Park of China
Overview
| Designation | National geopark (third batch) |
| Province | Beijing |
| Location | Beijing |
| Mountains | Taihang Mountains |
| Latitude, longitude | 39.6, 115.6 Google Maps |
| Highlights | Taihang Mountains, the Juma River |
| Nearby cities | Fangshan (Beijing) |
| Nearby sites | The Summer Palace, Beijing 72km, The Temple of Heaven, Beijing 76km, The Forbidden City (Palace Museum), Beijing 76km, Ming Tombs 94km Search nearby |
| Themes | Mountain, River, Karst, Cliff, Rafting & boat trips, Hiking & climbing |
About
Shidu (“Ten Ferries”) in Fangshan District, south-west Beijing, is a national park of karst gorges along the Juma River in the Taihang Mountains, named for the ten crossings of the river on the road up the valley.
Shidu, a national geopark (third batch), lies in the south-west of Fangshan District, Beijing, where the Juma River cuts a gorge through the northern end of the Taihang Mountains. Travelling upstream from Zhangfang along the river once meant fording it ten times, hence the name “Ten Crossings”; the villages at the crossings are still named First Crossing, Second Crossing and so on. Limestone cliffs and peaks line both banks, a karst gorge rare in northern China, and the area is part of the Fangshan UNESCO Global Geopark.
Travel tips
Getting there: trains on the Beijing–Yuanping line stop at Shidu Station; by car, follow National Road 108, about two hours from Beijing.
What to do: ride a bamboo raft or go rafting on the Juma River, or follow the riverside road upstream from one crossing to the next.
Season: summer is busiest with people playing in the water; autumn colours are good.
Where to stay: guesthouses in the villages along the river.
Map
Photo credits: Bamboo rafts on the Juma River: Peretz Partensky (CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons); Juma River gorge: David290 (CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons)
Nearby
| World Heritage | Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian 34km, Western Qing Tombs 35km, The Summer Palace, Beijing 72km, Beijing Central Axis: A Building Ensemble Exhibiting the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital 76km |
| National parks | Yesanpo 34km, Stone Flower Cave 37km, Badaling–Ming Tombs Scenic Area 92km, Mount Heng (Northern Sacred Mountain) 137km |
| AAAAA attractions | Western Qing Tombs Scenic Area 34km, Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan) 74km, Prince Gong's Mansion Scenic Area 76km, Olympic Park 81km |
| AAAA attractions | Yunju Temple 14km, Shenglianshan Resort 29km, Zhoukoudian Site Museum 31km, Yongjiqiao Scenic Area 33km |
| UNESCO Global Geoparks | Yanqing UNESCO Global Geopark 98km |
| Historic cities | Baoding 82km, Yu County 91km |
| Cities | Beijing 76km, Tianjin 144km |
| Historical sites | Jinshan Temple Relic Pagoda 9km, Qinghua Temple Flower Pagoda 13km, Tomb of Prince Yixian 14km, Laishui Longyan Temple Pagoda 14km |
| National geoparks | Yanqing Petrified Wood National Geopark 140km |
| Nature reserves | Baihuashan National Nature Reserve 29km, Xiaowutaishan National Nature Reserve 70km, Songshan National Nature Reserve 102km, Nihewan National Nature Reserve 107km |
| Historic villages | Shuiyu Village 24km, Cuandixia Village 44km, Lingshui Village 46km |