Honglingjin Park (红领巾公园)

Honglingjin Park is a national AAA scenic spot that lies at the junction of East 4th Ring Road and Chaoyang North Road, to the northeast of Honglingjin Bridge, about 10 kilometers from the center of the city. It is the only theme park for children named Red Necktie in the country. It is a place for patriotism and popular science education for teenagers with distinctive characteristics.

Built in 1958, it now covers an area of 389 km, of which 160 km is covered by water, and it has a 96% greenery coverage rate. The lawn surrounding the clear lake is dotted with trees and flowers.

Features: Major attractions include a theme square named the Song of the Red Necktie, Ginkgo Square, a children’s playground, the Practical Road-Safety Education Base, and several groups of artistic sculptures.

Every year the park holds a scientific garden party on June 1st and a cultural festival for twins in Beijing on October 1st. The Song of the Red Necktie-themed square is a 3,000-square-meter square that lies in the west of the south gate of the park. At its north end stands a themed sculpture named the Song of the Red Necktie, which consists of five radial steel columns topped by a glittering golden torch with a semicircle relief sculpture as the backdrop.

On both sides of the square stand the sculptures of young revolutionary martyrs such as Lei Feng, Liu Hulan, Liu Wenxue, and Little Carrot, all of whom are surrounded by flowers and green lawns. The square has a solemn atmosphere. Ginkgo Square is a 5,000 square meter square that lies behind the south gate. It is the most popular spot in the park with 27 large ginkgo trees. The square is paved with terrazzo. On its east side is a 1,920-square-meter tiered flower bed that runs 240 meters along the eastern bank of the lake.

The Practical Road-Safety Education Base for Minors is a location mainly consisting of a central square, a car ground, a small inner ring road, and an outer ring road. Here, learning and playing are blended. Children learn about traffic laws and regulations by driving electric cars on a simulated highway. The children’s playground is divided into two sections: one in the north and the other in the south, which cover a total area of 6.3 km. In the north park there are fruit-worm gliding cars, wave cars, battery cars, a merry-go-round, and dodg'em games.

In the south park there is an artificial sandlot and there are inflated toys and indoor entertainment facilities. The amusement facilities are available all year round.

Finally, the Steps in the Sun are 18 groups of artistic sculptures scattered in the park. They blend very well with their surroundings, offering knowledge, entertainment, and aesthetic education for children and teenagers.