Longqing Gorge Practicalities
 

This looks a great place to see - have just found photos in "kinabaloo", and have read something in Beijing guides. If we got the bus from DongsheMen Gate for a Badaling Wall trip, is it practical to add an excursion to Longqing Gorge on the same day, coming back to Badaling to get the bus home? Perhaps a bus from Badaling? Taxi from Badaling is a last possibility. Thanks in anticiaption.

Yes, you could do this, with an early start.

Note the point of departure for Ba Da Ling (on variations of the 919) is Desheng Men (not to be confused with Dong Zhi Men). To reach Longqing Xia you jump back on a 919 going north and get off at 香营 (Xiāngyíng). Show the character to make sure you board the right variant of 919 (should be the 919班车(三堡)) and get put off at the right stop. Then take the 920东环 from an adjacent stop to the gorges. Again make sure you're on the right variant to 龙庆峡 (the gorges). Or simply take almost any 919 north to Yanqing and take a taxi from there. As the 920 variant to the gorges only runs four times a day, outbound that may be your best choice. Otherwise you'll need to be at the Xiangying bus stop by a little after 11.10 or 15.10. Coming back the last service leaves its terminus at 17.10 and will pass by well before six. Maybe by 5.30pm. There are plenty of services back to Beijing from Yanqing, however. This will give little time at the gorges.

But note that officially recognised 'scenic spots' are monstrously overhyped, and if you're hoping for peaceful scenic beauty note that Chinese mass tourism doesn't really go for that: it wants noisy entertainment, which 'scenic spots' add to attract tourist volumes. Expect fire crackers, motorboats, bungy jumping, cable cars, etc.

Just about every site in China has its own web page these days and Google is always your friend.

http://www.bjlongqingxia.com.cn

Peter N-H

Great information, Peter. Thank you so much for your knowledge and time, and for the Chinese characters, which I will print out before we go.
The scenery looks wonderful, and I won't be expecting peace and quiet as well. I think I would like to see Chinese tourism a bit away from Western tour groups, maybe. Thanks again.
Have grasped the Desheng Men bit, should have checked before I wrote it down. Was amazed to see pictures of fake bus stops erected by taxi drivers near there, on a Tripadvisor post. I never would have thought of that! Adds to the adventure, I guess.

Trip Advisor's collective ignorance on almost every subject will indeed add to the adventure of a trip. For reliable information you'd be better to look at chicken entrails. At least those are completely neutral, unlike all the postings from people who have only done things one way but who insist their way is the only way or the best way, all the people who were royally ripped off but have no clue about it, and all the postings from people working for various enterprises but pretending to be independent.

I don't think you can do much worse when planning a trip than to look at Trip Advisor. I hope it isn't influencing your thinking on the rest of your trip.

I appreciate your concern, Peter!Must say, I never look at Tripadvisor, except for hotels, but somehow, I must have got sidetracked onto that site from the Beijing hotels site. I'm really a Fodor's Fan, all the way! And also, come the day, we may just wander around the streets near the hotel instead. The days are long gone, when I need to see everything that is to be seen, chicken entrails or not! But I do enjoy researching the what and where and how, and even should a trip fall through, I'm happy to have gained knowledge on the way.
Without reading your confidence-boosting posts, and those of a few others who have done it, I never would have thought we could tackle China on our own. Can hardly wait - thanks so much.