Shilinxia offers a scenic escape from busy Beijing

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

The stones there are of various shapes and look different from one another when you get close. Some are like giant pens or bamboo soaring into the sky, some resemble long lances and some look like wild lions, graceful ladies and mischievous monkeys. As you go deeper into the mountain, you will see the Jiutian Waterfall, or the Nine Sky Waterfall, a rare geologic form that is divided into four parts by rocks, with a total drop of about 120 meters.

You can hear the water splash when it tumbles into the stream and beats against the rocks. When you ascend the stone stairs nearby, you will see the second part of the waterfall. The third and fourth parts are hidden, and you will see the magnificent scenery only if you climb to the top.

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When you reach the 768-meterhigh summit of the Shilin Mountain, you will see three enormous bronze musical instruments in three traditional Chinese-style pavilions.

They are: a gong that is about 2 meters in diameter; five chime bells of different sizes; and a drum that is 90 centimeters in diameter. It took one month for 40 people to transport the 400-kg drum from the bottom to the top of the mountain.

You can strike the gong, hit the chime bells and beat the drum to celebrate the ascent, enjoy the music and have a rest in the pavilions. You will have a bird's-eye view of the mountain with different shapes of peaks draped in fall color.

After enjoying a picnic and a pretty sunset in the pavilions, you may go down the mountain either by foot or by cable car.