Beijing is always a dream destination for people.
Not because of the charming or precipitous landscape style, not because of the colorful or peculiar ethnic style, not because of the luxurious or romantic vacation style, but because of a temperament that is difficult to describe in a nutshell.
This time when I arrived in Beijing, I did not visit the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, climb the Great Wall, or play in Happy Valley. Instead, I chose a more down-to-earth and less popular way.
One night in Beijing may leave a lot of love behind.
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Hey, I'm Liu Jingyu, a returnee from Northern Europe, a second-hand economist in a third-tier city, a writer who strayed into the travel circle, a photographer who signed up for free streaming...all my labels.
Note: It is not easy to make a film, and the code word is even more difficult. It is strictly forbidden to steal texts and pictures in various forms.
Looking for the soul of Beijing from Fayuan Temple
I have read a not-well-known book by Li Ao called "Beijing Fayuan Temple".
Come here admiringly.
Fayuan Temple, formerly known as "Minzhong Temple", is the most desolate and least incensed place in the whole capital. It is now the China Buddhist Academy.
Li Ao used this place to fully describe the philosophical trend of thought and the vicissitudes of modern China, and brought together Beijingers from different classes, different histories, and different outlooks on life. If it is said that there was Tanzhe Temple before the city of Beijing, then there was the revolution in Beijing after Fayuan Temple.
Beijing has been extraordinary since ancient times, with princes and generals, and imperial city guards. However, with the change of dynasty, the soul of Beijingers is the real root of Beijing.
Old Beijing in these streets and alleys, inside and outside the hutongs, is used to seeing big people and big events, and nothing can hinder their lives. Perhaps this is the truly charming gesture of Beijing.
Passing the torch from generation to generation, Beijingers did not discriminate between right and wrong for the sake of being well-informed. On the contrary, they are more relaxed and know the meaning of their lives. Just like the fire in Fayuan Temple, it never burns and never goes out. It is a bright light when it is calm, and it is a spark of fire in storms.
Crispy Duck with Nicholas Tse
Roast duck is a famous dish in Beijing, which originated in the Northern and Southern Dynasties of China. The material used is high-quality meat duck Peking duck, roasted over charcoal fire, the color is ruddy, the meat is fat but not greasy, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. In the early Ming Dynasty, common people loved to eat Nanjing salted duck, and the emperor also loved it. It is said that Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang had "a roast duck in a solar eclipse". The imperial chefs in the palace tried their best to develop new ways to eat duck dishes to please the Lord Long Live, so they developed two kinds of roasted duck with skewers and roasted duck with stewed oven. Fork-roasted duck is represented by "Quanjude", while braised oven-roasted duck is most famously known as "Bianyifang".
Beijing Roast Duck is fragrant, fat and sweet. People who came here in the era of material poverty can be happy for three days after eating a mouthful of Peking Roast Duck with a lingering fragrance on their teeth and cheeks. However, with the improvement of living standards and people's pursuit of health, no one likes to eat fatty ducks anymore. Beijing roast duck has also derived and improved many new styles.
Authentic Beijingers will not go to Quanjude to eat duck. Going to Quanjude to eat duck looks like a long bag to Beijingers, expensive and unpalatable. Old Beijingers choose Bianyifang, Beijing juniors choose Dadong, different circles, the same duck fragrance is overflowing.
I chose Siji Minfu outside Donghuamen.
Sure enough, I have a unique eye. I just sat down by the stove when I ran into the filming of Nicholas Tse's gourmet show. In this way, I watched the entire recording of the show from the vvip position and received Nicholas Tse's handshake.
Nicholas Tse asked very seriously about the characteristics and secret recipe of Siji Minfu Roast Duck. It turns out that everything from the stove to the firewood to the duck is ingenious. I just listened and ate like this, watching the idol's beauty and deliciousness, eating the duck was sweet and delicious, and the saliva left on my mouth didn't know whether it was for the idol or the duck.
In addition to duck, Beijing snacks are also essential. Siji Minfu selects the most popular dishes and forms a snack platter.
Through the terrace is the moat of the Forbidden City, and the Donghua Gate is within easy reach. In this place, it is really a fairy day.
Reminiscing about Mei Lanfang and exploring Peking Opera
Zhengyi Temple, adjacent to Tiananmen Square in the east and Liulichang Cultural Street in the south, is an ancient pure wooden theater building with a history of more than 300 years. It is also the only pure wooden theater building in Beijing that has remained basically intact. It is a milestone in the history of the development of Chinese theaters, and is praised by scholars as "the living fossil in the cultural history of Chinese theaters". It has extremely high value for visiting and historical and cultural research.
The theater building of Zhengyi Temple is divided into upper and lower floors. If there is a performance of immortality, the actors who play the role of immortals can fall from the sky.
The mahogany railings of the theater building are shining brightly under the light.
There are no microphones in the theater building, so the voices of the actors are more authentic, and it is also a test of their voices.
There is also a pair of couplets hanging in front of the theater building: "There is no substitute for the past when performing sorrows and joys, and there are often people in the play in the praise and criticism seats."
Boss Mei Lanfang and Mei Baojiu have both performed here. This year, there is another opportunity to re-perform on this quaint stage.
From the moment you enter the gate, you feel as if you have stepped into the palace of opera. Whether it is the staff or the souvenir shop, there is no loss of Beijing charm.
In the seventh year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, in 1881 AD, Mei Qiaoling and the Sixi Troupe performed in Zhengyi Temple; Tan sent descendants to sing "Zuo Gong" on the same stage in Zhengyi Temple. To commemorate the 220th anniversary of the Hui troupe's entry into Beijing and the countdown to the application of Chinese Peking Opera to UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, the Beijing Traditional Culture Protection and Development Foundation, together with Puluo Culture, contributed to the return of Mei School art to this city after three hundred years. Historic theater building. The Peking opera "Meilan Youth" will premiere on October 12 at the Zhengyi Temple Ancient Theater Building, and will perform here for a long time in the future.
Today, I finally had the honor to meet the performing artists of the Mei School, with every frown and smile and every move.
Eat high-value muffins
In the old Beijing alley, I found a delicious and fashionable muffin shop.
As always, it is decorated in Japanese minimalist style, and the overall grayscale tone is embellished by warm yellow lights. The whole store space is simple, bright and lovely. The bar counter and wooden high chairs along the wall on the first floor lead to the second floor along the middle gray steps. There is a row of seats by the window, and the green sycamore trees stretch out in front of you. is wonderful.
The soufflé pancake is an absolute signature. The souffle is soft and springy, and it is especially soft and white. Many people can't put it down. The three chubby thick muffins are very cute, the taste is very light but also soft and delicate, full of air, the cream is served on a separate plate, and the three slices of soufflé are surrounded by strawberries and fresh fruits, which is very beautiful.
The four-course coffee and desserts are a beautiful sight on the table, but the appearance and taste of the goose are directly proportional! , the warm yellow light at night shines on the already beautiful food, which can create a warm effect that is completely different from that during the day. There are also some wooden structures and retro minimalist style lighting, so it is easy to take photos in the style of ins.
Siheyuan in the alley
During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, it was called Shibei Hutong. During the Xuantong period, it was divided into two branches. The northern one was called Dashibei Hutong because it was wide and long, and the southern branch alley running north-south was called Xiaoshibei Hutong.
What is even more worth mentioning is the story of Yandai Xiejie adjacent to Dashibei Hutong:
According to the book "Ri Xia Jiu Wen Kao" published during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, this street was originally called "Gulou Xie Street" and was renamed "Yandai Xie Street" at the end of the Qing Dynasty.
It is said that most of the banner people who lived in Beicheng at that time liked to smoke dry tobacco or hookah, and the tobacco leaves were packed in pipes. Due to the increasing demand for cigarette bags, every household on Xiejie opened cigarette bag shops. Most of the tobacco pipe shops on this street have high steps, and a large wooden pipe is erected in front of the door as a cover. The black pipe stem and the golden pipe pot are such vivid symbols. In the north of Dongkou Road in Yandai Xie Street, there is a "Shuangshengtai" cigarette bag shop. In front of the door is a large wooden cigarette bag, as tall as a person, as thick as a rice bowl, and a red silk is tied on the golden cigarette bag pot. Spike, very eye-catching. This "Shuangshengtai" cigarette bag is really the number one cigarette bag in the same industry in Beijing.
In addition, Yandai Xiejie itself is like a cigarette bag. The slender street looks like a cigarette pole, the east entrance looks like a cigarette mouth, and the west entrance turns to the south, leading to Yinding Bridge, which looks like a cigarette pot. It is precisely based on these two reasons that Xiejie is named after "cigarette bag", which is really worthy of the name. The name of Yandai Xiejie became louder and louder, and has been circulating.
The one I chose is called "He Zhi", which I think probably comes from the meaning of "the music is high and the widowed". The owner of the homestay seems to be defining the fate of living in the homestay - a bosom friend is hard to find, and I hope to meet you unexpectedly in the vast sea of people.
Stepping into the Dahongmen, passing through the stone tablet wall and the shadow wall, you will be greeted by a quiet place. The room design is positioned in the Chinese wood art style, combining solemnity and elegance, recombining traditional elements, simple and elegant. The home decoration adopts the color of logs, meticulous workmanship, and the taste of antique flavor added with the passage of time, all of which constitute a solid Chinese charm, like a classic old song, allowing people to feel the charm of oriental culture in the flowing notes.
In the courtyard is the moonlight of the lotus pond, people with flowing water, and laughing and talking about life in the house, leisurely and elegant. Living in the old Beijing Hutong, everything you want can be given here.
Book through the official website of Tujia, Beijing short-term rental accommodation > Xicheng District Homestay|short-term rental housing > Yinhai "He Zhi·Yin Merchants and Ke Yu" Yandai Xiejie Chinese-style courtyard house.
