Sail away

Explore the city, and enjoy the nice weather, on a boat ride through one of Beijing's traditional canals

Beijing's landlocked state is unusual for a capital city; the static in the air and lack of rain just add to the general feeling of dryness most people notice while here. So it's a nice surprise to learn that there is a network of canals running through Beijing that are particularly beautiful during the summer and perfect for seeing parts of the city other thoroughfares can't reach.

In particular, those just north of the centre lead to the Grand Canal linking Beijing to the much more watery Hangzhou in the south-east, while those in the west run all the way to the Summer Palace and beyond. The latter network, once connected to the central lake district of Houhai, Beihai, Zhongnanhai and the moat around the Forbidden City, is the one most accessible to tourists. The brainchild of Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan, these canals were constructed during the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) from the Western Hills to Beijing in an attempt to improve the city's water supply.

Unsurprisingly, the pleasant trip to the Summer Palace via these waterways soon became a favourite pastime of the royal family. However, it was the infamous and extravagant Empress Dowager Cixi who became most associated with the canals due to the fact that she would travel from the Forbidden City to the Summer Palace with her entourage on day-long pleasure cruises, often stopping off at the Temple of Longevity on the way. Here she would apparently touch-up her face (the temple still houses her make-up table), enjoy a meal and get some rest after a tough day being rowed around by eunuchs.

In 1999 the Beijing Water Conservancy Bureau opened the canals to the public, running a passenger boat service from behind the Beijing Exhibition Centre in Xizhimen and from Yuyuantan Park in Fuxingmen to the Summer Palace. Several barges kitted out to resemble the imperial ones (as well as regular ones) currently operate between 1 April and 30 October each year.

Catch boats from...

From the Beijing Exhibition Centre: tours leave every hour, on the hour, from the north-east corner of the complex between 10am and 4pm. Single trip 40RMB; return 70RMB.

From Yuyuantan Park: boats run from the south gate of Bayi Lake twice in the morning and once in the afternoon. Single trip 60RMB; return 80RMB.

Sarah Keenlyside