China Beach occupies a small indentation in the cliffs between two of San Francisco's most dramatic coastal landscapes. To the east lies Lands End, where the shore drops into rocky surf and the ruins of the Sutro Baths decompose into the fog. To the west stretches Baker Beach, with its unobstructed views of the Golden Gate Bridge. China Beach sits between them like a secret, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area but lacking the signage and parking that draw crowds to its better-known neighbors. The beach faces north toward the Marin Headlands, and on clear days the view across the Golden Gate is framed by the cove's rocky walls.

The beach takes its name from the Chinese fishermen who used the sheltered cove as a base for their fishing operations in the 19th century. They would anchor their junks in the protected water and camp on the narrow beach between fishing runs. A monument near the parking area commemorates their presence -- a reminder that San Francisco's Chinese community contributed to the city's economy in ways that extended far beyond the laundries and railroad labor that dominate popular memory. The fishermen chose this cove for practical reasons: the rock walls blocked the prevailing winds, and the sandy bottom made it easy to haul boats ashore.

Swimming at China Beach comes with warnings. There are no lifeguards, and the currents that run along San Francisco's Pacific coast can be treacherous even in calm conditions. At low tides, tide pools appear along the rocky edges, offering glimpses of the intertidal life that clings to these wave-battered rocks -- sea anemones, hermit crabs, and the occasional starfish. The beach was previously known as James D. Phelan State Beach Park, named for a former San Francisco mayor who later served as a U.S. senator. The current name is the one that stuck, carrying the memory of the fishermen who gave the cove its first identity.