The Wild Duck Lake National Wetland Park. Photo provided to China Daily

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When you go deep into the park, you will see a boundless stretch of reed marshes, which wave in the wind. You can climb to the three-floor wooden building to have a panorama view of the lake through the telescope.

Weather permitting, you can pitch a camp in the park, and chat with friends or read a book on the wooden desks, chairs and swings. The park is one of the several places in Beijing that has a campsite for campers, with supplies of water, electricity and guards.

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Before you leave, you can buy a painting made of wild reeds, such as vivid flowers, birds and landscapes. It takes about a dozen procedures to finish the painting, ranging from cutting, pasting, carving, ironing to mounting.

If you go:

Getting there

It's about 17 kilometers northwest of the Badaling Great Wall. You can take Bus 919 at Deshengmen to Yanqing Dongguan and transfer to Bus 921 on the opposite side of the road. Or, you can take a train at Beijing North Station to Yanqing and take a bus to the Wild Duck Lake.

What to bring

Take binoculars and a camera to watch and take photos of birds.

How much?

The ticket fee is 50 yuan ($8.20) per person.