As the saying goes, "First there was Shichahai, then there was Beijing City." Shichahai in Beijing, also known as "Houhai", has always been a good place for leisure and entertainment for old Beijingers. Because of its beautiful environment and rich folk customs, it has attracted many officials, celebrities and even people from outside the country to come here to build mansions or temples for more than two hundred years, adding a profound cultural heritage to Shichahai.
Nowadays, Beijing’s urban flavor is getting stronger and stronger, and there are fewer and fewer places where you can see the old folk customs of old Beijing. But right here in Shichahai, you can still hear the crisp autumn sounds. You can still hear the chirping of insects, you can still see the epitome of the old Beijing courtyard buildings, and you can still enjoy the Beijing Culture and Tourism Festival, which is about to open here. "Visit Shichahai and see old Beijing", sipping tea, boating, visiting the palace, and strolling in alleys, a pure Beijing accent will shine in Shichahai in the golden autumn.
Prince Chun’s Mansion Prince Chun’s Mansion is located on the north bank of Houhai. The mansion is divided into four parts: the main courtyard, the hospital, the garden and the horse pen. In addition, there is a Chunxian ancestral hall built behind the mansion, covering an area of ??about 80 acres.
Especially the West Garden in the mansion has a long history. The former residence of Soong Ching Ling, the mother of the nation, was built in the West Garden of Prince Chun's Mansion. She worked and lived here for 18 years, leaving many traces and adding a lot of bright colors to this antique garden.
During the Kangxi period, Mingzhu’s mansion garden was located here. The garden is dotted with rockeries, bamboo forests, and small bridges. There are seven "Mingkai Night Close" trees facing the water in front of the south tower. Two of them are ancient trees that are more than 200 years old. It is said that they were planted by Nalan Xingde, the eldest son of Mingzhu. The young Nalan Xingde often invited celebrities from Beijing to gather here to recite poems and write lyrics. Today, standing under the tree, he felt nostalgic for the past. There seemed to be a blur of people in front of him, and the sound of singing from that year seemed to echo in his ears, " In front of the steps, the two leaves are closed, and the branches and leaves are full of glory." Later, Mingzhu was convicted, and the garden was occupied by He Kun. After Jiaqing came to the throne, the garden and the nearby mansion were given to Prince Cheng, who was granted permission to divert seawater from the lake into the garden. The "Enbo Pavilion" we see now was built during the reign of Prince Cheng. The four words "Peace every year" on the Ping'an Stone were written by Prince Cheng. During the reign of Guangxu, this mansion was given to Prince Chun, the biological father of "Guangxu". He made additional improvements and renovations on the basis of the Prince's Palace, and built Prince Chun's Palace.
Today, Prince Chun’s Mansion has become a scenic spot on the Shicha Seashore. Many tourists come here because of their attachment to history and their admiration for the monuments.
Mei Lanfang’s Former Residence
Mr. Mei Lanfang spent the last 10 years of his life at No. 9 Huguosi Street in the northwest corner of Shichahai. This is a typical Beijing courtyard house. , covering an area of ??716 square meters. Now it has become a tourist attraction for people to commemorate the master.
This is a small Beijing courtyard with two entrances. ***There are 37 houses. There are currently more than 30,000 documents in the collection. The main courtyard preserves the original appearance of the former residence, and all the furnishings in the living room, study room, bedroom and living room are displayed according to the original appearance of Mei Lanfang's life during his lifetime.
Guo Moruo Memorial Hall
About 30 meters north of Qiangan Hutong, No. 18 Qianhai West Street, this is where Guo Moruo, a generation of cultural celebrities, lived in his later years. In the autumn of 1963, Guo Moruo moved here and spent the last 14 years of his life in this quaint Beijing courtyard on the west bank of Shichahai.
Walking into the memorial hall, on the grass, the bronze statue of Guo Moruo is sitting in front of the wisteria trellis, with his hands gently placed on his knees and his eyes calm and calm. Stopping under the green shade, you can hear the long-lost chirping of birds in the busy city.
The most eye-catching things in the courtyard are the ginkgo and peonies planted by Guo Moruo and his wife. Those plants and trees that once lived with the owner day and night are immersed in the owner's sincere and broad emotional world. When one enters the courtyard through the hanging flower gate, the east and west wings have been turned into exhibition rooms, displaying the extraordinary life of the poet, scholar and warrior with pictures and objects. The living room, office, and bedroom of the main house are still displayed as they were when the owner was alive. Nuan Lang surrounds the small rose garden and leads to the northernmost room. The middle room is where Guo Moruo and his wife polish their calligraphy. The great man has passed away, but his hometown remains the same. Volumes of manuscripts and masterpieces of calligraphy retain his charm.
Guanghua Temple
Shichahai, a place with a clutter of clothes and horses and carriages, has always been the first choice place for Buddhist monks who have taken root in the imperial city to spread Buddhism and make friends. Because there are many Buddhist temples there, it is called Shichahai. One of the temples, Guanghua Temple, an ancient Buddhist temple that has experienced 700 years of vicissitudes, is located at No. 31 Ya'er Hutong on the west side behind the Drum Tower and on the north bank of Houhai Lake. Guanghua Temple faces south from the north, with Yinding Bridge in the east and Soong Ching Ling's former residence in the west. It covers an area of ??13,800 square meters and has 329 temples, divided into three courtyards: middle, east and west. The entire temple has a rigorous architecture, with adjoining monk rooms, forming an architectural feature of a courtyard within a courtyard. The ancient cypresses in the temple are green, the flowers and plants are fragrant, and the winding paths lead to tranquility.
Guanghua Temple was first built in the Yuan Dynasty and was built three times during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In the first year of Xuantong of the Qing Dynasty (1909), preparations were made to build the Capital Library here, and Mr. Lu Xun once served here. It was opened to the outside world in August 1921. In 1982, the Beijing Buddhist Association was established and located in this temple. In 1986, the Beijing Buddhist Association founded the Beijing Buddhist Music Ensemble in the ancestral hall on West Road of Guanghua Temple to promote traditional Chinese music culture, perform "Beijing Music" or Buddhist music, and cultivate successors. Today, Guanghua Temple is not only a place for believers to worship Buddha, but Buddhist music and Buddhist rituals have also become a kind of culture and an important part of the Shichahai folk culture scenic spot.
An ancient temple to worship the Zen sect and remember the ancestors
Huitong Temple
The Huitong Temple is now the Guo Shoujing Memorial Hall, located in the West Sea of ??Shichahai (Jishuitan Temple) in Xicheng District, Beijing ) on the northern edge of the Huitong River. During the Yuan Dynasty, the water here was vast, the scenery was beautiful, and its unique geographical location made it the northernmost dock of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal in the capital city of the Yuan Dynasty. Water transport ships could reach here directly. Huitong Temple faces south and has a mountain gate, Xieshan Tiao polio tile roof, stone coupon door, two checkerboard wooden doors, three front halls and east and west auxiliary halls, all with hard mountain Tiao large polio tile roofs. There is a two-story back building in the backyard. There was originally a dark red boulder behind the temple, with patterns all over the body like clouds, and when struck it looked like copper. The texture of the boulder vaguely resembles a chicken and a lion, so it is commonly known as "Chicken-Lion Stone".
The Huitong Temple was completed on September 27, 1988. The Huitong Temple, covering an area of ??1,100 square meters, was restored according to its original architectural form. There are stone lions, stone pavilions, sword steles, rockeries and stacked stones in an orderly manner, winding paths and unique ingenuity. The stone walls and caves look like they are opening from the sky. A small island reappears in the world, and clear water flows around the island. As the lake water passes, it seems to have returned to the long and glorious history.
Prince Gong’s Mansion Garden
The Garden of Prince Gong’s Mansion located on Qianhai West Street was once the private residence of Qianlong’s favorite minister He Kun, and was later given to Prince Gong by Cixi. Therefore, it was named Prince Gong’s Mansion.
Prince Gong’s Mansion is large in scale, covering an area of ??more than 60,000 square meters. It is divided into two parts: the mansion and the garden. It has more than 30 pattern building groups, with exquisite layout and extraordinary momentum. Its garden is also known as Jincui Garden, and its design and layout are of high artistic level. The whole garden is surrounded by rockeries in the shape of a "mountain", with earth and rocks piled up on three sides to form mountains, and caves and ravines piled up with Fangshan rocks in the middle. Standing on the top of the mountain, you can have a commanding view of the entire garden.
Today, Prince Gong’s Mansion is famous all over the world for its grandeur, depth and beauty, attracting guests from far and near.
Wander the hutongs and appreciate the charm of Beijing
Hutongs and courtyard houses are symbols of old Beijing. No matter you are a native of Beijing or a visitor from afar, you will be attracted by the strong Beijing charm.
Start from the former residence of Guo Moruo on Qianhai West Street, follow the north edge of Qianhai and cross the Yinding Bridge to climb the Drum Tower. Then take a bus through Ya'er Hutong to Yinding Bridge Pier. Along the way, there are old men carrying cages and cages for birds, little girls dancing rubber bands, and young men squatting at the gate of the courtyard with bowls of fried noodles, eating and chatting. This kind of comfortable life makes People linger and forget to leave.
When visiting the alleys, you can’t miss Jinsitao, which refers to the area within the northern edge of Qianhai, the frontier of Houhai, Liuyin Street and Qianhai West Street separated by Yinding Bridge. There are 18 winding alleys. tortuous. The meandering Jade River along the way reflects the rapid changes of society; the small bridges with different characteristics give you a poetic reverie; the ancient temples and old temples allow you to experience the meaning of life and awe of the ignorant world; the Wangfu Garden records the Proud self-reliance and abject helplessness; the deep alleys breed the vitality of social development.
Climb the city tower and listen to the historical bells
The Beijing Bell and Drum Tower was built in 1272 and has been standing on the central axis of Beijing for more than 700 years. The two floors, one tall and one short, one horizontal and one vertical, complement each other, with flying eaves and pavilions, fluttering wings and majestic towers trying to compete with the gods. The Bell and Drum Tower was once the center for telling time in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. It played the so-called role of "administering time to govern and connecting politics with sound." When you see it, you feel like you can hear the heavy sound of bells lingering over the capital, which is shocking. !
When talking about Shichahai, we cannot fail to mention the Deshengmen Gate Tower. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, whenever troops were sent to fight, the soldiers would start from Deshengmen and go to the front line of the battle, borrowing the slogan "Desheng". Now, when you stand at Deshengmen, what you see is a vibrant science and technology park. The pace of social progress will be unstoppable with the wings of technology. Looking north from the city gate, you can also see the blue waves of weeping willows that protect the city and the scenery of the gate. The natural scenery here and the science and technology park complement each other in a really unique way!
Go boating and enjoy a comfortable life
As night falls, there are many cruise ships in Shichahai, with lights on the boats and the sound of pianos, it feels like you are on the banks of the Qinhuai River. The oar boat in Shichahai is modeled after the shape of the boat in "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" and is antique. Tourists board the boat at the Lotus Market Pier opposite the north gate of Beihai Park. The boat is rocked by a boatman wearing a bamboo hat and a yellow short coat. Ancient lanterns are lit on the boat, and a young lady holding a silk and bamboo instrument on the bow of the boat plays soft and melodious folk music. The oar boat passes through the "Yinding Bridge", a famous landscape in ancient Beijing. Tourists drink tea and snacks while admiring the rich cultural landscape and folk life scenes on both sides of the strait. The most exciting thing is when the boat is sailing on Shichahai Houhai at sunset and sunrise. Tourists light candles and paper river lanterns and put them into the water. The lights float on the water along the stern of the boat, flickering brightly and dimly. Amid the sound of silk and bamboo, tourists on the shore stopped to watch, and tourists on the boat drank and enjoyed themselves, as if they were back on the moonlit night of Jiangnan West Lake in the Tang and Song Dynasties...
Beautiful scenery needs to be accompanied by beauty to make life seem comfortable. Coincidentally, famous restaurants such as Barbecue Season, Zhuyuan Hotel, and Lijia cuisine are right on the shore of Shichahai.