Chinese New Year is the best time of year to visit Yu County. Book in early, this trip will be popular!

Almost four hours’ drive northwest of Beijing city is Yu County, home to ancient pagodas, temples, pavilions, and large gates and plaques inside fortified walled towns that preserve traces of the Zhou, Liao, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties.

On this two-day trip to the area you’ll walk the streets of well-preserved Yuxian Ancient City, visiting the pavilions and pagodas, as well as visiting Jimingyi, the remnants of a Ming Dynasty postal relay center. And, on the first evening, we’ll take in a performance that includes Da Shu Hua, a 300-year old local tradition that translates as ‘Beating Trees into Flowers’ and results in molten iron being flung against the city walls in lieu of a fireworks display!

We did some extra scouting for this trip and found a nice countryside walk to do on the last day, a good way to see what it’s like in really rural China.

Note: we’ll be outside quite a bit, and the weather is sure to be freezing – bring all the warm clothes you’ve got, and then bring a few extra layers just in case!

Chinese New Year holiday! For this very easy stroll we will travel to Yanqing County to visit the valley where we’ll find an ancient interconnected series of cave dwellings. This trip is suitable for children (no pushchairs, though) – it’s very easy, and the sight of the cave dwellings is sure to spark the imagination.

After visiting the caves we’ll get an early dinner out in the country before heading for the Longqingxia Ice Festival, where we’ll see all the amazing ice sculptures and lanterns – perhaps not quite as amazing as the Harbin Festival, but definitely not as cold!

Almost four hours’ drive northwest of Beijing city is Yu County, home to ancient pagodas, temples, pavilions, and large gates and plaques inside fortified walled towns that preserve traces of the Zhou, Liao, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties.

On this two-day trip to the area you’ll walk the streets of well-preserved Yuxian Ancient City, visiting the pavilions and pagodas, as well as visiting Jimingyi, the remnants of a Ming Dynasty postal relay center. And, on the first evening, we’ll take in a performance that includes Da Shu Hua, a 300-year old local tradition that translates as ‘Beating Trees into Flowers’ and results in molten iron being flung against the city walls in lieu of a fireworks display!

On the second day of the trip we’ll spend the morning watching a rowdy and colourful street parade before picking up on our regular itinerary.

Note: we’ll be outside quite a bit, and the weather is sure to be freezing – bring all the warm clothes you’ve got, and then bring a few extra layers just in case!

For this very easy stroll we will travel to Yanqing County to visit the valley where we’ll find an ancient interconnected series of cave dwellings. This trip is suitable for children (no pushchairs, though) – it’s very easy, and the sight of the cave dwellings is sure to spark the imagination.

After visiting the caves we’ll get an early dinner out in the country before heading for the Longqingxia Ice Festival, where we’ll see all the amazing ice sculptures and lanterns – perhaps not quite as amazing as the Harbin Festival, but definitely not as cold!