Běihǎi Park & Xīchéng North

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 116 Běihǎi Park & Xīchéng North Neighbourhood X i uiyuan Jie Top Five z Wenh h i m 1 e Once reserved for n B ongdajie X Deshengmen D emperors only, Běihǎi Park e e e i i ᯠ n j i G e d Xidaji a n j Xīhǎi i (p118) is one of the capital’s i u 㺇 j a me e g ) lo D n Rd Lake a j he k u i ਓ es X u e D D o i most striking imperial d o i 2nd Ring u l ( 㾯བྷ㺇 े a e j 䰘 ie u B Hòuhǎi parks. Dominated by its n 啃 བྷ ᗧ 㜌 g e n Lake ᾬ u 㺇 i 㺇 i e namesake lake, dotted with d 2# 㾯 J བྷ a m X བྷ j g izhi 㺇 i ޵ temples and with a fascinat- L e n Xizhimennei Dajie iuyin e 䰘 Houh me h ai Na ing, 1000-year-long history, s 㜌 nyan e n Ji ᗧ it’s one of the city’s premier D Xi B N e Na e andaji njie spots to escape the urban i n Qiánhǎi l i Guanyuan s daji Jie Lake h i Park k Huguos sprawl. i i ou L e e u Xidajie 2 Sedate during the day, X nmen X Di'a Fu Ping'anli Xidajie i 㾯 i ᆹ䰘 བྷ㺇 hu ൠ ༽ s raucous at night, the Hòuhǎi 䐟 x h Xi an ޤ i n Běihǎi i ⿩ 㾯 k s Lakes (p120) are one of gm gch 䰘 Park u i Bei ⲫ ഋे े XĪCHÉNG D u Běihǎi Běijīng’s great playgrounds. en en L a བྷ Lake ggen d j u བྷ 㺇 i Be They’re also surrounded e a 㺇 y g ji id n e Be by some of the city’s oldest e a Jade1# j D ij ie X and best- preserved hútòng i Islet e e Fuchengmenwai Daji is i (alleyways). 䱌ᡀ䰘ཆབྷ㺇 F Nand Wenjin Jie ᮷ ⍕㺇 e u i Be j c 3 a he Spend a morning at the ic D a n XĪDĀN h jie impressive Capital Museum o 䱌 ᡀ g an a m i q g (p124) to understand the e g 䰘 ই n Xi J Yuetan e n i i e evolution of this great city. N i d J Zhōnghǎi Park p a a i u བྷ Lake u n n a o 4 L d Enjoy a show at the T y 㺇 i B a gbo Jie u Na h Guangnin e j F s i National Centre for the i i e l d nc ( n ajie 2 a Performing Arts (p128), or h n N a d ZHŌNGNÁNHǍI ng just stare open-mouthed at R i J n Nánhǎi the building itself. i g Lake e 5# R Xu d Fuxingmennei Dajie Xichang'an Jie 5 Shop like a Beijinger at ‚ ᇓ ) ༽ޤ䰘 ޵བྷ㺇 Na anwume B ↖ 77th Street (p129), Xīdān’s 3# e 䰘 o D Xirongxian i xinhua 4# Ji s a Xinwenhua Jie unique underground mall. 800m ޵ h Hutong e j ie i k བྷ ou n 㺇 Xijiaomin Xiang n e i Da Qianmen Xidajie Xuanwumen Xidajie (2nd Ring Rd) ng Rd) j (2nd Ri i e For more detail of this area see Map p294. A 117 Lonely Planet’s Explore Běihǎi Park & Xīchéng Top Tip North Come nightfall, the Hòuhǎi Lakes become a madhouse Most of the Imperial City was in this part of Xīchéng (西 of milling crowds and bar 城; literally ‘West City’), lending it a regal grandeur that touts trying to entice you survives to this day. Less visited than Dōngchéng to the into their overpriced bars. east, but equally impregnated with ancient temples and If you want to experience a charming hútòng (narrow alleyways), it’s one of the most night out drinking, Chinese worthwhile neighbourhoods to visit in all Běijīng. style: dive in. If you’d rather Any tour has to start at the lakes that dominate the east- avoid the wailing karaoke, ern part of the district. Take in Běihǎi Park first, perhaps slip down the hútòng that spending an hour or more floating around its lake, before run off the lakeshore, where striking out through the park’s north gate to take in the you’ll find quieter bars and sights and hútòng scattered around Qiánhǎi, Hòuhǎi and cafes. The lanes on the Xīhǎi Lakes, collectively known as either ‘Shíchàhǎi’ or southwest side of Silver In- more commonly just ‘Hòuhǎi’. Once night falls, eat at one got Bridge are a good place of the many restaurants close to the lakes and then join the to start. crowds promenading around them, stopping in for a drink at the many bars and cafes that line their shores. A second day here is more or less an imperative. Head Best Places to Fuchengmennei Dajie, a street lined with lesser- 5 known temples; the most impressive being Miàoyīng to Eat Xīchéng & Park Běihǎi Temple White Dagoba. Then dive into the hútòng behind ¨ Royal Icehouse (p127) them. The district’s best temple, though, is southwest ¨ Kǎo Ròu Jì (p127) of here: the Taoist White Cloud Temple, which can be ¨ Le Petit Saigon (p127) combined with a visit to nearby Capital Museum, one of Běijīng’s finest museums. Come evening, there’s a For reviews, see p126.A wealth of venues in which to catch everything from jazz to classical music and Peking opera. 6 Best Places for a Drink Local Life ¨ East Shore Jazz Café n (p128) orth ¨ Fly a Kite Běihǎi Park is prime kite-flying territory. ¨ Visit Three Stone Kite Shop (p129) to kit yourself out. NBeer Pub (p128) ¨ ¨ Golden Sail Water Sports Hútòng The alleyways and lanes here are far less commercial and are a great introduction to Běijīng’s Club (p126) tremendous street life. The hútòng by Rùndélì Food ¨ Tang Ren Teahouse Market (p127) are fascinating, as are those behind (p128) Miàoyīng Temple White Dagoba (p120). For reviews, see p128.A ¨ Ice Skating When winter freezes the Hòuhǎi Lakes, join the Beijingers and strap on some skates. 1 Best Places for People- Getting There & Away Watching ¨ Běihǎi Park (p118) ¨ Subway Beihai North (Line 6) and Shichahai (Line 8) subways stations best serve Běihǎi Park and the ¨ Hòuhǎi Exercise Park Hóuhǎi Lakes, although you can also reach them from (p125) Line 2 (which circles the district) and Line 4 (which ¨ Hòuhǎi Park (p125) runs north–south). Line 1 cuts across the south of this For reviews, see p120.A district. ¨ Bus Bus 1 runs along Xichang’an Jie, Fuxingmennei Dajie and Fuxingmenwai Dajie, taking you to Capital Museum. Bus 22 takes you from Tiān’ānmén West to Xīdān and then north to Xīnjiēkou..

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