Scientific Guide to Scenic Tourism Surrounding Beijing

Author: Lu Yunting / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1999-01-01
Features: The sound of lake water is a type of auditory aesthetic experience obtained while observing water. It is the sound of waves generated by water movement or the impact of water on the surrounding banks under climatic changes. This sound is rich in rhythm, clear and resonant, offering a unique sense of beauty. Generally, such ideal spots for enjoying the sound of waves are often found along natural lakes in mountainous areas, especially on steep shores with scattered rocks or natural grottoes. Under the influence of wind, the water strikes the rocky banks rhythmically, enters grottoes, and produces particularly pleasant sounds, with variations in pitch and crispness. If surrounded by dense pines and cedars, the combined sound of water splashing and pine rustling creates an even more exquisite auditory aesthetic experience. In the Beijing region, ideal spots for enjoying the sound of waves are primarily located in Miyun Reservoir, Yanqiu Lake, Jinhai Lake, Shachang Reservoir, and Yaotiao Valley Wuling Fairy Lake, among others. The aesthetic elements of these scenic lakes have added rich water landscape to the Beijing region. Most of Beijing's reservoirs, except for a few that serve as drinking water sources for urban and rural residents and cannot directly develop water-based tourism activities, can be used for developing water-based tourism, such as boating, diving, swimming, skydiving, and underwater activities. The areas around reservoirs can also be developed into health resorts.
2. Brief Introduction to Scenic Lakes Surrounding Beijing
The northwest region of Beijing is abundant in water sources, with lakes and marshes crisscrossing the area, offering excellent conditions for landscape gardening. Ancient feudal rulers once used these scenic lakes to build royal gardens. Historical records indicate that during the Liao and Jin dynasties, feudal rulers began to construct numerous imperial palaces and gardens along these clear, grassy lakes. By the Yuan and Ming dynasties, the western suburbs of the capital had developed into scenic tourist destinations. In the Qing Dynasty, construction projects were expanded, pushing the western suburbs to an unprecedented peak of garden prosperity. However, with the passage of time, vast changes occurred, and the natural lakes in the Beijing region gradually decreased in number. Some shrank significantly in size, while others disappeared entirely from the surface. For example, during the Liao and Jin dynasties, Yanfang Lake in the southern part of Tongzhou was a vast scenic lake covering hundreds of square kilometers, with abundant waterfowl, lotus, and reeds. Rulers would visit here annually for recreation, hunting, and entertainment, even establishing the county of Duyin in the lake area. Later, due to sediment deposition carried by rivers, the lake gradually shrank, splitting into four or five smaller lakes. By the Qing Dynasty's Qianlong era, these smaller lakes had dried up, leaving large low-lying areas. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the government vigorously addressed water issues, transforming foul water pits and drainage ditches in impoverished residential areas into lakes. With urban development and environmental beautification, and sandstone pits were also utilized to expand lakes. As a result, the city now has 30 lakes with a total water area of 9.74 square kilometers. Most of these lakes are located in urban areas. In the surrounding regions, lakes formed through a combination of natural and artificial means include Kunming Lake, Beizhan Hou Lake, Yuanmingyuan Lake, Shazi Pit, Shuidui Lake, Nanhuqu Lake, Anjialou Lake, and Yaowa Lake (see Table 8).
Kunming Lake in the Summer Palace is the largest natural lake in Beijing's suburban areas, later transformed through artificial modifications. During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, it was still the channel of the Yongding River. By the Western Zhou, the Yongding River shifted southward, and the area around Kunming Lake became an underground water overflow zone. Due to its low-lying terrain, it formed a lake, which then flowed into the present-day Qing River. At that time, dense reeds grew around the lake. Later, with the development of the working people, it became a landscape of rice fields, lotus, and reeds, with waterfowl and wading birds gathering. During the Jin Dynasty, to resolve the water source issues of the (Tonghui River), Kunming Lake and Yuquan Mountain water were diverted to the capital, marking the first time Kunming Lake was used for navigation. In the Yuan Dynasty, Kunming Lake was renamed Wenshan (Wenshan Lake), and to address the water needs of the grain transport system, it accepted water from Bai in Changping, forming a reservoir for Bai. In the early Ming Dynasty, Wenshan was renamed West Lake (also known as Qili and Dabo Lake). During the Qing Dynasty's Qianlong era, to develop imperial gardens and address grain transport needs, West Lake was extensively dredged, the eastern embankment was reinforced, and it was renamed Kunming Lake. Simultaneously, the scenic Qingyi Garden was constructed. Thus, Kunming Lake is one of the earliest scenic lakes utilized in Beijing's history, and its evolution reflects the capital's use of natural lake water landscapes.
In addition to Kunming Lake, other suburban scenic lakes such as Zizhu Yuan Lake, Yuanyuantan, Lotus Pond, Longtan Lake, and Taoranting Lake were also utilized. Today, these lakes are surrounded by residential areas, forming part of the city.
After the liberation, Beijing has built 85 large, medium, and small reservoirs, including four large ones (Miyun, Guanting, Huairou, and Haizi), 15 medium ones, and 66 small ones. With a total water storage capacity of 7.2 billion cubic meters, these reservoirs not only control over 75% of the mountainous river basins but also play a significant role in flood control, farmland irrigation, industrial water supply, power generation, aquaculture, and urban domestic water use. They also contribute to environmental beautification, microclimate modification, and tourism. Below are introductions to several scenic lakes and reservoirs in Beijing that serve as tourist backdrops and water-based activity venues:
Miyun Reservoir was built from September 1958 to September 1960. Located on the Chaobai River, it dams the Bai River and Chaobai River, serving comprehensive functions such as flood control, irrigation, power generation, aquaculture, and domestic water supply for Beijing and Tianjin. With a total storage capacity of 4.375 billion cubic meters and a corresponding water area of 188 square kilometers, the reservoir has two main dams (Bai River Main Dam and Chaobai River Main Dam) and five auxiliary dams (Beibaita, Zoumazhuang, Xishi'lao, Nanishi'lao, and Jiulongshan). It supplies 1 billion cubic meters of water annually to Beijing and Tianjin, primarily for domestic use. Therefore, it can only serve as a backdrop and landscape for tourism. In the past, this was not fully recognized. In 1982 and 1984, it was opened as a tourist destination, attracting 300,000, 600,000, and 1 million visitors annually for three consecutive years, resulting in certain water pollution. In 1985, the Beijing Municipal Government decided to close Miyun Reservoir to prevent further water-based tourism activities. Despite this, Miyun Reservoir still plays a significant role in the environmental image of tourism in northern Beijing. Many tourist attractions around the reservoir, such as Black Dragon Pool, Capital Falls, Yunfeng Mountain, Yunmeng Gorge, Taoyuan Fairy Lake, and Baiulong Pool, are developed with Miyun Reservoir as their scenic backdrop. Driving along the western side of the reservoir, visitors can see rows of green islands scattered across the clear and vast water surface, resembling a "northern thousand-island lake."
Guanting Reservoir is the first water dam in Beijing's history. It was constructed from October 1951 to May 1954 on the Shui Ding River in Huailai County, Hebei. It dams the Sangqian River, Yang River, and Gui River, forming a multi-functional reservoir with a storage capacity of 2.7 billion cubic meters and a corresponding water area of 265.42 square kilometers. Since its completion, it has ensured Beijing's safety, transforming the historical "undefined river" into the "Shui Ding River." It also supplies water for the capital's urban, industrial, and agricultural needs, as well as power generation. On average, it supplies 500 million cubic meters of water annually to Beijing, making significant contributions to the city's industrial production, agriculture, and environmental improvement. In recent years, some tourist resorts have been built along Guanting Reservoir, and tourist spots such as Yanqing Kangxi Grassland have also been developed. On weekends, Beijing residents often take trains to Guanting for fishing and recreation.
Haizi Reservoir was built from October 1959 to October 1960 on the Xun River in Haizi Village, Pinggu County. After expansion in 1974, its total storage capacity reached 118 million cubic meters, becoming a major reservoir for Pinggu County's industrial and agricultural water supply. In recent years, Pinggu County has developed the reservoir and its surrounding scenery into a tourist destination primarily focused on water sports, renaming it "Jinhai Lake Park." Main water-based entertainment activities include yachts, speed boats, water skydiving, water motorcycles, and water aerobatics. In 1990, China hosted the Asian Games, and the park built a water competition venue and corridor, including a 2,300-meter-long, 130-meter-wide channel for eight boats to compete.
Huairou Reservoir is located west of Huairou County and dams the Huaijiu River and Huasha River for flood control, irrigation, and domestic water supply in Beijing. It serves as a hub for the Jingmi Water Diversion and Distribution Project. Built from March to July 1958, it has a total storage capacity of 98 million cubic meters. Due to limitations in its water diversion function, water-based tourism activities have not been developed in the reservoir. However, the lush mountains on both sides of the reservoir have formed a scenic rest area for urban residents, with quiet pedestrian trails for leisurely walks, adding a beautiful and clean lakeside environment to Huairou County.
Baihe Reservoir is located on the main stem of the Bai River in Baihebu Village, Yanqing County. It was constructed from April 1982 to June 1983 with a total storage capacity of 90.6 million cubic meters, ranking fifth among Beijing's reservoirs. Due to its high altitude, it connects river basins, linking Guanting and Miyun Reservoirs, forming an important water conservancy hub for the rational allocation of the capital's water resources. Through the Baihe Water Diversion Project, it transports water via the Gui River to Guanting Reservoir, alleviating water demand for industries in western Beijing, such as power and steel, and irrigating farmland in Yanqing. It also replenishes Shiziling Reservoir with 0.4 billion cubic meters of water annually, making the Shiziling Scenic Area a truly mountain-and-water destination. Together with the Baihe Gorge scenery, it forms a promising landscape development corridor.
Shiziling Reservoir is located north of Changping County on the East Sha River, a tributary of the Qian River. It is a comprehensive water conservancy project built from January to July 1958 with a total storage capacity of 81 million cubic meters. It has now been developed into a tourist destination. The magnificent reservoir dam stands tall with several pavilions and towers. At the northern end of the dam, a newly developed Mangshan Forest Park and a reservoir memorial tower have been built. To the southwest of the dam, there is a grand Nine Dragon Amusement Park. The entire reservoir has become a major part of the Shiziling Scenic Area. Due to the small upstream replenishment area of Shiziling Reservoir, its storage capacity severely decreases during drought seasons. To enhance and maintain the mountain-and-water environment of Shiziling, a Baihe Reservoir Diversion Project was constructed in 1984, providing the reservoir with a more stable storage capacity. In recent years, the state has also invested in an intelligent water pumping station on the top of Mangshan, creating a massive "sky lake" on the mountain peak.