China Daily Global Edition (USA)
A capital way to spend the holiday
Tourism routes highlight the delights of a Beijing staycation during the pandemic,
The recurrent COVID-19 cases have clipped the wings of travelers, putting a halt to outbound tourism and discouraging out-of-province tours. The Beijing Bureau of Culture and Tourism has thus rolled out a series of routes to spice things up for local residents. Those routes cover the essence of what the capital city has to offer.
Reading journey
Although the rise of the internet and e-books has somewhat eaten into the market of brick-and-mortar bookstores, some have managed to pack in visitors due to their ingenious design and book arrangement.
Zhongshuge bookstore has attracted wide attention for its integration of classical garden elements and reading spaces. The bookstore sits in Zhongguancun, Haidian district. One can take in the elements of Chinese classical gardens from the entrance. The stairs in the store give a strong sense of space, resembling a landscape painting. Tables and chairs are available in the coffee area, meeting socializing and reading needs. An interesting paradise has been set aside for children. Afterward, one can explore the urban parks and commercial streets in the neighborhood.
About a 20-minute drive away, Zhengyang Bookstore sits under a striking ancient pagoda of the Yuan Dynasty (12711368) at the bustling Xisi intersection of Xicheng district. The octagonal Pagoda of Monk Wansong has nine stories and is the only remaining brick pagoda in the inner city of Beijing. Immersed in this ancient setting, Zhengyang Bookstore keeps thousands of volumes on the history and culture of Beijing. It boasts valuable materials that cannot be found in other libraries or archives. One can be exposed to a quadrangle courtyard filled with historical items, including gate piers, door planks, tables and chairs. For many people in Beijing, it is not only a bookstore, but a place for nostalgia.
For those who want to spend more time with books, PageOne is about four kilometers away. The 24-hour Qianmen bookstore faces the Forbidden City which offers quality reading time and allows for a close appreciation of the scenery of the Forbidden City. A giant wall of books runs through all three floors of the bookstore, and large floor-to-ceiling windows provide comfortable lighting on each floor.
Film scenes
Many places in the capital city have appeared in classic movies, and one can literarily step into a scene at those sites.
The former site of Fu Jen Catholic University featured in Chen Kaige’s Farewell My Concubine (1993). Completed in 1930, this university sits in Xicheng district and is a charming blend of Chinese and Western architectural styles. It has a three-story front gate and round houses on all sides and in the center, forming two patios. The outer walls were built from rubbing bricks, meshing with each other closely. At the very center of the roof ridge stood a cross designed with turrets at four corners. Some buildings employed ancient Chinese architectural elements, like emerald glazed roofs and white marble bases of a Buddha’s pagoda.
Mei Lanfang’s Former Residence is another site in the classic film that one shouldn’t miss. It is a few hundred meters away from the university site and covers an area of more than 700 square meters. The residence was originally part of Prince Qing’s Mansion in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and was renovated after the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. Then Mei Lanfang the great Peking Opera artist moved in. Before Mei’s death in 1961, he spent the last decade of his life in the tranquil and comfortable courtyard. Zhou Enlai, the premier at the time, proposed the establishment of the Mei Lanfang Memorial after the death of the artist.
While on a film-related note, one might as well drop by the China National Film Museum, just a 30-minute cab ride away in Chaoyang district. The 38,000 sq m museum narrates the history of film’s development and film production, reel by reel. Visitors can experience rural courtyards, screen syntheses, digital-stunt blue-screen matting, immersive 3D animation and virtual-reality “space capsules”. They can get the big picture of China’s silver screen, from shooting to editing and dubbing to music. The venue also hosts six cinemas. It has received over 4.5 million visits since it opened in 2007.
Internet sensation
Many sites in the capital city have gone viral online for their special charm, which, in turn, has helped them draw in more visitors. If you want to zone out, visit Dongjingyuan in the downtown area. It was originally a temple of the Qing Dynasty and later converted into a cultural space. One can sip tea and listen to birds chirping to enjoy a slow-paced lifestyle. Lectures, gallery and yoga programs are staged from time to time. If you stay until sunset, you can feast your eyes on US artist James Turrell’s Gathered Sky, a spellbinding permanent installation.
About 2 km away, Heping Guoju serves as an epitome of old Beijing. It is nestled in Dongcheng district. Stepping onto the street is like traveling back in time to Beijing half a century ago. Old photos are on display, recording the light and shadow of the years. In front of the game machine on the corner, young visitors can experience the games that their mothers and fathers might have played when they were young. One could also find snacks that are part of the childhood memories of countless Beijingers. Bicycles on the roadside, birdcages hanging on the walls and newspaper boxes in front of every house present a vivid image of the old Beijing.
For those who want to step outside the city, Pofengling scenic area in Fangshan district in the southwest of the city offers a close brush with nature. It is the best time to see the mass Cotinus coggygria flowers pouring into the valley in May. The trees are covered with flowers from the hillside to the top of the mountain, making for a colorful light pink world. For the far northwestern area of Beijing, Yinshan Pagoda Forest scenic area, that is 30 km outside of Changping district proper, is worth exploring. It incorporates the style of the West Lake Leifeng Pagoda and has been widely acclaimed as one of the “Eight Views of Beijing” during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties.
Historical buildings
The capital city is home to a great many historical buildings that have evolved with the times and serve many opportunities to spice up city life.
The Beijing Huguang Guild Hall is located in Xicheng district and was first built in 1807. Famous artists, such as Peking Opera maestro Mei, once gave performances in this hall. Sun Yat-sen presided over the conference of the founding of the Kuomintang in the guild hall in 1912. The grand theater is splendid and imposing. Visitors can enjoy Peking Opera performances, while sipping tea in the theater. The beautiful song and dance performances will serve as the highlight of any Beijing night tour. Headphones that offer English translation for the performances are available.
About 3 km away, one can see an ancient-looking wooden structure in Dongcheng district. It is part of the Yanliao Guild Hall that was built by pigment merchants from Shanxi province during the Ming Dynasty. The hall features a temple in the front, which is typical of guild hall structures during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Local authorities have integrated pigment, ethnic musical instruments and hutong elements in the hall to carry forward traditional culture and spice up public life.
About 300 meters away, bridges, flowing waters from a small river and other scenes reminiscent of “water towns in the south of the country” emerge in the Sanlihe area, an ideal complement to the guild hall tour.