The river is gradually gaining popularity as a weekend getaway with beautiful scenery and excellent tourism facilities.
The Yongding River flows for more than 740 kilometers, snaking through Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Beijing and Tianjin before emptying into the Bohai Sea.
In Beijing, the river flows from Mentougou District through districts of Fengtai and Shijingshan.
Yongding River Course Park, the first large man-made park beside the river, opened in 2011. The associated river course connects scenic spots in Mencheng, Lianshi, Xiaoyue and Wanping Sihu, where visitors can appreciate the waterscape and distant mountains and enjoy sports.
Yongding River Park is another stopover located in Mentougou District. The 15,000-square-meter cultural leisure park is located in the Yongding River Green Ecological Corridor. The park is notable for its large deck and collection of sculptures that depict the river’s legend and history.
Yongding River Forest Park, at the intersection of Mentougou, Shijingshan and Fengtai, was formerly the largest source of dust on the capital’s west side. The former 42-meter-deep sands were turned into an ecological forest resembling a large bunker. Now it a popular leisure site for people looking to exercise or enjoy the river.
Another stretch of the Yongding River is flanked by mountains and deep ravines. Highway 109 runs along this section, which connects such tourist destinations asPearl Lake, the Luopoling Reservoir, the Zhaitang Reservoir and Sanjiadian Gate.
The lower reaches of the Yongding River have gentler water that is suitable for rafting. Rafting through the canyon area is a fun way to experience nature, and has been one of the top entertainment activities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Zhangjiakou area since 1995.
Yongding Tower, located in Yingshan, is another landmark beside the river. The nine-story octagonal tower, standing almost 70 meters, broke ground in August 2011. When completed, visitors will be able to climb to the top of the tower to view the Garden Expo and the whole of Beijing.
Each level of the tower has a 360 degree viewing balcony that can support as many as 100 people. There are three elevators inside.
After the 9th China (Beijing) International Garden Expo, the tower will remain as a historical and cultural museum focused on the Yongding River.
