Beijing: the Second Snow Scene in the Imperial Palaces

According to the weather forecast, the second snow arrived in Beijing on time. Compared with the first snow, this time it is heavier. The whole city was draped with a cloak of snow.

The snow-covered Old Imperial Palace (Yuanmingyuan Imperial Garden) is like the magnificent scene depicted in the novel The Guerrilla Warfare, grand and spectacular. The snow is more than half a foot deep. The Black Swan family is playing happily in the lake, with snowflakes falling on their bodies. It was Sunday, many tourists came here to appreciate the snow scene.

Around 10 am, the snowfall stopped and it was starting to clear up. After fishing the photographing in the Old Imperial Palace, I came to the Summer Palace. On the ice surface of Kunming Lake, there were crowded with people, some were snowballing, some were making a snowman and taking photos, happily and bustling. The snow-covered Imperial Palace reveals a clearer grand style of the royal family.

Beijing: Hongluo Temple-Qingling Gorge-Mutianyu Great Wall

The Hongluo Temple is located the south foot of Hongluo Mountain, 5 kilometers north of central Huairou District, 55 kilometers away of downtown Beijing. Covering a total area of 800 hectares, it is now a AAAA level national tourist area. Hailed as “the first temple of northern Beijing”, Hongluo Temple has been the holy land of Buddhism in the history and also the birth land of Qigong (a system of deep breathing exercises) in Beijing. Original built in 378 A.D., and expanded in the flourishing Tang Dynasty, it is originally named “Daming Temple” or “Huguo Temple”. At the foot of the mountain, there is a “Pearl Spring”. Legend has it that there are two dark red(“hong” in Chinese)Margaryamelanoides (“luo” in Chinese), hence its name “Hongluo Mountain”, and the temple is commonly known as “Hongluo Temple”.

Qinglong Gorge is 20 kilometers north of Huairou District. It is a beautiful natural scenic spot which integrate green mountains, clear water and ancient Great Wall together. The grand dam divides the scenic spot into two parts.

Mutianyu Great Wall is also located in Huairou District, 73 kilometers away of downtown Beijing. As the essence of the Ming Dynasty’s Great Wall, it is one of the famous section of the Great Wall in Beijing. In 1987, Mutianyu Great Wall was selected as “one of the 16 views of new Beijing”. And in 2002, it was rated as a AAAA level scenic spot. For most people who join a Beijing Xian tour, they are more likely to go to the Badaling Great Wall, but I prefer the Mutianyu Great Wall, because there are always too many tourists in Badaling.

In the Xian tour, it will provide you another great project of wall of Ming Dynasty, that is the 600-year old Xian City Wall.

Beijing: Pearl Spring

You might have heard about the “Flower Sea of Four Season” in Yanqing County. In the eastmost end of the famous flower valley locates the Town of Pearl Spring. People who have been here will say: “ Pearl Spring — it’s not just a beautiful name.” There is a magical spring in the town of Pear Spring. It has been said that Emperor Yongle of Ming Dynasty(1368-1644) had drunk the spring water here during the process of fighting north, and then gave it the name “Pear Spring”. The diameter of the artesian well is 10 meters and the depth of it is more than 3 meters. In the middle of the well, there is a stone-paved steep staircase which can lead people to the depth of the well.

There is nothing new in the first sight of the green spring water, but when you look more carefully, there are several clusters of bubbles gushing out, just like pearls off the line. If somebody shouts loudly at this moment, the “pearls” will increase obviously and the surging speed will enhance too. When the onlookers chant slogans together and clap according to a certain rhythm, the spring will also give you an active “reply”— the bubbles will churn up suddenly and pouring out from the bottom of the pool. The rolling bubbles makes the pool like a boiling pot. The mystery lies in the rich mineral contents like calcium, magnesium, and carbon dioxide gas. With the changes of ambient pressure, it will emit varying amounts of bubbles. The latest Beijing Xian tour gave me the chance to visit the Pearl Spring and witness its “magic power”. 　　

 Around the magical spring, dozens of flower species such as lavender, coreopsis, agastache rugosa, coreopsis, purple perilla, verbena, spiderflower, straw flower and marigold etc are planted, which forms a theme park of over 1300-mu area. In summer and autumn days, the lovely flowers emit secret fragrance, presenting a feast for your eyes.

In the Xian package tour, I encountered another magical thermal spring in Huaqing Pool, which has been the hot spring bath of Huaqing Palace in Tang Dynasty. 　　 　　 　　

Beijing: Autumn Scenery of Labagoumen National Forest Park

Short as it is, the autumn is always so charming and attractive. As a southerner, I am obsessed in the colorful autumn in north China. Although the autumn is declining, and I can’t go further north to appreciate the autumn of the northland, the oil painting-like autumn scenery in the remote mountains of Beijing still can play upon my heart and make me crazy. This Beijing Xian tour really left me a deep impression.

In the late Oct when the winter is coming, Beijing has entered late autumn. Strolling casually into the mountains in suburbs of Beijing, you will encounter a golden and ruddy red fairy land. Walking among the forest, you can see the wax-like yellow oak trees, snow-like white birches, the ocean-deep blue sky and brocade-like deciduous leaves etc — all the world in your eyes are beyond description. The autumn remains bustling, but always would be bleak.

The fallen leaves are dancing under the sunlight, shining as a golden vortex.
Actually, traveling in Xian, there are also many beautiful sceneries in the suburbs, such as the Taiping National Forest Park, the Louguantai National Forest Park etc.

Beijing: Jinding Lake

Having been busy in the work, I am eager to go to some salubrious places. As the water source of Beijing, Miyun not only possesses Miyun Reservoir, but also has many small-scale ones, where has no too many tourists, but clear water and blue sky still can be seen. One of the places is Shachang Reservoir. If you are planing a Beijing Xian package tour, Jinding Lake a good place to visit.

Located in the east of Shachang Village in lower reaches of Hongmenchuan River, Miyun County, Beijing, Shachang Reservoir is also named Jinding Lake. Completed in May, 1973, the total storage capacity of the reservoir is 21,200,000 square kilometers and the normal surface area is 426,000 square kilometers. It charges the 128 square kilometer watershed of the upper reaches of Hongmenchuan River.

People who are familiar with Shachang Reservoir mostly like fishing. The cage mariculture is used here, therefore the species of fish is diverse. Start from Beijing and drive along Beijing-Chengde expressway, and drive off at exit 9, and then turn right at a T-crossing road for around 1 kilometer, and then turn left at another T-junction, after passing by Shayang Village, you will arrive at the Jinding Lake. Drive careful on the undulating, cratered ground.

The Sun at 6 pm is still shining and dazzling, the lake ripples with the gentle breeze, glittering and sparkling. During my last Xian one day tour, I went to the Qujiang Lake, which is also very eye-catching and popular in Xian.

Beijing: Tian’anmen Square

On December 14, 2011, I set off from Tian’anmen Square and headed for Zhengyang Gate, watchtower, and took the photos of Qianmen Street.

Unfortunately, the light did not turn on in the turret, Shenwu Gate and the Meridian Gate. I had to change my way to the Tian’anmen Square, because only the night lamps here are open as normal as well. Waiting for the moonrise is full of fun.

The Zhengyang Gate is always in darkness. Since the complete of the watchtower in the Zhengyang Gate, it has been the symbol of ancient Beijing.

Viewing the Qianmen Street from the door opening of the watchtower is quite interesting. This is the only one gate that sets the door opening of watchtower among all the nine gates in inner city, which is specially built for the emperor and the empress’s sedan. Standing on the stone road, you are always reminded of the remote past history — the place where you stand on is rightly the royal way for ancient emperors’ outgoing, and the door of the watchtower is only open when the emperor needed to go out the the city. All the collapsed and faulted slabstone had witnessed the vicissitudes of the history. The slabstone is still as it was, but ahead of which is totally another modern commercial street.

The night scene of the Tian’anmen Square is very spectacular. If you are planing a Beijing to Xian tour, then you’d better come here at night, just for advice. Actually, when you have a xian tour another great city wall will present you a more profound history.