Ancient Villages Around Beijing, Great for Weekends

Chuandiaxia Village is the most intact courtyard house from the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing’s suburbs. Buildings in Cuandixia have been built in strict accordance with the designs of traditional courtyard houses. For example, the outer gate spirit wall, the inner gate spirit wall, the gate building, the stables, the Shangma stone, the Jingba shed, and so on, so forth. Here is where the famous movie "The Warlords" was based, so the scenery is familiar to those who have seen the movie. Nowadays, there are many farmhouses in the village and you can experience the country life of sleeping by the fire and eating rustic food. There are also sights such as the Tiandeng front line to watch. It is a good place near Beijing to relax on weekends.

Lingshui Village: The location where "Where are we going, Dad?" was filmed. The first shot of the first season of "Where are we going, Dad?" was filmed right here in Lingshui Village, and this simple ancient village suddenly exploded in popularity. Located in Mentougou District, Lingshui Village is about 90 kilometers West of Beijing. It is known as the “Juren Village” because of the people living here during Ming and Qing Dynasties. Lingshui Village is one of China’s top ten most beautiful villages and is full of precious historical relics, simple mountain scenery, and mountain village architecture. Lingshui Village now receives a steady flow of tourists everyday thanks to the show “Where are we going, Dad?”. Everyone is curious to visit the sites where the show was filmed and where the children lived.

Gubei Water Town is located in Northeast Miyun County and is a rare ancient town in Beijing’s suburbs. It is known as the “Wuzhen of the North” and is roughly 1.5 hours’ drive from Beijing. The town itself was built around the water. The streets are lined with many old houses which reflect both the Northern atmosphere and the Southern waters. There are many special attractions in the town, and you will feel as if you are in a scene straight out of a period drama: in the "Sima Xiao Shao", you can watch wine being made; in the "Yongshun dyeing workshop" can try your hand at printing and dyeing; the “Zhenyuan Escort” is the original representation of the ancient game of darts, where you can learn more about dart culture; there is also the Eight Flags Hall, a military drill ground where forces were gathered, and where Zhenghuangqi Guards were stationed throughout the Qing Dynasty.

Remember the last scene of "Journey to the West”, where the Supreme Treasure and the Zixia Fairy kissed? Although the film was shot in a film studio, the original scene is said to have been based in the village of Jiming, in Huailai County, Hebei Province. Founded during the early Ming Dynasty, Jiming is China’s largest, most complete, and best preserved ancient city. It looks like a fort, surrounded by walls, and you can walk around the old city. Apart from walking the streets, you can also visit some of the city’s famous buildings including the Cixi Night Palace, Taishan Palace, Caishen Temple, and the Wenchang Palace. There is also a small museum displaying ancient postal culture.

Wenquan Ancient Town is a quaint, Northern town steeped in history. Located in Yuxian, Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, the ancient town is famous for its spring water, ancient castles, markets, and folk culture. It also enjoys the reputation of being “the first ancient town of Jingxi folk customs”. The tree-tree performance takes place on the Eastern side of the village every year during the tourist season every year, and is a lively, stunning sight to behold. Unique folk activities in the county include: molten iron being melted into cast iron, sprinkled onto the fort’s wall with a special spoon, and the hot metal splashing with overwhelming sound of sizzling. Offering a spectacular display of the fire tree and silver flowers, the tree-flowering is a local Lantern Festival fire activity.

The three-thousand-year-old villages are located along the Yongding River in Mentougou. They are the starting points for the commercial roads leading into Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Inner Mongolia. The famous Lao She once passed through here riding atop his camel Xiangzi, and it is known as the “first village of the Jingxi Ancient Road”. The three stores used to be the Jingxi’s coal distribution center and the mansions up in the village were built by the coal bosses. The most representative of which was the Yin Family Courtyard, which included three groups of courtyards, 73 houses and 14 gates, constituting a complete community and a well-deserved "luxury". Constructed during the Ming Dynasty, the Dragon King Temple in the village was the successor to the “Longxingan” temple and is currently the most prosperous Longwang Temple in Jingxi. The image of the Yongding River on the far left of the main hall is the only remaining preserved one.

Youzhou Ancient Village is located the Yongding River Grand Canyon in Huailai County, Hebei Province. Youzhou Village was built on the mountainside. Its layers are distinct and mutually concealing. It is like a paradise in the center of the mountain. A paradise for cross-country lovers from Beijing and a virgin, undeveloped land for tourism. The Youzhou Grand Canyon, right by the ancient village of Youzhou, is regarded as an important Northwestern passage into Beijing. The once prosperous main road is now very quiet. The canyon features a wide river beach, gentle terrain, a clear river, and a lush forest that’s ideal for barbecues, picnics and camping. The ancient village still retains a quaint isolation from the rest of the world. Entering the stone village reveals stone roads, stone houses, and stone walls. The local villages still retain the traditional customs of farming for men and weaving for women.