Longtan Park is located within the southeast 2nd Ring Road of Dongcheng District, Beijing, southeast of Guangming Bridge. It is a national 4A-level tourist attraction and one of the first batch of ten top-quality parks in Beijing. Founded in 1952, the park covers a total area of 42.3 hectares, including a water area of 19.47 hectares and a green area of 12.86 hectares. With the theme of "Loong Culture", it integrates northern classical architecture and modern gardening art. The water surface is divided into three main parts by bridges, pavilions, halls, and kiosks, embellished with 4 islets, 4 peninsulas, 3 shoals, and 1 canyon, forming 24 distinct tourist areas. The park plants characteristic plants such as Loong jujube, Loong willow, and Loong claw locust, and is equipped with friendship memorial forests like China-France and China-ROK, combining cultural connotations and ecological beauty.
History and Culture
Longtan Park got its name from echoing the beginning and end of Longxugou (Loong Beard Ditch). After its official opening in 1984, it gradually formed the core of "Loong Culture". Since 1986, the Longtan Spring Festival Temple Fair has been held, becoming a folk culture brand in Beijing; it was awarded "Beijing's Top Ten Quality Parks" in 2002 and promoted to a national 4A-level scenic area in 2010. The park retains the Temple of General Yuan Chonghuan (a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit) from the late Ming Dynasty, displaying his portrait and Kang Youwei's elegy handwriting; in 2021, the original Beijing Amusement Park was reconstructed into Longtan Zhonghu Park, adding 200,000 square meters of green space. After opening for free, it became a model of urban renewal. The park also undertakes the function of patriotic education, with memorial areas for statues of figures such as Sun Jingxiu and Shi Chuanxiang, continuing half a century of citizens' leisure memories.
Main Attractions
Longtan Scenic Area
The northern core area of the park, where 14 Loong-shaped mountains embrace the water area. The main peak waterfall has a drop of 8 meters, forming a "mountain stone bonsai" landscape. Along the shore are sculptures such as Green Stone Flying Loong and Loong Girl Herding Sheep, showing the concrete expression of Loong culture.
Longyin Pavilion
The highest point of the whole park, an antique pavilion 17 meters high. Climbing the pavilion, you can overlook the lake and mountain scenery. The copper bells on the eaves echo the theme of "Loong's Roar", and Loong cypresses and Loong mulberries are planted around to form a plant landscape group.
Loong Character Stone Forest
Covering an area of 1.2 hectares, it gathers more than 100 kinds of stone carvings of the character "龙 (Loong)" in oracle bone inscriptions, bronze inscriptions, cursive scripts, etc., inlaid among natural rocks. The largest single-character stone carving is 5 meters high, making it a rare Loong culture stone forest in China.
Temple of General Yuan
Built in 1917, in the pattern of a quadrangle courtyard. The main hall displays Yuan Chonghuan's portrait and the poem stele of Farewell at the Border. The ancient locust tree in front of the temple is said to have been planted by Yuan Chonghuan himself, and it is a municipal-level patriotic education base.
Longtan Zhonghu Park
A free park opened in 2021, retaining the original amusement park's Ferris wheel (62 meters high), adding a 2.6-kilometer lakeside trail, setting up children's activity areas and wetland landscapes, with the greening rate increased to 90%.
Food
Longtan Temple Fair Snacks
Limited to the Spring Festival period, including more than 30 kinds of Beijing-style snacks such as Douzhi (fermented mung bean juice) with Jiaoquan (fried dough rings) (5 RMB/set), Guan Chang (fried enema) (10 RMB/piece), and Sugar Painting (15 RMB/each). The time-honored brand "Tianxingju" sets up a temporary stall for Chao Gan (stir-fried liver) (8 RMB/bowl).
Surrounding Recommendations
"Ciqikou Douzhi Shop" (Tiantan East Road Branch), 1.2 kilometers away from the park, offers authentic old Beijing breakfast; Nanmen Shuanrou (Fangzhuang Branch), 1.5 kilometers away from the park, specializes in copper pot mutton hotpot (average cost 80 RMB per person).
Ticket
The ticket price is 2 RMB per person.
You can search for the official WeChat public account "北京龙潭公园" to get the latest updates or purchase tickets online.
Opening Hours
Park: 6:00-22:00 (open all year round); Longtan Zhonghu Park: 6:00-21:30; Temple of General Yuan: 9:00-17:00 (closed on Mondays).
Tour Routes
【Classic 2-Hour Loop】Enter from the East Gate → Loong Character Stone Forest (15 minutes) → Longtan Waterfall (10 minutes) → Longyin Pavilion (20 minutes) → Temple of General Yuan (30 minutes) → Central Island Cultural Square (15 minutes) → Exit from the South Gate.
【Parent-Child 3-Hour Route】Enter from the North Gate → Children's Playground (40 minutes) → Longtan Zhonghu Ferris Wheel (20 minutes) → Huaxi Boardwalk (25 minutes) → Kite Square (30 minutes) → Exit from the West Gate.
Transportation
- Subway: Take Exit C of "Tiantan East Gate Station" on Line 5, walk 800 meters (about 12 minutes);
- Bus: Directly reach "Longtan Park Station" by Bus No. 8/12, or walk 300 meters from "Guangming Bridge South Station" by Bus No. 41;
- Self-driving: South Gate parking lot (50 spaces, 5 RMB/hour), it is recommended to travel off-peak during peak hours.
Must-Visit Attractions
- Longtan Spring Festival Temple Fair (from the 1st to the 6th day of the first lunar month): Receives an average of 100,000 visitors per day, including intangible cultural heritage performances and flower parade. In 2024, the number of visitors reached 680,000;
- Loong Character Stone Forest: The only stone carving group themed on the character "龙 (Loong)" in China, collecting calligraphies of famous masters in past dynasties;
- Ferris Wheel Night View: A landmark landscape of Longtan Zhonghu Park, offering a view of the 2nd Ring Road city skyline after lighting up at night;
- Temple of General Yuan: The only remaining memorial building for Yuan Chonghuan in Beijing, with the Epitaph of Righteous Man She in the temple being a precious cultural relic.
Tour Tips
- The best seasons are spring and autumn (April-May, September-October), when you can enjoy crabapples (April) and ginkgoes (November);
- Enter the park before 10 am during the temple fair to avoid the peak period from 11:00 to 14:00;
- Wear non-slip shoes. The total length of the park's trails is 6.8 kilometers, and some sections have a large slope;
- Visitors with children can prepare strollers, as the barrier-free passage coverage in the park is 95%.
Notes
- Fishing and swimming are prohibited in non-designated areas, with a fine of 50-200 RMB for violators;
- Pets must be leashed to enter the park, and large dogs are prohibited from entering the core scenic area;
- Using flashlights is prohibited in the Temple of General Yuan, and a 1-meter visiting distance must be maintained for some ancient steles;
- The last boat departs at 21:00, and overtime will be charged at the full price;
- Smoking is prohibited throughout the park, and 12 fixed smoking areas are set up (with obvious signs).