Longqingxia Ravine

By china tour on 2009-12-17 17:01:00 | Beijing Tours

The Longqingxia Ravine is located, 85 kilo meters away form downtown, in the river mouth of Gucheng River 10 kilometers away from the Gucheng village in Yanqing County. It has been a local attraction since the Song Dynasty. The Emperor Renzong of Yuan Dynasty was born near here then he named this place Longqing Prefecture to commemorate his birthplace. This recreational site is part of the reservoir on the Gucheng River.
The reservoir was fiist built in 1973 and finished in 1981. The dam was built in 1981. The reservoir covers 119 square kilometers and can hold 8,500,000 stere water. From 1987, Longqingxia Ravine holds ice lantern festival annually with different themes so that people can enjoy beautiful ice lanrerns and sculptures. It's also a good skating resort. There are also many historical spots around which you can explore and have fun. Boats are available the rest of the year for tourists to view the natural scenes of the valley, which are inaccessible by other modes of travel. Some say the scenery can be compared to Lijiang in Guilin and the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River. There is a temple built in 1639 along the water's edge. At one time there were images of the founders of Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism there. Beside them is a famous pond, the bottom of which can be seen through clear water over one meter deep. There are nine old cypress trees on the cliff behind, one called the "magic king of trees" with its trunk extending way beyond the edge of the cliff. The only way to the ravine is by boat along the reservoir at the present time. It is possible to rent a tent and stay at the foot of the hill overnight. The next morning you can hike to Songshan Forest Park for a change of scene.