Sail Back in Time on the Imperial Waterway Cruise

Ahoy there fellow Beijingers, now that it’s April, the Imperial Waterway Cruise is officially open for business! As the name suggests, this waterway was originally reserved exclusively for the imperial family. 

The Changhe River has a history of over 700 years, however it didn’t become an imperial waterway until the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1735-1796) during the Qing Dynasty. He used the waterway to go to Wanshou Temple to pray for his mother and also to go to the Summer Palace. 

Despite its long history, it wasn’t until 2008 that Changhe River was opened to the public when it was used to welcome athletes and coaches for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Since then, from April to the end of October, the public is able to hop on a boat and cruise along the river to the Summer Palace. 

The river is about 10km long and to travel the whole route, starting at the Beijing Exhibition Hall, it takes about one hour to reach the Summer Palace. Along with the Beijing Exhibition Hall there are also four other wharfs that the boat can be taken from: Beijing Zoo Wharf, Ziyuwan Wharf at Zizhuyuan (Purple Bamboo) Park, the wharf outside the south gate of the Summer Palace.

It’s a great way to view some of Beijing’s most iconic and beautiful scenery and you get to avoid traffic too! Over the past year the scenery along the river has undergone a lot of renovation with additional bridges added, as well as more viewing platforms. 

Along both banks of the river are willow and peach trees making spring the ideal time to take a cruise so that you can enjoy all of the beautiful blossoms. 

You can see the whole route of the cruise below:

Beijing Zoo (although this can be a long wait) - Beijing Aquarium - Zhenjue Temple - National Library of China - Ziyuwan Pier in Purple Bamboo Park (you'll need to switch boats here to continue along the route, or you can start from here) - Wanshou Temple - Changhe River Willow-viewing District - South Gate Pier outside the Summer Palace

There are boats going every hour and they run from 10am until 4pm, and a ticket costs RMB 100. 
 

READ: Spring has (Finally) Sprung! Here's Where to See Blossoms in Beijing

Images: Dianping