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In Around Town I usually try to take readers to the forgotten fragments of Beijing before they vanish.
I imagine many of you have been in the same situation: How to juggle workload or other commitments with the need to play expert guide to visitors? Where do you send them when you can't go along? This is where my no-brainer hutong tour (patent pending) comes in handy.
For both the old Beijing hand or a griffin fresh off the plane, it's an easy itinerary enabling manageable diversion for guests. Visitors can do a straight line covering the big three tourist sites of Yonghegong, Kongmiao, and Guozijian which most people see, plus one or two diversions just off the beaten path tourists don't know about.
Stop One: Yonghegong (Harmonious Peace Palace)
The Yonghegong is one of Beijing's best landmarks. Located inside the northern Second Ring Road, it has its own stop on the subway loop line; everyone knows it.
It was the palace where the third Qing (1644-1911) emperor Yongzheng (r. 1723-35) was born in 1678. By tradition it could never be used as residence again and was converted into a lamasery.
The name of this temple belies its often wild history. Early European visitors in the 1860s were scandalized by copulating icons. Sightseers were occasionally locked inside the compound by Mongolian monks demanding money, escaping only after pistols were drawn. In the 1930s, Beijing resident John Blofeld wrote of a Russian mystic, Father Vassily, living there who monks referred to as the Ruski Lama.
Admission is 25 yuan (US$3) Hours are 9am-4:30pm daily; they stop selling tickets at 4pm.
Stop Two: Bailinsi (Cyprus Forest Temple)
The Bailinsi is to the east of Yonghe Gong. Follow Xilou Hutong on the right side of the Yonghe Gong entrance. It zigzags left then right after which you'll see Bailinsi straight ahead.
Built in 1347, the temple was one of the eight great monasteries around Dadu, as Beijing was called in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). Today it is occupied by several government work units. While not open to the public, it's an interesting spot to wander around.
Stop Three: Kongmiao (Confucian Temple)
Retracing your steps to the Yonghegong, cross the street and head toward the memorial archway (pailou) marking Guozijian Jie. The first temple on the right is Kongmiao, dedicated to Confucius (551-479 BC), China's preeminent philosopher. Admission to this more tranquil spot costs 10 yuan (US$1.20). Hours are 9-6 daily.
Two stone tablets flanking the Kongmiao written in Chinese, Manchu, Mongol, Hui and Tibetan instructed civil and military officials to dismount their horses or sedan chairs as a sign of reverence to the First Teacher.
It was completed in 1306 during the reign of Kublai Khan's grandson and successor, Temur Oljeitu (r.1294-1307), the last Mongol emperor to utilize strong centralized statecraft based on Confucianism.
The first courtyard has a stone forest of nearly 200 steles chiseled with names and hometowns of more than 50,000 successful candidates in the jinshi (metropolitan) degree from the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.
Ritual sacrifices in honour of the sage involving emperors and court officials were held twice a year and on Confucius' birthday. Each September 28 there is re-enactment of the celebration.
If your visitors like to shop while they temple hop, there's a good selection of books and stone rubbings available here.
Stop Four: Guozijian (Imperial College)
Next to Kongmiao is the Guozijian, where there are even fewer tourists. It costs 6 yuan (US$0.72) to get in; hours are 9am-5:30pm; closed Mondays. Often you will have the place to yourself.
The Guozijian was also built in 1306. During the Yuan it was originally called Guozixue, or "School for Sons of the Nation," providing language and military training to young Mongolian and Chinese in preparation for taking up official posts throughout the empire.
After the fall of the Yuan, it was renamed the College of Beiping Prefecture. In 1404, as the usurper emperor Yongle (r. 1403-24) moved the Ming capital from Nanjing to Beijing, the present name of Guozijian came into use, focusing on teaching the Confucian tradition. The rear part of the complex now serves as the Beijing Municipal Children's Library.
The inscription on the stunning green and yellow glazed tile memorial archway within the second courtyard reads, Fu Tian Jiao Zi or "All under Heaven receive Benefit by Instruction" a quotation from the Analects.
North of the archway is the Biyong Palace, the centrepiece of the academy. This is where the emperor gathered with scholars to discuss Confucian philosophy and governance.
Stop Five: Teatime
After visiting the Guozijian, take a break across the street at the Liuxianguan teahouse which goes by the bizarre English name of Eatea Tea House. The prices might make a backpacker on a tight budget blanch, but it's not all that expensive. You get good tea and snacks amidst nice surroundings at a great location. Some staff are bilingual. It's open 8:30am-1am daily. Call 8404-8539 for more info.
Stop Six: Residences of a Prince and Prostitute
After refreshments, walk left from the teahouse and take the first alleyway on the left, Gongyi Hutong. This will connect you to Fangjia Hutong (Fang Family Alley) where you'll turn left again, heading east. Near the end of the hutong are the residences of a forgotten prince and a noted prostitute.
At No 15 is the western portion of a palace once belonging to Prince Xun, the third son of emperor Qianlong (r.1736-95). It is what all courtyard houses could look like if Beijing invested care and cash in preserving its past.
Unfortunately, it's now a home for retired cadres and not open to the public. If you're lucky the door will be open and you can politely ask the elderly couple serving as gatekeepers if you can take a picture. The smaller the group, the greater the chance for a brief look from the entrance.
Prince Xun's progeny fell on hard times and the palace was divided in two then rented out. The eastern courtyard at No 13 once housed Sai Jinhua (1874-1936), a courtesan who in 1900 was the paramour of the German Field Marshal acting as Commander in Chief of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in China for the Boxer Uprising.
(Beijing Weekend March 14, 2003)
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