Taoranting Park is a national AAAA scenic spot. It lies in the south of Xuanwu District, close to South 2nd Ring Road. Built in 1952, it blends classical architecture and modern garden design, focusing on the “pavilion culture” of China.

The park covers an area of 590,000 square meters, of which 170,000 square meters are covered by water. There is in it an ancient nunnery built in the Yuan Dynasty called Cibei Nunnery. In 1695, or the 34th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign in the Qing Dynasty, Jiang Zao, an official of the Ministry of Works who was supervising kilns at that time, had a pavilion built in its garden. He named it Taoran, a name he inscribed for its plaque, after some lines from an idyllic poem by Bai Juyi (a Tang Dynasty poet):

“When chrysanthemums blossom

And my home-made brew is ready,

Let's drink to our heart’s content!”

It had already become well known in the Qing Dynasty, and later it came to be known as one of the four best pavilions in China. It is after the pavilion's name that the park is named.

Cibei Nunnery covers an area of 3,000 square meters, with a floor space of 830 square meters. Its main buildings are the main gate, Guanyin Hall, Zhunti Hall, and Wenchang Pavilion. Remaining cultural relics are: a stone scripture tablet made in 1099 (the 5th year of Shouchang reign in the Liao Dynasty), another one made in 1131 (the 9th year of Tianhui reign in the Jin Dynasty), stone inscriptions of a poem and an essay on Taoran Pavilion, etc. On the north bank of the west lake stands a kiln platform, the site of a kiln built in the Tang Dynasty, which is one of the places of historical interest in the south of Beijing. Since the early Qing Dynasty the platform has been used for sightseeing. On top of it there used to be a shrine to the God of Fire; during Emperor Qianlong's reign a shrine to the God of Water was built here. The Taoists put up a mat awning on it under which to brew tea for tourists in the summer. After the Double Ninth Festival in autumn, the platform commands a pleasant view of a vast expanse of reed flowers as white as snow.

Since the mid Ming Dynasty, the nunnery had been a resort of the distinguished ones. It became more popular in the Qing Dynasty, with the building of Taoran Pavilion. It has been connected with the career of a number of great reformists or revolutionaries, such as Lin Zexu, Gong Zizhen, Wei Yuan, and Huang Juezi in the Opium War period, Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao, and Tan Sitong in the 1898 Reform Movement, Qiu Jin prior to the 1911 Revolution, and Li Dazhao, Mao Zedong, and Zhou Enlai before and after May 4th Movement. On the north slope of Jinqiu Hill buried Gao Junyu and Shi Pingmei, the revolutionary martyrs. For this reason the nunnery is known as a cradle of people's revolution, and regarded as a revolutionary site in Beijing. In August 1978 it was designated as a historic site under municipal protection.

In 1985 a “park within the park” was built that features well-known pavilions in China. It was designed by Beijing Institute of Landscape Design and Research, and covers 100,000 square meters. It contains the reproductions of over ten famous pavilions from 9 cities in 6 provinces, including 1) Duxing Pavilion in Miluo, Hunan Province that commemorates Qu Yuan, a great patriotic poet of the state of Chu in the Warring States Period; 2) Lanting Pavilion and the Geese Pond Tablet Pavilion in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province that commemorates Wang Xizhi, a great calligrapher in the Jin Dynasty; 3) Tablet Pavilion next to the thatched house in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, dwelled by Du Fu, a great Tang poet; 4) Double Fountain Pavilion in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province that commemorates Lu Yu, a Tang writer known as the Sage of Tea; 5) Jinyue Pavilion in Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province that commemorates Tang poet Bai Juyi; 6) Old Drunkard Pavilion in Chu County, Anhui Province that commemorates Ou Yangxiu, a writer in the Song Dynasty; 7) Zhexian Pavilion commemorating great Tang poet Li Bai; and 8) Yunhui Tower and Qingyin Pavilion that have been moved from Zhongnanhai. With a variety of designs and special qualities, these pavilions are rich in historical and cultural implications, and a perfect choice for anyone interested in the pavilion culture of China.

Address:No.19 Taiping Street, Xuanwu District, Beijing

The Tanzhe Temple is one of the major historic site under state protection and a scenic area at the 4A rank.

The Tanzhe Temple has grand palaces, halls, altars, rooms with different characteristics and towers, terraces, pavilions, and studies of unusual beauty. Ancient trees and fresh flowers spread all over the temple in delightful contrast to the man-made hills, layers of greens and winding streams. Red walls, green tiles and upturned eaves are set off by green pines and cypresses. All these scenes, together with the magnificent halls and tranquil courtyards, highlight the grandeur and orderliness of the main buildings. Mr. Zhao Puchu, the late chairman of the Buddhist Association of China, once wrote an antithetical couplet to praise the temple as “No less magnificent than Taihang Mountain and much older than the State of You (the ancient name of the area of Beijing).”

The temple was built in the first year of the reign of Emperor Huai of the Western Jin Dynasty (307 A.D.). As one of the eldest and largest Buddhist temples in the Beijing area, it already has a history of more than 1,700 years, which makes it older than the city of Beijing itself. This is proven by a popular proverb widely spread in the Beijing area which says that “Tanzhe Temple appeared first, then came the Beijing city”. In addition, Tanzhe Temple also played an important role in the history of Buddhism in China. There were numerous eminent monks coming forth from the temple in every dynasty and there were emperors going on a pilgrimage to the temple in each dynasty. No wonder there is an old saying that goes as “Linyin Temple and Tanzhe Temple are most famous temples of the southern and northern China”.

Tanzhe Temple is located at the foot of Mountain Ma'an, in the south-east of the Men Tougou district. The halls are built in accordance with the changes in the mountain's height. With its back against Baozhu Peak, the temple faces north and is surrounded by nine peaks. The huge mountains block the cold current coming from the north-west and give the seat of the Tanzhe Temple a warm and humid climate, which in turn blesses the place with an extremely beautiful natural environment marked by flourishing plants, and especially numerous ancient trees and famous flowers.

Today's Tanzhe Temple has already become a scenic spot that serves for sightseeing, eating and staying-over. Transportation to the temple is both convenient and fast. The temple opens at 8:00 in the morning and closes at 17:30 at night every day. Tourists can stay overnight in the hotels located in the scenic spot. A police station and medical center are also available.

The Hall of Sakyamuni is the most important hall in Tanzhe temple. There is a gold lacquer sitting statue of the Buddha Sakyamuni worshipped in the hall. On every first and fifth day of the Chinese lunar calendar or on major Buddhist festive occasions, a grand Buddhist ceremony is held here. Above the lintel of the door of the hall there is a horizontal inscribed board decorated by a carved figure of a dragon playing with a pearl. The four gilding Chinese characters “Fu Hai Zhu Lun” (a sacred ship taking people to the Western Paradise) which are inscribed on it were written by Emperor Qianlong.

Bodhi Trees were introduced into China from India. They are mainly distributed over the southern provinces and are rarely seen in Beijing. The two Budhi Trees in the temple have already lived for more than 600 years, which is indeed a peculiar phenomenon. It is said that this kind of tree witnessed Sakyamuni's birth, death and preaching, and therefore the tree is respected as a sacred tree in Buddhism.

Emperor Tree is a ginkgo tree with a history of more than 1,000 years. “The Emperor Tree” is a title of honor given to the plant by Emperor Qianlong.

The Floating Cup Pavilion is a decorative building with a beautiful name of “Floating Wine Caps in the Winding Stream”. Winding canals are carved in dragon shape on the white marble terrace. In ancient times people picked up floating cups from the canal and drank wine with them. The canal of this pavilion is in a special shape of “a tiger in the north and a dragon in the south”.

Besides the afore mentioned scenes, there are still other natural and historical landscapes in the temple, such as the Permission Tree for which the temple is most famous, the Pagodas, the Dragon Pool, the East and West Mother Buddha Caves, the Flesh figure of Buddha and the Stone Fish, one of the Tanzhe Temple's four most valuable treasures. These beautiful scenes will lure you to stay on with no thought of leaving.

Stone Forests Valley of East Beijing is located at the Huangsongyu in the northeast part of the Pinggu District of Beijing. It is 85 kilometers away from the Second Ring Road of Beijing. In 1999, it was opened to the public. In 2005, large-scale transformation has been made and it was re-opened to the public in April 2006.

The stone forest valley has dense plantations and clear air, so it is a natural scenic spot integrating suitable for holidays and recreation. The total acreage of the scenic spot is 12 square kilometers, and the total length is six kilometers. The mounts in the scenic area are high and steep, like stone forests. There are two patches of stone forests in the Stone Forests Valley of East Beijing, which are grandiose and varied in shapes; some look like huge pens; some look like strong lions; some look like graceful girls. There are many huge stones in the scenic spot of Stone Forest Valley. Some are standing on the high cliffs; some are erecting on slopes; and some are hidden in the valley. Apart from sights such as steep Wangzi Cliff, Xiagu Stone, flying stone, etc., there is the “cool small world” like an imaginary world. In addition, the four-layer falls at a drop height of 120 meters dive down with roaring sounds, like silver chains or broken jades. In recent years, about 4000 square meters of “outdoor bathing place” have been built for tourists to enjoy a leisurely life. During the period from July to September, tourists can have an experience of picking fruits and vegetables. There are more than 10 ponds in the valley, with exhaustless water source. The cliffs in the valley are high and steep, with countless cypress trees growing on it. One would marvel at their vitality.

Located in Hebei Town in Fangshan District, Beijing, Stone Flower Cave is 50 kilometers away from the city. Also known as Qianzhen Cave or Stone Buddha Cave, it is one of the four famous caves in China.

Stone Flower Cave is a typical Karst cave in north China, and estimated by expertise to be a rare multi-layer one with the richest Karst landscape. The cave is named after the various forms, splendid colors and large numbers of stone flowers in it. Known as the Undergroud Pear of Beijing, Stone Flower Cave is featured with its seven layers with different landscapes which can be divided into cultural interest, expedition and appreciation sections. Some of the landscapes, such as the Stone Lotus, the ten-meter-high, eighteen-meter-long Stone Curtain made from more than 540 pieces of stones, the Stone Flag, the double-colored Stone Shield and the Double Pillars of Dragon Palace, are exquisite Karst works in all caves of both home and abroad. Stone Flower Cave is designated as National Geological Park, National AAAA Tourist Attraction and National Key Scenic Area.

Silver Fox Cave is one of the parks in Stone Flower Cave National Key Scenic Area which is also a National Geological Park. It is a combination of underground rock caves and streams and is the only natural cave of its kind open to tourists in north China. Attractions in the cave are stone pagodas, steles, stalagmites, stone flowers and more. The most spectacular sight in the cave is a two-meter long crystal formation covered with fine needles like sparkling snow that looks like a fox with the head of a snow leopard hanging upside-down from the cave roof. This rock is a National Treasure of china. An underground stream which is called Underground Maze in North China runs 1,500 meters in the cave and is a good place for boating. The water in the stream is very clear and contains trace elements that are necessary for human and have amazing medical result.