Why can it attract a large number of tourists?, Beijing, a lake as large as West Lake in Hangzhou
On September 2nd and 3rd, the Jinhai Lake scenic area in Beijing still welcomed a large number of tourists on weekends. On the spacious lake surface, there were large sailboats with high sails, electric scooters and scooters drifting slowly, as well as fleeting speedboats. In the distance, screams could be heard from time to time, as tourists were playing thrilling bungee jumping.
The sawtooth cliff of Jinhai Lake.
Jinhai Lake is located 85 kilometers east of Beijing and is a national 4A level scenic spot. It is named after Dajin Mountain to the north and Haizi Village to the south. According to the Pinggu County Annals, in the 18th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty, an earthquake occurred in the Sanhe area of Pinggu, and after the earthquake, the Qianhe Canyon was formed. 泃 River is the largest river in Pinggu, with its source in Xinglong, Hebei Province. It flows through Huangyaguan in Jixian County, Tianjin and enters Pinggu. In 1959, the country decided to build a reservoir in the Zhuhe Canyon. After a continuation in 1968 and an expansion in 1974, the current Jinhai Lake was finally formed, and the Zhuhe River eventually flowed into Jinhai Lake here. Jinhai Lake has become the third largest reservoir in Beijing, and its birth process can be described as "a high gorge leading to a flat lake.".
The water area is the same as West Lake in Hangzhou
Wang Lijuan, Deputy General Manager of the Scenic Area, introduced that the water area of Jinhai Lake is 6.5 square kilometers, the same size as West Lake in Hangzhou, with a depth of 30-40 meters. In Beijing, the largest Miyun Reservoir and the second largest Guanting Reservoir are water sources that cannot be used for tourism and are not open to the public. As a result, Jinhai Lake has become the largest comprehensive water entertainment venue in terms of water area. Moreover, in recent years, through continuous governance and strengthened management, the water quality of Jinhai Lake has been consistently higher than the standard for Class 2 surface water bodies, and the ecological environment is getting better and better. Located at the junction of the three provinces and cities of Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei, known as the "Little Beidaihe", the beautiful scenery of mountains and lakes attracts tourists from all over the world.
"In a few days, Jinhai Lake will become even more beautiful," said Wang Lijuan. Every autumn, the mountains and fields around Jinhai Lake are covered with red and yellow leaves. In recent years, the "Colored Leaf Afforestation Project" has been implemented, which not only cultivates yellow and red coggygria, but also new varieties such as red leaved toon, yellow golden locust, and torch, totaling more than 20000 acres. "Colored leaves stretch for more than ten miles, reflecting against the shimmering lake water, forming perfect mountain and water scenic lines that captivate people."
Scenery of the small island of Jinhai Lake.
In December 2022, people were once again pleasantly surprised to discover that the white tailed sea eagle, a nationally protected animal known as the "aerial tiger," had arrived in a family of four and settled down in Jinhai Lake for the winter. On February 27th this year, seven or eight families consisting of over 30 swans once again visited Jinhai Lake.
In fact, Jinhai Lake has become a wintering or resting place for various migratory birds for many years due to its good water quality, abundant food, and safe environment. Not only the white tailed eagle and swan, but also wild animals such as the mallard, mermaid, and seagull often visit Jinhai Lake. The white tailed sea eagle comes from the Siberian region of Russia. From December to March of the following year, it will fly to Jinhai Lake for a "parade", and then fly to Siberia through Hunchun, Jilin after the start of spring. This type of raptor has a body length of 84-91 centimeters, and the adult bird is generally dark brown in color. The feathers on the back neck and chest are long and lanceolate. The mouth and feet are both yellow, and the tail feathers are pure white. They fly over Jinhai Lake in winter, which is also a attraction for tourists.
Tang Hailong, Secretary of the Pinggu District Committee, told reporters that green mountains and clear waters are like mountains of gold and silver, which is also the background of Pinggu with high forest and grass coverage.
Humanistic landscape embellishments behind mountain dams
As a famous leisure tourism destination in Beijing, Jinhai Lake also boasts many cultural landscapes. As soon as you enter the scenic area, you will find a large and lush green grassland surrounded by tall locust and poplar trees. The dense leaves block the scorching sunlight, and the light pours down from the leaves, creating a comfortable and poetic scenery. No wonder there are multiple grassland concerts organized here every year.
The world's largest dam body is painted.
Behind the grassland is the dam of Jinhai Lake, with a main dam height of 40.5 meters and a length of 1500 meters. There are five gates in the middle, and when the water level reaches a certain limit, the gates must be lifted to release water. There is a pavilion and corridor built on the top of the main dam, second only in length to the long corridor of the Summer Palace in Beijing. On the outside of the main dam, there is a large portrait of the artistic master Picasso, who is touching his forehead with one hand and looking at the tourists on the lawn. This is the most certified dam body painting work by Shanghai Grand World Guinness, with a scale of 35000 square meters. At that time, more than a hundred painters used representatives of Picasso's various periods as elements to complete the world's largest dam body painting over a month. The strong abstract art style immediately attracted countless tourists to come forward and take photos.
There is a pavilion built on the Jinhai Lake Cruise Terminal, magnificent and brightly colored. This is not an ordinary pavilion for people to rest, but a part of the Jifu Ancestral Philosophy Temple organized and built by the famous Qing Dynasty official Zhang Zhidong. This temple was built during the Guangxu period and was originally located in Xuanwu District. On May 16, 1985, the immortal hall inside the temple was relocated to this place.
Next to the reservoir gate, there is a statue of Princess Jinhua, the youngest daughter of King Zhangzong, riding a horse. According to the historical records of the Jin Dynasty, the Jinhai Lake area was a royal hunting ground during the Jin Dynasty. The young Princess Jinhua came here with her father to hunt and saw an animal being shot. She turned around to hide her face and cry, but accidentally fell under a red stone cliff when she turned around. Her father and Empress Dowager were very sad, and ordered someone to dig a hole in the mountain and hang her coffin here with four copper rings. This is the famous Jinjing Jade Burial.
Across the sea from the tomb of Princess Jinhua is a mountain pavilion called Wanghai Pavilion. The pavilion is hexagonal in shape and built of the Taihu Lake Lake stones. Three pairs of couplets are embedded on the stone columns in the pavilion, which were written by modern calligraphers and painters Wu Changshuo, Shen Sifu and Wang Zhen.
Between the Wanghai Pavilion and the Tomb of Princess Jinhua, there are two steel wire ropes. This is the route that Prince Adili took in 2002 to challenge the Guinness World Record for High Altitude Survival. The steel wire is 416 meters long, and Adili survived on it for 25 days, with three of them performing to the public. Now, these two steel wires have become a sliding rope project in the Jinhai Lake scenic area, and tourists occasionally come to experience it.
Wang Lijuan pointed to the Wanghai Pavilion and said that the cliff where the Wanghai Pavilion is located is called the Sacrifice Cliff, which comes from a heroic story that is both singing and crying. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, one day, dozens of Japanese devils arrived at Haizi Village and forcibly drove hundreds of villagers to one place, forcing them to reveal the military supplies and the hiding places of the wounded and sick in the 14th Military Region of the Eighth Route Army, otherwise they would be shot and killed. Village chief Wang Rang brought these devils to this half cliff in order to rescue the hostages. Suddenly, he hugged a ghost next to him and jumped off the cliff. Later generations named it Sacrifice Cliff in memory of him.
Visiting the lake and singing happily on Qideng Island
The reporter took a boat tour of Jinhai Lake and saw a tower on an island in the lake that was quite unique from a distance. It stood tall and elegant, with four transparent bodies and distinct tower columns, standing on a gentle ridge that was particularly eye-catching. The staff of the scenic area introduced that this is a unique "transparent tower" in the world, called the Huguang Tower, which is octagonal in shape and has a single eave. The tower has 7 floors and 25 meters in height, with 72 steps, 56 wind chimes, and 168 animal heads. From any angle of the tower, one can see all directions.
The world's unique "transparent tower".
At the lakeside of the small island, several fishing enthusiasts are leisurely working. Originally, they were organized by the fishing association to land on the island in batches, bringing tents and simple cooking utensils. When they were thirsty, they boiled the lake water to drink, and when they were hungry, they cooked the fish. They stayed for two or three days or even longer. It's really amazing to be a Tachi person.
Through the ingenuity of nature and artificial construction, Jinhai Lake is surrounded by mountains on three sides. The lake is divided into an inner lake and an outer lake, with the boundary line being Hengshan, which is immersed in the lake. There is a saying that "the beauty of the garden lies in one lake, and the beauty of the lake lies in Hengshan.". The reporter passed by Hengshan by boat and was attracted by its strange mountain shape. The peaks on its side are like serrations, arranged in nearly 90 degree vertical faults, stretching for hundreds of meters. This is different from the typical mountain side shape that we usually see, which is mostly a transverse layer. After listening, the staff smiled and answered, and the locals called Hengshan Sawtooth Cliff.
The staff member also pointed to the Hengshan water level line and said that there are two naturally formed small holes at the highest point of the water level line, which are commonly called Tongtian Cave because standing at the entrance of the cave, one can see a line of sky, and this section of the mountain is hollow. At the top of Hengshan Mountain, there is a large cave connected to these two Tongtian caves. When it rains heavily, rainwater washes into the large cave and directly flows into Jinhai Lake from these two small caves. Such a magical natural structure, unfortunately the reporter didn't have time to climb the mountain and appreciate it.
The outdoor infinity pool on the island.
The boatman took up the topic and said that the main peak of Hengshan is like a camel lying on the mountaintop. According to legend, during the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, a camel caravan passed through this area and suddenly collapsed, burying the massive camel caravan in an instant. Only one camel survived, but its four legs were tightly clamped in stone crevices and could not move. Over time, this formed the current camel hump. As the sun sets in the west, if you go boating on the east side of Hengshan, you will see the beautiful scenery of "camel hump sunset".
During the conversation, the boat arrived at the dock, and tourists enthusiastically climbed onto the island to play. This is another fun spot in the Jinhai Lake scenic area, with European style hotels, stylish outdoor infinity pools, and a variety of coffee shops. Surrounded by lakes, forests, and grasslands, the island appears even greener against the backdrop of blue sky and white clouds. There are amusement facilities such as swings, slides, and trails on the grassland, as well as some small animals. Various flowers are blooming around, and parents and children are basking in the warm autumn sun, exercising and laughing. There are also those sitting on chairs quietly gazing into the distance, whether they are happy or comfortable.
