Guojia Gou Scenic Area is located in Guojia Village, Xiaying Town, Jizhou District, Tianjin. It is the first rural national 4A-level tourist attraction in Tianjin and enjoys the reputation of "Jibei Water Village, Sleepless Town in the Mountains." The scenic area is characterized by combining the appearance of a northern mountain village with waterside scenery. It is nestled by mountains and water, with mountains and lakes accompanying each other. Surrounded by mountains, streams flow through the village, forming a unique landscape of "village in the forest, courtyards in the scenery, people in the painting." The buildings in the scenic area are based on traditional northern dwellings and incorporate modern design elements. There are currently more than 40 distinctive homestays and farmhouses, accommodating 1,000 people at the same time. Some homestay courtyards cover an area of about 200-500 square meters. The scenic area covers a total area of about 1.2 square kilometers and includes functions such as pastoral sightseeing, parent-child entertainment, and leisure vacation. It is a well-known rural tourism destination in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
Historical Culture
The history of Guojia Gou Village can be traced back to the Qing Dynasty. It was named after the Guo and Ma families, who were the earliest settlers there. In the past, it was a poor mountain village with poor transportation for a long time. At the end of the 20th century, the per capita annual income was less than 1,000 yuan, and the per capita arable land area was only 0.8 mu. Because it is located in the deep mountainous area of northern Jizhou, villagers mainly made a living by planting fruit trees and traditional farming, and economic development was slow.
In 2012, Jizhou District launched the construction of a boutique rural tourism village. Guojia Gou seized the opportunity and, relying on its mountain and water resources, carried out renovation with the positioning of a "northern water village," unified the planning of residential buildings, roads, and water landscape, and standardized farmhouse operations. Starting in 2013, the village was successively awarded honors such as "National Beautiful Village" and "China Human Settlements Example Award." In 2022, it was officially promoted to a national 4A-level scenic area, completing its transformation from a poor village to a tourism demonstration village.
The scenic area deeply explores local culture, compiles and publishes books such as "The Story of Guojia Gou" and "A Brief Record of the Development of Guojia Gou Village," and builds a village history exhibition hall to show the course of the village's changes. At the same time, it preserves traditional farming techniques, paper-cutting, weaving, and other folk cultures. Through scenes such as Guoma Old Street, it restores the life scenes of northern mountain villages, allowing tourists to feel the inheritance and development of rural culture.
Main Attractions
Rainbow Flower Sea
Rainbow Flower Sea is located in the central part of the scenic area and covers an area of about 50 mu. It is planted with various flowers such as cosmos, zinnia, and sulfur cosmos, forming a colorful flower sea landscape. Inside the flower sea, there is a sightseeing train track about 1.2 kilometers long. Tourists can ride a retro mini train through it. The flowering period lasts from May to October each year, making it a popular spot for photos in spring and summer.
Guoma Old Street
Guoma Old Street is the core cultural block of the scenic area, with a total length of 280 meters and a width of 6 meters. Both sides of the street are buildings imitating northern dwellings of the Qing Dynasty, with a total of 32 shops. The old street concentrates the display of traditional handicrafts, specialty snacks, and folk culture of the Jizhou area, such as paper-cutting, straw weaving, and Jizhou clay figurines. Among them, time-honored shops such as "Guojia Gou Old Vinegar" and "Ma Family Pickles" have a history of a hundred years, reproducing the lively scene of old mountain village markets.
Swan Lake and Koi Pond
Swan Lake covers an area of about 8,000 square meters, with an average water depth of 2.5 meters. It is stocked with 12 mute swans and various ornamental fish. The Koi Pond adjacent to Swan Lake covers an area of about 2,000 square meters and raises more than 500 koi of varieties such as Kohaku and Taisho Sanke. Wooden boardwalks and viewing pavilions are set up around the two water areas, with a total area of about 1,500 square meters, making them excellent places for leisure and sightseeing.
Jungle Roller Coaster
The Jungle Roller Coaster is located in the mountain forest area in the western part of the scenic area. The track is 880 meters long, with a maximum drop of 30 meters and a designed speed of 30 kilometers per hour. The roller coaster runs through pine and oak forests throughout the entire ride, with 3 sharp turns and 2 dive sections. It adopts a non-powered gravity-driven mode, has a high safety factor, and is suitable for visitors taller than 1.2 meters. The entire experience takes about 3 minutes.
Forest Light and Shadow Park
Forest Light and Shadow Park is a nighttime specialty project of the scenic area, located in the eastern woodland and covering an area of about 15,000 square meters. Through technologies such as light projection and interactive installations, it creates 12 themed scenes such as "Firefly Forest," "Starry Sky Tunnel," and "Gate of Time," paired with a sound system to create an immersive experience. The opening hours in summer are 19:30-22:00, and in winter 18:30-21:00. A separate experience ticket is required.
Food
Braised Free-Range Chicken with Mushrooms
Braised free-range chicken with mushrooms is a signature dish of the farmhouses in the scenic area. It is made with locally free-range chickens raised for more than 180 days, stewed with wild hazel mushrooms. Each chicken weighs about 1.5-2 kilograms, and the stewing time is no less than 90 minutes. Simple seasonings such as ginger slices and Sichuan peppercorns are added to maintain the original flavor of the ingredients. The meat is firm and the soup is rich. One portion (about 600 grams) costs 68 yuan. It tastes even better when eaten with cornmeal pancakes.
Cai Tuanzi
Cai Tuanzi is a traditional northern farmhouse pasta. In the scenic area, the outer skin is made by mixing cornmeal and millet flour, and the filling is wild vegetables (mainly shepherd's purse and purslane) and minced pork belly. Each one weighs about 100 grams and is steamed in a traditional large iron pot. The texture is soft and slightly sweet. It costs 3 yuan each. Eating it with farmhouse-made fermented bean curd is a local classic way to enjoy it.
Jizhou Chestnut Braised Pork
This dish is made by braising local specialty Yanshan chestnuts (2-3 centimeters in diameter) with pork belly. The chestnuts are harvested from September to October each year and have a starchy, sweet flavor. In the dish, the ratio of chestnuts to pork belly is 1:1, and the braising time is 40 minutes. The color is bright red. One portion (about 500 grams) costs 58 yuan. It is a seasonal specialty dish in autumn.
Recommended Food Nearby
Within 3 kilometers of the scenic area, there are specialty restaurants such as "Shanli Renjia." Recommended dishes include "Fried Mountain Scorpion" (made with local non-venomous scorpions, crispy after frying, 58 yuan per portion) and "Reservoir Stewed Fish" (using live fish from Yuqiao Reservoir, weighing about 2.5 kilograms, stewed with tofu, 128 yuan per portion). Xiaying Town, 10 kilometers away from the scenic area, has many shops selling "Jizhou Walnuts." The average single walnut weighs 12 grams, and the price is about 30 yuan per jin.
Tickets：
Tickets are 60 yuan per person.
You can search for the official WeChat public account "Guojia Gou Scenic Area" to get the latest updates or buy tickets online.
Opening Hours：
The scenic area is open all year round, and daily opening hours are adjusted according to the season: from April to October, 8:00-18:00 (last entry at 17:30); from November to March of the following year, 8:30-17:00 (last entry at 16:30). Opening hours for Forest Light and Shadow Park: from May to September, 19:30-22:00 (last entry at 21:30); from October to April of the following year, 18:30-21:00 (last entry at 20:30). Every year from New Year's Eve to the second day of the first lunar month, some amusement projects are suspended, and the scenic area's opening hours are shortened to 9:00-16:00.
Tour Route：
Recommended one-day tour route: arrive at the scenic area at 8:30 a.m. and first visit Guoma Old Street (40 minutes) to experience folk culture; at 9:10 head to Swan Lake and Koi Pond (30 minutes) for photos and sightseeing; at 9:40 experience the Jungle Roller Coaster (about 1 hour including queuing); at 10:40 go to Rainbow Flower Sea to ride the mini train (40 minutes); at 11:20 go to a farmhouse for lunch (1.5 hours). In the afternoon, at 13:00 visit the Pet Park (40 minutes); at 13:40 go to the Non-Powered Climbing Park (1 hour); at 14:40 buy souvenirs at Guoma Old Street (50 minutes); at 15:30 go to Westwood Tent Camp to rest and enjoy the scenery (1 hour); at 16:30 end the tour. If experiencing nighttime projects, the itinerary can be adjusted: enter Forest Light and Shadow Park at 18:30 (1.5 hours), and return after 19:30. For a two-day tour, you can add the water park experience and surrounding orchard picking activities the next morning.
Transportation：
Self-driving: Starting from downtown Tianjin, drive about 100 kilometers along the Jinji Expressway (S1), exit from the Jizhou Station exit, and drive 25 kilometers along Beihuan Road, Jinwei North Second Line, and Maying Highway to arrive. The whole journey takes about 2 hours and 10 minutes. The scenic area parking lot charges 5 yuan per hour, with a daily cap of 20 yuan.
Long-distance bus: Take a bus to Jizhou at the long-distance bus station at the rear square of Tianjin Station (one bus every 30 minutes, fare 30 yuan). After arriving at Jizhou Passenger Transport Station, transfer to Jizhou Bus No. 29 (toward Guojia Gou), get off at Guojia Gou Station, and walk 500 meters to arrive. The whole journey takes about 3 hours, and the bus fare is 6 yuan.
Tourist line: Tianjin Tourist Distribution Center (south square of Tianjin Station) has a direct tourist line to Guojia Gou. It departs every Saturday and Sunday, departing at 8:00 and returning at 16:30. The round-trip fare is 80 yuan, including scenic area tickets, and must be booked one day in advance.
Taxi: Taking a taxi from Jizhou Passenger Transport Station to the scenic area takes about 40 minutes and costs about 50 yuan; taking a taxi from Jizhou North Station takes about 35 minutes and costs about 45 yuan.
Must-Play Attractions：
Jungle Roller Coaster: The track is 880 meters long, with a maximum drop of 30 meters. It is non-powered and shuttles through the mountain forest, offering the thrill of a speed of 30 kilometers per hour. It is suitable for tourists seeking mild adventure. The experience time is about 3 minutes.
Forest Light and Shadow Park: A 15,000-square-meter forest light show with 12 themed scenes, combined with sound effects to create an immersive experience. It is open from 19:30 to 22:00 in summer and is a landmark nighttime project of the scenic area. A separate ticket is required.
Guoma Old Street: A 280-meter-long folk culture street with 32 specialty shops. Century-old time-honored brands and traditional handicrafts are concentrated here. Visitors can experience paper-cutting, taste specialty snacks, and feel the market culture of northern mountain villages.
Rainbow Flower Sea: A 50-mu flower sea landscape with a 1.2-kilometer sightseeing train track. The flowering period is from May to October. It is colorful and a popular choice for photos and parent-child play. The mini train experience lasts about 20 minutes.
Travel Tips：
Suggested visit time: A one-day tour can be arranged for 6-8 hours. For in-depth travel, a two-day tour is recommended, allowing you to experience nighttime projects and surrounding picking.
Best season to visit: April-May (flower sea begins to bloom), September-October (chestnut harvest), with cool weather suitable for outdoor activities; in summer, you can experience water projects and nighttime light shows.
Dining suggestions: The per capita consumption at farmhouses in the scenic area is about 50-60 yuan. It is recommended to book by phone in advance (for example, "Guojia Dayuan" requires booking 2 hours in advance), and you can request a window seat to enjoy the mountain view.
Accommodation suggestions: Homestay prices in the scenic area are 300-600 yuan per night (including breakfast). Weekends and holidays require booking 3-5 days in advance. "Xiyu Homestay," "Shanshe Inn," and others can provide barbecue areas.
Shopping suggestions: The best time to buy Jizhou chestnuts is September-October. The "Lixiangyuan" shop in the scenic area can roast them on site. The price is 35 yuan per jin, and vacuum packaging is supported (an additional 5 yuan per bag is required).
Notes：
Some sections in the scenic area are stone-paved roads. It is recommended to wear non-slip sports shoes. There are many mosquitoes in the jungle area, so mosquito repellent can be carried.
The Jungle Roller Coaster has strict height requirements. Children under 1.2 meters and elderly people over 60 years old are prohibited from riding. Before experiencing it, please read the safety instructions carefully.
The lighting in Forest Light and Shadow Park is dim. Visitors with children need to watch them carefully and avoid entering unopened forest areas.
When dining at farmhouses, pay attention to food allergy warnings, especially for wild mushroom dishes. Before eating, you can confirm the types of ingredients with the shop.
Pets are prohibited from entering the core tour area of the scenic area. Pets can be boarded at the temporary pet shelter at the entrance (20 yuan per hour).
Mountain areas may experience sudden showers in summer. It is recommended to carry rain gear. The scenic area has 6 rain shelters at places such as Guoma Old Street and Swan Lake.