The Jade Mountain lies approximately 2.5 kilometers west of Longevity Hill (Wanshoushan) in the Summer Palace, which is famous for the clear, sweet waters of its spring. In ancient times, the Jade Spring Mountain was the site of numerous traditional buildings. The largest of them was called by the fanciful name, the "Grand Duke Who Stands Aloof" (Kuoran Dagong). In the middle of the lake to the north of the hall was a pavilion known as "Clear Reflections of Lotus" (Furong Qianzhao) and to the west stood the Dragon King Temple (Longwangmiao).

On the peak of the mountain, the Pagoda of Supreme Height (Miaogaota) stands on the Platform of Supreme Height (Miaogaotai). The pagoda is 33 meters high and ahs nine stories. A spiral staircase inside leads to the top floor, where there is a statue of the Buddha in bronze.

On the slopes of Cuiwei Mountain near the Fahai Temple, a number of vestiges of the Ice Age can be seen. First discovered in 1954 by the geologist Li Jie, this important geological landmark was listed alongside the "Eight Great Sites of Yanjing" by Li Xianyue, head of the Beijing Museum of Natural History.

These ancient remains date from the Quaternary Period, some 2.5 million years ago. Several hundred million years earlier, however, the Beijing area was engulfed several times by the sea. Due to climatic variations, the glaciers alternately advanced and receded, carting with them large quantities of rock which continually scraped away at the earth's surface, leaving traces of their movements in the brown base rock.

By using the method developed by the geologist Li Siguang, one will be able to discover the traces of the glacial period: Sprinkle water onto the brown base rock along the mountain slope, and the marks of the glacial abrasion will gradually come into view.

The Shangfang Mountain is located in Fangshan District in the southwestern suburbs. It has 9 caves, 12 peaks, and 72 temples and nunneries. In 1992, it was made a national forest park and became a holiday resort with beautiful landscapes, ancient trees, wild flowers, maple leaves, and pleasant climate.

Covering an area of 3.293 million square meters, Shangfang Mountain is an offshoot of the Yanshan Mountains. The main peak is 860 meters above sea level. It has a unique geological environment and climate, with 95 per cent of its slopes covered by plants and trees. Among its 12 peaks, the Heavenly Pillar in the center of the mountain is the most outstanding. It is the best place to watch the sunrise.

White Dragon Pond is the only old scenic spot on the eastern outskirts of Beijing. The name came from the undulating mountains, dense forests, streams and valleys. There is a waterfall near Xiawanzi Village, over 20 meters high, one of three that form three ponds. During the rainy weather in spring and summer, white clouds over splashing waterfalls appear to be a white dragon playing in the mist, hence its name White Dragon Pond.

According to historical records, there were once four halls and 18 pavilions in this vicinity. Examples of classical architecture are: Dragon Fountain Temple (Longquansi), Hall of Bodhisattva (Pushadian), Five-Dragon Shrine (Wulongsi) and Imperial Lodge (Xinggongxiasi).

"Bailongtan Holiday Village" includes guesthouses a recreation area, stone forest, climbing and hunting area and conference facilities.

The Tangshan Hot Springs are situated about 30 kilometers north of Beijing proper on the road leading to the eastern range of the Western Hills. The springs can be reached by regional bus from downtown area.

To the south of Lesser Tangshan Mountain there are two hot springs. The eastern source bubbles out of the earth at extremely high temperatures and is called Boiling Spring (Feiquan), while the western source, the Warm Spring (Wenquan), is more suitable for bathing. Although the two springs are only three meters apart, their water temperatures vary as greatly as their names suggest. The spring waters are rich in minerals useful in the treatment of skin diseases.

Dragon Rejoice Ravine has been a local attraction since the Song Dynasty. Emperor Renzong of the Yuan Dynasty was born south of here. When he ascended the throne, he named the county Longqing Prefecture to commemorate his birthplace. Some say the scenery can be compared to Lijiang in Guilin and the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River.

There is good skating in the winter, as well as lanterns and sculptures to enjoy. Boats are available the rest of the year for tourists to view the natural scenes of the valley, which are inaccessible by other modes of travel.

The Grand View Garden, built in 1988, is modeled on the garden described in the Chinese classical novel A Dream of Red Mansions, written by Cao Xueqin, of the Qing Dynasty, As described in the book, the garden was built for the imperial concubine Jia Yuanchun, who settled her relatives down there.

For more than two centuries, Chinese people read about the garden. Now they can vividly see scenes described in the book.

There are five courtyards, three park areas, a Buddhist temple, rockeries and a large lake. Trees and flowers complete the picture. Tea is available at many of the small shops.

Ditan (The Earth Altar) was also known as Fangze altar. The altar is the second largest one of five ancient altars in Beijing. Ditan Park was built in the ninth year of Emperor Jiajing reign in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1530), and it was used to be the place where emperors in Ming and Qing feted the "Imperial Land God". The altar is also the largest one among the existing altars in China. The altar is shaped as a square and covers a total area of 37.4 hectares. The structure of building follows an ancient Chinese architecture rule of "round heaven and square land".

On June 10, 2006 Ditan Park was awarded as the "national heritage protection unit".

Taoranting Park, located in the southwest, derives its name from the Joyous Pavilion that once stood on the grounds of the Temple of Mercy (Cibeiyuan).

Jiang Zao, a secretary in the Ministry of Works, built the pavilion in 1695 during the reign of Emperor Kangxi. Therefore, it was also known as Jiang Pavilion. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, a brick kiln was built in the neighborhood of the Temple of Mercy at what is now the Kiln Terrace. Jiang served as a director in the kiln and came to enjoy the grounds to have a pavilion built there. The original wooden inscription still hangs inside the gate of the Temple of Mercy. The characters inscribed on it, "Taoran" (Joy), in Jiang's own calligraphy, are drawn from the lines of a famous poem by the Tang poet Bai Juyi: "Let us wait until the chrysanthemums are golden and our home-brewed wine matured, then with us all shall be intoxication and joy". The original pavilion, which was built on a hill, stood higher than the city battlements. In fall, it was a favorite destination for Beijing residents on the Double Ninth Festival (9th day if the 9th lunar month), when tradition prescribed that one should "ascend to a high place".

In the past, scholars from all over China wrote poems and essays in praise of Taoranting, though in imperial times, the scenery was not particularly attractive. Houses of ordinary citizens were not permitted to stand at an elevation higher than the emperor's palace, and apart from the hillock on the Central Island, all the highest points in the city were occupied by the imperial family. This was therefore the only place where the common people could come for a view of the city. As visitors increased, the original small pavilion was demolished to make way for a large building, which in turn was augmented by three buildings still found today inside the Temple of Mercy.

The National Stadium, as the main track and field stadium for the 2008 Summer Olympics, is dubbed the "bird's nest" because of its innovative grid formation.

The twig-like structural elements and the bowl-shaped roof are the masterpiece of the project, yet they pose great challenges for technicians and workers to make the building stand on its own feet.

The stadium can seat as many as 91,000 spectators during the Olympics. It is located right next to the Beijing National Aquatics Center.

In 2002, Government officials engaged architects worldwide in a design competition. Pritzker Prize-winning architects Herzog & de Meuron collaborated with ArupSport and China Architecture Design & Research Group to win the competition. Contemporary Chinese artist, Ai Weiwei, is the Artistic Consultant for design.

The ground was broken on Christmas Eve December 2003, and construction started in March 2004.

It was built with 36 km of unwrapped steel, with a combined weight of 45,000 tonnes. The stadium has some 11,000 square metres of underground rooms with waterproof walls.

Take Bus No. 386, 407, 656, 737, 740, 753, 804, 827, 939, 944, 983 or Yuntong 113 and get off at Beichenqiaoxi Stop or take 510, 839 to National Stadium