CHINA DAILY JUNE 11-13, 2010 yanqingspecial M3 Escape the busy crowds of central

By ZHANG JIAWEI Ice Lantern Festival are dif- ferent, but the core attraction Yanqing county, in the of the festival – a huge ice fall northwest of Beijing, allows stretching from the top of a you to fi nd some space away 70-m high dam – remains from the city’s crowds. every year. Unlike most of the scenic In the summer, the valley, spots in the city’s downtown where the average tempera- area, you have the chance to ture is 6 degrees Celsius lower enjoy a different experience than that in Beijing’s down- by visiting the Great Wall, town area, is a good place for climbing the mountains, and people to shield themselves breathing some fresh air. from the heat. The Jiguan Mountain (or Great Wall Cockscomb Mountain), Badaling is said to be the Shenxian Yard and Baihua most important part of China’s Cave, provide opportunities Great Wall, dating from the for people to climb the moun- Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). tains, play in the water and see With an average elevation of diff erent kinds of plants. 1015 m, the Badaling section of the Great Wall is the front Gui River gate of the Juyong Pass, and Th e Gui River is considered a place of vital importance in one of the top among the China’s military history. Th e major scenic spots in Yanq- place was where Li Zicheng, ing. a farmer rebel leader, entered Emperors of the Jin and Beijing and brought about Yuan dynasties were said to the fall of the Ming dynasty. be addicted to the beauty of It was also the place that the river, and in the Ming allowed Empress Cixi of the and Qing dynasties the river People in Yanqing traditionally go to the Dragon Boat Temple Fair and the Dragon Boat Culture Festival is held in the county. Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) became a popular place for to escape during the Eight- poets, and praised the scenery Power Allied Forces’ invasion in their poems. of Beijing. With a length of eight km, The wall is made up of people can float down the stones, with the single longest river in a small boat and enjoy one being 3.1 m and weigh- the scenery along the way. Tourists stream to Yanqing ing between 1.5 and 1.7 tons, Drift ing on the river is avail- showing the real feat accom- able only on weekends during By XIA HUAN residents arrived from outside Yanqing. Many place names in 1,000 real samples and more 16. Th ere will be 20 events of plished by people in ancient mid April and mid October, the county between 1403 and Yanqing start with Gui. than 500 photos in its six seven categories. During the times when there were no and on May Day and China’s Yanqing local government 1424. Thus, Yanqing has a In September 2008, the halls, making it an ideal place festival, the townships of Yan- machines. National Day holidays. has been making efforts to unique regional culture. local government of Yanqing to learn about Guichuan Cul- qing, Badaling, Jingzhuang The Badaling section of Th e recommended visiting enhance the region’s image Yanqing used to be under invested more than 200 mil- ture. It has received more than and Qianjia will hold Dragon the Great Wall has 43 simi- time of the Gui River is from and boost socio-economic the jurisdiction of Guizhou lion yuan to build a complex 50,000 visitors since it opened Boat activities according to lar stone towers. Most are May 1 to mid October. development. Th ese seem to county, Guichuan prefecture in an area of 30,000 sq m that in 2008. their own customs. two-story buildings with have paid off as the area is and Guichuan county. Accord- includes a museum, library, Yanqing has a distinctive The Badaling section of the height, length and width Guyaju cave complex now attracting people from ing to scholars, the unique culture gallery and bookstore. cuisine. Many people in the Great Wall is the most all 10 m. Ancient soldiers A total of 147 caves on the far and wide. Chinese character Gui is one The museum covers an Beijing would mention the famous site within Yanqing. could not only sleep there in sheer cliff face of a peaceful Historically, Yanqing lies of the oldest family names area of 6,100 sq m, the larg- “heated plate tofu banquet” During the past three years, the night, but could also use gorge are in Zhangshanying at the junction of the cen- recorded in the ancient books est county-level museum in at Liugou Village in Yanqing. the number of tourists has them to store their personal town of Yanqing, 90 km north tral plain farm culture and in China. Th e Guihe River is the suburbs of Beijing. The Statistics indicate that the vil- soared, rising from around 5 materials. of downtown Beijing. nomadic culture. Most of its known as the mother river of museum displays more than lage has received more than million to more than 6 mil- Th e opening times are 6:30 Th ere is no written record 1.9 million visitors since the lion each year. am to 7:00 pm in the summer of the origin or history of the fall of 2003. Yanqing is the only county and 7:00 am to 6:00 pm in the Guyaju caves, which are a hon- Yanqing has published a with most of its area outside winter. Th e ticket price is 45 eycomb of rooms of diff erent book, about ancient Guichuan the Great Wall. Yanqing is yuan from April 1 to October shapes and sizes outfi tted with culture called Cultural Rel- also the hometown of the 31 and 40 yuan from Novem- doors, windows, kitchens and ics in Yanqing, and will soon Great Wall for parts of the wall ber 1 to March 31. Students closets carved from stone. publish another book called originating from fi ve diff erent pay half price on presenta- Some of the quadrangular Culture History in Yanqing. eras, with different features tion of their valid certifi cates. rooms, ranging from 3 to 20 People in Yanqing have exist in the one area making Electronic guides are also sq m in size, are interlinked a tradition of going to the Yanqing a natural museum of provided. with vertical passages, while Dragon Boat Temple Fair. the ancient Great Wall. horizontal passages connect In 2004, Yanqing hosted a Beginning from 2006, Yan- Longqing Valley others. Some of the “houses” Dragon Boat Race at the Gui- qing reinforced and repaired Th e Longqing Valley, reput- feature two to three rooms, shui River, which fetched great the section from No. 7 to No. ed as the “Little Th ree Gorges,” while others only have a single attention from both inside and 16 towers in the southern part makes a good day trip. compartment. outside the county. and in 2008, it reinforced A 119-sq-km reservoir Any characters or murals In May 2006, the fi rst Yan- the section from number 13 allows visitors to take a boat that might have once covered qing Dragon Boat Culture to number 19 towers in the to visit the valley in the sum- the walls of the dwellings have Festival took place by the northern part. As a part of mer and autumn. In the cold vanished, leaving historians to Guishui River. The festival its eff orts to protect the Great winter, the annual Ice Lantern scratch their heads about who has now been held four times. Wall, Yanqing government Festival featuring myriad had lived here and when. Last year 20 dragon boat teams will sign a responsibility let- attractions, including out- Some believe they were built competed at the event. ter for protection of the Great door ice lantern shows and in the Tang Dynasty (618- Th is year, Yanqing Dragon Wall in Yanqing with the an international ice and snow 907), while others contend it Boat Culture Festival will be counties and townships along sculpture contest, are held. was during the The Longqing Valley makes a good day trip in the summer and autumn. held between June 13 and the Great Wall every year. The themes of each year’s (916-1125).