On Sept. 23, the opening ceremony of the 2011 Western Hills Tourism Festival was launched at Zhengjue Temple at Yuanmingyuan (Old Summer Palace) in Beijing. The festival will last for more than one month until Oct. 28.

At the opening ceremony of 2011 Western Hills Tourism Festival and premiere ceremony of Western Hills Rambling, famous scholars and experts are invited to deliver keynote speeches on the culture of Western Hills.

Western Hills in Haidian is home to royal gardens, natural scenery, temples, celebrity sites and orchards. Tourists can take part in activities of entertainment, health fitness and culture exploration.

The festival has different activities planned under the theme: “Western Hills, Leisure Life.” The activities included Premiere ceremony of Western Hills Rambling, Treasure Hunt at Western Hills, Bicycle Riding, and Nordic Hiking Camp.

Treasure Hunt at Western Hills

Time: September 24-25; October 1-6; October 15-16; October 22.

Venue: Western Hills

Activities: Royal Cultural Treasure Hunt, Religious Cultural Treasure Hunt, Bush Walk Treasure Hunt, Health • Sports • Food Treasure Hunt.

Bicycle Riding

Time: September 24-25, 2011

Venue: Scenic Corridor of Western Hills

Activities: Two bicycle riding activities will be launched with Scenic Corridor of Western Hills as the axis.

Nordic Hiking Camp

Time: September 24-25; October 1-2; October 4-5; October 6-7.

Venue: Phoenix Ridge Nature Park

Activities: The tourists will be organized to learn from Nordic Hiking patterns and Meditation Experience and learn to lead leisure, healthy and natural life. The tourists can enjoy barbecue buffet,watch open-air movie and stay in the camp tents in the evening.

Other featured activities

Red Autumn Leaves Festival at Xiangshan Park and Baiwangshan Park; Mountain Climbing Festival at Phoenix Ridge Park and Jiufeng Forest Park; Gingko Leaves Festival at Dajue Temple; Osmanthus Blossom Show at the Summer Palace. Tourists can log on the official Weibo of Haidian Tourism Bureau and upload their travel stories and photos. Reward will be given to the outstanding works by the organizers.

Featured Travel Routes of Western Hills

Colorful Autumn Leaves Tour

Red Autumn Leaves at Xiangshan Park – Zhengjue Temple at Yuanmingyuan (Old Summer Palace);

Flowers at Beijing Botanical Garden - Osmanthus Blossom Show at the Summer Palace / Autumn Forests at Baiwangshan Forest Park.

Folk Culture Tour

Millennium Ginkgo at Dajue Temple – Folk Meal and fruit-picking at Guanjialing;

Colorful Autumn Leaves at Jiufeng Forest Park / Springs at Yangtai Mountain - Folk Meal and fruit-picking at Xishan Meilu.

Other tours:

Extreme sports at Kuangbiao Entertainment Park - Fruit-picking at Xishan Meilu;

Health culture experience at Phoenix Ridge – Qi Jiguang's story at Che’erying Folk Culture Village – Fruit-picking at Western Hills Farm.