Chicheng Bingshanliang Scenic Area

Chicheng Bingshanliang Scenic Area

Bingshanliang, historically known as Kongtong Mountain, is located 5 kilometers southeast of Dushikou Village, on the eastern side of the Chibao Highway, at an altitude of 2,211 meters—1,000 meters higher than the ground level of Dushikou. In June, snow still remains on the mountain, and even during the hottest month of July, the average temperature on the mountain is only 18.8 degrees Celsius, bringing a refreshing chill. Coolness is one of the defining characteristics of Bingshan.

Bingshanliang is a rare ancient glacial relic—an ice-eroded planation surface. It provides strong evidence for the patterns of glacial activity in western Beijing and holds significant geological research value.

Bingshanliang has long been famed for being cool, bizarre, and vast. Its coolness was described earlier. The bizarre aspect lies in the fact that the rocks on the mountain seem to have no roots, and the stones atop it appear to have no origin—countless strange peaks and peculiar rocks seem to have come from nowhere. The massive rocks are square and neat, as if shaped by craftsmen; the layered, perilous cliffs resemble artificial rockeries in gardens; there’s the Wind-moving Rock, Toad Rock, Turtle Gazing at the Sea, Fairy Admiring the Moon, Lion Rolling the Embroidered Ball, Hen Laying Eggs, and countless others. These are wonders of a stony sea formed through the combined forces of glacial and wind erosion. Bizarre and varied in shape, the rocks also feature stone mortars of various sizes—some as large as one meter, others just over ten centimeters. Throughout history, literati and scholars who visited the site have left behind inscriptions such as “Mountain Soul,” “Miraculous Sight of the Remote Frontier,” “A Beauty of Kongtong,” “Source of Stones,” “Holding the Sun and Plucking the Moon,” and “Stone Forest.” The summit of Bingshan is also renowned for its vast expanse. Covering an area of 26 square kilometers, the mountaintop features a near-plain landscape with fertile soil, abundant water, lush grass, and thriving vegetation.

The summit of Bingshan spans an area of 26 square kilometers. Summers on Bingshanliang are incredibly beautiful, when the mountaintop bursts into bloom with a riot of wildflowers in every color imaginable, resembling a floating garden. The flat terrain is like an oasis, covered in lush greenery, giving visitors the sudden sensation of being in a world apart.