Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and those who want a little more excitement need only to keep on walking beyond the gen-
eral visiting area. Quaint restaurants and shops surround Mutianyu's base, and nearby sev-
eral businesses, including the Brickyard (
www.brickyardatmutianyu.com
)
and Red Capital
Ranch (
www.redcapitalclub.com.cn
), have also established getaways that aim to comple-
ment the surrounds rather than destroy them. These kinds of places are not only good for a
basic weekend away, they're a great option if you're looking for a venue in Beijing at which
to hold an event or special celebration.
If you do want to put on a birthday bash, stag party, or the like out in Huairou,
up the ante by camming up and firing off a few rounds of paintball at Senlimo
(
www.slmpaintball.com
)
, west of Beitaishang Reservoir. Alternatively, if winter has set in,
take the crowd to Huaibei International Ski Resort (
www.hbski.com
)
, in Huaibei town,
north of the Beitaishang Reservoir. One of the bigger ski fields in Beijing, it has two
advanced-level runs, an intermediate run, and four beginner runs, as well as the scenic ad-
vantage of being by the Great Wall.
To get out to Mutianyu Great Wall, take the 916 Express (916
快
) from inside the Dong-
zhimen long-distance bus station. At the final stop, Huairou Beidajie (
怀柔北大街
), change
to local bus 936
路支线
(Huairou-Dongtai,
怀柔至洞台
) and continue for another 18.6 kilo-
meters to Mutianyu.
Miyun county is the largest of all Beijing's counties and districts, with a landmass of 2,229
square kilometers (861 square miles), and within that just 468,000 residents. It's one of
Beijing's most picturesque areas, decorated by mountains, lakes, and farmland, not to men-
tion air that is dramatically cleaner than in the inner city. Getting out here usually takes
about a two-hour drive, or if by public transport it's a little longer and requires a bus to
Miyun township and then a taxi.
Naturally then, the reasons people do make their way to Miyun from the city are not
usually for work, but for recreation. It's to hike on wild or unrestored sections of the Great
Wall—such as along the spectacular and often vertigo-inducing Simatai and Jinshanling
passes—to visit the Miyun Reservoir (Beijing's main supply of water) or to hike around
Black Dragon Pond.
Rock climbers also find love in Miyun. The rocks rising up around Bai He (or White
River), on the west side of the Miyun Reservoir, are ideal for climbing climbing. Though
still relatively undeveloped as far as climbing locations can be, there are already many es-
tablished sport routes, as well as some traditional and aid climbs in the area. The rock is
