In the Mentougou District lies a natural botanical garden, Baihua Mountain Natural Scenic Area, which is over 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Beijing. This area has incomparable beauty, and magnificent scenery of gracefulness and steepness with numerous wonderful sights. Renowned for superb natural scenery and large quantities of exotic flowers and rare herbs, Baihua Mountain is a heavenly place on earth.
The rich natural resource of plants and animals is one of the characteristics of Baihua Mountain. The scenic area offers a splendid environment for more than 170 kinds of rare animals, such as leopards, black storks, golden eagles, brown-eared pheasants and gorals. Other wild animals including wolves, foxes, roe deer, hedgehogs, wild boars, badgers and wild goats also live here, along with more than 300 kinds of birds that gather here in spring and autumn. There are also more than 1,000 species of plants growing here.
The Baihua Mountain is most famous for its large quantities of flowers. The flowers bloom at different times, for the temperature varies greatly with the elevation of the mountain. In early March, mountain peach bloom first. As the seasons change, different beautiful flowers decorate the mountain with a sea of flowers, including China rose, wild lilac, azalea, wild peony, red Jessamine, and many other species. Even in late October, tourists can have a good view of the charming wild opium poppy. The most marvelous flower is tropaeolum, which can only be found on the elevation of 1,800 meters (5,905 feet) to 2,000 meters (6,560 feet).
Ant holes in the Baihua Mountain are also very curious. Thousands of holes are built on gentle slopes by hundreds of millions of ants. With the shape of hillocks, these holes are adjacent to each other, resembling small villages. The largest ones, 3 meters (9.8 feet) in diameter and one meter (3.3 feet) high, look like the grand pyramids. Quite unusual!
In a lap of the Baihua Mountain, there is a vast ice block which does not melt all year around. Even in hot summer, one can feel a chill in the air. The mountain shapes the ice block into a small waterfall. While just near the jade white ice block, one encounters another view with blooming flowers and flourishing trees.
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Admission Fee:
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CNY 30
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Opening Hours:
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08:00-18:00
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Bus Route:
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929 Branch Line from the west of Pingguoyuan Subway Station to Baihuashan Lukou, and then you could walk to the Baihua Mountain.
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Beijing Historical Sites:
