Beidaihe, China

Beidaihe Scenic Spot, the famous summer resort, is located in the southwest of Qinhuangdao City. Its coastlines, seaside attractions and convenient transportation all make it a popular destination for travelers. Beidaihe Scenic Spot is situated in the warm temperate zone, with a damp monsoon climate and four distinct seasons, neither too hot in summer nor too cold in winter. Therefore, it is suitable for all year round travel, though, the best time to visit is from May to October.

The long coastline to its south has soft sand and sea water of moderate salinity, making it an excellent place to sunbathe and swim. Many modern holiday villages and public bathing places have been established, where you can taste local snacks and delicious seafood, ride in a speedboat, or relax in a ballroom dancing. If you want to get away from the masses, a stroll on the pebbled sand will bring you close to nature.

In the central area of the scenic spot is a great attraction called Tiger Rock Park. It has many huge rocks looking like a herd of tigers. Standing on any of the rocks gives you a deep enjoyment of the beauties of nature. The sea breeze pushing against your face, the waves beating the rocks and the vast sea will make you feel refreshed and energetic. This is a good spot for photography.

To the east another famous attraction is the Yingjiao Stone - a twenty-meter (66 feet) steep rock like an eagle perched on the cliff. Because groups of doves nest in the cracks there, it is also called Dove Nest Park. The Yingjiao Pavilion on the top is famous as a place to watch the sunrise.

The pine-covered Lianfeng Hill, which backs on to Beidaihe beach, comprises two peaks, the east peak and the west peak. Taking the secluded path you can reach Wanghai Ting (Seaside Pavilion) at the top of the hill, where you can best appreciate the vast sea and the scenery around the mountain. At the foot of Lianfeng Hill is a beautiful park named Lianhuashi (Lotus Stone Park) because of the many unexpectedly huge lotus shaped stones.

Now, Beidaihe Scenic Spot attracts more and more attention from around the world with more than 4 million people traveling here every year. Add this scenic spot to your itinerary and you will not regret your decision.

 Link Peak Mountain Park (Lianfeng Mountain Park):

Link Peak Mountain Park, in the western part of Beidaihe Scenic Area, is the largest forest park of Beidaihe. It covers an area of 1,636mu (109 ha.). It is so named due to the connected three mountain peaks of the East, Middle and West Lianfeng Mountains. The whole park looks like the lotus pod from afar and thus has been called the Lotus Pod Mountain Park as well.

The highest peak stands at an altitude of 153m (502ft). There is a Viewing Sea Pavilion at the summit that gives a superb panorama of Beidaihe. A lotus stone is surrounded with rare stones on the mountainside. It is actually a stele with the shape of a lotus. Next to it is another stele with an inscription by Xu Shichang (President of the Chinese Republic during 1918-1922) on the right side and the records of the history of Lianfeng Mountain Park on the back side.

Walking northeastwards for around 550m, the 130m (427ft) high Cockscomb Mountain comes into sight. A summerhouse is set there for visitors to view the busy scene of large ships on the sea of Qinhuangdao. One will also encounter a large stone with a hole on it and produces strange sounds once being hit. Then, there is a well that is practically dry all the time even though rainstorms happen here often. In the south of the highest peak is the Dragon Mountain.

Not only forests, pavilions and rare stones can be seen in the park, but all kinds of villas are hidden in the deep forest. The ones belonged of Lin Biao (a militarist in Chinese history) and that of General Zhang Xueliang are the most attractive.

The Hanwu Platform was discovered in the Middle Lianfeng Mountain recently. It is a high platform built under the order of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty who yearned for immortality. There is also the Bird’s Forest, home to 2,000 rare birds. 

Note: There are a variety of choices for sea food around the park, so just enjoy yourself!

Admission Fee	CNY30
Opening Hours	07:00-18:00 (May - September) 08:00-18:00 (October - April)
Bus Route	Local bus no. 5 and 21

 Safari Park: Qinhuangdao Safari Park is in the Costal National Forest Park of Beidaihe Scenic Area between Qinhuangdao and Beidaihe. It is situated in the middle section of Beach Avenue, faces the Gulf of Bo Hai in the east and joins the Dove Nest Park in the south. Covering an area of 334 ha, it is the second safari park in China, also with the highest forest coverage rate and the most beautiful environment among all the safari parks in China.

This park is the home for 100 varieties of over 5,000 animals. Among them, there are rare ones like Siberian tigers, African lions, giraffes, zebras, and brown bear. It is of a lot of fun to come close to the animals: Tourists can directly play with the meek ones and watch the wild ones by taking the sightseeing bus. Over 20 exhibition areas are set here, including the Lion’s Park, Bear’s Park, Tiger’s Park, White Tiger’s Park, Monkey’s Park, Peacock’s Park, Animal Training Field and the African Flavor Garden. Among them, Animal Training Field shows visitors how the beasts prey on their food. In the African Flavor Garden, besides the largest herbivorous animals, there are aborigines from Africa to give a genuine African flavor. You can take the small trains or electric automobiles to view the lions and other beasts. Or you can stroll around the world of elephants, monkeys and camels and feet them. The more daring will enjoy playing with the animals during their visit.

 Recommended visiting route: main entrance of the park – rockery – Lion’s Park – Tiger’s Park – Bear’s park – White Tiger’s Park – African Animals’ Park – Monkey’s Park – Entertaining Central Square – Herbivore’s Park – Flowers Garden – Birds Garden
If you don’t want to walk a lot in the park, there are battery carts for your convenience. 

Admission Fee	CNY80 for adult; CNY50 for children between 1.2m and 1.4m; free for children below 1.2m
Opening Hours	08:00 - 17:00
Animal Performances Schedule	From Monday to Friday: 10:00 – 10:30; 15:00 – 15:30 From Saturday and Sunday: 09:50 – 10:20; 11:00 – 11:30; 15:00 – 15:30
Recommended Travel Duration	2.5 hours
Best Travel Season	Take Qinhuangdao bus no. 34 and get off at Safari Park Station. Then you can directly walk to the park. Note: Bus no. 34 can be taken at Qinhuangdao Railway Station or Beidaihe Haibin Bus Station.
Bus Route	May to October

 Dove Nest Park: Dove Nest Park is one of the major attractions in the Beidaihe Scenic Area of Qinhuangdao. As an eagle-like large stone is set on the cliff of the seaside and pigeons usually gather here, the park is named the Dove Nest Park or Eagle Horn’s Park.

The park is mainly composed of Eagle Horn Pavilion, Seaside Corridor, Book Cabinet, the Place of Chairman Mao Viewing the Sea and Composing the Poem, and Cherry Blossom Area.

The Eagle Horn Pavilion was built on the cliff of seaside in 1937 as a summerhouse; walking in the southwest direction, you can see the Seaside Corridor with the two ends composed of two pavilions. The corridor which is 50 meters (54 yards) long absorbs the elegant character of both the Summer Palace in Beijing and the Mountain Resort of Chengde in Hebei. Over one hundred Chinese traditional paintings can be found along the corridor; The Book Cabinet is built in the south of the corridor for celebrities and tourists for writing poems and drawing pictures.

The park feeds over 600 pigeons. All of them have been domesticated, so visitors can play and take photos with them. Also, the park is a good place to view the cherry blossom and jade lake.

 Tips: 
1. The eagle horn stone in the park is a perfect site to view the sunrise. 
2. There are many sanatoriums near the park for you to have rest and live. 
3. Walk along the nearby seaside road to the cruise port, where there are boats or cruise for sea viewing. 

Admission Fee	CNY20 per adult; CNY15 for children between 1.2m and 1.5m in height, and the elderly above 60 years old with a valid proof; free for children below 1.2m in height
Opening Hours	03:00-18:00 (May - Sep.) 08:00-18:00 (Oct.- the next Apr.)
Best Travel Time	April to October
Recommended Visiting Duration	Around 1.5 hours
Transportation	1. Take bus no. 34 at Qinhuangdao Railway Station or Beidaihe Haibin Coach Station to get off at Chitushan bus stop. Then you can easily walk to the park. 2. Take bus no. 37 at Beidaihe Railway Station to Chitushan station (North Lianfeng Road). Upon getting off, walk to the park directly.

 Tiger Stone Park: Tiger Stone Park is located in the center of Beidaihe Scenic Area, covering an area of 33,000 square meters (39,468 square yards). It is a perfect place to play and relax in summer. The jade sea, golden sand, bright sunshine and cool wind attract numerous tourists to spend their holidays every year.

The most attractive scenes here are rocks of varied shapes and sizes. Because they form the shape of a herd of tigers in sand beach, forest and seacoast, the park is named the Tiger Stone Park. Under bright sunlight, the tigers seem to be sound asleep. They are many good places to take a photo.

Relating to the tiger rocks, there are legends adding great fun to the park. It’s said that, after the first emperor of China, Emperor Qin Shi Huang unified the country; he came to the Bohai Sea to seek an elixir but a mountain got in his way. He whipped the mountain with his magic whip and the mountain gave way to him. As the fragmental stones flew northeastward, Qin Shi Huang chased them to the sea. Suddenly, the stones disappeared and only a herd of tigers played on the beach. Once seeing Qin Shi Huang, the tigers sprang to chase him. After he left, the tigers turned into tiger rocks with a variety of gestures. Now, all the rocks bring great fun to the tourists and the nearby beach is called Tiger Rock Beach.

The bath resort nearby is of great attraction in summer. Apart from lying and bathing there for relaxation, there are many entertainment activities for enjoyment, such as motorboats, beach volleyball, sail boarding, and surf boarding, as well as a playground for children.  

Admission Fee	CNY 8
Opening Hours	06:00-22:00
Best Travel Time	June to August
Transportation	1. Take bus no. 34 to Beidaihe Haibin Coach Station. Upon getting off, walk southwards for around 500m to the park. 2. Local bus no. 5 or 22 can take you to the Tiger Rock Park Station directly.

Source: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/hebei/qinhuangdao/beidaihe.htm