Integrating protection of historic site, leisure, environmental improvement, and emergency measures against disasters, this is a modernized city site park of cultural and historical content.

Dadu city of the Yuan Dynasty was built 700 years ago, between 1267 and 1276. The ten-meter-high remain of its northmost part, which were left outside the city when the north city wall was moved southward in the early Ming Dynasty, can still be seen and are popularly known as tucheng, or the earthen city wall. In 1957 it was designated by the government of Beijing as a key historic site under municipal protection. On Sept. 25, 1974, a greening team was formed in Chaoyang District to protect the relics. On March 10, 1988, the government approved the building of a park named “Yuan Dynasty Dadu City Wall Site Park”.

The park, 4.8 kilometers long and 130-160 meters wide, covers an area of 0.67 hectares. It is divided into 7 parts by 6 roads. It has nine scenic areas-new look of the Yuan city wall, heyday of Dadu, dragon pond, emperor's travel in two capitals, guests from the world, Chinese crabapple blossoms, light of peace, lights on water street, and turrets. Xiaoyue River is the main water-covered scenic spot in the park. On its south bank is the wall relics protection zone; on its north bank, the landscaping zone.

In 2003, to protect the relics as part of the Olympic landscape, the Greening Administration of Chaoyang District had the park updated in a comprehensive way. When that was completed, the park became the largest belt-shaped park in Beijing; it began to have the largest outdoor sculpture groups and the largest artificial wetland in the city; it became the first park to serve as an emergency shelter. As a result, Beijing became the first city in the country to set up an emergency shelter and has sign board of it.

Dadu Bar Streetin the “water street and dragon pond” area: The bars are on both sides of the East Huixin Street. They mainly serve white-collar workers, high-level professional managers, foreigners living in Beijing, celebrities, and college students. Most of the bosses, who are from the cultural circle, run their bars not simply for profits, but for cultural or idealistic purposes. As a result, the bar street is characterized by high taste and rich cultural ambience. Since it started business in 2004, customer flow has been steadily going up, thanks to advertisements in newspapers, magazines, on TV, and on the Internet, and thanks to such theme activities as the opening ceremony, Christmas Carnival Night, Dadu Bar Street Romantic Lovers' Night, One-year-old Bar Street Celebrating the 56th National Day, and Romantic Carnival Night.

The “guests from the world” area: Lying on the south of the Chinese Ethnic Garden, it reflects the openness of the Yuan Dynasty, when ambassadors from many countries came to China to offer tributes or do business. The sculptures on the three sunken squares in its north–Flower-patterned Porcelain, Arrows and Shield, and Impregnable Fortress–reflect the dynasty's artistic and military achievements.

The “Chinese crabapple blossoms” area: Lying on the east of Xiongmaohuandao, it has been preserved by renovation and improvement. In it are planted nearly 2,000 crabapple trees of various breeds. They form the largest crabapple grove in the downtown area of the city.

The “heyday of Dadu” area: This lies on the east of Xiaoguanlukou, Anding Road. The awe-inspiring group sculpture named Heyday of Dadu (the largest outdoor group sculpture in Beijing), an 80-meter-long mural, and stone horses, stone sheep, and wooden pavilions show the features and achievements of the dynasty in politics, economics, military affairs, science, culture, and lifestyle. They reflect the features of nomadic culture, and suggest the profundity of Chinese culture and Beijing's long history. With them, the park has become a large outdoor art museum.

The “dragon pond” area: This lies in the east corner of the park. It is a 17,000-square-meter delta area shaped like the head of a dragon cut out by the city light rail and Xiaoyue River. As the largest artificial wetland in the city, it suggests natural scenery in the countryside.

Address:No.8A Shaoyaoju, Taiyanggong, Chaoyang District, Beijing

Xu Beihong Memorial was located on East Shoulu Street in front of the Beijing Railway Station until, in 1967, it was demolished to make room for the subway. In 1983 a new one was built and opened to the public as a theme memorial.

Xu Beihong, a renowned modern Chinese painter and outstanding fine arts educationist, was born in Yixing, Jiangsu province in 1895 and died in Beijing in 1953. He was the first chairman of the Chinese Fine Artists Association and the first president of the Central Academy of Fine Arts. Determined to revitalize art in China, he studied hard in Europe for 8 years and mastered the techniques of western painting. After that he returned to China, and began to do two things at once——setting up a scientific fine arts education system and creating a number of works by blending the Chinese and the western. His traditional Chinese paintings, in which Chinese and western techniques coexist, are modern, meaningful, and passionate. His oil paintings mix the shaping of western classicism, the coloring of impressionism, and the charm and taste of traditional Chinese culture. He created such impressive works as Yugong Moving the Mountain, Portrait of Tagore, and Five Hundred Knights of Tianheng. The vigorous, powerful horses in his paintings greatly encouraged and inspired the Chinese in their war against Japanese invaders, war against Kuomingtang, and efforts to build socialism. His life is an epitome of the progress of modern art in China. His artistic achievements are an important part of Chinese culture. He has made great, lasting influence in China and other parts of the world.

The memorial covers a floor space of 2,000 square meters. It keeps a white marble bust of the painter, over 1,100 of his paintings and calligraphic works, over 1,000 ancient and modern paintings and calligraphic works he had collected, and over 10,000 books on fine arts, rubbings from tablets, and pictures from home and abroad. It consists of an introduction hall and seven exhibition halls. The introduction hall displays the painter's self-portrait, while the exhibition halls respectively display his traditional Chinese paintings, oil paintings, sketches, and photos and relics reflecting his life.

Address:No.53 Xinjiekou North Street, Xicheng District, Beijing

Located in Liulihe Town in Fangshan District of Beijing, Western Zhou Dynasty Yan Capital Site is a key historic site under national protection. It can be called the origin of Beijing City, and is one of the 100 archeological discoveries of China in the 20th century, which brings the construction history of Beijing city more than 2,000 years earlier.

Western Zhou Dynasty Yan Capital Site has the richest cultural relics and remains among all other sites of the same period. Large amount of cultural relics of national class such as engraved bronze wares and exquisite pottery, jade wares, stone works, lacquerworks and agate wares were unearthed. There is a specialized archeology museum of ancient cultural site and cultural relics in this area.

Xiangshui Lake is located to the east of Dazhenyu Village of Bohai Town, Huairou District, about 85 kilometers away from the downtown. It is a scenic spot integrating the Great Wall, ancient cave, mountains and water, spring, pond and falls. It was opened to the public in 1998.

The scenic spot covers an area of 18 square kilometers, and stretches for five kilometers. The main sights include Xiangshui Lake, Moshikou Great Wall and Lianyunling Great Wall. Xiangshui Lake in the north part of the scenic spot is not a large water area, but the source of spring. As the spring has a large volume, so the sound of water can be heard a thousand meters away, so it is called Xiangshui Lake (which means sounding water). The Ming Great Walls are winding above the mountain ridge in the scenic spot. The Great Walls here are the Moshikou Pass, which were built in 1404, with more than 600 years of history. A water pass was built here during the Wanli Period of the Ming Dynasty, which was also called “wengcheng” (small town outsidethe city gate), with two gates. This kind of pass is very rare in ancient Great Wall. Now it is quite well preserved. Four Chinese characters in the meaning of “strong fortification” written by Xu Maoqi were engraved on the cliffs. In 1973, the Ministry of Water Resource built a dam 33 meters in height and 112 meters in length, which adds grandiosity to the ancient Great Wall. Yangsheng Canyon was to the northwest of the scenic spot. The mountainous springs rush down from the pools, forming groups of falls of different sizes. Walking upwards along the paths, one can see the stone carved pictures of 50 famous doctors in ancient times, such as Li Shizhen, Tao Hongjing, and Dong Feng. There are also other scenic sopts including Tuteng Pavilion, Lianyun Cave, Stone carvings on the cliffs, deity dog barking at the sky, Mother Buddha holding a baby, deity frog guarding the spring, etc. Tree-planting activity is held in March and April each year, and Festival of Leaf Appreciation and Fruit Picking is held in September and October each year.

Tuanjie Lake Park, a national AAA scenic spot, lies at East 3rd Ring Road North, Chaoyang District, about 8 kilometers from the center of Beijing city.

Tuanjie Lake Park is a city park with characteristics of classic South China gardens. The lake is named Tuanjie, or solidarity, because it was dug on the site of an old kiln pit by government-mobilized citizens. The park was completed and opened to tourists on Sept. 26, 1986.

The park covers a total area of 123,000 square meters, of which 54,000 square meters are covered by water. Architectures in it combine the solemn simplicity of northern houses and South China style, with grey-tile roofs and whitewashed walls. With 8,676 trees of different species, 36,970 squares meters of lawn, 72% of the park is perennially covered with greenery.

Major attractions are cloud hill, Deyue Corridor, Lotus Aroma Wafting to Water-side Pavilion, Mingyi (stone) Boat, Jingxiang Pavilion, Evening Clouds Pavilion, Flowing Water Screen Wall, Lancui Pavilion, and simulated seaside garden. All these are neatly arranged on an ingenious layout. The lake is spanned by three bridges of different designs and styles, named Huanbo, Jiexiu and Yinsheng respectively. Such views as Mingyi Boat and the Deyue Corridor evince an intoxicating South China aura.

The park adheres to a high standard. To maintain a good environment, it has developed an adoption system of greenery management. The park has been classified Category A, Level B in the registration of parks in Beijing. It has been awarded such titles as one of the “400 Best Greening Institutions in China”, “National Advanced Greening Collective”, and “Sample of Safe Scenic Area in Beijing”. In 2002 it passed ISO9001 certification for quality control and ISO14001 certification for environment control.

Address:No.16 Tuanjiehunanli, Chaoyang District, Beijing