[Beijing] Hutongs played an important role in the history and culture of Beijing, it is an alley formed by rows of siheyuan (四合院), a kind of historical Chinese houses where old Beijingers live in. Among them, Bada Hutong (八大胡同) which literally means Eight main alleys is a little different, it used to be the red-light district of Beijing during the Qing dynasty. These eight specific hutongs are situated near the Qianmen area, where hundreds of brothels used to operate. One of them is the Shaanxi Xiang (陕西巷), which I would always bring members from the overseas study group (something I used to organised during my free time before COVID-19 hits the world) to. Although Beijing has rolled into an international metropolis, but you can still catch a glimpse of the past as many of these old architectural buildings still remains. Though served as entertainment establishments, Bada Hutong was the site of many legendary stories where some beautifully storied prostitutes such as Sai Jinhua (赛金花) and Xiao Fengxian (小凤仙) became the protagonists. Perhaps I can share some of them one day. 🙂 📍Beijing, China. 中国北京。🇨🇳 . . . #china #beijing #forbiddencity #travelthroughthelenses #nonmainstream #ancientchina #travelgram #igchina #history #chinahistory #chinagram #lovebeijing #lifeinbeijing #beijinger #chinese #chinesearchitecture #citygrammers #oldplaces #chinaexplorer #discoverchina #createexplore #hutong #instatravel #sihantravels #igdaily #instabeijing #notatourist #中国 #北京 #胡同

Liangpi cold noodles or 凉皮 is a traditional dish from Shaanxi, China which has a similar texture to rice noodles. It is typically served cold with fresh cucumber, chili oil, dark vinegar, and mixed herbs sauce. | 📷: @missssaucy #RollingGrace

[Beijing] Retirement can be fulfilling too, look at these seniors who are spending their time in the Beihai Park meaningfully, many of them are either dancing or singing with their friends in the pavilion, and there are those who are like this lady who practice water calligraphy. Mdm Li used to be a factory worker and had nothing much to do after retirement, so she started coming to the park with a pail of water and a long brush. “This is called di shu (地书) and calligraphy expresses both the writer’s spirit (energy, temperament, aesthetic taste, personal inclinations, etc.) and the spirit of the times”, she told me. Indeed, such scenes are pretty common across China, and they usually write poems or proverbs with water as if it was ink. When the verse ends, the first characters are already diffuse. In this park, there are several water calligraphers. In the whole China, there are thousands. I noticed that Mdm Li was writing Lantingji xu (《兰亭集序》), one of the greatest calligraphy work written by well-known calligrapher Wang Xizhi (王羲之) from the East Jin Dynasty, she was also surprised that I know Lantingji Xu as I am a foreigner. Lantingji Xu is really one of the masterpiece in China’s arts history, Emperor Taizong of Tang dynasty (唐太宗) like it so much and it was rumoured that the original calligraphy has been buried together in his mausoleum in Shaanxi. 📍Beijing, China. 中国北京。🇨🇳 . . . #china #beijing #forbiddencity #travelthroughthelenses #nonmainstream #ancientchina #travelgram #igchina #history #love #snow #seetheworld #bitesize #beijinger #chinese #chinesearchitecture #citygrammers #oldplaces #chinaexplorer #discoverchina #createexplore #beihaipark #instatravel #sihantravels #igdaily #instabeijing #notatourist #中国 #北京 #北海道