Mentougou District

Mentougou District 门头沟区
—  District  —
Mentougou District in Beijing
Country	China
Municipality	Beijing
Area
- Total	1,321 km2 (510 sq mi)
Population (2000)
- Total	266,591
- Density	201.8/km2 (522.7/sq mi)
Time zone	China Standard (UTC+8)
Area code(s)	010

Mentougou District (simplified Chinese: 门头沟区; traditional Chinese: 門頭溝區; pinyin: Méntóugōu Qū) is in west Beijing.

Spanning 1,321 square kilometres, with 266,591 inhabitants (2000 Census), it is subdivided into 4 subdistricts of the city proper of Beijing and 9 towns (1 of which is a suburb of the city proper of Beijing).

It lies in the Western Hills of Beijing and is mountainous in terrain. In fact, the mountainous terrain—including a hundred or more peaks—occupy a stunning 93% of the entire area.

It is a treasure trove of natural resources, including coal, limestone, and granite.

Mentougou also supplies Beijing with agricultural produce such as roses, wild jujubes, mushrooms, and Beijing white pears.

The district was purely a rural area well into early 1990s and was not considered as part of Beijing by the urban population, and as of today, many parts of Mentougou remain quite rural. The 6th Ring Road cuts through the eastern, more urbanised section of Mentougou Precinct.

Mining is one of the key industrial activities. Around 10 medium and large mining companies once operated in Mentougou, but some of them have ceased operations as mineral deposits have been depleted. The first known mining activity in Mentougou was documented during the Ming Dynasty.

Mentougou is gaining popularity as a tourist destination. Among its main sights are the temples of Jietaisi, Tanzhesi,[1], Miaofengshan, Lingshan Mountain, the highest mountain around Beijing, and Chuandixia Village.

Coordinates: 39°58′46″N 115°49′41″E / 39.97938°N 115.828°E / 39.97938; 115.828