Although not as big as the Yongding River, which is known as Beijing's "mother river", or the Grand Canal, which links north and south and connects the past and present, the Wenyu River is the only river in Beijing that originates in the city and has water all year round.
Beijing's Wenyu River Park, which officially opens in September 2020, is located right in the middle of the river's main course. Spanning the districts of Chaoyang, Shunyi and Changping, it is the largest 'green lung' in Beijing, intersecting the Wenyu and Qinghe rivers.
The park is divided into two gardens, the East and the West. The East Garden is mainly natural and has a lot of flowers, making it ideal for walking and watching.
Walking along the riverside, you will soon arrive at the 'Flower Stream Jintian', the park's most nostalgic attraction, where a variety of flowers such as purple vetch and piles of heart chrysanthemums, which all add a splendid color to the summer.
Crossing the babbling brook, it is as if you have arrived at a "worldly garden", the "East Crop" site in the north-eastern part of the "Flower Stream". The south entrance is a climbing-formed cucumber trellis. The center is a vegetable bed of perilla and broad beans, and the perimeter is enclosed by topography and stone walls, planted with fruit trees such as hawthorn, cherry and persimmon. The paths are interestingly twisting and turning. The fruits and vegetables are of a distinctive height.
The two spots, "Flower Stream Jintian" and "East Crop", also have a humidified misting area, which makes the scenery as beautiful as a fairyland.
The Huatian Pier, also known as the Lingxiao Pier, is the gateway to the Shuixi River, connecting the central axis of the Huaxi River to the south and the two ends of the Qu River to the north, offering boat trips and leisure time. If you want to go to the West Garden, you can take a boat from here and go along the waterway.
The scenery on both sides of the water stream is quite good, with large reeds taller than a man. Lotus leaves cover the water, and small boats weave in and out of the endless reeds, sometimes with no boats or people visible, reminiscent of Baiyangdian in the TV series "Zhang Ga the Soldier Boy".
The park also features a piled-up terrain called "Song Yun Hua Gai", where a mountain of dredged river soil and former construction waste has been piled up in the north of the park for visitors to see from above. The name "Song Yun Hua Gai" is derived from the poem "The clouds are covered with pine, and the pine is clothed with clouds". The characteristic vegetation and architectural landscape are intertwined to create a magnificent view of the jungle from afar.
A partial view of the Song Yun Hua Gai
The best part is that you can camp here, with white tents like yurts and straw-tied elk next to them, adding a touch of the grassland. It's a great place to spend some family time after dinner or on the weekend.
Wenyu River Park
The park has four seasons of beauty, historical heritage, gardening and a grand pattern, and is a popular spot for you to visit.
Warm Tips
The Beijing Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau reminds citizens and visitors to keep an eye on the weather forecast before traveling and to keep their trips to the mountains to a minimum in rainy weather. Do not go camping or play in the mountains. At the same time, citizens and tourists should adhere to epidemic prevention and control when traveling, strictly abide by all epidemic prevention regulations, take nucleic acid tests as required, and cooperate with public places such as parks, scenic spots, attractions, supermarkets, hotels and B&Bs to scan for temperature and check for negative nucleic acid certificates. Do not gather or bunch up to minimize the risk of infection!
Translator: WU Jiayi
Reviewer: WANG Jiahui
