The National Day holiday is here! Let's invite a group of friends to drive in the suburbs of Beijing together. Our goal this time is to visit the World Grape Expo in Yanqing and the surrounding scenic spots. Taking these places as the center, we found a homestay to play cards and chat. It's not too exciting! You can also play like this on weekends!
Two day itinerary
Departing from d1 urban area - World Grape Expo Park - Stay in Xiaoyin Light Luxury Homestay
D2 Wild Duck Lake National Wetland Park - Ancient Cliff Residence - Return to City

In the morning, I procrastinated with my friends and only left the city near noon before arriving at the World Grape Expo in the afternoon. In the morning, it was still cloudy, but when we arrived at Badaling, it unexpectedly cleared up. The vineyard was also covered in white clouds. Looking at these two large grapes at the entrance, how could they feel more like eggplants? ha-ha!
There is a huge parking lot at the entrance of the Vineyard Expo Park, which is very convenient for parking. The ticket is 20 yuan, and there is an electric car in the park that can take us to pick grapes everywhere.

The entire vineyard area is very large, mostly consisting of outdoor plantations and some indoor greenhouses. We first arrived at a patch of summer black grapes. Xia Hei grape is a descendant of Jufeng grape, with a skin that appears black purple or black, usually seedless. The shape of the entire fruit is nearly circular, and it is known as the Oriental Black Pearl. Its sweetness is higher than that of Jufeng grape, so it is also very popular in daily life.
Watching Xia Hei hang on the vine one by one, full and delightful.

The grape trellis is set off beautifully under the blue sky, white clouds, and distant mountains, just like the feeling in a French movie.

The dandelions next to the grape trellis are also ripe, round and full, very cute. Pick a few and let them drift with the wind.

We also discovered a bunch of super large grapes, enough for us to eat all the way today haha.

The vineyard is also a great place for taking photos. The neatly arranged grape trellises and the blue sky and white clouds behind create a beautiful scene. The dress I'm wearing today also looks great.

Occasionally seeing a small windmill gives me a feeling of being in Europe for a second.

We also discovered several large pieces of wood, which are perfect for taking photos, whether standing or sitting. The grapes we just picked can also be used as props.

The electric scooter continues to take us to the next stop, this time with white grapes hanging in crystal clear clusters, super cute in the sunlight.

Looking back at the vineyard, you can see the Haituo Mountain. In the afternoon, white clouds rise, paired with the gentle sunshine and cool breeze of autumn, giving you a feeling of being in Switzerland in a second.

Encounter lovely and beloved trumpet flowers on the way~

The outdoor grape trellis took a turn, and the staff drove an electric scooter to take us to the indoor greenhouse. Due to strict temperature control and cultivation, the grapes in the greenhouse had a longer fruiting period than those outside, and the number was astonishing. They hung on the trellis full of grapes, like precious stones.

As we walked and ate, we finally got out in an electric scooter. The staff also introduced us to a century old grape tree located at the entrance. The variety of this grape is "longan", which has a very standard round shape. This grape tree is over a hundred years old, and it still bears many fruits every autumn. It's really amazing.

One afternoon at the World Grape Expo, I was really eating, playing, and taking photos. For someone like me who loves to eat grapes, it's really satisfying. Don't miss it!
Address of World Grape Expo Park: 800 meters south of Xialufengying Village, Zhangshanying Town

Stay in a simple and beautiful luxurious homestay

Having eaten enough grapes in the vineyard, we will move to the homestay we stayed in tonight. I am a person who really enjoys experiencing homestays, and I feel that it is a great place to relax. We are staying at the Xiaoyin Light Luxury Homestay not far from the vineyard this time.
Upon entering, I saw a large lawn facing the misty sea and mountains.

We have booked Villa No.1, which has three floors in total. There are five rooms in the main building, and there is also a small wooden house next to it that can accommodate people. It's super fun. Let's take a closer look
Look, this is our No.1 yard with a balcony and a small wooden house next to it. Did you see me waving on the third floor?

The first floor is a super spacious lobby where you can play games and watch TV.

There are quite a few rooms on the second floor, but there are also two cozy small halls, each decorated with great care. Because I live on the second floor at night, I feel more familiar with this place.

The room has a minimalist yet attention to detail Nordic Instagram style, very cozy, and the bedding is also quite soft. I really like this deer horn bedside lamp, it's so cute.

The third floor is even more interesting. In fact, it can be considered an attic, which is a more suitable place for everyone to gather and discuss handicrafts. There are also tabletop soccer and children's areas, which are very suitable for taking care of children or coming with friends.

There is also a small balcony on the third floor, so it's not too enjoyable to watch the stars and chat at night.

The drone flew up to the sky and saw that the entire homestay consisted of three rows of villas and a large lawn. I even thought that this large lawn could be used to hold a lawn wedding, and then a bunch of friends would play outside the homestay at night haha. Forget about being a single dog, I really thought too much....

Behind the entire homestay is Haituo Mountain, but unfortunately, when I flew the drone, it happened to be shrouded in clouds and Haituo Mountain was blocked.

There are swing slides suitable for adults and children to play on the lawn, and various props can be arranged for picnics.

Today's dinner was settled directly at the homestay. This is a luxurious small restaurant that comes with the homestay. I just wanted to have a light meal, but I didn't expect everything from the environment to the dishes to be very precise. It was a pleasant surprise.

The overall style of the restaurant is relatively simple, with three floors. The first floor is a breakfast area, and there are also some private rooms on the second floor. At the same time, the first floor is also the front desk of the homestay, where you can play tabletop football while waiting for check-in

Because it happens to be around the Mid Autumn Festival, you can also purchase mooncakes produced by Xiaoyin Qingshe.

Hotel address: No. 3, Zone 7, Xiaohetun Village, Zhangshanying Town, Yanqing District, Beijing
Price: The rental price for a whole villa is around 3000-6000 yuan, with six rooms, so it is actually very cost-effective and suitable for a group of friends to go together.

A delicious meal is indispensable

Let's have a look at our dinner today~Look at the menu and find that here is Huaiyang Cuisine with the style of creative dishes. The light taste can also show the level of the chef. After tasting it, it is also amazing and can be called the standard of five-star restaurants!
Huaiyang Braised Crab Meal and Lion Head.
The night in Beijing in October was already very cold, and a bowl of lion's head soup could be a warming tool. I drank it until the bottom and didn't let the waiter leave.

Kung Pao fried shrimp, although a common dish, is really delicious! The ingredients for shrimp are abundant, large and tender.

Red wine, colored peppers, and beef jerky. Thick green peppers are my favorites, and beef jerky and chewy.

Baked fresh abalone with black truffle sauce, coming out to play is not a luxury!

Green leaf bullfrog, after frying the tea, it smells super fragrant!

Steamed Dongting Lake white fish in Taibai chicken soup has no fishy smell. It's the best Huaiyang Cuisine food you can eat in Beijing.

After finishing the main course above, I really can't eat any more at the main course and dessert stage... I'm sorry for the durian pastry, fried buns, and hedgehog pastry. Of course, we packed everything we couldn't finish, so we could play and eat it as a late night snack at night.

I want to give special praise to the hedgehog pastry. The little hedgehog is really cute, and the chef is really thoughtful.

After a refreshing night's sleep at the homestay, I found a small Instagram style restaurant with a happy birthday flag hanging during breakfast. So Xiaoyin Light Luxury is really a place with various styles, suitable for gatherings, birthdays, and team building!

Breakfast is also very rich. Have a breakfast and let's continue with today's itinerary!

The first scenic spot we are going to today is Wild Duck Lake. Originally, we were shooting the angle of reed swaying from top to bottom at the popular Wanghu Tower, but when we arrived at the door, we were told that the Wanghu Tower had been closed since the outbreak of the epidemic and could not be accessed.... I'm a bit disappointed, but let's settle for it now. Let's go in and have fun
The entire Wild Duck Lake is part of the Wild Duck Lake National Wetland Park, known for its large areas of reeds. After arriving, I realized that the area was so large, and there were layers of mountains above the reeds, making it a wetland park with a very good artistic conception.

Wild Duck Lake National Wetland Park is the only wetland bird nature reserve in Beijing. After years of development, a wetland ecosystem with abundant animal and plant resources, high biodiversity and stability has been formed, becoming one of the important bird habitats in Beijing and even North China.
The total number of bird species in Wild Duck Lake reaches 264, and there are 6 species of national first-class protected animals. There are also various aquatic, wet and terrestrial plants widely distributed.
Friends who enjoy animal and wetland landscapes are recommended to go there.

The Wild Duck Lake Park covers a particularly large area, and currently there are no electric bicycles available in the scenic area. In addition to walking, it is recommended that you rent this type of two or four person travel bike. The four person seat is 100/hour, and the two person seat is 60/hour, so you can ride the bike and enjoy the scenery along the way.

By the way, this electric scooter is also very advanced. It is like a shared bike and can scan the code to unlock and close the lock on its own. The price is half an hour per hour. We returned the car in the last few minutes of an hour and a half, otherwise it would cost an extra 50 yuan!

October is the best season for sightseeing at Wild Duck Lake. In the cool autumn season, you can see the golden reeds swaying in the wind, and the distant mountains are reflected in the wetland. After a while, the reeds will bloom, and they will be even more beautiful in the backlight.

Along the way, there are occasional observation platforms where you can see the wetland reflecting the beauty of distant mountains and clouds like a mirror, everything is very quiet and beautiful.

We rode all the way to the place where we could see the Wanghu Tower (yes or not), which was the building in the distance. After climbing up, we could take a drone like view, but now we have set up a door card on the path leading to the Wanghu Tower, and entry is now prohibited.

Of course, it's not just about internet celebrity booths that look good. You can take big pictures of reeds anywhere, and they should look as good as they do in backlight

Leaving Wild Duck Lake, we drove to the ancient cliff dwelling. I haven't heard of this place before, my friend said with a mysterious expression that there will be surprises here.
After searching for information, it was found that Yanqing Ancient Cliff Dwelling Site is the largest cliff dwelling site discovered in China. The ancient ancestors who excavated and lived there have been forgotten by history. However, the unique and wise architectural design they left us has aroused infinite imagination and speculation, and is known as the "largest maze in China".

After entering the scenic area, for some reason, the originally brilliant sunlight faded away, and the entire mountain path was sandwiched in the gaps of the mountain. It really had a very mysterious feeling, so you need to follow the signs and slowly move up.
On both sides are steep mountain cliffs and dense vegetation. Can people live in these steep cliffs?

Along the way, I occasionally see strange rock formations through signs, which look a bit eerie.

After walking for about 20 minutes, when I looked up, Gu Ya Ju was right in front of me! There are many mysterious caves in the exposed mountain ahead, which can be observed up close by walking straight up. This section of the mountain road is particularly steep, with streams flowing out. I feel like we are a bit like archaeologists, it's really a bit exciting.

At the foot of the ancient cliff dwelling, one can clearly see that all the caves on this side of the mountain are the places where our ancestors truly lived. Most of the stone chambers are rectangular in shape, and the space inside is quite spacious, but because it is very dark, we dare not really go into the stone chambers to see.
This is a residence built by ancient people on steep cliffs, with artificially carved stone chambers of different sizes scattered on the steep granite walls.
It's not very clear to see at the foot of the mountain, but you can still walk along the path until you reach an observation platform, where you can see a clearer view of the whole picture.

According to statistics, there are 174 preserved stone chambers in the ancient cliff dwelling, divided into three areas: front, middle, and back. The back mountain area is divided into 7 levels, with a total of 26 stone chambers. The lower floors are stables, while the higher floors are residential areas.
Moreover, many stone chambers are accessible from top to bottom, even separated by a layout of three rooms and two living rooms, which makes it feel that these ancient people were also very particular.
There is a stone roller on the outer platform at the bottom of the ancient cliff residence, which is said to be the only relatively complete cultural relic of the ancient cliff residence. However, due to severe weathering, the original appearance is no longer clear.
There are many unsolved mysteries about the ancient cliff dwelling, such as when they moved in, what race they belonged to, and how they excavated this magical stone chamber. Currently, there is no clear conclusion, which adds a more mysterious color to the entire ancient cliff dwelling.

In addition to this classic ancient cliff dwelling, there are also many stone houses on the other mountain next to it, but unfortunately they are currently being repaired.

The observation platform is located in the middle of several large mountains, where you can see two ancient cliff dwellings and distant mountains at the same time. You can also see the city and the distant lake, giving you a feeling of climbing high and looking far, which can be considered a unique scenery.

The use of a telephoto lens allows for a clear and mysterious view of the details of the ancient cliff dwellings.

Standing on the observation platform, surrounded by mountains on all sides, our ancestors used their wisdom to carve out a residence on this steep cliff, which is really amazing.
Looking at the ancient cliff dwelling on a drone feels even more magical. Only this one part of the entire mountain has been excavated.

When leaving the ancient cliff residence, the originally gloomy sky suddenly lit up, and on the way back, a small sunset was unexpectedly captured. These two days and one night of small trips around Beijing can be said to have yielded a lot, eating a lot of grapes, staying in beautiful homestays, as well as the beautiful scenery of Wild Duck Lake and the mysterious experience of ancient cliff dwellings. Recommended for friends around Beijing, you can play like this on weekends! While there are still grapes, take action quickly~