Grand Canal Forest Park

Grand Canal Forest Park

Grand Canal Forest Park is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Located on both sides of the North Canal in Tongzhou New Town, Beijing, it stretches from the Luyang Bridge on the Sixth Ring Road in the north to the Wuyao Bridge in the south, with a total waterway length of approximately 8.6 kilometers. The left embankment is 8,191 meters long and the right embankment is 3,639 meters long. The total construction area covers 713 hectares (about 10,700 mu), including about 2,500 mu of water surface and about 8,200 mu of green space, making it a national AAAA-level tourist attraction. It features a layout of “one river, two banks, six gardens, and eighteen scenic spots.” In 2014, the Green Island Amusement Park within the Grand Canal Forest Park was completed and opened to the public.

Six Major Scenic Areas

Distributed along both sides of the waterway, they include the Luh River Peach and Willow Scenic Area, Moon Island Orioles Scenic Area, Silver Maple Autumn Harvest Scenic Area, Jungle Vitality Scenic Area, Mirror Lake Boat Moving Scenic Area, and Highlands Level Forest Scenic Area.

Eighteen Scenic Spots

Scattered across the six major scenic areas, they include Peach and Willow Reflections, Elm Bridge, Teahouse Sunset Chat, Imperial Timber Ancient Ferry, Rainbow Flower Rain, Moon Island Painting Scene, Wetland Frog Chorus, Mountain-Half Homes, Silver Maple Autumn Harvest, Maple Grove Tea Aroma, Shed Storage, Wind-Swept Reeds, Jungle Joy, Twin Silks by Nature, Mirror Lake Boat Moving, Level Forest Misty Trees, Date Red as Paint, and Highlands Vastness.

[Highlands Level Forest Scenic Area] The Highlands Level Forest Scenic Area is located south of Wuxing Road, covering an area of over 1,500 mu. With plant landscapes as its main feature, it adopts a natural and simple design approach to highlight large color blocks and grand scenery, forming a natural transition from the canal’s rural landscape to the wild countryside, and laying the groundwork for the greening project downstream of the canal.

[Mirror Lake Boat Moving Scenic Area] The Mirror Lake Boat Moving Scenic Area covers an area of over a thousand mu and is located near the Gantang Rubber Dam. It serves as the endpoint for water tours along the canal and features the widest expanse of water in the project area, with the broadest section reaching 360 meters. The water is calm as a mirror, and standing on the damhead peninsula offers endless reverie when gazing at the wide, tranquil waters of the canal. The mural “Luh River Grain Transport Painting” on the scenic wall depicts the historical prosperity of the canal.

[Jungle Vitality Scenic Area] Covering an area of about 800 mu, nearly 80% of the scenic area consists of existing woodlands and orchards. In the planning process, the principle of adapting to local conditions was followed, making full use of existing resources while minimizing logging and transplantation. The existing forests were renovated and upgraded. Edges of the woodlands were modified by adding evergreen trees, colorful foliage trees, and flowering shrubs to enhance layers and colors. Openings were created within the woods to increase pathways, plazas, and recreational facilities, enabling visitors to fully utilize the forest understory. The orchards were diversified and updated with new varieties and necessary landscape and service facilities, transforming them into productive and enjoyable picking zones.

[Silver Maple Autumn Harvest Scenic Area] The Silver Maple Autumn Harvest Scenic Area covers an area of over a thousand mu. With a grain transport wharf as its backdrop and the storage of grain as its theme, it uses a modern approach to recreate the joyful scenes of granaries brimming with canal grain and autumn harvests being stored. Drawing inspiration from historical texts and images, silo-style sheds were designed around the grain transport wharf. These can serve as “greenhouses” for growing plants year-round or as exhibition bases showcasing canal transport culture and reflecting local life. They also act as a showcase window for the district’s urban sightseeing agriculture industry.

[Moon Island Orioles Scenic Area] Moon Island is a raised landform formed during the dredging of the North Canal. Surrounded by water on all sides and shaped like a crescent moon, it is thus named Moon Island. The planned area of Moon Island is 256 mu, primarily covered with tall arbor trees, complemented by evergreens and flowering shrubs, highlighting a three-dimensional vegetation structure. Over a hundred varieties of trees, shrubs, flowers, grasses, ground covers, and moisture-loving plants have been planted on the island, providing safe nesting sites for various birds and turning the area into a science education demonstration base that showcases northern plant species.

[Luh River Peach and Willow Scenic Area] The Luh River Peach and Willow Scenic Area is located south of the Lutong Bridge, covering an area of nearly a thousand mu. The scenic area focuses on plant landscaping, emphasizing the natural transition from the urban canal landscape to the rural scenery. Large areas of peach, apricot, and plum blossoms are planted alongside weeping willows, creating a beautiful reflection of flowers and willows along the water’s edge. Themed around urban memories and historical recollections, various landscape nodes have been set up. Large date trees, scholar trees, and elm trees left behind from urban redevelopment and demolitions were transplanted and preserved in the park, retaining fragments of the lives of relocated residents and commemorating their contributions to accelerating urban development.

The designer of the Grand Canal Forest Park — Tan Xin, former deputy director of the Beijing Landscape Architecture Design and Research Institute — said that Tongzhou’s broad river and embankments are “unique in Beijing.” Therefore, the Grand Canal Forest Park embodies the design philosophy of “green as the body, water as the soul, and forest and water in harmony,” with many of the 18 scenic spots inspired by historical allusions.

● Date Red as Paint: Its name is derived from a line in an imperial poem by Qianlong: “When northern dates turn red, the trees look as if painted.” It describes the historical sight of vast groves of date trees along both sides of the canal in Tongzhou. Today, the scenic area features hundreds of mu of date tree groves, recreating the historic landscape.

● Teahouse Sunset Chat: On the right bank of the canal north of the Songlang Road Bridge, there used to be a Guan Yu Temple, which served as the landmark for the northern terminal passenger dock of the Grand Canal. Literati and merchants traveling north along the canal would disembark here. Since Guan Yu was also regarded as the God of Wealth in ancient times, most travelers would stop to burn incense and pray for prosperity. The Taoist priests of the temple set up a large mat shed in front of the mountain gate to sell tea for passersby.

● Imperial Timber Ancient Ferry: In the 35th year of the Ming Dynasty’s Wanli reign, a massive flood on the Tongzhou section of the Grand Canal breached the embankment and swept precious timber from the Imperial Timber Yard north of Tongzhou City into the canal. To this day, several ancient logs remain submerged in the riverbed of this section, hence the name “Imperial Timber Ancient Ferry.” Additionally, this site is known as the “Graveyard of Sunken Ships” on the canal. In the 13th year of the Qing Dynasty’s Jiaqing reign, severe flooding and sharp bends in the river created rapid currents and whirlpools, causing ships to easily lose control—thus earning its nickname. It is reported that dozens of sunken ships have been discovered in this area.

Transportation: Take bus 938 branch line, Tongzhou Route 9, or Route 13, get off at Chuangzhan Home Furnishings Station, and walk 500m; or take Metro Line Batong to Tujia Station, then transfer to Tongzhou Route 32 (Forest Park) to reach the site.

By car: Take the Jing-Tong Expressway — follow Batong Line to the Jingjintang Highway (Beijing-Tanggu Highway), pass the Zhangjiawan Industrial Park (at the intersection near Zhangjiawan Town Government), continue to the first intersection (heading toward Lucheng), turn left onto Songliang Road, drive another 1,000m, and the park will be on your right.

Take Exit Ximazhuang on the Jing-Tong Expressway (toward Sanhe), go straight to the Songliang Road exit on the Tongyan Expressway.

Take the Jing-Tong Expressway eastward past Dongguan Bridge, head along Tonghu Street, turn right at the T-junction onto Songliang Road, continue straight past the Dongfang Chemical Plant — the park will be on your left.

Address: Southern Section of Songliang Road, Tongzhou District, Beijing

Type: River, Forest, Urban Park, Amusement Park

Rating: AAAA

Recommended Visit Duration: 0.5–1 day

Phone: 010-61569200

Opening Hours:

Open all day

Ticket Information:

Admission is free. The park is open to the public free of charge, but some amusement facilities inside the park are charged separately.