This Neglected Beijing Route: Less Crowded, Interesting, and Affordable
Olde Shuling in 'Camel Xiangyu' said about the scenery on Fuchengmen Inner Avenue: 'There is everything here, including the Imperial Canal, the corner towers of the Forbidden City, Jingshan Mountain, Beihai Lake, the Golden Willow Bridge, the Tuan City, red walls, the library, and large stone lions. It is so beautiful and wonderful, you might as well give it a try.'
In front of the White Pagoda is the Temple of the Emperors, where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties sacrificed to the emperors of the past. From the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to later emperors, they were all there. The buildings are very large, because it is one of the three major royal temples in Beijing (the other two are the Temple of Heaven and the Temple of Confucius). Such a magnificent royal temple is rarely visited by tourists. The ticket price is 20 yuan. However, note that it is currently under repair and cannot be entered, and will open in June 2020.
Fuchengmen Inner Avenue ends here. Continuing forward to Xishikouxia Church. This church is very beautiful and famous. The Eight-Nation Alliance besieged it for two months, and they couldn't break in. There are many stories about it, and the Eight-Nation Alliance boasted that the foreigners used magic and 'yinmen array', which was actually strong people using force, and it is worthy of sighing.
Then walk to Xiaman Street to the old site of the Beijing Library. Here it is now the ancient literature department of the National Library, it seems you can't just enter, I have never been able to get in, the exterior is very beautiful, the tables and lions are remnants of the Yuanmingyuan, then go to the Golden Willow Bridge (Baidu Maps marks it as Wuzhin Street). This was an ancient giant stone arch bridge, which was later converted into a road. On the bridge, you can see the white pagoda of Beihai to the left and the Zhongnanhai to the right.
Further on is Beijing's landmark: the corner tower of the Forbidden City. You don't need to pay to enter the Forbidden City, and you can take such classic photos. Further on is Jingshan Park, buy a ticket to enter, climb to the Wanchun Pavilion at the top, and you can see this classic view: overlooking the Forbidden City. I have to say that the tourists in Jingshan are quite a lot, but with a very cheap ticket (2 yuan) you can overlook Beijing's central axis, which is worth it. The park has Beijing citizens chatting and singing, and the local living atmosphere is quite good, it is not a place that Beijingers would absolutely not come to.
Then go down the mountain to the Shouhuang Dian, which was recently opened in Jingshan, previously occupied by the Beijing Junior Middle School. Then exit Jingshan North Gate. There are two roads you can choose from, either turn right and walk through a lane to Zhujie Temple. This temple has been renovated by foreigners, and now there are often small exhibitions and literary activities, it is a well-known stronghold in the literary circle.
After coming out, continue to walk through the alleys, no matter which alley you walk through, just walk straight along the alley, until you reach the south of Nanlugulu Station, take the subway or taxi home. The other line is to turn left out of the north gate of Jingshan, go to Xishichaoxiao School, and then follow 'Beihai Jiaodao' on the mobile map, which can be searched. This alley is very interesting, on one side is the royal wall of Beihai, and on the other side is the civilian big courtyard. You walk through the middle and feel very magical, and there are few alleys like this style.
After walking through the alley, walk through Congjian Alley and finally arrive at the Houhua Market. If you have enough energy you can also visit Qianhai and Houhai, but I guess you are already tired, so just take a taxi or go to North Sea North Subway Station to take the subway home. This line goes all the way through and goes to the end, you don't have to go through the whole way, wherever you are tired, you can stop wherever you are. You can also walk back, first take a taxi to Jingshan to overlook the Forbidden City, then walk to the Golden Willow Bridge, and finally see the residence of Lu Xun, take the subway at Fucheng Station.
