Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the Jingcheng Expressway. To get here by public transport, take the 980
快
(express) from
Dongzhimenwai, get off at Miyun Xi Daqiao (
密云西大桥
), then take a RMB20 taxi ride
the rest of the way.
Off to Beijing's far east, sheltered by Miyun in the north and Shunyi to its west, Pinggu
district is 950 square kilometers (367 square miles) and is home to 416,000 people. One
third of the land is a flat plain, and the remaining area is covered by mountains. Not much
happens out in this neck of the woods, besides peach or watermelon growing. Freeways are
sparse, the subway nonexistent, and there isn't a great deal on the government's agenda for
its development.
For now at least it remains a quiet escape, most accessible for those on four wheels. In
summer, Jinhai Lake, one of Beijing's biggest reservoirs, is a fun spot for water activities.
Rent a motorboat, an inflatable boat, a row boat, or a jet ski. It's a long drive out of town,
so to accommodate the visitors, a number of hotels have sprung up in the area together with
locals offering home-cooked meals. Stay overnight and watch the sun set over the lake and
the mass of fishing nets on the surface. The best time of year to come here is between April
and October. To get here by public transport, take the 918
支
from Dongzhimenwai and get
off at Jinhaihu (
金海湖
), about 80 minutes later.
Finally, this wouldn't be a rural district if it didn't have a ski resort, and for Pinggu that
is Yuyang International Ski Resort (
www.yuyangski.com.cn
)
. It has a 3,200-meter-long run
for advanced skiers and even a ski school for novices.
Tianjin is almost like a sister city to Beijing. It's not only a neighbor sharing borders along
sections of Daxing and Pinggu districts, but it also enjoys the same status as Beijing in that
it's a freestanding municipality answering directly to the central government rather than a
provincial government. The city has a long history of trade thanks to its geographical po-
sition and connections to water. Its eastern side runs along the Bohai Sea, and in its hey-
day, the Grand Canal cut right through the middle of the city on its way from Beijing to
