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Fortunately the hostels at Peking University was fully booked. So, we had the opportunity to make The Beijing Fuyuan Garden Business Hotel our home for 9 days! It is a beautiful garden hotel located in the Haidian district, walking distance from Peking University and the Summer Palace. I was so pleased that we are so lucky to have stayed here instead of from stuffy dormitories!

We had so much stuff, the entire lobby was filled and you could hear everyone talking at the same time. Yeah it’s a mini war zone when you have 30 exuberant undergraduates waiting to be given their rooms.

We checked in after dinner. Sky was pitch dark and I must say, my first impression of this hotel was kinda eerie. For you to have a better idea of how spooked out the place was, here’s a picture of the corridor leading to the rooms.

The interior deco was very oriental. Slightly gaudy with lots of red and gold. I thought twice before passing through the labyrinth of dark passages before reaching my room.

As for the room, it was pretty decent. The spooky Chinese Hungry Ghost style deco was missing in the rooms. GOOD.

Quick check on necessities. Working air-conditioner. Checked. 24-hr hot water. Checked. Free toiletry supplies. Checked. Hair-drier. Checked. A variety of power sockets. Checked. Electric kettle. Checked. Internet access! Yippee! I have everything I needed and more!

Anyway the highlight of this garden hotel was of course, the garden. The entire grounds of Beijing Fuyuan Garden Business Hotel consist of both traditional southern and northern Chinese garden landscapes with man-made hills and isles in the center of lakes. Can you imagine bunking in an estate which used to be some rich government official’s residence centuries ago?

Yup. Government. That kinda explains the super tight security we experienced here. There were always two military policemen on guard at the gates who keep check on who goes in and out of the hotel. They looked dead serious and were in the “attention” posture all the time! But it was good to be taken care of like that.

The hotel’s enclosed compound came complete with lush greenery, pavilions, small bridges and a huge lake. I felt like I was on a set of some Chinese drama series. Lots of sweet spots to sit a spell.

Painted murals in the pavilions replicated the life of those who lived in time when China was still thought to be the center of the universe. Pity it looked so new.

Who used to walked these decorated pathways? Was the mistress of the estate a fiery phoenix? Probably. You can’t helped not being a bitch when your husband is allowed to recruit concubines at whims. The tyranny of being a woman in those times.

Anyway, we were here at the pavilion after dusk with some bottles of Tsing Dao beer and packets of snacks. It’s a sweet spot.

I never knew that gulping cold beer while overlooking a vast lake with swans in shadows and calm waters reflecting the flickers of street lights would be so awesome. I recalled savoring moments of silence with my friends who was just as comfortable in appreciating the brooding mood quietly in such an apt setting.

Unlike those conventional international hotels, I think that this forgotten venue is such a beautiful place. It is old and it has a story to tell. Who was it who owned this estate? I’m still trying to figure it out. Only clue was is was built over 800 years ago. I know. I’m so attracted to all things vintage.

Well from here, I could easily flagged a cab to go to the Beijing Train Station and Tian’anmen Square that was not far off. Would definitely consider this hotel because of it’s close proximity to Peking University. Honestly, if you’re in Beijing, you must visit the first national university of China. You’ll be so fascinated by the beautiful traditional Chinese architecture at its campus grounds. With the Summer Palace and the Old Summer Palace just a stone throw away, Beijing Fuyuan Garden Business Hotel is a good choice away from the city bustle.

Beijing Fuyuan Garden Business Hotel
(Beijing Fuyuanhuayuan Shangwu Jiudian)
Jia 1, Fuyuan Men, Haidian District
Beijing China (Hai Dian Area)
Tel : 010-62561115/62520008

Shuan Yang Rou is also known as Mongolian hot pot and Yang rou is Mandarin for lamb, the favored meat for this dish.

We had the most enjoyable Shuan Rou hotpot at Yang Da Ye. The hotpots were family sized one that’s put in the center of the table to be shared by everyone and the mutton was cut into extremely thin slices so that it could be instantly boiled in the hotpot. It was fun swishing the mutton slices while chatting away. Our hotpot dining experience was extra delicious because of the cool weather!

Unlike the pungent and spicy Sichuan style hotpot, a water base is provided with a few spices for Shuan Yang Rou. Thus, the ingredients play major role to flavor the broth. Thus, apart from the good quality mutton slices we had tofu, Chinese cabbage, cut into squares; sliced Shiitake mushrooms, Enoki and Golden mushrooms, spinach, snow peas, bean noodles, sprouts and bamboo shoots! We also wiped out a plate of beef slices and another plate of seafood mix. Not bad for 6 persons.

Oh we loved the dip! We had a small bowl each. Look it even had the chinese character yang in it. This savoury sauce is concocted using peanut paste, rice vinegar, sesame and chives. Gotta mix everything well and we are ready to dip dip dip!

After all of us have had some meat and seafood, the broth was so richly flavored. That was the best time to spoon some of the broth and slurp it down heartily.

We spent less than 100RMB per person for a Beijing Shuan Yang Rou experience with high quality ingredients, great taste, and an excellent atmosphere.

Yang Da Ye Shuan Rou Restaurant
12 Wanquan Helu, Haidian District
Tel?010-6265 3878
Beijing

It is said that southern Chinese prefer rice, while the northerners prefer noodles. Not sure how true that statement is because although my ancestors were definitely from the South before they migrated to Malaysia, I am a really huge fan of noodles! If you love noodles just like me, you will love Lao Beijing Zhajiang Mian Da Wang!

What to order at this old busy Beijing eatery? The zha jiang mian, of course.

Zha jiang mian is a classic Beijing noodle dish. I loved the texture of the thick wheat noodles. It’s so chewy! The zha jiang mian was prettily decorated with shredded cucumbers, pickled radish and bean sprouts which gave a nice crunchy feel to the dish. Once topped with a mixture of ground pork stir-fried with zha jiang/salty fermented soybean paste, voila! The brown meat sauce noodles turned out wonderful! Fulfilling, homey, and mildly spicy!

The warm, thick and sweet minced meat sauce was served separately in a little bowl so it was all up to us how saucy we want our zha jiang mian to be. The minced pork tasted especially good! Hao!

Apparently, zha jiang mian is said to be the Chinese version of the spaghetti bolognese. Well if I was to choose between the two, I’ll go for zha jiang mian.

We loved our zha jiang mian so much that every last bit of noodle and sauce was not spared. By the way, noodle king also serves traditional Beijing snacks such as mung bean cakes and hawthorn fruit sweets! For such tasty fare, we spent only about 20-50RMB per person here. If I’m not wrong, one bowl of zha jiang mian cost 10RMB.

The restaurant is near the East Gate of the Temple of Heaven. But if you are coming from Hongqiao Pearl Market, walk north from the market about 100 yards before crossing over the walkway/bridge over Chongwai Street. From the walkway, the restaurant is slightly to the right/north. You know you’re on the right track when you see painted statues of old Beijingers eating or drinking tea in the window. Alternatively, you can just grab a cab!

Heard that it is often packed and hectic during lunch time.

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Lao Bei Jing Zha Jiang Mian Da Wang
29 Chong Wen Men Wai Street
Chong Wen district
Tel: 010-6705 6705/5678
Hours: 11:00-14:00 17:00-20:30

It’s all about cosmology. The Temple of Heaven is where man reminds himself of his position between heaven and earth. Because the emperor was the foundation of the celestial balance, he was to re-establish the calendar every year and maintain the celestial balance by performing annual sacrifices to both Heaven and Earth on the winter and summer solstice respectively at the Temple of Heaven.

He would be swaggering along the super long pathway to the Altar of Heaven for sacrificial rituals in his dragon robes. Escorted by an entourage of elephant chariots, flag bearers, horse chariots, noblemen, musicians and acrobats to the altar where the ceremony was held, the scene must be spectacular. My heart felt a little heavy because this space is so empty now.

I strutted daringly into this place once forbidden to “commoners” and foreigners in imperial times. I wondered if I’m an intruder in this sacred site as I imagined myself watching the Emperor fast in the Hall of Abstinence, offer sacrifices and prayers at the Altar of Heaven or pray in a magnificent procession.

I recalled feeling a little awkward as I let my imagination ran wild within the noblest example of religious architecture in the whole of China. My senses heightened as I peered into the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. The heavy wooden beams, the unending cold stony granite pathways and the glare of gaudy Qing decorative motives which looked like talismans and symbols exercised a sense of protection and vulnerability, of heaven, earth and man.

Drawn into the mood, my friends and I gave our own interpretation of Chinese spirituality with a picture in front of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.

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The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is a bewildering symbol of China’s agricultural past. There’s a reason why the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is round and stands on a square yard. Well, for the ancient Chinese, earth was represented by a square and Heaven by a circle. Thus, this structure was meant to represent Heaven and Earth; symbolising the connection of Heaven and Earth.

To the ancient Chinese, number 9 is divine. It symbolizes heaven; hence everything in the Temple of Heaven is built in tiers of three. The spectacular triple-gabled circular building with a unique wooden and blue-tiled structure was built without a nail.

I never knew that Chinese architecture is so driven by spirituality, mythology and folklore. I knew they were very concerned with something greater than this world but I’ve never expected them to create grand structures in their quest to solve these cosmic issues.

I was awed yet a little disappointed as though I’ve missed a lot simply because I am just a bystander. To me, ancient China is more than just the rise and fall of dynasties, old China as a whole, is a romantic era I’ve always wanted to explore. Deep in thoughts, I went into a daze as I walked across the dewy, misty garden flanked by centuries-old cypress trees.

Streaming sunlight awakened me. I tuned my ear to the group of old Chinese retirees who congregates every morning at the Temple of Heaven Park’s Southern Gate. They were singing revolutionary songs. Perhaps they have yet to recover from the Mao fever.

Time flies when I attempted to relive the past of this place. Unknowingly, we spent close to 2 hours here. The Temple of Heaven is definitely worth at least an hour of your time in Beijing. It’s a marvellous site that exudes serenity and bears much traditional and religious meaning.

Besides the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and the Altar of Heaven, there’re other places within the Temple of Heaven such as the Imperial Vault of Heaven. If you are interested, you can read up more details about this ancient architecture here.

I paid 30RMB for the admission fee. You can get here by subway line 5 exit A at the Tiantan Dongmen station. It brings you right in front of the east gate.

Yes I’ve been lazy. To friends who I’ve spoken. most of you would heard about me raving about my splendid 2 weeks trip at in Beijing in June 2008 (right before the Olympics). Being caught up with assignments, work, never ending photo-edits and more excuses, I’ve failed to share my experience on my blog!  I apologise. Thanks sweeties for the constant complaints of not knowing what Eevon did in Beijing. Yes, I must agree that this blog which is all about me would be so incomplete if there’s nothing at all about this city that I will never forget ever. Thus, from now on, do expect more posts on my Beijing experience!

My 2 weeks in Beijing was a cultural-study trip on the intellectual, cultural and historical traditions of China. As a supporter of the arts, I shall start with a special place that has significant importance to a niche segment of China’s population, the avant-garde artists in Beijing. 798 Art District.

This place used to be the centre of socialism. Now it’s the centre of modernism and individualism. Puzzled? No worries, I will elaborate further.

As state-run factory estate designed by the East Germans in 1954, 798 Art District was an emblem of China’s industrial production and a symbol of the country’s brotherhood with fellow socialist countries. 47 years later, Chinese avant-garde artists from the outer margins of society set up studios and lofts in 798 Art District; marking the beginning of 798 Art District’s iconic role in new modern Beijing.

This place practically showcases China’s ideological shifts in history. Over here I became conscious of how contemporary Chinese art has transformed from a deviant activity to a source of international prestige in modern China. It was also heartening to find that the presence of a cultural base as opposed to an industrial one in 798 Art Zone suggests the appreciating value of the creative middle class in China’s economic growth.

798 Art District is a really big huge industrial estate where many of the spaces were designed by the artists themselves and as such reflects their own particular aesthetic tastes and interests while creating an ambiance of which their audience anticipates. This aligned with the cultural change in modern China where popular cultural attitudes shifts from society-oriented to individuality.

I found numerous slogans of the Mao’s era in 798 Art District such as “Learn the theories of Chairman Mao, Defend the theories of Chairman Mao.”, “To sail in the sea you need a great helmsman, to do some revolutionary work you need the theories of Chairman Mao”, “Long live the great Communist Part of China!” and etc. It was kinda bizarre to imagine people worshiping Mao as thought he is a deity. Then again, he’s the great helmsman. Everyone was seen walking around with a little red book when he ruled China.

In any case, the diversification of artistic outlets at 798 Art District is astonishing. Various cafes, galleries and clubs refashion the social and physical spaces of Chinese culture. And yes! Pink Maos are funkier. We can’t helped but thought that there were more underlying meanings behind the choice of using pink.

798 Art Districts houses trendy international and Chinese regional restaurants such as the Jianghu Western Restaurant and Sichuan No.6 Restaurant designed by the artistic community at 798 Art Zone. We had a hearty lunch at Tianxiayan Restaurant located at 4 Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District.

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That large bowl of beef in oily chilli oil and Sichuan pepper corns numbed my lips and tongue! Other dishes were ok though personally, I thought that the Sichuan fare I had wasn’t very spectacular. However from what I know, this three-floor restaurant on the southeastern part of 798 is usually packed on weekends.

In a way, these restaurants reinterpret Beijing through the interrelationship between consumption, popular culture and space as the growing importance of social interactivity in activities such as dining, clubbing, theatre and performing arts places high value in atmosphere and aesthetics.

From its industrial beginnings, 798 Art District had transformed into a symbol of modern China that hosts foreign dignitaries and tourists and formed alliances with former capitalist adversaries. Apparent a Sony product promotion was launched in 798 Space Gallery and Yan club, a former factory cafeteria had transformed into a landmark of fashionable place to be in Beijing which had hosted the renowned British band “Morcheeba”. In addition to the frequently held art events, 798 Art District is also the new hot spot for commercial activities where many large enterprises such as Omega and Nike chose to hold product promotions and related commercial activities.

Sigh. Let’s just hope the artists at 798 Art District can sustain the unique undertone in their works to look at China’s industrial past in today’s context.

It is important to note that the artistic community at 798 Art District had won a stunning victory against their limitations as a minority in spreading new ideas and culture.

As a proud symbol of a modern and creative Beijing that blends the contemporary generations’ inherited past, acquired present and anticipated future within its space, 798 Art District is a space that celebrates the individual and portrays nuances of red china unpretentiously.

A visit to 798 Art District is a must if you like Chinese contemporary art and want to catch glimpses of China’s industrial past.

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798 Art District
Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District