Jumping into fall around Beijing

2019-10-31

Changing leaves and seasonal harvests are drawing travelers with an appetite for fall scenery and delicacies specific to the capital's countryside.

This has prompted Beijing's municipal culture and tourism bureau and the city's commerce bureau to develop 10 themed routes and organize activities until December.

China Daily looks at what these itineraries offer.

CHANGPING DISTRICT

Baiyanggou - Changyucheng

Visitors to Changping district can explore virgin forests and the Great Wall at the Baiyanggou nature reserve, and experience rural life in Changyucheng village. The area is known for chewy trotters stewed for eight hours.

Kangling village - Dalinggou Kiwifruit Valley

Kangling village hosts 800-year-old gingkoes and a farmers market where people can buy produce and join in harvests. The settlement is known for spring rolls stuffed with about two-dozen locally produced fillings.

Kangling's Dalinggou Kiwifruit Valley houses 13 Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) emperors' tombs. The area also contains date, apple and pear orchards.

Xianrendong village - Mangshan Forest Park

Xianrendong is known for labyrinthine streets, and reliefs and frescos depicting auspicious imagery. It's also celebrated for its vegetarian fare, especially locally produced eggplants and cucumbers. Mangshan park's mountains are sometimes likened to a giant, rocky python. The reserve is home to over 170 species of flora.

HUAIROU DISTRICT

Lavender garden - Shentangyu

Huairou's celebrated lavender garden hosts Western-style buildings and historical Chinese architecture, featuring bluestones, gray tiles, bridges and waterways.

Shentangyu offers fruit picking, rural homestays and cuisine. It's known for ethnic Manchu banquets that feature four hot and cold dishes, respectively.

MIYUN DISTRICT

Wtown-Miyun reservoir

Miyun's reservoir provides picturesque views and delicious fish prepared in seven ways. Wtown hosts traditional-style architecture along canals in the shadow of the

Great Wall. Visitors can enjoy such local folk arts as kite-making and tie-dyeing.

PINGGU DISTRICT

Jinhai Lake-Jingdong Stone Forest Canyon

Jinhai Lake offers water activities and fish stewed over firewood. A 1.5 billion-year-old karst cave, the Jingdong Stone Forest Canyon and Tianyun Mountain contribute to its natural appeal.

YANQING DISTRICT

Four-Seasons Blossom Sea-Wulong Canyon

Yanqing's Blossom Sea swirls with polychromatic blooms year-round. The area also features mountains, petrified wood and a scenic canyon. Baked pies with spiced salt have been listed among the district's top 10 cultural heritages.

Liugou village-Yongning ancient town

Liugou is surrounded by mountains on three sides, and offers clean and comfortable, yet rustic, rural experiences. It's known for hotpot featuring locally produced tofu, streaked pork, Chinese cabbage and rice sticks.

Yongning ancient town hosts a historical street, church and temple. It's celebrated for its colorful autumn leaves.

DAXING DISTRICT

Beijing Wildlife Parksanba banquet-Vanilla Manor

Beijing's wildlife park offers intimate animal encounters. Petting zoos with deer, roe deer and squirrels are ideal for children.

The area's 24-dish sanba banquets were served to distinguished guests during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, and the Minguo period (1912-49).

Daxing's Vanilla Manor offers the sights and smells of vast fields of purple flowers. The grounds also host European-style buildings and windmills.

Lyudou Manor-World Rose Theme Park

Weishanzhuang town's Lyudou Manor offers vegetable-picking, sports and games. The local cuisine, especially poultry, is known for gamey flavors.

Daxing's rose park is one of the biggest of its kind in northern China. It showcases over 1,700 species from around the world.

China Daily