SHOUGANG PARK – BEIJING’S HIDDEN GEM

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Most visitors to Beijing concentrate on the city’s most famous attractions, like the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, or even the pandas at the zoo. But Beijing has much more to offer and during my three weeks there I actually enjoyed some of the hidden gems even more than the main tourist attractions.

Shougang Park was definitely one of the best sights I saw in China. It is the perfect mix of steampunk and family fun and makes a great change to the many beautiful gardens, historic palaces, and glitzy malls!

The Basics

What is Shougang Park?

Shougang Park is a former industrial area on the western edge of Bejing that has been repurposed into a combination of exhibition spaces, industrial museum, and leisure activities.

Getting to Shougang Park

Getting to Shougang Park is easy via public transit but may take a while as it is fairly far from the center. Luckily, the Beijing metro is incredibly efficient and inexpensive so it is quite doable.

My recommendation is to use Amap or Badu Map for exact directions from your hotel to Shougang Park. In general however, you will take Metro Line 6 to Jin’anqiao Station (this is the Northern end of the area). If you want to start at the Southern end (like I did) you can still take Line 11 to the Shougang Park stop. Reading about what I actually did and saw during my visit will help you figure out which station is best for your purposes.

The Shougang Park area (aside of some specific attractions) is completely free. No tickets or pre-booking needed, just go whenever you feel like it. An excellent addition to your itinerary if you are watching your budget.

When to go

Shougang Park can be visited pretty much any time. However, your experience will likely vary quite a bit as the atmosphere will be different.

I visited on a sunny Sunday afternoon during a June holiday weekend. The vibe was happy, family fun, friendly, and vibrant. I assume that a visit on a rainy Monday morning will be quite different!

One of the main reasons for visiting Shougang Park (aside of family fun) is for taking cool photos. If that is your purpose, consider what atmosphere you want to capture.

While I did not stay until dark, I have seen night-time photos and they look amazing. The neon illumination definitely gives the whole area something special.

Amenities at Shougang Park

While there aren’t loads of shops and restaurants, there are still enough to get something to drink, have a meal, or buy any necessities you may have forgotten. And like everywhere in Beijing you will also find restrooms.

How long do you need?

If you know which parts you are interested in, head straight there, take a couple of photos and leave, you can probably be done in 45 minutes to an hour. However, given that it is a bit of a treck to get there, I recommend spending more time.

All in all, I was at Shougang Park about 3.5 hours. During that time I walked from the Shougang Park station to Jin’anqiao, had lunch at Pizza Hut, took numerous photos, walked the highline, and I think saw most the area has to offer. I did not do any of the activities (like rent a boat or visit a museum).

In general, I would say 3 hours to half a day is ideal to really experience the area.

My Visit to Shougang Park

I loved the huge figures near the skiing area!

Why I went and getting there

Shougang Park isn’t exactly well known internationally so how did I end up there? As I was planning my trip to Beijing, I scoured booking websites for cool-looking hotels (because I love those) and stumbled over the Shangri-La Shougang Park. I ended up not booking it due to the rather remote location but I found out that it is part of a larger neighborhood and it stuck in my mind.

While I loved my visit to the Old Summer Palace it was very exhausting and I maybe slightly overdosed on gorgeous gardens and history. So I was looking for kind of a palate cleanser and something that would take less effort. And that is when I remembered Shougang Park!

Area near Station

I took the train from Sanlitun to Shougang Park station which did take a while. Getting out at the metro station I was maybe slightly disappointed. There was bit of construction going on (i.e. there were fences around some blocks). Nearby was a rather swanky though slightly distopian looking modern development.

Anyway, I headed towards the factory remnants I could see. These did resemble what I expected but the photo opportunities weren’t great due to other houses/streets around.

On the way I passed a number of neat buildings that looked like exhibition spaces. They would be great as galleries or other venues but though they were finished as buildings it looked like things were still being set up. This may be something that is still being built or it was just seasonal. It definitely had great potential and looked upscale but maybe not yet worth taking a trip across town (no worries, it is getting better).

Outdoor area Shougang Park Factory

Next I came to an area that was much closer to what I had expected. It is a curated area flanked by a large warehouse/factory. It looks quite steampunky and derelict, but in a clean, Disney-style.

This park is clearly set up for visitors, with open spaces to play, benches, and a couple of food trucks. It wasn’t very busy though. But it definitely made for some cool photos (never mind that mine didn’t turn out great – I do struggle holding the phone straight).

I took a fair number of pictures and basically felt that I had gotten what I had come for. There was a very interesting looking building right outside the park. To check it out I went back out onto the regular street and walked over.

This is apparently the Shougang International Exhibition and Convention Center. I did not go inside (I assume you only can during exhibitions/trade fairs) but it looked very atmospheric.

Lunch at Pizza Hut

Around that time it was getting time to eat something. Now, I had struggled with getting food in Beijing a bit. Not because it is difficult – likely you won’t have any issues at all. I always am a bit nervous about choosing a restaurant and going in on my own – adding on the different logistics, payment options, unknown food and language barrier in China proved a bit much.

But hey, here was a Pizza Hut! Perfect opportunity as this was going to be much easier. Or at least that is what I thought.

Well turns out that is not so. Pizza Hut was the trickiest place I ate in Beijing. On the positive side – after this meal I felt I could probably manage any Chinese restaurant!

What to do?

Ordering at Pizza Hut Shougang Park

The restaurant was rather crowded and noisy. I stood at the entrance looking confused until an employee took pity on me and led me to a table. There she gestured to the QR code on the table and indicated that I would have to scan it.

Yikes! Luckily, I had finally gotten Alipay to work the day before so I was not completely lost. Here is exactly what I had to do (in case you want to give Pizza Hut a whirl in China):

1. I scanned the QR code with Alipay
2. A mini app opened
3. It took me a while but eventually I found a small floating button on the page to translate the page – this helped as I was quite lost before that
4. On the first page I had to indicate how many guests and if any were children
5. The app knew which table I was at
6. I then looked through the menu. Unfortunately, it was very different from what I expected and not at all similar to a US Pizza Hut. Don’t get me wrong I don’t expect US food in China in general. But I guess I thought Pizza Hut would be fairly similar.
   There were a lot of family meals (with several pizzas etc.) but I had a hard time finding a single pizza. Most pizzas were sold out? There were noodles etc. on the menu but I was feeling like pizza… Eventually I found a “Cobb Salad Pizza” special and ordered this as well as a Pepsi.
7. Once I had input my food choices, I clicked on checkout.
8. I then paid via Alipay before the order was even placed. This was actually great for me. I am always terrified that my payment won’t work after I ate (what are you supposed to do then – spit it up?)
9. Everything went smoothly and the order went through
10. I just sat there until my food was delivered
11. After eating I just left. Hopefully, that was okay but I had paid in-app so must be.

Not my most favorite pizza ever

To be honest, I did not love the pizza. It was a bit different from what I expected. It had some sort of greens (kind of like spinach), tomatoes, marinated meat, potatoes, and what tasted like cubes of cream cheese? All smothered in a white sauce.

Not horrible but not my favorite. Also, at RMB 97 for a drink and small pizza it was quite expensive for food in Beijing. But on the positive side, I did get a full meal and I am quite proud of myself for navigating the mystery of app ordering!

Qunming Lake

With new energy, I walked back on that side of the street as I had seen signs to a lake and park. This turned out to be the right decision.

Qunming Lake runs along the Highline (an elevated walkway) and serves as a leisure area with a lake, picnic spaces, and boating. Lots of families were around enjoying the Sunday afternoon (it was the weekend of the Dragon Boat Festival).

The lake is fairly big and there were lots of fun boats out and about. A great family activity! On the other side I saw some sort of temple/palace but I never went there so am not quite sure what it was or if it is worth a visit.

I especially enjoyed the walkway out onto the lake. It made for some nice views. There were large fish in the water, the little boats looked fun and colorful, and of course the cooling towers and ski ramp at the far side give it a special look.

Ski ramp and Fun Park

Slowly, I made my way to the end of the lake around to where I saw a big ski ramp (you can’t miss it!). Originally, I thought it was just abandoned and good only for taking cool photos. But as I got closer I heard children laughing and screeching.

It turns out the area under and around the ski ramp is a sort of amusement park. You can take part in various activities. There was a sort of climbing garden for kids as well as more high-adrenaline activities for teenagers (or adults). I am not really the target demographic for this (my lunch at Pizza Hut gave me all the adrenaline I needed) but it did look fun!

Cooling Towers

Finally, I went closer to the cooling towers. I assumed that they were just abandoned. But as I got closer I saw that at least one housed a basketball court (including spectator seats)! How cool is that?

Shangri-La Shougang Park

I loved this hotel!

As you may remember, the Shangri-La Shougang Park was how I first heard about this area so I definitely wanted to check it out. And, to be honest, I also needed the bathroom and was a bit leery about squat toilets in public restrooms.

So I made my way to the hotel (there are plenty of signs) and I absolutely loved it! The Shangri-La is incorporated into an old electricity plant. It is VERY well done. The last hotel I saw with an equally cool theming was the Bodmin Jail Hotel in Cornwall.

The Shangri-La was modern, pretty, atmospheric, and had a great vibe. The lobby/lounge area felt posh without being pretentious or stiff. It made me wish I had booked a night or two here! It is rather remote/far from the city center but an excellent choice if you love unique hotels with an exciting design or if you travel with children.

Honestly, I wished I hadn’t earlier eaten at Pizza Hut. The restaurant at the hotel looked much nicer. But alas, it was too late.

After sneaking a bunch of photos and using the very nice restroom, I made my way back outside and continued exploring.

Nearby Campground

Walking along the sides of the Shangri-La Hotel I soon got to a largish camping and picnic ground. It included some playgrounds and was quite busy on this holiday weekend.

Behind the campground was an open field with a river, ideal to play ball or fly kites. Also, this part felt quite rural. Overall, the air in June in Beijing was much cleaner than I expected. Still it is a city and you can tell. But out here you smelled the grass and the air felt very clean and fresh.

Passing on Shijingshan

From the hotel and the campground, I could see some sort of tower/pavillion/temple on the hill. It looked very interesting and I would have loved to check it out. Luckily, I passed as it was up the hill and I think it would have been quite exhausting to get there, especially as I have no clue if you can enter or what exactly it is.

Still, if I was in the area for the whole day I definitely think it is worth a look-see! If you visit – tell me what I missed!

Walk back along the Highline

After checking out the campground, I explored a true highlight of Shougang Park – the highline walk. This is an elevated walkway between the campground and the Shougang Park Exhibition and Convention Center. I had noticed it much earlier in the day but had instead explored on ground level.

But now I went up and walked back on this walk. This was a really cool experience with great views (including into some hotel rooms at the Shangri-La so if you decide to stay there make sure to protect your privacy!).

It is quite a bit of a walk – there are very cute little vehicles for rent. Especially with kids I would definitely recommend renting one of them and driving along. It looked like loads of fun!

The highline definitely offers some of the best vantage points for taking pictures. You can see both the Qunming Lake area and the factories and furnaces farther north.

I did run into a bit of a problem at the end though. The steps at the end near the Convention Center were closed off, and I had to backtrack to find steps near the main street, not too far from the Pizza Hut.

No big deal but I was quite exhausted by that time. My plan to take it easier after the Old Summer Palace and right before my tour to the Great Wall at Mutianyu wasn’t quite working out!

Blast Furnaces 1 and 3

Once back on the ground, I continued walking towards the north as I wanted to catch the metro from Jin’anqiao Station. Along the way there were various convenience stores as well as several restaurants.

To be honest, I was ready to get back to my hotel, so I only took a cursory look at the remaining highlights.

First there was another small lake with a viewpoint. This would have been nice for a break or just to relax a bit. Right next to it was Blast Furnace # 3.

Inside you will find the Blast Furnace No. 3 Digital Museum. I wish I had had the energy to check it out but unfortunately I just saw it in passing. Next time I would start on this side of Shougang Park and explore a bit more in depth!

Not far away, on the other side of the street, was Blast Furnace No. 1. Inside is an attraction calle So Real which is apparently some sort of VR amusement park with Flight Simulator, VR Go Kart, Shooting Game etc. I am not sure how enjoyable this attraction is without at least some Mandarin (it may be fine) but it looked quite interesting. If I hadn’t been exhausted I would have been tempted.

But as I said, I was pretty much out of energy and planning a tiring trip to the Great Wall the next day. So I just peeked at it in passing on my way to the station.

I got back to the station at around 4 pm, 3.5 hours after getting to Shougang Park, and started on my way back to my hotel.

Is Shougang Park worth a visit?

Absolutely! Shougang Park was one of my favorite experiences in Beijing. It is a great mix of family fun, outdoor activities, and steampunk vibe.

This hidden gem is especially good for:

• Anyone into photography
• Anyone traveling with children
• Anyone who loves steampunk
• Anyone who is a bit burned out with the normal sights and wants a change from gardens, palaces, and glitzy malls

Shougang Park is free to visit. The only disadvantage is that it is a bit out of the way so may take too much time if you are only in town for a couple days. However, while a bit far from the center, it is not difficult to get to (the metro station is right there) and as always public transit in Beijing is quite inexpensive.

Isn’t he the cutest?

Conclusion

Shougang Park is a wonderful addition to a Beijing itinerary because it is quite different from most other attractions! While a bit out of the way it is easy to get to and free to wander around. Aside of great photo opportunities there are also many fun activities, like boating, climbing garden, VR amusements etc. An excellent destination for families!

I had a wonderful time there and saw so much. But looking back I realize that I did skip quite a number of sights due to a lack of time and energy. Shougang Park would definitely be on my list for a more thorough explorations on a next trip to Beijing!

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