Qingming Festival, known in English as Tomb-sweeping Day, is a time when Chinese pay tribute to their deceased family members and ancestors. Also on Qingming, people go on family outings. Here are five recommended spring outing destinations during the three-day-long holidays with less crowd.
Beijing’s Mentougou District
Around the Tomb-Sweeping Festival each year, mountain slopes and farmlands in the district are interspersed with clusters of snow-white pear blossoms, the air heady with fragrance from pear blossoms.
Address: Dongshan Village, X015, Mentougou District门头沟区零一五县道东山村
Route: take Bus 959, 336, 977, Yuntong 112 or Yuntong 116 at Pingguoyuan Station, then transfer to Bus 964 at SanjiadianXikou Station to Mengwu Station or Dongshan Station.
Miaofeng Mountain Scenic Spot
Each year in spring, the road to Miaofeng Mountain is dotted with peach blossoms, making it one of the most beautiful roads in the suburbs of Beijing.
One of the most famous mountains in Beijing, Miaofeng Mountain is located in the Mentougou District of western Beijing. The mountain is also called Miaogao Summit because it has majestic mountains and five peaks that stand upright simultaneously in which Miaogao Summit is one of them.
It has verdant trees and beautiful scenery on the top with a lot of ancient temples, there are also many seasonal landscapes such as sunrise, sunset glow, soft rime and mirage, and vast rose garden of best quality in China; among them, “The Temple of the Virgin Mother of Heaven Bixiayuanjun” that was built in the end of Ming Dynasty is quite famous. The Temple is located on the Golden Peak (the highest peak); in the periods of Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, a grand temple fair was held on the first to fifteenth days of the fourth lunar month each year and as a result the mountain became famous.
Ticket: 40 yuan per person
Opening Hours: 08:00-17:00
Contact Number: 010-61882936
Address: Jiangou Village, Miaofengshan Town, Mentougou District, Beijing 北京市门头沟区妙峰山镇涧沟村
Bus route: Take Bus 336, 326 at Pingguoyuan Subway Station to Hetan Station, and transfer to minibus bound for Miaofeng Mountain.
Baiwang Mountain Forest Park
Better known as Wang’er Mountain among Beijing natives, Baiwang Mountain Forest Park is one of the nearest forest parks to downtown Beijing, just 3km to the north of the Summer Palace. Subject to Taihang Mountains, Baiwang Mountain extends to the easternmost end of North China Plain, gaining the laudatory title of “First Summit of Taihang Outpost”.
Ticket: 6 yuan per person
Opening Hours: 6:00 -19:00
Contact Number: 010-62884508
Address: No. 19 at the north exit of Heishanhu, Haidian District, Beijing 北京市海淀区黑山扈北口19号
Bus Routes: take bus No. 330, 716, 718, 722, 752, 903, 933, Te 4, Te 6, temporary urban railway No. 9, Yuntong 112 and so on and get off at Baiwanshan stop or Heishanhu Beikou stop.
Shangfangshan National Forest Park
Shangfangshan National Forest Park is situated inside Fangshan District, Beijing, whose main peak is at an altitude of 860 meters. Covering an area of 340 hectares with the forest coverage of over 90%, it is home to 625 species of plants represented by Oresitrophe rupifraga, blue sandalwood, Myripnois dioica, rhizoma anemarrhenae and other ones endemic to China.
With 2,000-year-long Buddhism history, Shangfang Mountain is not only a comprehensive national forest park integrating natural beauty, Buddhism and karst caves, but also a comprehensive, multi-functional scenic area combining mountain, forest, cave, temple, spring, pavilion and puddle. So, it takes pride in being inscribed on the list of national 20 demonstrating forest parks and is dubbed a natural arboretum and a green gym in southwestern Beijing.
Ticket: 40 yuan
Address: East of Shengshuiyu Village, Hancunhe Town, Fangshan District, Beijing 北京市房山区韩村河镇圣水峪村东
Bus Route: Take Bus 917 at Tianqiao to Liangxiang or Fangshan, transfer to Minibus 15 (Changyang-Shangfang Mountain).
Baihepu Reservoir
Baihepu (Baihe Fort) Reservoir got its name from the Jing’anpu Fort, also known as Baihepu in the Ming Dynasty thousands of years ago, because it defended Baihe Gorge. It is also the fifth largest reservoir of Beijing and the highest one with 560 meters high, located on the trunk steam of Baihe River, 30 km from Yanqing District, with its northwest connecting with Chicheng County of Hebei Province.
The Baihe Gorge is a rare great canyon scenic spot around Beijing. The landscapes for the 380 km self-driving tour are mainly around the reservoir, into the gorge and along the gorge. Moreover, the must-order dishes in hotels and farmhouses beside the reservoir are the ones made from fresh fish from the reservoir by stewing or deep frying. Besides those, the fresh mushroom, edible wild herds and authentic farm eggs can also cook delicious dishes that make you refreshing all day long. There are many shallow beaches at northern side of the reservoir. Blue water in the lake merges perfectly with the sky, being a good place for camping.
Ticket: Free
Address: North of Xiangying County, Yanqing District 延庆区香营乡北部
Drive route: Drive out of Chang Ping Xi Guan of Beijing-Changping Expressway directly toward the Ming Tombs, turn left at Changling Road (towards Yongning County) of Yanqing District, to Liubinpu Town, leftward at the crossing (Liugan Road) of Silicified Wood National Geopark, follow a road sign ahead to Yanshan Tianchi, turn left to the destination.
