XISI 西四

North Xisi

Heading north from the hutong preservation areas of Xisi, the change is immediate and obvious. I'm not sure when these neighborhoods were built, but it must have been in the dark days of the early attempt on modernity. Xizhimen Nanxiaojie seems to have taken shape accidentally, a contiguous crack where someone forgot to build houses (and also neglected to install real curbs and sidewalks). The buildings around it look like they have their backs to the street, as though they'd been intended to face in other directions.

And is there any other building, in all of Beijing, that exceeds the Beijing Youth Palace for sheer ugliness?

Things get better as you head east. Though most of the hutongs have been replaced with apartment complexes, they're the older, squat kind where the sense of community is largely preserved. It's an artic day, and I see five plucked chickens, frozen solid, hung on a washing line behind a hole-in-the-wall restaurant. The ground has been so heavily salted that if you inhale deeply with your mouth open, you get a faint taste of salt on the back of your tongue.

Farther east, the hutongs start again. I see a tiny sign indicating the 北京外国问题研究所, and dub it the 'Beijing Foreign Problems Research Station'. Near here is the Xiyuan Mosque, which is one of the few mosques I've seen in Beijing that really looks like a mosque – crescent moon, green dome and all.

The Xicheng District Youth Palace (西城区少年宫) is one of the best buildings I've seen here. In fact, Qiangongyong Hutong (前公用胡同) is overall one of the nicest streets in the neighborhood for old architecture. The eastern yard of the Youth Palace dates from the Yuan dynasty, when it was used for storage, and it was expanded at the end of the Qing dynasty by a minister named Chong Zihou (崇子厚), who used it for his private residence. It's a lovely building, and as long as you appear relatively benign and ask politely, they might let you in.

Back on Zhaodengyu Lu, there's a little sign pointing towards the Beijing Society for Comparative International Studies – I like my name better.

February 9, 8:28a.m.

Comments (0)

The temples of Xisi

Doing the three temples of Fuchengmen Neidajie – Baitasi, Lidai Diwang Temple, and Guangjisi – in quick succession can produce an odd sensation. Baitasi, built in 1271 by the order of Kublai Khan, is the oldest, and certainly has the most venerable atmosphere. It was nearly deserted when I visited, but there were signs of ongoing devotion – newly hung Tibetan prayer flags, a handful pilgrims circling the stupa in silence.

Guangjisi is nearly as old, but the feel is quite different. It houses the Buddhist Association of China, and though small it is absolutely bustling with activity. Monks crisscross the grounds, shouting and laughing, cars are parked outside, and the grounds are filled with non-monk personnel clearly accustomed to spending most of their day hanging around inside the temple. The community feel is strong.

Call me jaded, but the Lidai Diwang Temple seems a perfect example of the self-regard of official China. It was built by the Ming emperor Jiajing in 1530, honoring the emperors who had come before him, and has the air of many other projects intended to give emperors/officials a warm feeling about their rule. Its very well-preserved, very large, very ostentatious, and lacking in either the sanctity of Baitasi or the vitality of Guangjisi. I can't help feeling that some things change very slowly.

February 9, 6:41a.m.

Comments (0)

Mysterious Building

While wandering up north of Baitasi, this building caught my eye. That little belfry-looking thing is awfully unusual – is there any chance that this might have been a church at some point?

There's a more detailed image in the Xisi pictures. I wonder what it once said above the doorway there. I tried asking an old lady walking by, but she didn't know, and there was no one else around...

February 9, 6:07a.m.

Comments (1)