The Yongding River leg of the hiking event kicks off Western Beijing’s Mentougou welcomes hikers
Hiking through a modern waterfront mountain city and enjoying the boundless spring scenery of western Beijing. On the morning of April 26, the Yongding River leg of the 5th Beijing International Mountain Hiking Conference officially commenced at Mencheng Lake Park in Mentougou District, marking the simultaneous launch of the “Mentougou Mountain Tourism Culture Festival.”
This edition of the hiking conference adopts a multi-stage format for the first time, with the Yongding River leg as the opening stage. The total route length is 10 kilometers, and over 3,500 hiking enthusiasts from both China and abroad have registered to participate in this stage.
The Yongding River Green Waterfront Hiking Route is a newly introduced trail for this year’s conference. Participants will walk along the shores of Yongding Lake and Mencheng Lake, taking in the scenic views of the “Yongding River,” Beijing’s mother river, enjoying the shimmering waters of Mencheng Lake, and listening to the birdsong and floral scents along the green riverbanks.
Beijing’s most beautiful family-friendly hiking route
The Yongding River Green Waterfront Route features gentle terrain, stunning scenery, and pleasant weather. To encourage more young people to participate in hiking fitness activities, the conference has, for the first time, lowered the minimum registration age to 6 years old. Within just under a week of this announcement, the conference received registrations from 150 families, leading to the Green Waterfront Route being hailed by hiking enthusiasts as “Beijing’s most beautiful family-friendly hiking route.”
To add more fun to family activities, this year’s hiking conference has specially partnered with the international environmental organization WildAid to introduce a unique feature for the first time: “Family Costume Hiking.” Before the race, participating children, guided by volunteers, will dress up as their favorite animals and then embark on their “fantasy journey.” Along the way, volunteers will educate the children about wildlife conservation and environmental protection, helping them develop an awareness of caring for animals and living in harmony with nature from a young age, thus making this hiking trip even more meaningful.
“QR Codes” as judges, promoting green practices
Having “QR Codes” serve as judges is another highlight of this year’s hiking conference. In the past, race timing typically involved judges stationed at the finish line with stopwatches, recording results manually in scorebooks, which wasted paper and was prone to errors. To address this, this year’s hiking conference has pioneered the use of a QR code timing system.
Before the race, each participant receives a bib provided by the organizing committee, printed with a QR code. By scanning the QR code twice—once at the start and once at the finish—participants’ net hiking times are accurately recorded. Additionally, participants can check their race results in real-time during the event by scanning the QR code via a mobile app. This approach saves paper, protects the environment, and improves the accuracy of race timing.
Furthermore, to promote the concept of “green hiking” and advocate for a low-carbon, eco-friendly, and resource-saving lifestyle, the organizing committee provides shuttle buses for all participants and does not offer parking for private vehicles, encouraging the use of public transportation to reduce carbon emissions.
Mountain tourism: Fitness, hiking, spring outings, and tree planting—all essential
Nowadays, hiking for fitness has become a popular and fashionable mass fitness activity. Hiking in a picturesque waterfront mountain city not only promotes health but also allows for scenic enjoyment and relaxation—a perfect combination. Launching the “Mentougou Mountain Tourism Culture Festival” on the opening day of the Yongding River leg perfectly captures this spirit.
As a renowned tourist destination in Beijing, Mentougou District offers scenic beauty in all seasons, with highlights everywhere. The launch of the “Tourism Culture Festival” signals the official arrival of the beloved western Beijing tourism season.
At the launch ceremony of the “Tourism Culture Festival,” six exhibition zones—the Tourism Image Exhibition Area, Scenic Spots and Accommodation Exhibition Area, Tourism Commodities Exhibition Area, Performing Arts Area, RV Exhibition Area, and Folk Art Exhibition Area—showcased Mentougou’s rich tourism cultural resources and vibrant tourism development through photo displays, physical exhibits, live presentations, performances, and visitor interactions.
According to reports, this year, Mentougou District plans to organize over 50 various tourism and cultural events based on the full development of national trails, seasonal scenery, festivals, and traditional customs. These events will cover natural landscapes, historical sites, folk customs, and performing arts, establishing Mentougou’s brand as a mountain tourism and cultural leisure destination.
More notably, this year Mentougou District has established the country’s first “Green Bank,” calling on enterprises, groups, families, and individuals to participate in tree planting and greening activities either by planting trees on-site or contributing financially. The results of these greening efforts will be stored as “green savings” in the Mentougou Green Bank, entitling participants to discounts when visiting Mentougou’s historical and cultural attractions and allowing them to accumulate their own “green assets.”
To this end, in May of this year, Mentougou District has launched several spring tree-planting green tourism routes, including tree planting tours in Shuanglong Gorge Scenic Area, afforestation tours at the Beijing International Walnut Manor, and the “I Plant a Tree for Dingdu” themed tree-planting tours. Visitors can plant their own “customized” saplings—for themselves, their families, or their companies—at designated locations while exploring western Beijing’s attractions, depositing a “green asset” in the “Green Bank,” and jointly building a more beautiful Beijing.
Additionally, during the “May Day” holiday, Mentougou District will carefully plan and launch six series of 11 special tourism activities, including spring outings and flower viewing tours, folk temple fair tours, ancient village culture tours, icefall wonder tours, Qingming memorial tours, and promotional discount seasons, attracting domestic and international tourists to visit the district for sightseeing and spring outings.
Hiking in western Beijing Experiencing the lush greenery of a waterfront mountain city
The Yongding River leg is scheduled to start on April 26 because spring at Mencheng Lake Park brings cool breezes, lush vegetation, and serene waters. Yongding Tower stands proudly by the grassy riverbank, with a design that is both majestic and delicate, while the Historical and Cultural Corridor features carvings depicting Mentougou’s landscapes, cultural traditions, economic development, and revolutionary history. The Yongding River, Beijing’s mother river, meanders around the park, offering picturesque views at every turn. Hiking along the green waterfront and immersing oneself in this idyllic scenery, many hikers can’t help but exclaim, “The former ‘coal capital’ has transformed into such a beautiful place.”
Nowadays, entering Mentougou, over 40 parks such as Mencheng Lake and the Yongding River Cultural Square are neatly distributed across the new urban area of Mencheng, blending mountain-city characteristics with a rich cultural atmosphere, resembling a vast urban cultural park. The five tributaries of the Yongding River—Chengzi Gully, Zhongmensi Gully, and others—connect lakes, streams, and water systems across the Mencheng area, forming a cohesive regional ecological landscape and presenting the unique beauty of “a city of mountain hues and half a city of lakes.” Over the years, Mentougou District has persisted in ecological construction and environmental governance, integrating green ecology with urban development, achieving a harmonious unity of regional development, cultural integration, and public welfare. Today, Mentougou residents enjoy “a view out every window and a park just outside the door,” creating a beautiful ecological and people-benefiting landscape.
According to the event schedule, this year’s hiking conference is divided into three legs: Yongding River, Tanzhe Temple, and Zhaitang. The 25-kilometer Royal Ancient Temple Hiking Route at the Tanzhe Temple leg will take place on June 7, while the Zhaitang leg’s finals will feature five routes: a 100-kilometer extreme challenge hiking route, a 30-kilometer pristine nature hiking route, a 20-kilometer ancient temple hiking route, a 20-kilometer reservoir scenery hiking route, and a 10-kilometer red history hiking route, scheduled for September 20 and 21. All seven routes have been carefully selected and designed to cover natural landscapes, historical folklore, religious temples, ancient trails and villages, and red history. While showcasing the magnificent natural scenery and profound historical culture of Mentougou, they allow hiking enthusiasts from around the world to fully enjoy the pleasures of mountain hiking and experience the unique charm of an international high-end mountain tourism and cultural resort.