Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and outdoor skating zones, which you can skate, rollerblade, or freestyle on. The main
drawback is the distance from the inner city. To get down here, take Line 4 down to Qingy-
uanlu on the Daxing section (exit A). About 200 meters (656 feet) north from here, take bus
841 to Xingminghu Resort (
星明湖度假村
).
Fangshan sits in Beijing's southwesternmost corner, and from the city center is a bit of a
trek to get to. Depending on where you're headed, it could easily take around two hours to
get there. It covers 1,990 square kilometers (768 square miles) of terrain, and within this
there are plains, numerous rivers, and mountains. At the last census the population within
the district was nearing 1 million people, living predominantly within several urban areas
across the district, such as Liangxiang and Zhoukoudian.
The region has a colorful mix of industries. Its fertile plains mean that much of it is ded-
icated to agriculture, but coal stores, minerals, and building form other major sources of
revenue. Though too far for the typical commuter, Fangshan has not avoided the govern-
ment's gaze, and as favorable policies turn Liangxiang into a bustling economic zone, the
diversity of Fangshan's resources is bound to broaden. Industries including everything from
electricity and textiles to printing and the animal industry have been highlighted as poten-
tial areas for development.
Fangshan has numerous scenic and historic sites. Rock climbers frequently head to
Shidu in the district's southwestern point to climb its craggy karst mountains. Many routes
are already well established, and climbing groups, such as Beijing Climbing Club, make
dedicated trips down here. In addition, Shidu is a leisure spot for local tourists who want
to frolic in boats or throw themselves off a bungee jump gangplank—the star attraction
of the location. There are various public buses to get down here and an infrequent train
from Beijing West Railway Station. You can also book yourself on to one of the tour buses
operated by the government, via the Beijing Hub of Tour Dispatch (tel. 10/8353-1111,
www.bjlyjszx.com/english
)
. These buses run only on weekends, so forget being able to
avoid the crowd.
Other attractions to keep on the radar out this way include the World Heritage-listed
Peking Man Site. This is the site upon which fossils of more than 40 hominids and thousand
of artifacts were found, some of which were believed to have been around 750,000 years
old. And though the majority of relics in the collection went AWOL around the time of the
Japanese occupation, various items and molds still remain, which some still argue makes
it an interesting day out. The limestone earth in the district is also responsible for vari-
