Beijing Fangshan Global Geopark

Beijing Fangshan Global Geopark

Beijing Fangshan Global Geopark is a national geopark and a science education base.

Beijing Fangshan Global Geopark is located about 40 kilometers southwest of Beijing, spanning both Fangshan District in Beijing and Laishui County and Laiyuan County in Baoding City, Hebei Province. The park covers a total area of 953.95 square kilometers and is divided into eight scenic areas: the Zhoukoudian “Peking Man Site” area, Shihuadong area, Shidu area, Baihuashan–Baicaopan area, Yunjusi–Shangfangshan area, and Shenglianshan area belong to Fangshan District; Yesanpo area and Baishishan area belong to Laishui County and Laiyuan County in Baoding City.

Beijing Fangshan Global Geopark boasts abundant geological heritage resources, showcasing the evolutionary history of the Earth over billions of years in North China. It records the dramatic changes across various geological eras from the Archean to the Proterozoic, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic, making it a vast natural geological museum.

The discovery of “Peking Man” in 1929 shocked the world, turning Zhoukoudian into a renowned birthplace for the study of ancient human activity both in China and abroad. There are also widespread and distinct geological relics reflecting intracontinental orogeny, making it the naming site of the Yanshan Movement—the Mesozoic orogeny in eastern China. These invaluable geological resources have made the area one of the earliest regions in China where geological research was conducted and the cradle of many famous Chinese geologists.

The park features well-developed carbonate surface karst landforms and diverse types of chemical sedimentation cave landscapes, which are typical representatives of semi-arid and semi-humid temperate karst scenery in northern China, offering breathtaking views. The region’s hogback mountains, wall-like mountains, and tower-like mountains stand steep and rugged, presenting a magnificent northern karst landscape. The negative relief karst landform of gorge valleys stretches for hundreds of miles within the park, twisting and turning with sheer cliffs that inspire awe with their “majestic, perilous, strange, and serene” beauty. The Baishishan marble and granite “double-layer structured” landform is a unique tectonic-erosion karst landscape. The Shihuadong cave system and its variety of chemical sediment formations form an underground karst art palace created by the region’s distinctive geological conditions, holding equal importance in both aesthetic and scientific value.

Over the long course of history, the park has accumulated a rich cultural heritage, leaving behind numerous cultural landscape resources such as ancient architecture, cliff grottoes and carvings, historical ruins, and ancient tombs. Yunjusi, famed worldwide for its stone-carved Buddhist scriptures, has a history of over 1,300 years and is an important Buddhist temple in China. Cliff inscriptions from multiple dynasties serve as witnesses to the long river of human history and culture. There are also ancient pagodas, represented by the Liaodynasty-built Haotian Pagoda in Liangxiang, Fangshan, which are a collection of pagoda architectural art through the ages and hold significant value for viewing and research. The Baishishan section of the Great Wall is one of the best-preserved parts of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall, retaining its original appearance and serving as an important heritage of the Chinese nation.

Address: Fangshan District, Beijing

Type: Geological Landform

Recommended Visiting Time: 1–2 days

Phone: 010-89350590; 010-89352764

Official Website: http://dzhgy.bjfsh.gov.cn/index.asp

Opening Hours:

Open all day. Opening hours of individual scenic spots within the park vary. Please check the introduction page of each spot for details.

Ticket Information:

Free entry. The Fangshan Geopark is free to enter, but individual scenic spots within the park may charge separate admission fees. Please check the introduction page of each spot for details.