Appreciating a Beijing staycation
To my delight, I found a comfortable hotel to spend some of the recent holiday, at the core of the city, west of Wangfujing. A short stroll would lead to where the walls of the former Imperial City once ran. Beijing historically was composed of several walled districts, or ‘cities’ with Forbidden City at its center. This proved a perfect location for several relaxing days while also photographing the city over the festival.
Initially I simply walked around the neighborhood revisiting streets that somehow had retained their earlier familiarity, others of course, significantly changed. It was a particular joy over breakfast to simply look out over the sloping rooftops, a feeling of gazing over part of Beijing’s intrinsic heritage.
Directly west of where I was staying is a maze of alleys centered around Ming Dynasty Pudu Temple, formerly the Imperial City’s East Garden. That area was renovated in the early 2000s, combining new courtyards in traditional style alongside upgraded residences of longtime local residents. Continuing through I reached Nanchizi street, once home to storage areas or warehouses for the palace. This included the former Imperial Archives (huangshicheng), constructed in 1534 and still standing within a large walled courtyard. Important documents from both the Ming and Qing dynasties were deposited there. Nanchizi was then prohibited for ordinary people to enter.
