Gubei Water Town

Gubei Water Town is located in Simatai Village, Gubeikou Town, Miyun District, Beijing. It is a unique town with the charm of a northern water town. The following introduces Gubei Water Town from several aspects: History and Culture • History of the Ancient Town: Gubeikou area, where Gubei Water Town is located, has been an important transportation hub and military town since ancient times, with a profound historical background. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Great Wall began to be built here and passes were set up. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Gubeikou became an important gateway to the capital, with prosperous commerce and a constant stream of merchants. • Cultural Inheritance: Gubei Water Town contains a variety of cultures, including the Great Wall culture, the Grand Canal culture, the wharf culture, the religious culture, the military culture, and the folk culture. They blend together to form a unique historical and cultural atmosphere. Architectural style • Ming and Qing Dynasties and the Republic of China Style: The architecture of Gubei Water Town is mainly in the style of the Ming and Qing Dynasties and the Republic of China, with 430,000 square meters of mountain courtyard buildings. The houses are built according to the mountain's terrain, with a staggered layout, bluestone roads, flying eaves and brackets, and carved beams and painted buildings, showing the simple style of ancient towns in the north. • Characteristic Blocks and Courtyards: Such as Tangshi Street, which brings together a variety of special snacks and food shops; Riyuedao Square is the central square of the water town, surrounded by many restaurants and shops; Qihu Villa, Linggong Street and other places have distinctive accommodation and leisure places. Main Attractions • Simatai Great Wall: Located in the southeast of Gubei Water Town, it is an ancient building of the Ming Dynasty, known for its oddity, uniqueness and danger. It preserves 20 complete enemy buildings. It has been identified by UNESCO as the "original Great Wall" and is a must-see for tourists. • Yuantong Pagoda: Located on the top of the mountain next to "Main Road One" in Gubei Water Town, it is composed of two major building complexes: Guanyin Temple and Yuantong Pagoda. It can provide tourists with scene-based experiences such as fast rooms, fast food, copying Buddhist scriptures, and tasting Buddhist tea. • Yongshun Dyeing Workshop: Named for Yongshun dyeing, natural color, grass and wood color, and handmade tie-dyeing, it displays the achievements and characteristics of printing and dyeing technology in various periods of China. Tourists can also make handmade printing and dyeing works. • Yinghua Academy: Taken from Han Yu's "Jinxue Jie", it is divided into the East Courtyard and the West Courtyard. The East Courtyard is a two-entry courtyard with a waterside pavilion and cloister; the West Courtyard is a three-entry courtyard, and behind it is the Wenchang Pavilion, which enshrines Emperor Wenchang. • Eight Banners Clubhouse: Gubeikou was once the garrison of the Zhenghuang Banner during the Qing Dynasty. The Eight Banners Clubhouse mainly displays the Eight Banners system and Manchu culture. Through multiple exhibition halls, you can appreciate the military style and life style of the Eight Banners children. Featured activities • Performance Activities: Every day, there are a variety of programs staged in different locations, including Lion Dance Welcome, Jingdong Drum, Modern Opera Model Plays, Street Acrobatics Performances, Folk Acrobatics Performances, Yang Family Iron Plate Books, Peking Opera/Hebei Bangzi, etc. • Seasonal Activities: Flower Festival, Wind Chime Cottage and other activities are held in spring; night markets, summer night romantic activities, cruise ship morning tea, Great Wall Music Water Dance Show, etc. are held in summer; Red Leaf Festival is held in autumn; and ice and snow themed activities are held in winter. • Festival Activities: Red Leaves with the Great Wall, National Style Festival Red Leaves, Fairytale Town under the Great Wall, Mid-Autumn Festival and other activities will be held during some holidays. • Night Tour Activities: Night tour activities are held every night, including night tours of Shuizhen Food Street, Wangjing Street, Simatai Great Wall and other attractions, as well as drone performances, modern Peking Opera model play performances, and the Great Wall Music Water Dance Show. Food Specialties • Featured delicacies: Such as Miyun San Shao (braised pork, baked cake, and shaojiu), Gubei roasted pears, freshly boiled burdock tea, various snacks and farm dishes, which are mouth-watering. • Specialty products: There are Gubei dried tofu, Beijing suburban honey, golden jujube cake, dragon beard candy, candied fruit, nougat, nut gift box, etc., which are good choices for tourists to buy souvenirs. Travel Guide • Self-driving: Starting from Beijing, take the Airport Expressway or Jingcheng Expressway, exit at Simatai Exit, and drive for about 5 minutes according to the signs to reach the ancient town. • Public Transportation: You can choose to take the airport bus, bus 980, 980 Express, 850, 850 Express, etc. to Dongzhimen, and then transfer to Miyun bus to get there; or take the high-speed train to Beijing, and then transfer to bus Miyun No. 38 to directly reach Gubei Water Town. • Suburban Railway: Passengers can take the Beijing Suburban Railway Huairou-Miyun Line (S5 Line) from Beijing North Railway Station to Gubeikou Station, and there is a direct bus to Gubei Water Town after leaving the station. Accommodation options • Hotels: There are many hotels in Gubei Water Town, such as Gubei Water Town Hotel, Gubei Water Town Resort Hotel, etc., with complete facilities and high-quality service. • Homestays: There are also many characteristic homestays in the town, such as homestays based on Beijing Siheyuan courtyards, as well as homestays and inns distributed in various areas of Gubei Water Town, allowing tourists to experience the local folk customs. Gubei Water Town integrates natural scenery, historical culture, folk experience, and leisure and entertainment. Whether you want to feel the charm of the northern water town or experience the charm of traditional culture, this is a good choice.