Walking the City: A Guide to Exploring Beijing by Foot
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Beijing is not a walkable city. In fact, it can be fairly hostile to pedestrians. But that doesn’t mean it lacks interesting places to explore by foot. Despite the best efforts of the municipal government and avaricious developers, Beijing still has back lanes and historic sites worth discovering. It just takes a little effort sometimes to see through the grit, grime, and around that huge black SUV/cadre mianzi mobile barreling down the hutong right at you.
Dashilar (大石烂儿 dàshílàn'r or 大栅栏 dàzhàlán) is named after the large wooden gate which used to control access to this important commercial district of Old Peking. The gate burned in 1899, but the name survives. The area took a hit with the Olympic-era renovations which went the full Disney (Note to the municipal government: Never go the full Disney. Nobody likes the full Disney), but the emergence of lanes such as Yangmeizhu (杨梅竹 yángméizhú) over the past few years has put the district back on the map for hutong wanderers.
The Imperial Ancestral Temple (太庙 tàimiào AKA “Working People’s Cultural Palace”) is a beautiful park just east of the Forbidden City main gate. Originally built in 1420, the temple served as a site for rituals venerating past emperors.
Pro tip: Enter through the East Gate (West side of Nanchizi Dajie, about 400 meters north of Chang’an Boulevard). This avoids the long lines and security checkpoints in Tiananmen Square. Exit through the West Gate to access the main plaza of the Forbidden City for a stress-free approach to the palace or through the South Gate for a queue-free entrance to Tiananmen Square.
After several years of renovations, the canal park between Beiheyan (北河沿 běihéyán, just east of the Nanluogu Xiang subway stop) and Qianhai 前海 qiánhǎi reopened on May 1, 2017. The channels were once part of a system of artificial waterways constructed in the 13th century to supply much-needed liquid to the capital’s moats and canals. Today, the canals are a centerpiece of a park and walking path which winds its way through the center of Beijing. A detour to Great Leap #6 provides a nice pit stop for thirsty pedestrians.
READ: Float Lazily in a Sea of Clouds During a Weekend Trip To Wuling Mountain
Photos courtesy of Jeremiah Jenne
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