Head to Dongjiao Wetland Park for Sand, Lakes and Cycling

For a quick, picturesque nature escape without leaving the confines of Beijing, set your GPS to the stunning but lesser-known Dongjiao Wetland Park.

Located northeast of the Eastern Suburbs Forest Park – the most massive of Beijing’s forest parks (think Olympic Forest Park but eight times bigger) – the thriving ecosystem is part of an urban master plan to create a green corridor close to Beijing’s urban center and to increase the number of wetlands in the capital. In the last five years alone, for example, 12,000 hectares of wetlands have been constructed in Beijing, and last Jun 1, China’s National Wetland Protection Law was enacted to protect spaces just like this.

And because of its proximity to water sources, including the Wenyu River – North Canal and previously abandoned fishponds, this area has become a key element in the capital’s bird habitat conservation plan, and after several transformations is now a must visit for birdwatching enthusiasts young and old alike.

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Images: Avery Townsend