{"id":10753,"date":"2015-02-04T09:00:24","date_gmt":"2015-02-04T13:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/?p=10753"},"modified":"2015-01-29T04:27:18","modified_gmt":"2015-01-29T08:27:18","slug":"go-take-a-beijing-hike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/go-take-a-beijing-hike\/","title":{"rendered":"Go Take a (Beijing) Hike"},"content":{"rendered":"

While Chinese mega-cities are known for their air pollution, ridiculous traffic jams, and crowded streets, there’s a whole other world awaiting you outside in the far reaches of huge municipalities such as Beijing. Nature lovers will be happy to hear that it’s not all concrete jungle and smoggy skies in the Chinese capital; there are abundant opportunities for hiking through beautiful landscapes, even in Beijing. Those willing to put forth the effort are rewarded with blue (or at least blue-ish) skies, fresh air, and stunning views. In my many years of living and working in the Chinese capital, I made sure to get out of the city and go on hiking trips whenever my schedule permitted it. To give you an idea of the outdoor adventure opportunities in Beijing, here are some highlights from five of my favorite hikes:<\/p>\n

Five Great Towers<\/h1>\n

One of the first hikes I ever went on was this day trip with a group out to Miyun<\/strong> (\u5bc6\u4e91 – m\u00ec y\u00fan), a county in northeast Beijing. As this hike was done in the fall, there were still some shades of green, red, and orange in the hills. We hiked up to the top of the hill and walked along to visit the “Five Great Towers.” From the peak, we could clearly see the massive Miyun Reservoir, one of Beijing’s major water sources.<\/p>\n

\"Amazing

Amazing scenery out in the Beijing countryside.<\/p><\/div>\n

As this was the first time I had gotten out of the city center on such a day trip, I was amazed to see the natural beauty, experience the peace and quiet, and hike in the mountains – all the while still actually in Beijing. I may have been guilty of enjoying the city’s nightlife a bit too much to actually get up at a reasonable hour on the weekends, but after this trip I made a point to forego Friday night fun in favor of Saturday outings more often. There’s always a hike going on in Beijing, so there’s no excuse not to get out there once in a while.<\/p>\n

\"A

A great day trip from Beijing.<\/p><\/div>\n

A Small Mountain Village<\/h1>\n

One of the best\u00a0hikes I ever went on outside of Beijing was on a cool March morning to a small village out in the mountains northeast of the city. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that Beijing is actually surrounded by mountains – especially on those “crazy bad” pollution days – but they are. After driving on the highway for a while, our little bus had to bounce along a narrow dirt road for a while before we arrived at the entrance to the village. Happy to have some company (and a nice monetary donation), the villagers showed us around, fed us a delicious lunch, and even treated us to a Peking opera performance.<\/p>\n

\"A

A Peking opera show in the village.<\/p><\/div>\n

We quickly noticed that the average age of the villagers seemed to be about 60, so we asked where all the young people were. Our guide told us that most young people have left the village to find better work in the city, leaving mostly only the elders and a few small children behind. This has been a trend throughout China in recent years, and there are now more Chinese in cities than rural areas. Most of the villagers seemed excited to have visitors, and especially curious to have foreign ones. One particularly nice guy even passed around his ridiculously long pipe.<\/p>\n

\"Hanging

Hanging with the villagers.<\/p><\/div>\n

When it was time to move on, we bid farewell to our new friends and started hiking up the hill from the base of their village. Although it was still winter and the landscape was mostly brown, it was great to be out of the city, free of the honking horns and massive crowds of people.<\/p>\n

\"Leaving

Leaving the village on the way up.<\/p><\/div>\n

After about two hours of hiking, we arrived at a broken down watchtower. It turns out that this area outside of the village was once part of the Great Wall, and this tower is all that remains. Standing atop the tower, we enjoyed the views out across the mountains. Off in the distance, a crumbling section of the wall could be seen as well. Read more about this hike<\/a> in a post I wrote a while back.<\/p>\n

\"Heading

Heading up to the tower and enjoying the views.<\/p><\/div>\n

Yanqing County<\/h1>\n

Another awesome hiking trip I took with a group was out to Yanqing County<\/strong> (\u5ef6\u5e86\u53bf – y\u00e1n q\u00ecng xi\u00e0n) in the middle of the summer. It was sweltering in the concrete jungle, so we jumped at the opportunity to get out to the mountains for the day. There weren’t any watchtowers or any sights to visit on this hike, just nature.\u00a0Unlike tourist sights, where there’s almost always a staircase and at least one cable car – we simply followed our guide and no real path. It was a nice escape from the hustle and bustle of the city and the crowds found at scenic spots such as the Summer Palace.<\/p>\n

\"Yanqing

Yanqing County scenery.<\/p><\/div>\n

Hiking outside of Beijing is great for so many reasons – you get exercise, breath in the fresh(er) air, and meet plenty of cool people. Joining a hiking group for a day allows you to get to know people you may not otherwise run into in your usual social circles. Through the many hikes I’ve done in China, I’ve met so many amazing people from so many countries – this has definitely been one of the highlights of such trips.<\/p>\n

\"Nature

Nature and new friends.<\/p><\/div>\n

Shang Fang Shan<\/h1>\n

Another great day trip from Beijing is\u00a0Shangfangshan<\/strong> (\u4e0a\u65b9\u5c71 \u2013 sh\u00e0ng f\u0101ng sh\u0101n), located 70 km\u00a0southwest from the city in the similarly named Fangshan District. While the previous three trips were done with hiking groups, this scenic spot can easily be visited on your own. Hike up to the\u00a0860-meter (2,820 feet) peak, making plenty of stops along the way to take in the sights, such as ancient trees, exotic plants, and lots of Buddhist shrines. One drawback to this place is that it’s not exactly the “hiking” that you’re used to – this is the Chinese way, with hundreds and hundreds of stairs.<\/p>\n

\"Hiking

Hiking up Shangfangshan.<\/p><\/div>\n

Don’t be surprised if you run into some wildlife on your walk, as there are some naughty monkeys roaming about. You may even be blocked from walking through one gate by a donkey, as we were.<\/p>\n

\"Monkeys

Monkeys and donkeys.<\/p><\/div>\n

At the end of your long hike, you’ll come to\u00a0Cloud Water Cave<\/strong> (\u4e91\u6c34\u6d1e \u2013 y\u00fan shu\u01d0 d\u00f2ng). Inside ,you can admire the stalagmites and stalactites, which are all bathed in neon light in typical Chinese fashion. There are also a bunch of Buddhist statues, also illuminated in blue, green, and red. All in all, this is a great day trip from the city that makes for an entertaining and active outing.<\/p>\n

\"Yunshui

Yunshui Caves<\/p><\/div>\n

For more on visiting Shangfangshan and the caves, check out this post<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Fragrant Hills<\/h1>\n

One of the most popular places to go for a hike in Beijing are the Fragrant Hills<\/strong> (\u9999\u5c71 – xi\u0101ng sh\u0101n). This is especially true in the fall, when the leaves all change color and the hills are painted green, orange, red, and yellow. We made the trek out there one fall day, braved the crowds, took in the views, and then had an insane time trying to get back to the city. Should you choose to visit at this time of year, perhaps it’s better to arrange your own transportation or even cycle.<\/p>\n

\"See

See the city, see the zoo.<\/p><\/div>\n

Even when there are huge crowds at the hills, it’s not too hard to escape them; most Chinese folks are content with taking the cable car up and down and want nothing to do with the 2-3 hour hike. It’s possible to find quiet places to sit down, relax, and enjoy nature no matter when you visit. That being said, if you come a bit later in the fall or at other times of the year, you’ll find the place to be fairly empty. On a clear day, you can enjoy some of the best views of Beijing from here. After all that hiking, go ahead and take the cable car down – you’ve earned it!<\/p>\n

\"The

The Fragrant Hills<\/p><\/div>\n

For more of the Fragrant Hills, take a look at this video from a few years ago:<\/p>\n