Shidu heats up in summer
Extreme sports. Tranquil hikes. Spectacular scenery.
Shidu’s activities, leisure and landscapes are drawing a growing number of visitors, especially from downtown Beijing.
The town in the capital’s suburban Fangshan district has long been a hot spot for rafting during the warmest time of the year, especially along the Juma River.
Many visitors have already made bookings during the period, says Wei Yonghao, deputy general manager of Shidu’s Juma Park.
The park has recently upgraded to offer such experiences as bungee jumping and rock climbing. Visitors can also use yachts, water bikes and bumper boats.
Daredevils can attempt the spiraling 2-kilometer rafting course that spills down from the park’s Qilin Mountain.
The park has also developed hiking routes through karst forests and valleys.
Shidu received over 3.6 million travelers last year, and Wei expects a 15 percent increase this year.
“We’ve enhanced not only facilities but also services and Wi-Fi, and have opened a new tourism center,” Wei says.
Donghugang, which is about 10 kilometers from the park, has also added new rafting experiences and built a cliff-side glass-bottom skywalk.
“Visitors can enjoy recreation in nature,” says Ma Changru, a local tourism official.
Donghugang hosts a vast canyon, a large waterfall and a skyline sliced by mountain peaks.
A polychromatic-glass rafting chute that resembles a rainbow spans the canyon.
Inquiries from travelers and agencies have increased since the new facilities opened, Ma says.
Donghugang received over 400,000 visitors last year.
It has proposed to the local government a package-ticket policy that’d provide access to several Shidu attractions, Ma says.
Roughly 900 private rural households offer catering, boarding and farming activities.
Shidu plans to bring table tennis, skiing and boating experiences to its major scenic spots and villages, Beijing folk tourism association head Liu Zenghui says.
And a nearly 26-km leisure corridor through forests, farmlands and rivers will be built at the end of this year.
It seems likely that, given Shidu’s expanding allure, it will become an even hotter spot for visitors this summer.