Day 100: Beijing - Hutons, Tea, Temples & Duck

Drum show at tower
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Day 100 - wow.  Getting far too used to this eternal holiday lark, returning to work is looking  more and more of a killer!

Ventured into the Hutongs today to see some of the old Beijing that remains down narrow lanes and back streets, as well as various sights along the path outlined in our guidebook.

Cup of Cha

First stop was the museum and former residence of Mei Lanfang, China’s most famous opera star (as I’m sure you all know) after eventually finding an opera loving taxi driver who could understand where we wished to go. Turns out this guy was China’s biggest star from the late 1930s until the 1970s, travelling the world and meeting presidents.

Bell Tower (from Drum Tower)
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I liked the information board that told how he “bravely returned” to Japanese occupied Shanghai from hiding in Hong Kong, when the truth is he was forcibly relocated before wearing his wigs in Shanghai to avoid being recognised. Propaganda in China, well I never.

After a slightly confusing meander, these lanes not being the easiest to navigate with our crap map, we arrived at Family Fu’s Teahouse where we not so much had a cuppa, but rather attended a ritual. Having selected our tea (from a Chinese menu written on a fan) various bits of tea making apparatus were brought over and a mini-teapot of tea made, then poured away. Another pot of tea was made, then poured away.

Family Fu Teahouse
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All during this process copious amounts of hot water was poured over everything, especially the outside of the teapot. The third pot and all those refilled thereafter we get to drink from miniature cups. Neither of us were sure how much we’d like our tea without milk (it really didn’t seem like the time or place to ask for some!), but it was really good.

A distinct added bonus having skipped breakfast, was the array of tasting dishes accompanying the tea. Some recognisable as muffins and cookies whilst others looked like liquorice allsorts and tasted of meat or looked like sausage rolls but tasted of lemon puff biscuits. A very unique experience but very glad we stopped (and that Jane was dissuaded from ordering Coke!).

Family Fu Teahouse
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Our path took us to a Buddhist temple, Guanghua Si, where we wandered courtyards, admired gold Buddhas through burning incense and nodded respectfully at the monks. Nice to see a ‘real’ working temple in contrast to those built for the Emperor and which are now massive tourist sites.

After a shocking choice of lunch dishes, cold noodles with sesame sauce and spicy scrambled eggs, we finished our tour at the Drum and Bell Towers. Drums and Bells were used to communicate time to Chinese cities in ‘olden times’, different beats or combinations marking hours, days, months and seasons. Climbed up the steep stairs to both and admired the views across central Beijing and caught a brief drum show.

Guanghua Si Temple
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For dinner we thought we’d better try the local speciality of Peking Duck. The guidebooks recommendation didn’t seem to exist, trip advisors top rated pick was fully booked so we turned to the hotel front desk for advice. This in turn prompted a debate between the receptionist and the concierge between 2 options, Beijing residents’ obviously take this pretty seriously.

Receptionist won, largely because it was walking distance and an area we vaguely knew, and so off to Quan Ju De’s we went. As you enter the main dining hall you can see in through a picture window the ducks roasting over coals, and later they bring the duck on a trolley to shred at the table, which is interesting to see although the chef wearing a face mask is a little off putting.

Guanghua Si Temple
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Our trip home included passing by Wangfujing Night Market where we witnessed lots of weird and wonderful foodstuffs, but too full of duck to even contemplate trying the safe looking fruit kebabs, let alone starfish, grasshoppers or whatever the rest of it was.