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Go day trippin' with Beijing's best excursions

2017-10-15 TimeOutBeijing


Free yourself from Beijing city life with these nearby escapes


If you're chasing a bucolic retreat, a date with ancient history or just the thrill of the open road, it might be time to book a ticket outta here, if only for a day. We've handpicked (and tested) a selection of popular and alternative destinations, so strap on your walking boots and get day trippin'.


Yesanpo

Gorges, mountainscapes and neon caves at the western border of Beijing


Yesanpo ( 野三坡) is a charming cluster of villages and gateway to some spectacular peaks just over the Hebei border. Nestled in a less-frequented stretch of mountain country than throbbing Shidu, Yesanpo is home to some spectacular mountain-based tourism, most of which is has been left to impress in comparatively natural condition.


Yesanpo Scenic Area encompasses several major tourism nodes including Bailixia Gorge, the Juma River, Baicaopan Forest, Yugu Cave and more. Realistically, one day won’t be enough time to cover all that Yesanpo has to offer, but if you leave Beijing early enough you should be able to squeeze a traipse around Bailixia Gorge and a lurk through Yugu Cave into a proper go-getting day trip.


The main event in Yesanpo, and therefore the busiest, is Bailixia Gorge – a 50km maze of stunning rock formations, valleys and peaks. Visitors can grade their experience according to fitness, with a 2,800-step climb to the tallest section of the gorge a highlight for those willing.


A few clicks along the highway by car (negotiate for one at the car park if you don’t have a driver) is Yugu Cave (Yugudong, 鱼谷洞). While seasoned spelunkers mightn’t get a massive kick out of Yugu’s manicured pathways and stairs, the cave is nonetheless an exhilarating 40-minute journey from start to finish. The neon lights spotlighting the cave’s more interesting formations are strangely effective, and if you time it right you’ll be by yourself for the entire eerie walk; as if simply being in Hebei wasn’t eerie enough.


Getting there Here’s the catch, getting to Yesanpo isn’t entirely straightforward, but the best adventures never are. There is one train per day from Beijing West and one back, but as the former leaves at 5.45pm and the latter at 9.30am, you'll need two nights in Yesanpo to do anything other than sleep. Opt instead for the 917 bus (on the hour from 6am) from Tianqiao bus station (there are two 917 stops, you want the one to the west of the Beiwei Lu and Dongjing Lu intersection), and take it to Shidu. From Shidu, there are minibuses heading periodically to Yesanpo, but you will need to flag one down – speak to a local as to where best to do this. Our minibus stopped right at Yugu Cave, and not far from Bailixia Gorge, but you will need to communicate this clearly to your driver. The last bus leaves from Yugu Cave at 4.30pm, but alas, so does the bus from Shidu to Beijing, so you will need to make well-considered arrangements as to leave enough time to make it back to the capital. Hiring cars between sights is also a good, if more expensive, option, and if you need to spend a night in Yesanpo (we did), well, at least you can sample the local take on yangrou chaun'r.


Travel time 3 hours to Shidu; 45 minutes to Yesanpo.


Cost 21RMB to Shidu. 15RMB in a minibus to Yesanpo. 65RMB for Yugu Cave.


Miaofengshan

A spiritual focal point carved into the mountains


Mount Miaofeng (Miaofengshan, 妙 峰山) is the end point of one of the Taoist pilgrimages from Beijing. At its highest peak it reaches 1,291m, which is pretty hard going if you’ve walked all the way from Beijing, but a bit more manageable if you’ve been driven from the end of Line 1.


Once you’ve been dropped off in Miaofengshan village (Miaofengshanzhen, 妙峰山镇), where you can find quaint houses and precisely one local restaurant serving up basic but hearty dishes, it’s time to ascend.  The climb takes about an hour, depending on how often you stop to gawp at the mountainous views behind you. Don’t worry about getting lost; there’s only really one way to go, which is up towards the Miaofeng Temple looming above. 


After a pretty rugged traverse, a more touristy scene awaits you at the top. The ancient and more recent history of the temples are explained in English and Chinese on plenty of helpful signs. There’s not a huge amount to do here, but there is a huge amount to see. Just by the entrance is a small patio set up with some tables and chairs – buy a cup of tea from the woman guarding the fort and soak up the jaw-dropping landscape, which makes you feel a lot further from Beijing than you actually are.


Getting there Line 1 to Pingguoyuan, then either catch the 8.30am 929 bus to Miaofengshan (once a day), or haggle with a local driver for a lift. The return bus is at 4pm.


Travel time One hour from Pingguoyuan by car (or two if you get the bus).


Cost 40RMB for Miaofengshan; around 300RMB  for round trip with private driver from Pingguoyuan (depending on your bartering skills). 4RMB for the bus.


Dezhou: Su Luwang Grave

The city populated by descendants of an ancient Filipino king


Turns out there’s an ancient King of Sulu buried in Dezhou, and he’s the only foreign head of state ever to have been laid to rest in China. In 1417, Ming emperor Zhu Di commissioned an elaborate memorial to honour the then East King of Sulu, Paduka Pahala, after he abruptly fell ill and died in Dezhou on a tributary mission to the Middle Kingdom. A turning point in Chinese-Filipino relations, the Sulu king’s two younger sons would go on to integrate themselves with the local Hui community, their descendants eventually taking the surnames Wen and An.


As far as tourist destinations in Shandong go, Dezhou is under the radar. Historically known as a gateway to Beijing and a major transportation hub, in recent years it’s been rebranded as a ‘solar city’. With its wide highways, manicured nature strips and solar panel-crested residential developments, it all feels distinctly new.


To get to the tomb, take the 112 bus from Dezhou East Station. After 45 minutes the bus turns left down Jiefang Zhong Lu. Get off at the junction of Jiefang Zhong Lu and Qingnian Lu, then turn right down Qingnian Lu and walk for roughly 300m until you reach the entrance. Arranged in a courtyard fashion, a covered walkway links the three separate buildings that make up the adjoining museum. The buildings are filled with relics and family trees, and it’s the written correspondence between the Chinese and Filipino governments over the years which is particularly fascinating.


The tomb itself lies behind the courtyard in a tree-filled clearing. Separated from the high-rises and main roads, Su Luwang Grave is unsettlingly quiet and peaceful. Despite being surrounded by houses, it’s easy to feel like you’re the only person for miles, a rare experience in a Chinese city. When you’ve finished exploring, jumping back on the same bus takes you down to the bustle of Dezhou city centre. There’s a lot to do here, but make sure you try Dezhou braised chicken, and don’t miss the Xinhu scenic area.


Full of chicken, head back to the station (this time on the 106 bus). Like a rising sun, an enormous curved building will emerge over the horizon. This is Solar Valley. Built in 2010, Dezhou’s most famous attraction is showing signs of ageing, but if you’re into urban exploration it’s worth getting off the bus for. Like Su Luwang Grave, we don’t encounter another visitor the entire time, and it feels almost like a post-apocalyptic, abandoned cityscape.


Getting there Take the train from Beijing South and then catch the 112 bus from the depot outside Dezhou East Station.


Travel time 80 minutes on the train from Beijing South to Dezhou East, then 45 minutes on the 112 bus to Su Luwang Grave.


Cost 145RMB one-way for the train; 2RMB per bus ride.


Zhengding

The surprisingly pleasant northern face of Shijiazhuang


When you hear the sounds ‘shi’, ‘jia’ and ‘zhuang’, the first three syllables that come to mind are probably ‘poll’, ‘u’ and ‘ted’. You wouldn’t be totally wrong – Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei, is often far ahead of Beijing in the AQI race to the top, and tourists are generally advised to steer well clear.


A short drive away from the city centre, however, lies Zhengding, a provincial county with temples, authentic local food and north China’s premier Ping-Pong academy.


The borders of Zhengding are marked by towering and ornately painted archways, which serve as gates between the ancient religious centre and the outside world. Zhengding was the founding place of many schools of Zen Buddhism, and as such has plenty of pretty spectacular temples that have survived historical assaults and have been restored to their former glory.


The most impressive of these is Longxing Temple. For a 50RMB entrance fee (half price for concessions), visitors can while away at least an hour wandering through the sprawling prayer halls, gardens and pagodas. There’s even a tranquil lake, perfect for a Mulan moment of reflective contemplation, and right at the back of the complex there’s a very nice hill from which you can gaze back over the picturesque grounds.


It’s worth taking the time to check out all the artwork on display in the temple. Intricately carved Buddhas and a huge bronze statue of Guan Yin, known as the Goddess of Mercy, are just two of the many impressive artefacts. Once you’ve had your fill of ancient religious spiritualism, we recommend slurping down a bowl of hearty lamian at the small shop opposite, which will set you back a princely 8RMB.


Also in Zhengding is the Zhengding Table Tennis Association, a training base for Chinese and foreign athletes. When we visited, the school was empty but open for having a look around, and is worth checking out for the slightly haunting feeling that only hundreds of abandoned Ping-Pong tables can provoke.


Getting there From Beijing West Railway Station, take the high-speed train to Shijiazhuang. From there you can get a taxi to Zhengding.


Travel time One hour from Beijing to Shijiazhuang; 40 minutes from Shijiazhuang to Zhengding.


Cost Train tickets are 125.8RMB each way, and the taxi should cost around 50RMB.


Peking Man Site

Pay homage to the original human


Zhoukoudian, better known as the site of Peking Man – one of the first specimens of homo erectus – is one of the most important paleontological sites in the world. A Unesco World Heritage site, the area is also regarded as having the oldest reliable evidence for the controlled use of fire. Get a map from the ticket booth and head first for the indoor museum. All of the human remains here are cast replicas (the originals vanished during transport in 1941) but the primitive tools and complete animal skeletons from the mid-to-late Pleistocene era – including a cave bear, striped hyena and a tiger – are genuine and were unearthed at Zhoukoudian.


But the museum isn’t why you’re here – get outside and explore the 15 excavation sites, which are spread over several square miles and all open for exploration. With hardly any other tourists around when we went –

admittedly on a weekday – the excavation sites make for an incredibly peaceful and not particularly strenuous ramble in lush surrounds, with the odd cave or two thrown in for good measure.


The Peking Man cave is the deepest, darkest and most bone-chilling of them all, the exact site where man’s ancient ancestor lived some 500,000 to 700,000 years ago. Don’t miss the excavation site labelled 'Locality 4', a particularly beautiful cave, which is one of the sites where burnt bones and ash remnants were discovered – evidence of the first-ever use of fire.


Getting there Take the '917 Qu' (917区) bus from Xicheng district’s Tianqiao long-distance bus terminal to Zhoukoudian, then transfer to the 'Fang 38' bus (房38) to get to the Peking Man Site.


Travel time It takes under three hours each way if you’re relying solely on public transport; under two hours each way by private car.


Cost Buses cost 13RMB in total, one-way. Peking Man site ticket is 30RMB.


Shidu

A deranged yet exhilarating carnival of water sports 


Shidu (十渡) is a small town etched around the tenth crossing of the Juma river where Beijing borders Hebei, deep in the western Fangshan district. Hemmed in by a spectacular mountain scape and within striking distance of the capital, it was only a matter of time before the carnies made their move on Shidu, repurposing a good section of the river into something of an extreme sports aqua-rave.


Shidu features bungee jumping (260RMB), zip lining, cable cars (150RMB) and much more, all backed by second-tier EDM cuts that ricochet from mountain to river, past the eardrum and deep into the central chemistry of the human body. It’s nature feat. Avicii out here, and if you can submit to the crude carnival atmosphere of Shidu, you’re going to love it.


Activities on the river are too many to mention, but an hour on a six-person, gondoliered bamboo raft (120RMB per hour), complete with bench chairs, dining table and plastic-leaf awning is a good place to start. Dodgem boats (30RMB for ten minutes), speedboats (30RMB per person) and Houhai-style boats (from 50RMB per 30 minutes) are all also available. For the thrill seeker, the zip lining looks terrifying, the bungee jumping – corroborated by much screaming – more so.


The mountain section is more inspiring. Head towards the military museum (free and definitely worth it) and head left. After 100m you should have more Avicii, dodgem cars (30RMB) and signs for the Tall Mountain Glass Walkway (高山玻璃栈道). Entry to the park is 50RMB and includes a knee-buckling 200m stroll over glass on the side of the eponymous pinnacle. The view from the summit is alone worth the sweat and offers a 270 degree view. Hikers may then descend in the conventional manner, or, as is custom at elevated Chinese attractions, take the creative option (see Great Wall toboggan): a giant glass slide (20RMB).


Getting there Take the 917 bus from Tianqiao Bus Terminal. Important: there are two signs for the 917, and indeed two types of 917 bus. You want the bus stop west of the Beiwei Lu and Dongjing Lu intersection. Buses leave Shidu across the road from the dodgems hourly, the last bus leaving at 4.30pm.


Travel time Three hours.


Cost 21RMB each way.


Baiyangdian

A sprawling wetland home to diverse natural life


Baiyangdian (白洋淀), China's largest freshwater lake, is comprised of 143 smaller lakes connected by a network of over 3,700 waterways, as well as being the source for nine different rivers. Evidently, aqua is the main event here, but its rich plant and wildlife create sights unlike any within our city limits.


In spring, its wiry brown reeds burst out into greens, while lotus flowers and pads bloom upon the surface of the water, turning the place into a pleasantly colourful affair that’s perfect for a peaceful scenic cruise. Peaceful until your speedboat starts a-roarin’, that is.


The eight different paid attractions (40-50RMB each) found around its shores, including gardens, culture parks and even a water park, are only reachable by boat, with motorised, sailing and rowing options available and capacity ranging from five to 80 people.


As for the amuse-bouches, the staple scoff seems to be duck eggs squeezed out by the lake’s thriving waterfowl population, and there’s plenty to go around; vendors are everywhere, and a bag of six ready-to-eat blue ones will set you back a mere 10RMB.


Getting there Hop on the high-speed train from Beijing West Station to Baoding East Station (63.5RMB; around three trains every hour from 6.42am-9.33pm; last train back to Beijing 10.19pm). From there, take a driver to Baiyangdian’s front gate (45km; aim for no more than 150RMB each way).


The lake is reachable by public transport, but be warned: it’s a rather laborious trip. From Baoding East, take the K1 or K2 bus to Baoding Bus Station (保定客运中心; 1RMB; 25 mins). From there, take a coach to Anxin (安新汽车 站; 15RMB; one hour; last return bus 6.30pm). Finally, you’ll need to take a three-wheeler or taxi to the main gate of Baiyangdian (15RMB). If you choose the public transport option, you might consider extending your trip overnight given travel times; country guesthouses around the lake are plentiful and reasonably priced.


Travel time Three hours each way (with private car); five-plus hours (public transport).


Cost 190-360RMB transport; 40RMB entry fee (not including other paid attractions); 100-980RMB boat fee.


Hit '阅读原文' for more amazing day trips and tricks and tips to make the most of your visit.

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