City’s Largest Park to Open Fully for Free Starting Next Week

The open-air tennis center in the Chaoyang section of Wenyu River Park complements the artificial lake scenery.

Creating lakes, piling hills, connecting water systems—mountains, water, forests, fields, lakes, grass, and sand are perfectly integrated… Wenyu River Park, Beijing’s «urban green lung,» has been fully completed. The park’s second phase will open on September 29, which also means this largest park in Beijing will be fully free and open to the public, with no reservation required for entry.

An afternoon visit found that the park’s construction is essentially finished, with final preparations underway before the opening. The park will deliver comprehensive benefits in ecological conservation, flood control safety, recreation, cultural displays, low-carbon smart features, and international exchange.

Creating a «Back Garden for Millions of Citizens»

Currently, in the Rose Garden of the park’s second phase, many roses are still in full bloom within 12 circular spaces, each with a unique theme. «During the peak blooming season, varieties like Pink Fan, Peace, Red Knock Out, Red Leonardo da Vinci, and Grace will compete in beauty, forming a sea of roses and becoming a popular spot.»

The park’s beautiful scenery is everywhere. Entering from Gate 41, visitors find the Forest Stream and Flower Shadow area. Forest Stream Butterfly Dance is the largest waterfront attraction in the zone, where streams converge into an open water surface surrounded by dense woods and dotted with flowers. The Forest Stream Classroom on the south side of the water will become a center for integrated indoor and outdoor education, with the building surrounded by water on three sides. In the future, visitors can participate in indoor crafts and courses, or enjoy outdoor activities like chasing butterflies, watching fish, and riding butterfly-shaped swings.

Wenyu River Park is the largest ecological space in Beijing spanning the most administrative districts, forming a pattern of «harmony in diversity, each with its own beauty.» The Chaoyang section focuses on seamless integration with surrounding urban functions, introducing innovative formats, creating job opportunities, and fostering a learning and exchange atmosphere. The Changping section emphasizes the deep integration of technology and ecology, widely using low-carbon, energy-saving, and eco-friendly technologies, showcasing cutting-edge concepts like smart gardens and new energy utilization, with interactive experience facilities to spread green development knowledge. The Shunyi section carries cultural heritage and nostalgic memories, becoming an important space for continuing historical context through landscape nodes, cultural features, and activities like intangible heritage paper-cutting.

«The second phase of Wenyu River Park aims to create ‘Beijing’s largest urban park for millions of citizens’ and ‘a back garden for tens of millions of citizens.'» From quiet forest trails, bird-watching wetlands, and campsites to vibrant lawn music festivals, creative markets, sports events like marathons and cycling, and educational activities like science popularization and cultural exhibitions, the park will become a vibrant stage for the integrated development of culture, commerce, tourism, and sports.

Flood Storage Capacity of 12 Million Cubic Meters

Wenyu River Park is also the city’s largest and most diverse natural zone and the largest flood storage area in the urban area. After the completion of the second phase, its strategic significance extends far beyond recreation, being assigned a key urban safety function with a flood storage capacity of up to 12 million cubic meters. It is an important node in improving the flood control system of the central urban area and the flood control project for the sub-center.

Through scientific watershed planning and advanced water conservancy facilities, the park cleverly achieves «dual use for normal and emergency times.» During regular rainfall, the park acts as a «big sponge» for the northeastern part of the city, storing rainwater and effectively supplementing green and municipal water use, saving 4 million cubic meters of water annually and significantly enhancing the city’s comprehensive resilience to flood disasters.

The park has built 5 ecological water corridors and 10 wetlands, totaling 350 hectares of permanent water surface, all using reclaimed water. The water corridors flow slowly daily, deeply purifying the reclaimed water and providing no less than 350,000 cubic meters per day of clean ecological water for the downstream sub-center. By restoring natural shorelines, constructing multi-level wetland systems, cultivating aquatic plant communities, and enhancing water self-purification capacity, the goals of clear water, green banks, beautiful scenery, and biodiversity have been successfully achieved.

Wenyu River Park by the Numbers

Area Nearly 3 Times That of Olympic Forest Park

Over 100 Gates

How big is Wenyu

Wenyu River Park

Wenyu River Park is a large ecological park located in northeastern Beijing, developed along the Wenyu River. It was created as part of a major urban green initiative to restore the river’s ecosystem and provide recreational space for the city’s residents. The park is known for its wetlands, diverse birdlife, and scenic cycling and walking paths.

Chaoyang section

The Chaoyang section is a central urban district of Beijing, China. Historically an area of farmland and villages outside the old city walls, it was developed after the founding of the People’s Republic of China and has become a major hub for foreign embassies, international businesses, and modern skyscrapers. It is now known for its vibrant nightlife and commercial centers like Sanlitun.

Changping section

The Changping section refers to a portion of the Great Wall of China located in Beijing’s Changping District. Historically, it was a crucial defensive barrier protecting the northern approaches to the capital. This section features well-preserved watchtowers and fortifications, some dating back to the Ming Dynasty.

Shunyi section

The Shunyi section refers to a district within Beijing, China, which has evolved from a traditional agricultural area into a major suburban hub. It is now particularly known for hosting many international communities and foreign embassies, largely due to its proximity to Beijing Capital International Airport. This development has made it a significant center for expatriates and international business within the city.

Rose Garden

The Rose Garden is a public park in Portland, Oregon, officially established in 1917. It is renowned for being one of the oldest continuously operating public rose test gardens in the United States, created to preserve European rose varieties during World War I. Today, it features over 10,000 rose bushes and offers stunning views of the city and Mount Hood.

Forest Stream and Flower Shadow

«Forest Stream and Flower Shadow» is a classic Chinese garden scene that evokes the tranquil beauty of nature. It typically features a meandering stream flowing through a wooded area, with the shadows of overhanging blossoms dancing on the water’s surface. This poetic concept, celebrated in art and literature, embodies the traditional Chinese aesthetic of finding harmony and contemplative joy in a carefully composed natural landscape.

Forest Stream Butterfly Dance

«Forest Stream Butterfly Dance» is a traditional cultural performance originating from the indigenous Tao people of Orchid Island (Lanyu), Taiwan. It is a ceremonial dance that mimics the fluttering movements of butterflies, often performed by women along forest streams during important festivals and rituals. The dance is deeply connected to the Tao people’s reverence for nature and their island ecosystem.

Olympic Forest Park

The Olympic Forest Park is a large urban green space in Beijing, China, created for the 2008 Summer Olympics. It was built on formerly industrial land to provide a «green lung» for the city and served as a venue for the Olympic Games. Today, it remains a popular public park for recreation and environmental education.