Dr. Mark Nan Tu

Custom made shoes (ads by locals)

The wooden door to the courtyard

Cuandixia Village is located in Mentougou District, about 90 kilometers from downtown Beijing. It was built in the Ming dynasty and has about 400 year history. It was preserved almost in the original state. The village has about 70 courtyards with 500 rooms which were built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

The village, surrounded by mountains, stands on the northern gentle slope of the hills and, having being built in harmony with the terrain of the mountains. There are mainly quadrangle dwellings and a few courtyards with houses on three sides. On the walls, remain the maxims of managing family, inscriptions of the Ming and Qing Dynasties as well as the slogans of Anti-Japanese War period. Walking in the village, visitors will feel they have entered a historical village that has not been changed in hundreds of years, a contrary to the modem high rises in downtown Beijing only 100 km away. The village is surrounded by lush grass and trees and secluded by the mountains and connected by easy access road. It is an ideal place for weekend getaway for Beijing city residents. There are many bed and breakfast in the village. At evening, there are varied amusements, such as outdoor movies and campfire parties.

The legend has it that the ancestors of the village migrated from Shanxi Province during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty. Because the village is located on the junction between Shanxi and Beijing, it was very prosperous during the Qing Dynasty. However, the village was declining after the new roads were built in the late Qing Dynasty and the old road was less travelled. Today, most of the able bodied people left the village to pursuit better life in big cities such as Beijing. That has changed a bit during the recent years as the Beijing resident and international tourists began to flock in. There are some local businesses that are mainly geared towards tourism, such as tea houses and bed band breakfast. The village was made famous as a Chinese hit movie: Cell phone (shouji) by famed director Feng Xiaogang was shot here.

By Bus: About 150 meters west of Pingguoyuan Subway Station, take Bus No.929 Zhi (929 ?) to Cuandixiacun Lukou at 7:30, or 12:40.

Recommended itinerary: A two day trip.
Day 1: Downtown to Baihua Mountain. Try to start early and get there before lunch time. Hike up the mountain or take a cable car. Get down before sunset. Stay in one of the local hotels. Baihua Mountain has satisfying facilities for dining, accommodations and entertainment. The Baihuashan Hotel is located at the base of the mountain.
Day 2: Visit the Dragon Gate Valley (Longmen Jian) in the morning and head for the Chuandixia village (a village dated back to Ming Dynasty). Head back to Beijing late afternoon.

Most of the scenic sites are newly build

Longmen Jian is a 15 km valley. It is located in the Mentougou district. It is in proximity to the Baihua Mountain and the Cuandixia Village (a village dated back to Ming dynasty). If you are already in the Mentougou district and have 2 hours to spare, you can visit this valley.

Among many scenic spots around Beijing, Longmen Jian is not outstanding and often ignored even by local outdoor enthusiastic. However, that gives Longmen Jian its

A hike from the entrance to the highest peak will take more than 3 hours.

View from the top

Grassland on the high mountain

Baihua Mountain, the northern end of Mt. Taihang, is located in the Mentougou District. It is 110 kilometers on the west of the downtown Beijing. The nature reserve covers an area of 30 million square meters, 90 per cent of which is covered by forest. The 1,977-metre-high Baicaopan is the third highest peak highest in Beijing.

The village at the foot of the hill with the golden top at the back

The village which has been here for hundreds of years

The Miaofeng Mountain Scenic Area is located in the Mentougou District some 55 kilometers from downtown Beijing. It is one of the scenic areas in Beijing for the ancient temples, pines, rocks, and flowers.

The top of the mountain Jingding or (golden top) is 1,291 meters above sea level. Apart from beautiful natural scenery, the mountain is also famous for its largest traditional temple fair in north China. This tradition started in the Ming Dynasty and is still preserved nowadays.

Because of its dense vegetation, the area has high concentration of fresh air. There is a paved road leads to the golden top which allows access by care. There is also a well developed ancient trail that connects the village at the bottom of the hill to the golden top.

We parked out car at the village at the bottom of the hill. We then followed the ancient road sign and started hike up the mountain. The road is build with stones and some of them were destroyed over the years. It took us about one hour to reach the golden top. The hike is free but the entrance to the golden top scenic area is 30RMB. After paying the entrance fee, we were in are rather large area of temples and pagodas. This temple was build in Ming dynasty and each year, during April, there is a two week temple fair that drew artists, craftsmen and merchants from the surrounding areas.

The one hour hike to the top is rather easy with well marked signs and visible destinations. The view from the top is magnificent. I climbed the MiaoFeng mountain many times during my stay in Beijing and each time it has provided me with new found inspirations.

The ancient road is not maintained by well marked

The golden top

The temple and the pagoda at the top

View from the top

MiaoFeng Mountain in Winter

The golden top in Winter

Mentougou district of Beijing is in the distance