing District with the Great Wall section of Juyong Pass to its south and Badaling to its southwest.

Take Bus No. 919 from Deshengmen to Nanlaiying in Yanqing, and transfer to Bus No. 920 to Liugou. Or take S2 train from Beijing North Railway Station to Yanqing (6 RMB), and then take a taxi to Liugou.

Chadao Ancient City is located in the northwest section of the Badaling Great Wall. In ancient times, it was a thoroughfare which provided access to a different area of the wall.

In the Ming and Qin Dynasties, Chadao City was an important military fortress, with troops garrisoned in various areas. Because of its rich geographical location, there were many areas containing numerous commodities where goods were bought and sold, of which many are still found surrounding the ancient city and to which one may find in the area. Every year, thousands of delivery camels from Zhangjiakou to Beijing pass through the area.

The Ancient City of Chadao was built against a mountainous area. According to several geographers, it is shaped like an irregular boat. The city, in fact, has been restored three times. The first time was during the Han Dynasty. Years later, an additional layer of stone was added to the wall. During its final renovation, which took place during the Ming dynasty, several more bricks were built around the stone wall structure. In 2001, Chadao Ancient City was listed as a national heritage and restoration project of China. After several years of restoration, the Ming City walls, the East and West City gates and city tower were again restored. Other areas nearby the site, including the City God Temple, the Jade Emperor Temple and the Ancient Inn were also renovated. All existing houses in the city were later restored as historical heritage centers with the Ming and Qing styled interior designs.

Longxian Palace is situated in the Longquan Temple Valley, Dongguan Village, Zhangfang Town, Fangshan District, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Beijing proper. It is a magnificent solution cavity and the mouth of the cave is around 500 meters (1,640 feet) above the sea level. The palace has an imposing manner, 170 meters (557 feet) long, 140 meters (459 feet) wide, 150 meters (492 feet) high. With an area of 10,000 square meters (2.5 acres), it is reputed as the 'First Hall in North China'.

The palace was formed seventy million years ago. After a long chemical deposit, all kinds of chemical precipitates takes on a variety of shapes, including stone curtains, stalagmites, flowers, grapes, lotus and edible fungus. In addition, there is a vivid 'Dragon Egg', wonderful waterfalls, golden jellyfishes, clear crystals. The natural 'Dragon Egg' is an olivary crystal, 63 centimeters (2 feet) long, 43 centimeters (1.4 feet) wide, and 33 centimeter (1.1 feet) high. It is very similar to an egg in color and shape. The most stunning are six stalagmites in a palm shape and a fossil in a squirrel shape, which are rarely seen in Northern China.

The scenery around the cave is also beautiful with range upon range of green hills. It changes its coat along with the alternation of four seasons. In spring, the birds sing sweetly and brilliant flowers emit fragrance. In summer, it puts on a green coat. In autumn, it is rich in fruits and the red leaves can be found everywhere in the mountains. In winter, the palace decorated with white snow appears more enchanting.

Located in the southwestern district of Fangshan, the mysterious Xianqi Cave is about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from urban Beijing. The cave is a typical karst cave with large areas of karst formations. The karsts have infinite variety and are amazing and vivid. Naturally, the cave is called 'a Fairyland in Beijing'. With a waterway 450 meters (1480 feet) long, the cave is only accessible by boat.

The deep cave has upper, middle and lower floors with numerous crisscrossed underground streams. It is said that the cave took form 1,600 million years ago and the flowers inside have developed for 1 million years. The cave has a total length of more than 4 kilometers (2.5 miles), and 900 meters (2,950 feet) are available for sightseeing. The entrance to the cave makes it distinct from all others. Visitors enter the cave by a waterway located half-way up a hill and leave the cave on foot. The temperature in the cave is comfortable, neither too hot nor too cold.

There are more than ten varieties of karst landscape in the marvelous cave including stalactites, stone pillars, stalagmite, pinnacles, cobbles, stone curtains, cave flowers, and stone drums. The stalactites have unique shapes and exquisite coloring. Some stalagmites stand over 10 meters (33 feet), like grand pillars, while some gather together and look like forests of towers.

The white stalagmites offer thousands of shapes. Some are of massive, while others tower high and straight. Some are especially fascinating because they produce a musical ringing when tapped. The hall, bejeweled with colorful lights, presents a splendid view. Such a rare and magnificent karst cave which is enormous and possesses innumerable wonders combines extraordinary beauty with the strangeness of another world.

The natural scenery outside the cave is enchanting. Near the cave lies a temple with an unusual spring. The spring is rather cold in hot summer, but there is steam rising from the spring in bitter winter. To the east, an artificial lake and a great canyon are adorned with wild flowers in spring and red leaves in autumn. The tamed squirrels in a nearby park are unafraid of visitors and often come very close.