Gui River in Yanqing District, Beijing

Gui River in Yanqing District, Beijing

Chinese Name: 北京市延庆区妫水河
English Name: Guishui River  in Yanqing District, Beijing
Type: Natural senary
Best Time: April, May, September and October
Recommended Visiting Hours: 2 or 3 hours
Opening Hours: All day
Ticket: 100 RMB  per person
Location: Yanqing District, Beijing

More Picture

Brief Introduction

Guishui River is a tributary of Yongding River, a river in Beijing area. In Yanqing County(延庆县). Originated in Huanglongtan(黄龙潭)and Heilongtan(黑龙潭) of Shangmo Village(上磨村), Yongning Township(永宁乡), it flows into Guanting Reservoir from east to west. The total length is 18.5 kilometers, with an average annual runoff of 118 million cubic meters and a basin area of 1073.6 square kilometers. There are 8 tributaries on which Foyukou Reservoir and Gucheng Reservoir(佛峪口水库和古城水库) are built.

Yanqing, known in ancient times as Gui River, and Guizhou were once home to ancient civilization and generations of local people. Yanqing, a beautiful home, is the result of combining the beauty of nature, people and ecology. Beauty also lies in the unity of physical landscapes and inner beauty. “Beautify Yanqing” is the aim of ecological progress. 

History of Guishui River 

As early as 1500 years ago, Li Daoyuan(郦道元) of the Northern Wei Dynasty came to investigate and wrote a beautiful passage in the “Shuijingzhu”(水经注). During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it had become a tourist attraction, and there were a lot of famous scholars and the words of praise were passed on for a while. At that time, the Guishui River was pushed to be the first of the eight sceneries in Yanqing. 

Legend of Guishui River 

According to legend, Shun once lived in Guishui, and later was elected as a leader by Dayu. Shun and Xiang was born of the same father but a different mother. Shun was kind-hearted and loved by everyone, so he was jealous by Xiang, and Xiang was targeted at him everywhere. Dayu knew it and he let his daughter, E Huang and Nv Ying(娥皇、女英) marry Shun and let them help Shun. Later, E Huang and Nv Ying not only helped Shun to punish Xiang and led the women there to grow mulberry and sew clothes. Later Yao passed the throne to Shun. People call the place where E Huang and Nv Ying punished Xiang are “Gui “, call the water here “Gui Shui”, and call them “GuiShui Nv”. There is also a statue of GuiShui Nv(妫水女) in the Lotus Lake Bridge in Yanqing County.

Guishui River Rafting

Gui River Driftage lasts for 15 km. The average depth of water is 1.5 meters. The maximum drop height is 1 meter. You are free to choose river stretches according to your interest and physical capacity. Gui River winds just like a silver ribbon. When drifting along the river, you will get total relaxation because of the beautiful water scenery. Gui River has been praised as Rhine of the East, without damages and polutions by human beings, thus it keeps its original beauty. It is a good place to take an eco-tour. You can enjoy fresh air, clean water and gorgeous natural scenery there. 

Entertainments of Guishui River in Yanqing District

There are fish farms and deer farms on both sides of the Cuihe River, and green agricultural sightseeing and picking gardens and folk resorts. During the drifting journey, you can fish and barbecue, play with deer, pick special vegetables, fruits and vegetables, agricultural sightseeing, agricultural practice, do farm work, eat farm food, live in farmhouse, return to nature, enjoy the warm and romantic countryside taste.

How to Get to Guishui River in Yanqing District

  • Self-driving :
    If you start from Beijing, you can drive on Badaling Expressway for about an hour.
  • By Bus:
    Deshengmen(德胜门) Airconditioned Express Bus No. 919 (6:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. every 5 minutes) can also arrive in about an hour.
  • By Train: Suburban train, Beijing North Station (Xizhimen) to Yanqing South Station, departing at 08:23am                       
    Qianmen and Andingmen Metro Xikou(前门、安定门地铁西口)to Longqingxia(龙庆峡,) get off at Yanqing, depart from 06:00 to 10:00 a.m.

Main Attraction around Guishui River in Yanqing District

Guishuihe Forest Park(妫水河森林公园)  is the largest park ever built in Yanqing County and one of the 11 Riverside Forest Parks in Beijing. At the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, 235,000 square meters of flowers in Guishuihe Forest Park in Yanqing, Beijing, competed to blossom, and the Flower Exposition Garden on the south side of the potato base was the most spectacular.

Useful Tips for Guishui River Travel

  • Ticket :
    The Gonghe River Drifting Project only receives visitors on Saturdays and lasts for more than 2 hours. There are rubber boats with 4-6 people, which can accommodate nearly 1,000 people drifting at the same time. The ticket price is 100 yuan per person. You can bring your family and friends, organize staff and students to come to the Guihe River to organize drifting competitions and other activities.
  • Accommodation:
    There are many hotels around the Guishui River in Yanqing District, you can choose any style that you like.
  • Opening time:
    Open Saturdays and Sundays only

Reading More