Live Your Best Lives
"Autumn, the autumn of the north, if I could keep it, I would give up two-thirds of my life in exchange for a third of it." This is Yu Dafu's expression of his love for the autumn of the north.
Seeing the red and yellow Koelreuteria trees outside the window, I was reminded of the autumn and autumn stories in Beijing at this time last year…
“You must live in Peking in autumn. I don’t know what heaven is like, but judging from my life experience, Peking in autumn is paradise.” Peking’s autumn is Lao She’s dream...
In late October last year, XL was studying in Beijing, and classes ended on Saturday. In order to spend one more night with me in Beijing, she gave up the opportunity to join the Aranya study tour with her classmates. On Friday night, she and some friends waited for me in Beijing while having a drink late at night. I was extremely touched~
Flight KN5912 (20:27-21:50) arrived on time at the newly opened Daxing International Airport. Most of the commercial shops were under renovation. The scene was messy but orderly. After the hurried passengers quickly left, the hall was empty and silent.
My girlfriend's friend arranged a pick-up at the airport, and we raced all the way to the airport, racing against time.
Meeting friends, drinking and chatting, we were already tipsy before the night got late..
Checked in to the East Hotel in Jiuxianqiao, Chaoyang District, Beijing in the early morning. This is a corner of the hotel.
At this hour, the hotel lobby was already very quiet. Land is incredibly expensive in Beijing, so the hotel lobby isn't as grand and spacious as those in mainland China, but it's simple yet cozy. Facing the bed is a floor-to-ceiling glass wall, offering a breathtaking view. Even with the curtains drawn, lights twinkle in the night sky.
The alarm went off at 8 o'clock, and we hadn't thought we'd be able to get up, but we actually did.
It was mainly because the driver had already picked us up at the appointed time, and we felt really bad about keeping him waiting.
Passing Boya International Center, we headed north.
While we were having dinner last night, David strongly recommended going to Labakou to see the red leaves and the primeval forest. It was quite a long way, so we could only catch up on some sleep in the car~
On the way, we bought a hamburger and soy milk from a fast food restaurant for breakfast to quickly recover our energy~
Passing by a socialist countryside, we saw the copper pot hot pot meat and our mouths watered. Socialism is great~
The distinct climate throughout the year regularly paints Beijing with a vibrant array of colors. You've probably heard the saying, "When autumn arrives, Beijing turns into Beiping." We're incredibly lucky! Look, the sky is so blue! It's just the beginning of the climb, though. My girlfriend, exhausted from the overwork, is starting to get scared. She's been asking me if we can stop climbing. I quietly grabbed all the luggage, including her coat. It's only just beginning... Autumn in Beijing is beautiful yet fleeting, just like the happy moments in life – precious and worth savoring.
Autumn leaves blanket the ground, adding to the bleakness and loneliness of autumn.
On this journey, we will meet and accompany each other, get lost in this brilliant color, and feel the beauty of the world together~
Labakou is a primeval forest. The facilities are not complete, but it is full of wild fun. It is also a fun place to go on an outing~
I know you want to go home, so we won’t go deep into the primeval forest and explore its depths.
Return through the first circle and spend the best time at Gubei Water Town, your main destination.
Climb to the observation deck and gaze out over the endless expanse of peaks.
Beijing's suburbs are mountainous, belonging to the Yanshan Mountains, a renowned mountain range in northern my country and a strategic location.
The jagged rocks contrast beautifully with the blue sky, creating a truly beautiful northern landscape.
We are about to descend from this viewing platform. If we have time, we can really walk further inside. After all, there are fewer and fewer virgin forests now, especially in Beijing.
The leaves have all fallen, and the bark should become even whiter in late autumn~
The sky in late autumn is exceptionally blue, unlike the sky in summer
Red, yellow, white, grey, black, blue, all kinds of colors blend together
The lush green of midsummer
has turned to the fiery red of autumn
The strong tree trunks stretch out their arms to the sky, they also want to embrace the blue sky of autumn
Autumn in Beijing is even more beautiful and lovely!
It was getting late, and we had to reach our main destination before sunset.
Goodbye, Labagou, you are the kind of place you must visit once in your life...
We drove over mountains and hills straight to Gubei Water Town. Fortunately, the roads along the way were narrow and quiet, the scenery was beautiful and sparsely populated. The saying that the most beautiful scenery is always on the road is so true~
We just arrived at the ancient town at 16:20. The afternoon sun was already waning, and the color of red was so beautiful! Discover Beijing's most beautiful season here...
Gubei Water Town is located in Gubeikou Town, Miyun District, at the foot of the Simatai Great Wall. Gubeikou has long been renowned for its rugged terrain and strategic location. The Miyun County Chronicles describe Gubeikou as "a strategic location for the capital to control the northern frontier. Shuntian's territory was governed by the three passes of Songting, Gubeikou, and Juyong, with Gubei being the most strategic." Gubeikou has attracted countless scholars and literati with its unique military culture. Su Che, Liu Chang, Nalan Xingde and other literary masters have left many famous works and verses here. Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong praised it many times, saying "the land strangles the throat and leads to the desert, and the sky has left a key to the majestic pass" to praise its steep terrain and importance. The Simatai Great Wall is located north of Simatai Village in Gubeikou Town, close to Gubei Water Town, 120 kilometers from Beijing. Built into the Yanshan Mountains, the Simatai Great Wall follows the precipitous terrain and is renowned for its five key features: its peril, its density, its neatness, its ingenuity, and its completeness.
Inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1987, Simatai Great Wall is the only ancient architectural site in my country that retains its original Ming Dynasty appearance and has been designated the "Original Great Wall" by UNESCO.
From afar, you'll see Simatai Great Wall, a strikingly different structure from the Badaling Great Wall. This ancient barrier defended against the perilous northern nomadic peoples, as evidenced by the poem:
The Heavenly Ladder soars into the clouds, the Sky Bridge hangs suspended amidst the sea of clouds. The graceful Fairy Tower offers a breathtaking view of Wangjing. Gubei Water Town is a well-developed and successfully managed cultural and tourism town. In recent years, as small town development has become increasingly popular throughout China, it has gained widespread recognition as a model for successful small-town operations, attracting numerous industry professionals to visit and learn from it. Gubei Water Town also shares its fame with the Simatai Great Wall, earning it the nickname "a resort town with a unique northern charm at the foot of the Simatai Great Wall."
The town's architecture is in the traditional northern courtyard style, and what is particularly distinctive is that the buildings are wrapped in various vines.
In late autumn, the most beautiful capital city gets its name from its most beautiful autumn colors.
At this time, the most beautiful Gubei Water Town also has its most beautiful autumn colors.
There are still green trees that have not been deeply blown by the autumn wind.
After a while, they should turn deep red.
The cool wind blew gently, quietly entering the lapels of clothes.
The days passed quickly, and it was already late autumn. 
Unlike the B&Bs in Moganshan with their picturesque scenery, the B&Bs here are mainly courtyard houses, which are more solemn and a good place to relax and unwind. 
Colorful streamers danced in the sky, dyeing the entire building red. I’m starting to feel a bit aesthetically fatigued.
A sudden appearance of a memorial archway—Long Mountains and Rivers
When sick, I feel the wind and dew early; in my dreams of returning home, I don’t know how long the mountains and rivers are.
What night is this? Long mountains and rivers!
This is yellow, telling us it is not yet late autumn
Suddenly, a small shop appeared on the corner, and there was a crowd of people
The warm light from inside the house filtered through the window lattice, spreading on the red leaves, creating another beautiful color.
The cold wind outside could not hinder the warmth inside the house.
We decided to climb Simatai Great Wall at night, of course, by cable car.
This night is the night of Gubei Water Town.
Under the night sky, the Great Wall has stood for hundreds of years, and the broken stone walls reveal its glorious history.
When ancient soldiers were on duty, the lighting would have been even dimmer and unclear.
Going up, the guardrails on both sides are too low. Simatai Great Wall is indeed a representative of the steep and rugged Great Wall.
Clumps of dwarf pines are still stubbornly rooted among the rocks.
Respect life, respect nature~
Under the dim light, nothing is very clear. I'll take a photo and come back next time during the day.
This is a schematic diagram of the Simatai Great Wall scenic area. We have just arrived at the East 6th Floor.
In the dark night sky, a long dragon of lights stretches into the distance. This is the most beautiful night view of the Great Wall. src="https://dimg04.c-ctrip.com/images/0106w1200086r5yws483E_W_671_0_Q90.jpg?proc=autoorient" />
The moon at the bridgehead is man-made, adding a touch of brightness to the darkness.
The moonlight is like water, and you are always there for me.
The majestic atmosphere, with a touch of warmth amidst the austerity.
After getting down, we decided to go find a meal. We still had to go to the restaurant we just passed by.
The drone show is a highlight of Gubei Water Town. It is the first time I have seen such a large-scale and precisely controlled drone show array. It is also a commemoration of our trip.
Drones gathered in the distance and then converged over the central square of the ancient town, forming different shapes.
This is an array, with various colors intertwined and slowly flying.
Soon it will transform into a fairy tale of stars and moon.
It turns into an ancient town archway
It turns into a Jiangnan water village
It turns into a lonely pedestrian
I was so hungry, so I had two dishes and a soup, plus two pots of Sima Shao (Small Chinese rice) with my beautiful lady by my side. How wonderful!
It was getting late, so I hurried back after dinner. The B&B here was great. There were two double bedrooms upstairs, and the living room and kitchen were downstairs. We washed off our tired bodies and fell asleep in each other's arms...
After five hundred years, the Simatai Great Wall is still there.
A hundred years from now? Who will remember us?
The driver took us back to the city. We met up with some friends for lunch at 798 Art Gallery. We gazed back at Simatai in the distance again.
We will come again and definitely come to see you in your most splendid splendor of the year.
From a distance, the forests are ablaze with color, and the scenery rivals that of Xishan.
In autumn, why not visit Gubei Water Town and be captivated by the crimson leaves, leaving behind an intoxicating beauty in the golden autumn?
At noon, I rushed to the Plant Restaurant in 798 Cherish the Moment for lunch. This is a very distinctive Western restaurant.
The temperature in the city is still strong, and the blue flowers are blooming luxuriantly.
This is next to where we had pasta salad in the train restaurant last time. Darling, do you still remember?
One year later, the design and style of the Botanical Garden Plant Restaurant also refer to this place, which can be regarded as a tribute to love.
Starting next year, I won't have to go to 798 anymore. I can see our favorite restaurants every day~
Green is the color of life and the color of growth. The owner carefully cares for these beautiful green plants.
After dinner, I took the high-speed train back home. Just over two days had passed, and I felt very fulfilled and happy!
Some people are as free and unrestrained as the wind
Some people are as stubborn as a mausoleum
Some people love to pursue endlessly
Some people love to go with the flow
Cherish, cherish, stay together, accompany
This is to commemorate our beloved autumn in the north!
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