Longqing GorgeⅠ

North of the Badaling Great Wall and 80 kilometers (50 miles) from downtown Beijing, you can discover Longqing Gorge, in northeast Yanqing County. The gorge, reputed to be the 'Little Three Gorges', features clear waters, wooded mountains, curious stones and wonderful karst caves. The gorge's main attractions are the Longqing Gorge Cruise, Baihua (hundred Flowers) Cave, and the Shenxianyuan (Immortal) and Jingang temples.

Near the entrance, a grand waterfall plummets down 50 meters (164 feet) from the dam above. A long, dragon-shaped escalator carries visitors to the dam, where the cruise begins. On both sides, eerie mountains and strange formations inspire visitors' imaginations as they have for centuries. You can marvel at the huge, natural Buddha stone and a hill rising from the water like a great bell. Another hill, named Fengguan (Phoenix Coronet) Isle, is considered the symbol of the gorge. Fengguan is surrounded on three sides by water and closed off by high mountains on the fourth.