Live Your Best Lives
Destination
My heart is so far away, but my feet are still stopped!
The pandemic is still with us...
I used to travel to different countries and cities every year,
but now, I’m forced to stay in Beijing.
I’m sure many of my fellow travelers are like me...
So, places around the city, such as the Beijing Miyun Gubei Water Town (Simatai Great Wall) International Tourism Resort, have become top weekend getaway destinations! Christmas and New Year’s Day are approaching, so what’s the festive atmosphere like in this fairytale town under the Great Wall? Follow me as I take you on a tour!
Itinerary
First, consider the driving time. According to my personal experience of self-driving trips, the most congested highways out of Beijing on weekends are from 7:00 to 9:00 in the morning. Starting from Sanyuan Bridge, it takes about 2 hours to drive to Gubei Water Town, a distance of about 140 kilometers. The return trip is scheduled for Monday morning... Therefore, I made the following itinerary for reference only:
【DAY-1】09:00-11:00 Arrive at Gubei Water Town for check-in; 11:30-12:30 Lunch; Start sightseeing at 13:00; 17:00-1 8:00 AM Afternoon tea at the mountaintop church; 7:00 PM - 7:30 PM Christmas parade and drone show; 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM Dinner; 9:00 PM Hot spring bath
[DAY-2] 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM Climb the Simatai Great Wall; 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM Check-out, hotel transfer, lunch; 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM Explore Tangshi Street; 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM Dinner; 8:00 PM Return to the hotel for a hot spring bath
[DAY-3] Sleep in naturally; pack up for the return trip.
Delicious food in Gubei Water Town
Exclusive winter themed banquet [Beijing Traditional Roast Duck Banquet]
Roast duck has always been my favorite. Whenever I return to Beijing from a trip, I always make sure to try it at a roast duck restaurant. It makes me feel incredibly energized! After arriving at Gubei Water Town, we started our lunch with a roast duck meal. The setting was charming and quaint, and the food was delicious! 
Beijing's traditional roast duck differs from other traditional roast ducks in that it's grilled over charcoal using fruitwood, such as jujube and pear wood. The result is a flavorful, fruity aroma. Gubei Water Town uses Peking duck, a rare breed with the world's finest meat quality, and invites eight generations of traditional roast duck inheritors to create their own unique recipe. 
The roasted duck is a rosy red in color. A bite reveals tender, crispy exterior and tender interior, rich yet not greasy. It's a must-try and a must-try for visitors to Gubei Water Town. 
Stir-fried and grilled golden trout: This is another delicious way to cook golden trout, which is recommended for you to try in your own kitchen. 
Beijing-style Braised Pork: Delicate pork belly cooked with exquisite techniques, each piece is truly top-quality, with authentic Beijing flavor. 
Shaojiu Braised Goose: Braised to the perfect degree, not too dry, with a slightly chewy texture. 
Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin in Tomato Sauce: This pork tenderloin has an added tomato flavor, making it even more tender and delicious. 
Duck Meat Pancake: Golden in color, filled with duck meat, one bite will leave you with a lingering fragrance! Unforgettable! Winter Limited Themed Dinner [Arrow Tower Steak Dinner]
A steakhouse, or more accurately, a romantic dining destination! Perfect for two or a private party, our dining spot today is also a prime spot for a steak dinner. Through the windows, we can enjoy a panoramic view of the Sun Moon Island Plaza, creating a rich Christmas atmosphere that perfectly suits the season! 
Amidst this dreamy, candlelit long table feast, if you pay close attention, you'll notice the tablecloths are folded to resemble a Christmas tree, a testament to the restaurant's meticulous attention to detail. 
Appetizer bread, seasonal vegetable salad, and soup... everything is perfectly arranged. This grilled main course platter even exudes a touch of grandeur amidst the Christmas atmosphere, featuring beef fillet, deep-sea snapper, Argentinian red shrimp, crispy frankfurters, turkey legs, butter-roasted corn, organic seasonal vegetables, and more.
The main dish: Gaelic steak. It's said to be Queen Elizabeth's favorite! I was fortunate enough to enjoy such delicious food today, and my trip is complete! Food is so satisfying! 
Winter Limited Theme Banquet [Miyun Reservoir Cold Water Fish Banquet]
As we all know, Miyun Reservoir is the largest and only source of drinking water for the capital, Beijing. Its water quality consistently meets the national surface water grade II standard and above. Great water! The reservoir fish are naturally plump and nutritious. Gubei Water Town has invited renowned fish chefs to prepare the dishes, showcasing the diverse flavors of cold-water fish from the Miyun Reservoir using a variety of methods, including steaming, boiling, deep-frying, and pureeing. This allows every visitor to Gubei Water Town to savor the legendary Miyun cold-water fish feast. 
Steamed fish from Miyun Reservoir: This one weighed over 10 pounds and required two people to carry it to the table. Personally, I prefer larger fish; they're fresh, fragrant, and delicious! 
Sour and sweet broth with pickled fish: Delicious! The broth goes great with rice. 
Braised Yellow Croaker with Garlic Sauce: Yellow croaker is a mid-priced freshwater fish. It's nutritious, tender, and boneless, making it a popular choice! 
Steamed Fish Cake: It's filled with fish meat, and it doesn't have a fishy smell. The chef prepared it very well. Highly recommended! Winter Limited-Time Themed Banquet [Miyun BBQ Hometown Feast]
This is a gourmet restaurant you'll want to return for, and its unique local dishes are a favorite! Don't be fooled by its small facade, but the interior is truly impressive... even offering private rooms on the second floor. The BBQ restaurant is very close to the Simatai Great Wall Cableway Station, making it a great place to recharge after a tiring trip up the Great Wall. 
The locals of Miyun are known for their maltose-glazed barbecued pork. They carefully select the meat, using pork belly about three fingers thick, three parts fat, and seven parts lean. This is cooked with a variety of traditional Chinese medicine seasonings, and served with vegetables, honey sauce, and fire-baked bread. The vibrant color, aroma, and flavor of Miyun BBQ evoke a timeless New Year atmosphere. This is the plate of barbecued pork in front of you! Remember to eat it with dipping sauce, lettuce, cucumber strips, and a small bun for a perfect match! 
Chestnut Farmhouse Steamed Pork Bowl: Large pieces of steamed meat with the aroma of chestnuts, just the smell will make you drool! 
Guzhai soybean and pork skin jelly: This is a common dish in the Beijing suburbs, but I've never seen it prepared this way, and it's delicious. 
Local chicken stewed with wild mushrooms: Live by the mountains, eat the mountains. Miyun's wild mountain products, stewed with local chicken, are a delicious winter dish. Stay at the most unique hotel in Gubei Water Town, highly recommended! [Recommendation 1] Gubei Light Hot Spring Resort Hotel
For family trips, this is probably the top choice. The overall setting is very suitable for a vacation, rooms are easily booked, and prices are relatively affordable. You can even soak in the hot springs. The moment you enter the hotel lobby, you're instantly enveloped by the festive Christmas atmosphere. 
Situated by mountains and water, the hotel offers a beautiful setting. The hotel's theme is inspired by the Great Wall, employing a "city wall interior" design technique to showcase the symbiosis of architecture and interiors, nature and humanity, and history and modernity. Standard star-rated rooms include welcome fruit. There's no mineral water in the room, but that's because the tap water is drinkable, which is a welcome touch! 
The hotel boasts the distinctive Yuquan Western Restaurant and the unique Meixi Tea House. It also boasts an 800-square-meter multi-function hall and a variety of private Chinese dining rooms, serving Huaiyang, Cantonese, and Miyun local specialties. 
Here's some special tips: Although the hotel has direct access to the hot springs, it's a bit of a detour, so it's recommended that you wear cotton clothes and walk 3 minutes from the main entrance of the hotel to take a bath. The outdoor hot springs are very comfortable on snowy days, and the indoor dry and wet steam rooms are also very good.
[Recommendation 2] New Youth Art Hotel
Located opposite the Gubei Light Hotel, the New Youth Art Hotel, the name sounds full of curiosity, and it should be a very suitable environment for young people to stay in. The moment I entered the lobby, the color tone instantly reminded me of old Shanghai. If some famous paintings were hung here, it would be even more charming! 
The hotel covers an area of approximately 4,000 square meters and offers 36 guest rooms, including 17 king-size rooms and 19 twin rooms, divided into seven different room types. The hotel also features a Chinese restaurant that seats over 200 people and offers two specialty buns and a tea room, specializing in Hangzhou cuisine. While these are standard terms, the mention of "Hangzhou cuisine" at the end clearly demonstrates the owner's passion for designing this hotel! 
[Recommendation 3] Thirteen Sisters Theme Hot Spring Hotel
Located on Wangjing Street in the Gubei Water Town scenic area, the hotel is close to the Wangjing Street snack street and the musical fountain. With the theme of "celebrity culture" and private hot spring experience, it is a comprehensive boutique theme hotel tailored for high-end consumer groups, integrating accommodation, catering, and hot springs. This is my second stay here, and everything is relatively familiar. What I am most looking forward to is the open-air hot spring in the room. 
Opening the door, I was greeted by a warm, cozy yellow hue. The room was spacious and well-spaced, with a long desk that could fit a full suitcase of small items without looking overwhelmed. The king-sized bed, with its perfectly soft texture, was my favorite! As a traveler, sleeping in until I wake up naturally always seems like a luxury, and only with the right king-sized bed can I achieve that! This is it! The bathroom is also quite spacious, with different functional areas and careful attention to detail. You can easily reach what you need with just a lift. The innermost room is the hot spring pool. This time we stayed in a covered room, which is actually safer. After all, drones are so common nowadays, and privacy is very important! 
Greeting the first rays of morning sunshine, breakfast begins. There are both Chinese and Western set meals, each featuring over a dozen nutritionally balanced foods. This nutritious breakfast leaves you feeling energized! 
When visiting Gubei Water Town, you must visit Yongshun Dyeing Workshop.
Yongshun Dyeing Workshop was founded in 1900 by Zhang Jukui. It's reported that Zhang Jukui learned the unique skills of a dyer in his hometown as a teenager. He mastered the art of making his own indigo dye, resulting in vibrant, long-lasting colors that were stable and durable, resistant to washing and drying. His business gradually prospered, leading him to open the "Yongshun Dyeing Workshop." 
Compared to the main entrance, this alleyway, accessed through the west gate, is popular, making it a popular spot for Instagrammers to check in and take photos! The light and shadows are there, the colors are there, all that's missing is your creative poses... 
From a photography perspective, I prefer the sunlight around 3 or 4 p.m. Shooting in the dyeing workshop allows for more warm light, allowing for more compositional design and more room for creative color. Looking at this makes me think of Jiangnan. Next summer, I'll go to Jiangnan and see the workings of the dyeing workshops. It should be even more interesting, and I'll be able to capture more first-hand visual material. The dyeing workshop has three floors of exhibition halls. Even if you are not from the dyeing industry, you will be amazed by the colorful and stylish decorations. I was confused when I read the introduction of wall panels, but I was also impressed by the development of this printing and dyeing industry! Craftsmen are always respected! On the second floor, there is a workshop where visitors can learn about engraving techniques and appreciate the beauty of printed colors. The spacious interior is ideal for various parent-child activities and industry exchange events. 
Sima Xiaoshao
I'm not a big drinker, but I do believe that good water makes good wine! I've actually heard of Sima Xiaoshao before. It's brewed from grains and has a high alcohol content, but it's smooth and velvety. Even if you get carried away and drink too much, you won't wake up with a headache the next day. This is also an intangible cultural heritage workshop. Sima Xiaoshao is one of Miyun's three types of shochu, a tradition of brewing that dates back to the Qing Dynasty. Miyun Mei Nong Jia Fang is a representative of Miyun's traditional pure-grain liquor. Their popular "Wuliang" (five-grain liquor) made with sorghum, rice, glutinous rice, wheat, and corn is a guarantee of quality. Tasting and selling food are available indoors, making this the perfect souvenir for friends and family visiting Gubei. 
Kite Shop
From my personal experience, this kite shop is a very good experience. The owner is also an inheritor of intangible cultural heritage. Although he is over 50 years old, he is as energetic as a young man. He is also very talkative and enthusiastic. If he sees someone doing something wrong, he will help them, and if he sees someone doing well, he will praise them! The price of making a kite is not expensive, only a dozen yuan. 
Simatai Great Wall
When you come to Gubei, you must climb the Simatai Great Wall. There is a round-trip cable car, which is safe and has a great view! During the day, the route up to Beacon Tower 8 is open. A special reminder: Winter is cold, especially at the top of the Great Wall, where the wind can be strong. Be sure to dress warmly and walk safely. 
From Beacon Tower 7 onwards, the climb is quite steep. The artificial ladder is almost straight up and down, and there are fewer steps on the Great Wall... But the expansive views from this height are truly breathtaking! Even with such a strenuous climb, the experience is truly worth it!
With the Double 11 holiday approaching, what's the festive atmosphere like here? I usually park in the Gubei Water Town Hotel parking lot, which offers both surface and underground parking. More importantly, it's much quicker to enter Gubei Water Town and check in. With Double 11 holiday just around the corner, what kind of decorations will this place have to attract visitors? Come with me inside and experience it for yourself! 
The occasional sightseeing shuttle bus has arrived in style! Decorated with Christmas-themed ornaments and sporting a red exterior, it truly enhances the festive atmosphere!
The festive atmosphere is even stronger in the check-in hall. The story of the Nutcracker begins here, waiting for you to read. This small bookstore has become a place where tourists compete to check in and take photos. 
Don't miss the Christmas pantomime at 4pm next to Sun Moon Island Square. This exciting half-hour performance includes performances and interactive games. After the show, you can go on stage and take photos with the clowns and Santa Claus. 
The weekend Christmas parade is even more spectacular. Last weekend, Beijing experienced its second heavy snowfall, making the experience truly captivating! The journey began at 7 PM, departing from Nantianmen. Polar bears, gorillas, and various costumed performers drew crowds of attention wherever they passed, with many eager to take photos with them. At night, the Sun and Moon Island Square was ablaze with lights, and the curved arches of the city wall were ablaze with twinkling lights. Walking through them exuded a sense of solemnity and the illusion of traveling back in time! It was bound to be a beautiful photo opportunity! 
The enormous Christmas tree has become the central symbol of the fairytale town beneath the Great Wall! Listening to the cheerful music, accompanied by the dancing snowflakes, it's as if you've been transported to the world of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales, becoming a child, playing freely and enjoying the festive atmosphere! Sharing the most important thing about traveling with everyone here! Be sure to visit the market to discover the beauty of local life, the beauty of handicrafts, and the beauty of the soul! Find a few favorites, take them home, and share your fascinating discoveries with family and friends. 
The Hilltop Church and Cloud Cafe are must-sees for every visitor to Gubei Water Town! Witness the entire town from dusk to ablaze with lights! That moment seems to ignite a fire in your heart! 
It's still a bit chilly at the top of the mountain, so it's recommended not to stay outdoors for too long. Instead, you can enjoy the seasonal cakes and desserts at the Cloud Café, paired with a latte, and chat with a few friends. 
To describe Gubei Water Town as a winter paradise is no exaggeration! If you encounter a heavy snowfall, the snow will likely still be there by the next morning, making the scenery even more captivating! Winter is still here, so there's still a chance to experience snow like me! People say Japan is a neon city, but I'd say Gubei Water Town is a neon town, a high-quality resort that combines nature, history, and culture. 
If you've spent too much time in the hotel's hot spring, you can also go outdoors and enjoy the foot bath here, which is free! At the same time, I would like to tell you about the best place to enjoy the scenery of Simatai Great Wall while soaking in hot springs - the top floor of Yushe Hot Spring Boutique Hotel, which has two outdoor pools and one indoor pool, and you can have a panoramic view of Simatai Great Wall! 
It’s a lingering farewell. I’ve recommended everything I should recommend! Although I still feel a bit unfinished, my trip has its conclusion. I believe this guide will enhance the upcoming Double Happiness Festival in Gubei Water Town! It also provides some practical tips for those who are planning to visit Gubei Water Town this winter! However, from a traveler's perspective, the key to discovery lies in your heart. Follow your heart and discover! Happy Double Happiness Festival to everyone in advance! As we usher in the new year of 2021, I wish you all great success and prosperity! 
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