A Night Tour of Gubei Water Town

The water town at night is indeed mesmerizing, for it and the Great Wall merge into one splendid view, which features the softness and gentleness of China’s water towns in the south of the country and also exposes the magnificence of the rivers and mountains in northern China. At the moment, if possible, you might as well rent a small boat to carry your down the stream, appreciating the night views on both sides. The water town at night appears splendid. It is like you go back in time to experience the life of a fairy god or goddess.

(Source: Internet)

The area was once called Gubeikou. When I was young, I always loved walking the wild Great Wall sections, and those I traveled to were usually Qiankou, Gubeikou and Simatai Great Wall sections that time. As night falls, you may also bring red lanterns and walk the Great Wall with your children, to feel the antiquity of the ruined Great Wall at Simatai or to make the Great Wall your devoted companion in the night. Either of the choices will be of great fun for you and your family.

(Source: Internet)

Traveling to this area, you cannot miss the water dancing fountains at Wangjinglou. The water cylinders of these fountains continuously soar into the sky, these water cylinders sometimes revolving, sometime slowly moving or sometimes directly shooting. All these cylinders dance with the music in mid-air. Sometimes they appear so low-spirited and sometimes looked quite vigorous.

(Source: Internet)

The festival lantern shop of Jiankuntang offers DIY service and you can learn from the festival lantern master on how to make festival lanterns. Master Li Zhenzhong has been working on making traditional Chinese festival lanterns for over 20 years, and he has so far mastered the skills of chopping, bundling, sticking and painting mainly used in making traditional Chinese festival lanterns. He has paid great tributes to China’s traditional festival lantern making.

The other shop one should pay a visit to should be Yongshun Dyeing House, founded by Zhang Jukui, a native of Gubei, who learned the traditional way of dyeing and could make dried indigo dyeing materials on his own. Later he opened a dyeing shop which he named “永顺染坊 (Yongshun Dyeing House)” and dyed cloths for the locals that time. In the DIY section, the teacher of dyeing teaches each learner how to make their own dyeing works.

Address: Gubei Water Town, Simatai Village, Miyun District, Beijing

Opening hours: 9:00 - 21:00 (Guests willing to accommodate can enter the water town to register and lodge here 24 hours a day)

Ticket price: 150 RMB/person (80 RMB/person for each night tour, which starts at 17:30 and ends at 21:00)

Best time to visit: All year round

Recommended time for travel: 2-3 days

The Great Wall to visit: Simatai Great Wall

Getting there: Take Bus No. 980 at Dongzhimen, get off at Miyun Xidaqiao and transfer to Bus No. 51 to Gubei Water Town.