The Beijing Fenghuangling Nature Park is in the jurisdiction of the town of Sujiatuo in the northwest part of Beijing’s Haidian District. It is 51 kilometers from the Tian’anmen Square and 23 kilometers from the Summer Palace. The park covers 10.62 square kilometers of land.
The park boasts of a well-conserved ecological environment: green hills, clear water, blue sky, white clouds, rolling ridges, thick forests, winding trails, exotic flowers and rare trees. Being windward to the city of Beijing, it is regarded as a green lung for the capital city. While water in the park is superb in quality, air is fresh, being five times purer and containing 150-fold more anions than in the downtown area. In summer, the mean temperature is 2-3 degrees lower than in the urban area and the relative air humidity is 65 percent. Famed as the “little Huangshan Mountain west to Beijing”, the park has grotesque peaks, queer rocks, vast forests and mysterious springs. Among the grotesque peaks of diverse shapes are the soul-stirring Shennu Peak and the majestic Lion Hill. The queer rocks resemble the moon in the sky, or the stone monkey playing with the heaven, or the privately chatting sweethearts, or the footprint of the immortal. The vast forests boast of towering ancient pines and ginkgos as well as peach gardens, apricot gardens and apple gardens. The springs contain rich minerals and taste sweet, being famous far and wide. The park has flowers in three seasons and presents magnificent views all the year round. It is an ideal place for spring outing, summer escape, autumn fruit tasting and winter snow appreciation.
The park also has colorful cultural sites. There are numerous ruins and sites of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, other religions, and the ancient oriental culture of health preservation. These cultural sites mix well with scenic spots, and they jointly form over 40 attractions along the north, central and south routes in the park. In particular, the following four places are the “best in Beijing”. Along the south route, the Jingangshi Pagoda built on top of a huge rock is the most miraculous of its kind in Beijing and the stone Buddha of the Northern Wei Dynasty is the oldest stand-alone statue in Beijing. Along the central route, the ancient ground of health preservation is the largest and best-conserved of its kind in Beijing and the cliff-engraved characters “凤凰岭(Fenghuang Mountain)” is also the largest carved on cliff surface in Beijing.