Yanqi Lake

ocated about 10 kilometers to the north of Huairou District of Beijing, it is a comprehensive recreation place integrating sightseeing, vacation spending, and physical exercises. One can get there by 111 National Road or Shatong Railway. It used to be called North Taishang Reservoir. In 1985, Beijing Tourism Planning Department decided to develop it to be a tourist site. As the water of the reservoir comes from Yanqi River, and there are large crowds of wild geese taking a rest here both in spring and autumn, it is called Yanqi Lake. In 1987, it was formally open to receive the visitors.

Yanqi Lake is surrounded by mountains in three directions, adjacent to Mutianyu Great Wall in the north, Hongluo Temple in the west, and North China Plain in the south. Yanqi Lake has abundant water source and spacious water surface. The acreage of its upstream is 127 square kilometers. The lake holds 3830 cubic meters of water, and the water surface is 230 hectares. The lakeshore line stretches about 20 kilometers, with the deepest place at 25 meters. The water comes from the Lotus Spring and the Shentangyu Stream in its upper reaches. Now there are more than 50 recreation and sports items in the park. The aquatic items include large passenger ship, dragon boat, barge, speed boat, motorcycle above water, flying umbrella above water, racing car above water, rowing boat and pedalo, etc. The land items include advancing in rip current, roller coaster, super spaceship, disc war chariot, challenger racing car, rocket-style bungee, flyer, landing on the water surface, sheave pulley on high mountains, rock climbing, arrow shooting, mini-drifting, etc. The forests on the Jinteng Mount beside the lake are exuberant, with winding paths. The footpath leads to the pavilion on the summit overlooking the lake. By climbing there, the tourists can not only do some physical exercises, return to nature, but also appreciate the whole view of the lake. The tourists can go past the 560-meter-long float bridge to the scenic area on the west bank of the lake, stroll on the forest paths, breathe the fresh air full of negative oxygen ions, and enjoy leisure and delight in natural forests.

The accessory facilities of the park are complete. There is a vacation village beside the lake, which can accommodate 200 tourists. There are about 30 top-rate hotels around the lake area, containing 10,000 beds, more than 200 conference rooms of various sizes, as well as other recreation and sports facilities such as sauna, bowling, indoor swimming, gym, card and chess room, karaoke, etc. There are six restaurants in the park, which can hold 2000 people at the same time. There are more than 100 special delicacies served including roasted rainbow trout and roasted whole lamb.

Rocket-style Bungee:It was introduced from New Zealand in October 1998. As the first of this kind of activities, it is safe, reliable, and thrilling.

Racing car above water: Built in April 1998, it is the earliest in the country. The racetrack is above the water surface, composed of 18 sections of reinforced concrete and extending for 398 meters. There are altogether four curved tracks and two slopes. The highest speed might reach 50 kilometers.

Flyer:It is also called flying bungee. It was introduced from New Zealand in August 1999. The operators drag the participant with a rope to the height of 40 meters, operate the remote controller, then the participant will dive to the ground. The participant will swing at a radius of 30 meters. The distance of the sweep is near 70 meters, and the swinging height is 35 meters. This challenging activity can engage two or three men.

Sheave pulley on high mountains: Built in June 2000, it is a large-scale amusement project, first of its kind in the country. The starting point is the top of Jindeng Mount in the park, and the ending point is at the foot of the lake. The slide is 1200 meters long and 3.5 meters wide, paved by reinforced concrete. There are altogether six curves. Participants will drive the unpowered pulleys and whirl downwards along the slide way, control the speed by inertia and gradient. The highest speed can reach 40 kilometers per hour.

Rock climbing:It was built by imitating the natural cliffs according to the international standards. It is 15 meters high, with eight international standard tracks. Built in 1999 with a total acreage of 630 square meters, it was then the largest man-made cliff with the most tracks. It is both suitable for amateurs to exercise and have fun, but also suitable for professional competition.