Chaobai River is one of the four major rivers in the Haihe River system and the second largest river in Beijing. The main channel in Beijing is 83.5 kilometers long, with a drainage area of 5,688 square kilometers. There are two major tributaries, Chao River and Bai River, upstream of Chaobai River, originating from Fengning Manzhu Autonomous County and Guyuan County in Hebei Province, respectively. The two rivers converge at Nanhecao Village in Miyun Chengguan Town and then become Chaobai River. It flows through districts and counties such as Huairou, Shunyi, Tongzhou, Xianghe, and Baodi, and enters Chaobai New River in Tianjin City, and finally flows into the Bohai Sea through Beitang.

Historically, Chaobai River was a variable and wandering river. The river channel in the middle and lower reaches was shallow and wide, and the riverbed was unstable. It often overflowed and broke through, causing frequent floods and droughts, and was known as the "free and easy river".

After the founding of New China, in order to control the upstream floods in the basin, large and medium-sized reservoirs such as Huairou Reservoir, Miyun Reservoir, Beitaishang Reservoir, Dashuiyu Reservoir, and Shachang Reservoir were successively built. Especially after the completion of Miyun Reservoir, it controlled 82% of the drainage area of Chaobai River, greatly reducing the flood control pressure in the middle and lower reaches of Chaobai River, and basically eliminating the flood overflow disasters in the middle and lower reaches.

Today's Chaobai River has clear water, murmuring flow, and a winding and wide river channel. Micro-topographic embankments have been built on both sides of the river, creating shallow pond wetlands. The combination of artificial sowing and natural recovery has restored vegetation, forming a river landscape of "clear water when there is water, green when there is no water, more green with less water, and natural wilderness". Some sections of the river have also built water-friendly facilities such as children's playgrounds, waterfront style parks, boat docks, and viewing platforms, greatly improving the cultural environment.