Houhai

Houhai

Houhai is an integral part of Shichahai. Shichahai, which is composed of Qianhai, Houhai and Xihai, is called "housanhai" in order to distinguish it from the "former three seas" of Beihai, Zhonghai and Nanhai. Houhai starts from di'anmenwai street in the East, Xinjiekou Street in the west, Ping'an Street in the South and North 2nd Ring Road in the north, with a total area of 146.7 hectares, including 34 hectares of water area and 11.5 hectares of green space. This is an ancient water area in Beijing 700 years ago during the Yuan Dynasty.

Houhai is one of the basic projects in the planning and design of Dadu in the 13th century. Shichahai has been a prosperous business district around Dadu since the Yuan Dynasty. It was the end of water transportation at that time, and was known as "Beijing ancient harbor". At that time, restaurants, song platforms and business workshops were everywhere along the coast. Houhai is an idle place with water and mountains, weeping willows on the shore. The folk houses and residents on the shore, the surrounding royal palace and the former residences of celebrities, all of which are full of Beijing flavor and historical charm. People come here just to hear the clear insects in autumn, to see the miniature of the old Beijing courtyard buildings, and to chew the long gone Royal legacy. Houhai is a famous summer resort in old Beijing. Hidden in the Hutong snacks, everywhere exudes the taste of fried tripe, stewed, enema, fleeing with tempting bean juice acid.

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Panorama

Park Development

After the revolution of 1911, Beihai was opened to the public in 1925. In 2001, it was promulgated by the National Tourism Administration as the first batch of 4A units in national tourist areas (spots). Beihai Park has more than 117 species of trees and shrubs, up to 17101 trees, including 584 ancient trees. The green coverage rate of the whole park reaches more than 91%. Beihai Park is a rare low-carbon ecological scenic spot in the central city of Beijing.

Practical information

Best season: April – June. It is suitable for all seasons. In summer, the lotus is in full bloom. It is the best time when the air is fresh and the temperature is suitable.

Suggested visit: 4 hours

Admission: Free

Opening hours: all day

Traffic information

Internal transportation

Bus routes:

Gulou station:

No.5, No.60, No.82, No.107, No.124, no.635

Walk from Yandai Xiejie to Houhai

Beihai Beimen station:

No.3, No.13, No.42, No.107, No.111, No.118, NO.609, no.612, No.701

Walk into Houhai from Lotus Market

metro

Shichahai station of line 8 (closest to Houhai)

Beihai Beimen station of line 6 (walking eastward from Hehua market to Houhai)

External traffic

Plane, train, car, self driving.

Main attractions

Man-made lake

In fact, it is a huge man-made lake, which is a clear pool exclusively enjoyed by the royal family in the old days. Houhai is located in the center of Beijing, only four or five stops away from Tiananmen. It is connected with the famous Beihai Yishui, and is far away from Jingshan and the Forbidden City. Walking along the coast, if you don't pay attention, you will see the blue tiles and red walls. Outside those tall and solemn gates, you can only see the tall trees in the courtyard. It's mysterious. It is said that the water area of Houhai is connected with the dragon vein of the Forbidden City. From ancient times to modern times, it is a treasure land of geomantic omen. Therefore, the eminent monks of all ages built temples here, while the princes and ministers chose to build houses and gardens on the shore. Celebrities also moved to the lakeside and began the initial life on the water bank. Therefore, as the saying goes, "Shichahai first, then Beijing city.".

Street structure

Houhai street structure was first formed in the Yuan Dynasty, many of the buildings have a long history, with the typical characteristics of traditional buildings in Beijing. For example, the big and small Jinsi Hutong in jinsitao area, the South and North official Hutong and Yaer Hutong, Baimi Xiejie, Yandai Xiejie, NanLuoGu lane, etc. Shichahai Area, there are more than 40 cultural relics protection units. The weeping willows on both sides of the Strait reflect the royal residence and the former residences of celebrities of past dynasties: such as Gongqin royal residence, naoqin royal residence, Song Qingling's former residence, Guo Moruo's former residence, and eight of the top ten marshals once lived in Liuyin street by the sea in Shicha. There are many temples here, known as "nine nunneries and one temple".

Houhai is a famous summer resort in old Beijing. According to historical records, in summer, all kinds of stalls such as lotus root Bureau, tea house, food stall, commercial stall and quyi were set up along the coast, attracting eunuchs, literati and ordinary people to come in droves. No wonder city people are flocking. Bridge water, Jiangnan people, a bowl of soup, a spoonful of elegant taste. There are those hidden in the Hutong snacks, everywhere the spread of fried tripe, stewed taste, fleeing tempting bean juice acid.

Fun experience

——Sanmao's rainy season never comes again

characteristic

What attracted me at first, of course, like you, must be all kinds of beers and girls in the bar. Through the crowded stream of people, this is almost the only water area close to the people in the center of the imperial capital. Free swimming wild ducks are nimbly walking through the funny and clumsy foot duck boats;.

Houhai cuisine

Special snacks around Houhai

1. There are all kinds of snacks in Jiumen.

2. Di'anmen snack bar, Beijing snacks, good quality and low price. .

3. Tianjing Baozi and wonton in the baozi shop in Fangzhuan Hutong. It's recommended to serve wonton in casserole. It's delicious in winter. It's 8 yuan per capita.

4. There are more than 10 kinds of stuffing in the fire shop of Drum Tower, which is pure Beijing flavor. 5. Baochao Hutong big stuffing dumpling shop, absolutely big dumplings, MM people eat a few full.

6. Gulou old Xi'an restaurant is one of the special restaurants in Beijing. I haven't eaten it, because I don't like mutton, but I see a lot of people eating Xi'an paomo there. 7. Or go to Xinjiekou, where there are a lot of small shops to eat.

8. NanLuoGu lane has evolved into a snack street, with many snacks with Beijing characteristics, and also a very prosperous business gathering area.

9. There are all kinds of bars, even a sex city with pole dancing (don't think it's crooked, it's healthy).

Houhai surrounding food restaurant recommendation:

Houhai is a famous summer resort in old Beijing. Beside Yinding bridge, there are "Barbecue Season" and "popu Zhang", as well as "Kong Yiji". Fish, tea ceremony and boat meal on the West Coast make food and music harmonious. There are also snacks hidden in the Hutong, with the taste of fried tripe and stewed pork, and the tempting sour soybean juice. This is Houhai in Beijing.

Barbecue Season: a century old brand. Beijing style, pine branch barbecue, the restaurant is by the lake.

Kong Yiji restaurant: elegant environment, Zhejiang cuisine, yellow rice wine, and fennel beans.

Nanhai fish village: it's just by the lake. On summer nights, you can eat by the lake. I haven't been to this restaurant, but it looks good. It's not cheap.

Fenghuaxueyuelou: beside the drum tower, Yunnan cuisine, Beijing home cooking, Beijing mustard pier, which I once introduced in LVYE, are sold in this restaurant. 30 yuan per person.

Lakeside bar: there are many homes, and the environment is good.

Hope Bar

Passers by:

Living in hutongs, I know "passers-by" because I love traveling. It's a bar with tourism theme, and it's said to be the first one in Beijing. It is located next to the Central Academy of drama, a Hutong called Nanluoguxiang. On a hot summer night, the courtyard of passers-by is very busy. On weekdays, the donkey friends who like to walk around gather to laugh, fight, drink and chat. Seeing such a scene reminds me of the scene of being outdoors, which also represents our living condition.

The boss "Xiao bian'er" is the protagonist here. It is such a comfortable space created by him. He walked among us, drinking and answering, looking happy and excited. Yes, on such a day, he should be excited. Looking back on the past, "xiaobian'er" said, "at that time, passers-by only had a space of less than 15 square meters. At that time, they thought about how long they could last. They didn't think that they would make money one day. Later, they experienced the blow of demolition, and almost didn't survive." Whenever I think back on these, Xiao bian'er is filled with emotion. After all, it's not easy to survive these years. "Xiao bian'er" has a deep complex of Hutong. Even under the impact of demolition, he still resolutely chooses to survive in the Hutong. Xiaobian has his own reason for this. He believes that hutong is a kind of culture, and can best represent the mentality of travelers. Accustomed to the freedom of nature, casual travelers don't like the hustle and bustle of the city, and hutongs are places that seem crowded and noisy, but are actually free and relaxing. The theme of tourism has always been the foundation for the survival of "passers-by", and it is also the driving force for xiaobian'er to run this bar. He has rich travel experience and can feel what kind of environment and atmosphere people who love to travel need. He stubbornly believes that travel is indispensable to life, and life without travel experience is not wonderful and boring. I like to come here because of the influence of this atmosphere. along with

Chinese PinYin : Hou Hai