Why go
Longqing ('Dragon Celebration') Gorge was dammed in the 1970s, flooding a narrow limestone valley to create a reservoir that reads as a river canyon. The boats glide upstream between cliffs decorated with rock formations named after mythical creatures — the locals call it 'Little Lijiang' and the comparison to Guilin's river holds more than you'd expect.
The gorge's other personality is winter. Every December the frozen river and a network of caves fill with carved ice buildings, pagodas and lanterns in pink, green and blue — a spectacle that has run for 30 years and is the strongest reason to visit the Yanqing hills in the cold months.
- The 30-minute boat ride up the gorge, flanked by 400-metre cliffs
- The winter Ice Lantern Festival — a frozen wonderland of carved palaces, December to February
- Cable car up to a ridge view over the gorge and the Yanqing plain
- The famous bungee jump at the gorge mouth for the brave
Practical tips
Summer: the boat queue peaks mid-morning — buy the combined boat + cable car ticket and ride early. The gorge is cooler than Beijing by several degrees. Winter: dress for a night outdoors at −10°C; the ice caves are the highlight, and weekend evenings are crowded.
Nearby
Longqing sits 20 minutes from the Badaling section of the Great Wall and the 2022 Winter Olympics venues at Xiaohaituo. Combine the gorge with the wall for a classic Beijing-countryside day, or with the Yanqing wine and hot-spring resorts in the valley.
Getting there
- Bus 919 from Deshengmen to Yanqing, then a local shuttle; or drive (~80 km)
- Length
- 14 km gorge, 20–30 m wide
- Winter
- Annual Ice Lantern Festival, Dec–Feb
- Nickname
- 'Little Lijiang' of Beijing
