A short drive from either Beijing or Tianjin, Ji county `houses' the Yanshan Mountain range, the Huanyaguan pass of the Great Wall and the large Cuiping Lake.
Ji County is also home to the Baxian Mountain and the national forest park at Jiulong Mountain. Here, one can witness rare flora and fauna.

One can also travel to Mount Panshan to enjoy its waterfall and visit its ancient temples and pagodas.

Mount Panshan was popular among emperors and ordinary folk in ancient times too. In fact, it was known to be a favourite haunt of Emperor Qianlong who remarked that it was a better haven than all the other retreats he visited in the southern part of China. He has been quoted as saying "If I had known about Mount Panshan earlier, I would not have taken the trouble to travel down to the South."

Temple of Dule (Temple of Solitary Joy)

Dule Temple is located north of Tianjin's urban district in the small county town of Jixian, a three-hour train ride from downtown Tianjin. According to historical records, the temple was first built in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and then rebuilt in the Liao Dynasty (916-1125).
On the gate hangs a large eye-catching board with the inscription "Dule Temple", said to be written by the notorious prime minister Yan Song of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Inside the temple stands Guanyin Hall with a 16-metre-high statue of the Goddess of Mercy, Guanyin, the largest clay statue in China. The statue stands in the center of the hall, towering upward through the second and third stories until it reaches the octagonal caisson ceiling. In order to show Guanyin's immense supernatural powers, the sculptors had added ten small Guanyin heads to the top of the statue's head. This statue is therefore known as the Eleven-faced Guanyin. According to the Esoteric Sect of Buddhism, which began to gain popularity in China during the Tang Dynasty, Guanyin has the power to transform herself into 33 different incarnations and save humans from 13 different types of disasters.
Guanyin Hall is a three-story wooden structure. Between its top and bottom eaves there is a story formed by hanging eaves and flat balustrades, giving the Hall the appearance of having only two-stories. The sole purpose of this style of construction was to protect the Guanyin Statue within. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the town of Jixian was des troyed three times by war. Each time there was a war the town people rushed to protect Dule Temple, rather than remaining to safeguard their own homes.

This is how the temple managed to escape destruction, and how the Guanyin statue inside has survived to this day. Three of the walls in the lower part of the hall are covered with Buddhist murals. Both sides of the door in the fourth wall are painted with portraits of Ming-dynasty guardians with glaring eyes, three heads, six arms and brandish iron rods. Although the exact date of the murals is uncertain, we know from the inscriptions written on them that they are ancient murals painted during the Ming Dynasty.
Panshan Mountain...

Located 12 kilometers northwest of Jixian and about 100 kilometers from downtown Tianjin, Mt. Panshan is covered with exuberant forests and rich in historical and scenic spots. The mountains boasting precipitous peaks and green valleys which extend thousands of miles. Mt. Panshan, known as "The First Mountain East of Beijing" has been recognized as one of the 15 greatest scenic spots of China. When Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty toured Panshan Mountain, he heaved a sigh and said, "If I had known earlier, I would not have toured south of the Yangtze River!"

Mount Panshan is on the edge of the North China Plain. Less than a thousand meters above sea level, the granite peaks rise abruptly, featured by the many sheer precipices and grotesquely shaped rocks and boulders. Its main peak, Guayue(Moon hanging) Peak, though only 864-metres above sea level, rises precipitously, making it look impressively tall. From the summit you can view the Great Wall to the north and the Taihang Mountains to the west. Luxuriant forests grow on the hillsides flanking the valleys. Of the 320 kinds of trees and shrubs found in the vicinity, pines are the most numerous. There are vast dense stretches of old pine trees around the Wansong(Ten Thousand-Pine) Temple and the Songshu( Pine Tree) Ridge. The pine trees here have wistfully bent trunks and coiled branches, adapting to the thin and poor layer of soil on which they grow. In addition, the climate here is characterized by strong winds, frost and snow. The pine trees also indomitably adapt themselves to the austere natural conditions by growing close to the ground and stretching their branches horizontally to reduce the pressure of the strong winds and to avoid rubbing against each other. This accounts for the many different shapes of pine trees growing on the plains. The pine trees growing on cliffs or in rock fractures show astonishing resilience by adapting themselves to even more adverse conditions.
Mount Panshan is among the 15 most famous mountains in China. As the saying goes, most of the famous mountains are inhabited by monks. Panshan is no exception. In Mount Panshan, there are 72 temples and monasteries, which have been frequented by faithful Buddhist believers for centuries. Mount Panshan has become an increasingly popular tourist spot in North China. During holidays, people rush in from Tianjin, Beijing and surrounding areas to enjoy the beautiful scenery. The rocks, pine trees, streams, and vast greenness give tourists the experience of life in a fairyland, and help them get refreshed and revitalized.

Huangya Pass of the Great Wall of China...

Huangyaguan Great Wall was initially built in 7th year of Tianbao regime, Beiqi(A.D.557) and extensively repaired with bricks in Ming Dynasty. It contains the forest of steles of Mao Zedong pectic callingraphy, steles of one hundred Chinese generals and one hundred noted people calligraphy,the museum of the Great Wall, the Exhibition Hall of excellent couplets, the Longevity Garden and the Water Recreation Site. It has become a popular resort. The Ming-dynasty stretch of the Great Wall of China, lies 25 kilometers north of the seat of Jixian County in the outer suburbs of Tianjin. The wall and its watchtowers were built in mountain ridges about 730 meters above sea level. At his commanding height, one can truly appreciate the saying, "If one man guards the pass, ten thousand are unable to get through." This is the mighty nature and attraction of the Great Wall of China at Huangya Pass. Looking down from one side of the pass, one can see the wall and the mountain peaks reflected in the Gouhe river, which rises in neighboring Xinglong county. As the river flows past this spot, it makes a turn to the south, carving its way through the Yanshan Mountains, thus making the mountain slopes of Huangya Pass look even more precipitous. The Great Wall of China at Huangya Pass, built following the contours of the sheer, precipitous Wangmaoding Mountain, is known as Bagua (Eight Trigrams) City. It is strategically located and very difficult to besiege. What's more, it has many traps laid within making it almost impossible for an intruder to find a way out. The pass, therefore, constitutes the main body of the defense works of the Great Wall of China at Huangya Pass.