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Wishful Dreams Come True on Lake Tour

Dusk closing in, red lanterns glimmering through the gloom, boatmen in yellow vests and bamboo hats paddling with consummate skill ... On board, young female musicians sitting in the bow play sweet Chinese folk music on flutes and strings. Such tours of Shishahai Lake are idyllic, which is why they are among the most popular of Beijing's attractions.

Your boarding point is Kaorou Ji (Grill Ji), the 100-year-old lakeside restaurant which provides the succulent barbecue food, Chinese pie and snacks that you eat on the boat. The barbecue here is part of the dish's 300-year history in China, whereby slices mutton are steeped in ingredients that include sauces, onion, parsley and other items before being perfectly grilled. Dressings include cucumber, sweet garlic and a little alcohol.

When the sun finally sets over the Western Mountains, guests on board are invited to make a wish by lighting a candle in a folded paper boat, which is then placed into the lake. As the little boats dot the lake, fast disappearing from view in the wooden boats' wake, it is reminiscent of twinkling stars. These boating tours are a "must do" for the majority of tourists, and equally so for local people.