Dongli Lake Tourist Resort is located in Dongli District, Tianjin, between the central urban area and the core area of Binhai New Area. It is one of the eight major tourist attractions and seven nature reserves in Tianjin, and a municipal-level tourist resort. It has been rated as a National Ecological Tourism Demonstration Area and a National Water Conservancy Scenic Area. The total area of the resort is 22.01 square kilometers, including an 8-square-kilometer lake surface, with a 12-kilometer-long shoreline and a total water capacity of 22 million cubic meters. The lake surface area is 1.5 times that of Hangzhou West Lake, and it is known as the "Freshwater Little Ocean". The resort covers four major tourism elements: "lake", "valley", "flower", and "spring". It has 2 national AAAAA-level tourist attractions and 1 national AAA-level tourist attraction, forming an all-season resort integrating tourism and vacation, hot spring entertainment, food and shopping, conference training, recuperation and fitness, and business exchanges.
History and Culture
The historical culture of Dongli Lake has been continuously enriched and precipitated in modern development. In April 2025, Tianjin's first lakeside immersive drama "Present and Past of Dongli Lake" premiered here. With Li Shutong's life as the context, it deeply integrates the natural landscape of Dongli Lake with artistic narration, becoming a new cultural landmark of Tianjin. Combined with the real lakeside scenery of Dongli Lake, the drama launched a four-act immersive light performance called "One Dream, Three Realms", including "Shutong Invites to Dream", "A Thousand Flowers Bloom at Night", "A Sand Gull in the World", and "Love in the Evening of the World". Through moving scenes, the audience can immersively experience the spiritual realm of Li Shutong in different stages of his life. In addition, the "Touring Tianjin Dream" theme block also adds a strong historical and cultural atmosphere to Dongli Lake. The bluestone roads, retro buildings, rickshaws, and NPCs in various costumes in the block make visitors feel as if they have traveled through time and space. They can also interact with NPCs, complete specific tasks to unlock hidden plots, and further experience the unique charm of the integration of history and modernity.
Main Attractions
Dongli Lake Natural Art Garden
Dongli Lake Natural Art Garden relies on the 8-square-kilometer vast waters of Dongli Lake and focuses on ecological tourism. The scenic area has introduced several high-quality projects, including Swan Bay Tent Camp, Flower Sea Art Market, and Water Park, providing tourists with diversified playing options. Here, visitors can enjoy the lakeside scenery at the tent camp, feel the combination of art and nature at the flower sea market, and experience the fun of playing in the water at the water park, fully experiencing the natural beauty and leisure atmosphere of Dongli Lake.
Tianjin Happy Valley
Tianjin Happy Valley is a national AAAAA-level scenic spot with a vast area, divided into six theme areas, equipped with rich amusement facilities and wonderful performances. There are not only roller coasters, rapids, and other projects suitable for tourists seeking excitement, but also Ferris wheels, carousels, and other leisure facilities suitable for family and parent-child play. At the same time, there are regular theme shows covering songs, dances, acrobatics, and other forms, which can meet the needs of tourists of different ages.
Dongli Lake Evergrande Hot Spring Tourist Scenic Area
Dongli Lake Evergrande Hot Spring Tourist Scenic Area is a national AAAAA-level scenic spot. Relying on the rich geothermal resources in the local area, it has built various styles of hot spring pools, including Chinese garden pools and European-style pools, totaling dozens. Tourists can enjoy the relaxation and comfort brought by the hot springs here to relieve fatigue. In addition, the scenic area is also equipped with catering, accommodation, leisure and entertainment facilities, providing a one-stop hot spring vacation experience, and is a good place for leisure and health preservation.
Venue for "Present and Past of Dongli Lake"
As the venue for Tianjin's first lakeside immersive drama "Present and Past of Dongli Lake", this venue makes full use of the real lakeside scenery of Dongli Lake to create a unique real-scene stage and immersive experience area. During the performance, the water curtain projection on the lake and the lighting effects complement each other, combined with the wonderful performances of the actors, vividly showing the life story of Li Shutong. During the viewing process, the audience moves along with the development of the plot, feels the progress of the plot in different scenes, and gains an immersive artistic experience.
Food
Featured Food in the Scenic Area
Restaurants in Dongli Lake Tourist Resort have launched many featured dishes, among which the lake fresh feast is very popular. The lake fresh feast mainly uses freshwater fish, shrimp, crabs, etc. produced in Dongli Lake as ingredients. For example, steamed Dongli Lake crucian carp is made of fresh lake crucian carp, steamed with simple seasonings, which retains the tenderness of the fish to the greatest extent, with a price of about 68 yuan per serving. In addition, the farm stew in the scenic area is also very distinctive. It uses locally grown vegetables and farm-raised poultry, stewed slowly, with a mellow taste. A serving of farm stewed chicken is about 88 yuan, suitable for sharing among many people.
Surrounding Food
There are many characteristic restaurants around Dongli Lake. The "Lake Shore House" restaurant, about 3 kilometers away from the scenic area, specializes in characteristic dishes combining Tianjin local dishes and lake fresh food. Its signature dish, braised Dongli Lake big carp in sauce, uses big carp growing in the lake, braised with secret sauce, with tasty meat and strong sauce flavor, with a price of about 128 yuan per serving. In addition, the restaurant's "tie bobo ao xiaoyu" (corn cake stewed with small fish) is also a classic dish. The small fish are from Dongli Lake, stewed with corn cakes. The cakes absorb the freshness of the fish, with a unique taste, and a price of about 58 yuan per serving.
Tickets
It is open for free, but some attractions require separate charges. As of July 19, 2025, no official WeChat public account has been found.
Opening Hours
The opening hours of each attraction vary. Dongli Lake Natural Art Garden is open all day; Tianjin Happy Valley is open from 9:30 to 18:00 from Monday to Friday, and from 9:00 to 20:00 on Saturday and Sunday; Dongli Lake Evergrande Hot Spring Tourist Scenic Area is open from 10:00 to 22:00; the performance time of "Present and Past of Dongli Lake" is 19:30 to 21:00 every Friday and Saturday, and there may be additional performances on legal holidays. For specific information, please refer to the official notice. It is recommended that tourists check the specific opening hours of each attraction before traveling to arrange their itinerary reasonably.
Tour Route
Here is a recommended one-day tour route: Arrive at Dongli Lake Natural Art Garden at 9:00 a.m., visit for about 2 hours, and experience Swan Bay Tent Camp and Flower Sea Art Market; go to Tianjin Happy Valley at 11:00 a.m., play various amusement facilities in the park, watch performances, have lunch in the restaurant in Happy Valley at noon, and continue playing until 16:00 p.m.; go to Dongli Lake Evergrande Hot Spring Tourist Scenic Area at 16:30 p.m., enjoy about 2 hours of hot spring time to relax; have dinner in a restaurant around the scenic area at 18:30 p.m.; if it is Friday or Saturday, go to watch "Present and Past of Dongli Lake" at 19:30 p.m. to end the day's trip. This route covers natural landscapes, amusement facilities, hot spring leisure, and cultural performances, allowing you to fully experience the diverse charm of Dongli Lake.
Transportation
- Public transportation: You can take Tianjin Bus No. 663, 690, etc., get off at "Dongli Lake Resort" station, and walk about 1000 meters to reach the core area of Dongli Lake Tourist Resort; you can also take Metro Line 2 to "Airport Economic Zone Station" and transfer to Bus No. 690.
- Self-driving: Starting from Tianjin urban area, drive east along Weiguo Road, turn into Jinhan Highway, and then go to Dongli Lake Tourist Resort according to the navigation instructions. The whole journey is about 30 kilometers, and the driving time is about 40 minutes. There are parking lots in the resort and various attractions, and the parking fee is generally 5 yuan per hour.
- Taxi/online car-hailing: Taking a taxi from Tianjin Railway Station to Dongli Lake Tourist Resort, the whole journey is about 25 kilometers, the driving time is about 35 minutes, and the cost is about 50-60 yuan.
Must-visit Attractions
- Tianjin Happy Valley: As a national AAAAA-level scenic spot, it has six theme areas, including various amusement facilities such as roller coasters and Ferris wheels, and wonderful performances. It is suitable for tourists of all ages and is a must-visit place to experience excitement and leisure.
- Dongli Lake Evergrande Hot Spring Tourist Scenic Area: A national AAAAA-level scenic spot, relying on geothermal resources to build various hot spring pools with complete supporting facilities, allowing tourists to enjoy the comfort and relaxation of hot springs, and is the first choice for leisure and health preservation.
- "Present and Past of Dongli Lake" performance: Tianjin's first lakeside immersive drama, with Li Shutong's life as the context, combined with the four-act immersive performance of real scenes, bringing tourists a unique artistic experience and showing the integration of history and nature.
Tour Suggestions
- The recommended visiting time is 1-2 days. If you want to fully experience each attraction, it is recommended to arrange 2 days to avoid a too tight schedule.
- When going in summer, take sun protection measures, bring sunscreen, sun hats, etc., and prepare swimsuits for use in water parks or hot spring scenic spots.
- There are many projects in Tianjin Happy Valley. You can check the park map in advance, plan the playing route, and avoid queuing during peak hours.
- When watching "Present and Past of Dongli Lake", it is recommended to wear comfortable shoes because you need to walk to watch, and you can bring a coat according to the weather.
- When tasting lake fresh food, you can choose restaurants with good reputations in the scenic area or around to ensure fresh ingredients.
Matters Needing Attention
- Some amusement projects in Tianjin Happy Valley have height and weight restrictions. Tourists should choose according to their own conditions and abide by the project safety regulations.
- In Dongli Lake Evergrande Hot Spring Tourist Scenic Area, tourists with hypertension, heart disease and other diseases should be cautious about soaking in hot springs and avoid long-time soaking.
- During the visit, pay attention to protecting the environment, do not litter, and abide by the management regulations of each attraction.
- When taking public transportation, pay attention to the time of the last bus to avoid missing the return bus; self-driving tourists should abide by traffic rules and drive safely.
- It is recommended to arrive at the venue 30 minutes in advance before watching "Present and Past of Dongli Lake" to familiarize yourself with the route and avoid affecting the viewing experience.