Shilinxia offers a scenic escape from busy Beijing

Shilinxia boasts a scenery of rocks, gorges, water, mountains and forests. Photo provided to China Daily

2:00PM

It's pleasant to start your adventure at the valley and walk on a zigzagging road that passes through streams and pools. Since it's autumn, you will see many persimmon trees with ripe fruit and red leaves on the mountain. It feels like that you're in a beautiful landscape painting done by a master.

When you come to the Qixia Pool, you will see a sculpture of a pretty young Chinese woman, Xiagu. Legend has it that Xiagu lived here a long time ago and used to wash clothes at the pool. Her husband, Sanlang, was drafted into the army to resist a foreign invasion. One day, a flood dragon came to Shilinxia and imprisoned her because the dragon was drawn to her beauty.

Xiagu didn't surrender and killed herself by banging her head on a giant rock. Upon hearing the grievous news, Sanlang came back and slew the dragon with the help of an arhat, a "perfected person" who has achieved nirvana in Buddhist tradition. The arhat helped Xiagu and Sanlang become immortal and the couple stayed at Shilinxia to protect the local residents from then on.

While you're among the vegetation, shadows and cliffs, you will notice that some mountain roads are bright and broad, and some are narrow and secluded.

Sceneries differ when you walk. When you're on the mountainside, you will see clearly the magnificent stone forest, which is partly hidden and partly visible when you're down in the valley.