Longqing Gorge

The Longqing Gorge Scenic Area is located north of Beijing, approximately 80 kilometers outside of the city. The gorge stretches 7,000 meters with a width of between 30-50 meters, above the gorge rests towering and unusual stone structures; there is also a dam at the bottom of the gorge. As one of the three great gorges in the outskirt of Beijing, the area is often described as the "mini Three Gorge" and the "mini-Li River" in reference to Guilin's famous Li River.  

The mouth of the Longqing Gorge is a reinforced concrete dam with double curvature arch, 72 meters in height and 90 meters in length. The dam can hold a water storage capacity of 8.5 million stere and spectacular waterfall sight will be formed flowing from the side holes of the dam when the reservoir is swollen. On both sides of the dam lays two tunnels, the one in the south is around 300 meters long and connects the outer world directly, the 100-meter-long one in the north leads to the north slipway.

Tenglong elevator, the entryway of the Longqing Gorge Scenic Area, was built on the cliffy wall in the shape of a giant dragon. By this 258-meter-long elevator tourists can reach the pleasure-boat dock and then take a boat there to the Longqingxia Valley where clean water, grotesque stones, karst caves and stone pillars are naturally collected.

Longqing Gorge Ice Lantern Festival

The gorge are not the only highlight, the Longqing Gorge Scenic Area also perfectly combines the spectacularity of the northern Chinese landscape and the elegance of the southern Chinese landscape – the Hanging Baddha (Zhen Shan Ru Lai), the Peak of Heavenly Emperor (Yu Huang Ding), the Immortal Courtyard (Shen Xian Yuan) and Hundred Flower Cave are the most well-known among the over 40 landscapes. Due to the endowed pleasant climate, the Longqing Gorge becomes a summer resort with very nice and cool air and has a quite long ice period every year, which provides it a good chance to hold Ice Lantern Festival during every January and February of each year since 1987.