Beijing Jottings, Part 1: Museum of Classic Books – Yongdingmen – Fayuan Temple

Because of work, I’ll be staying in Beijing for a year. I’ve already done all the typical tourist sights on past trips, so this time I have the luxury of meandering into the city’s backstreets and hutongs — an enormous treat. Since I’m normally too lazy to type, I’ll just jot down these rambling notes now and then as a record of the year.

My dorm is near Beijing West Station, between Wanzi Station on Line 7 and Muxidi Station on Line 1. I usually start each outing by grabbing a shared bike.

I arrived after the Spring Festival, and my first weekend brought perfect blue skies. I began my wander on a free reservation to the National Museum of Classic Books (though starting April 11, reservations are no longer needed there). Nearly every Beijing attraction and museum requires advance booking — a quick search on WeChat will usually turn up the booking portal. The museum is actually the south building of the National Library of China, which I’d never visited before, so this filled a gap. The library is on Zhongguancun South Street, with a stop on Metro Line 4.

I entered through the northeast gate security check, walked south into the museum building, and by pure luck stumbled on a special exhibition: the Four Great Discoveries of 20th-Century Ancient Documents — covering Ming and Qing archives, Dunhuang manuscripts, Yinxu oracle bones, and Juyan Han slips. There were also permanent displays of rare books, the Yongle Encyclopedia, and the Tiangong Kaiwu, all dovetailing perfectly with the CCTV program “China in the Classics.” Delighted, I extended my visit hugely and ended up spending a full four hours there, picking up a good deal of bibliographic knowledge.

‘Song-dynasty editions are worth their weight in gold’ goes the saying, but I’m not so sure. Yes, the Song typefaces are beautiful, but the characters are packed tightly together with tiny spacing; I found them a little hard on the eyes. Ming and Qing editions, by contrast, are more generously laid out — or maybe that’s just my presbyopia talking.

A Song copy of Wenyuan Yinghua.

A Song copy of Cefu Yuangui.

The Rongyu Tang printed edition of Water Margin, the same text used as the basis for the People’s Literature Publishing House edition.

The Yimao manuscript of Dream of the Red Chamber.

Tiangong Kaiwu — with “China in the Classics” fresh in mind, I got another close look, this time at Song Yingxing’s own engraved edition.

Yinxu oracle bones and Juyan Han slips. Han clerical script is truly beautiful.

The Yongle Encyclopedia exhibition: tragically, only one percent of the original work remains — a rare treasure.

By the time I left the museum it was nearly 1 p.m. Before heading out I popped over to the library’s north building. The inverted pyramid design is striking, and there were far more people reading than visiting the exhibition.

Once outside, I wondered where to go next. I remembered that I’d never been to Xiannongtan (the Temple of Agriculture) and decided to head there. I grabbed a taxi and first stopped at Yongdingmen, nearby. A long, narrow park stretches north-south around Yongdingmen, but because of pandemic restrictions only the north and south entrances were open — which was a real hassle. I followed the fence on the west side of the park, trying to get to the gate tower from the west, but couldn’t find a way in. Baffled, I asked a middle-aged fisherman nearby. He pointed at the railing and said in a full Beijing accent, “Climb over.” When in doubt, take the local’s advice — and save your legs.

Yongdingmen was the south gate of the old outer city, facing north towards the inner city’s south gate, Zhengyangmen, so it marks the southernmost point of Beijing’s Central Axis. The original gate tower and its archery tower were demolished in 1957; what you see now is a faithful reconstruction from 2004. The original stone name plaque from the gateway arch, which read “Yongdingmen,” is now in the Capital Museum if you want to see it.

The square lies south of the tower, and the park — with a camping area — stretches to the north. I was lucky to see the tower fully exposed. Not long afterwards, because of the Central Axis’ World Heritage bid, a whole series of ancient buildings along the axis, including Yongdingmen, were shrouded in scaffolding for restoration. Zhengyangmen’s tower eventually got the same treatment.

After viewing the tower, I asked a security guard for the way out, walked north, and exited by the park’s northern gate. I found a shared bike and followed my navigation to Xiannongtan. On the way, I passed the Tianqiao Performing Arts Centre and felt as if I’d discovered a new continent — I’d later come back here to watch several shows, including “Five Stars Rise in the East” and “The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting.” Opposite Tianqiao are the National Natural History Museum of China and the west gate of the Temple of Heaven; I saw a great swarm of people pouring into the Temple of Heaven.

I reached Xiannongtan, now officially called the Beijing Ancient Architecture Museum, only to find it also closed for Central Axis-related renovations. I heard it won’t reopen until June, so I’ll come back then.

Looking at the map, I realized I would pass Fayuan Temple on the way back to my lodgings — such a famous place, how could I not stop? I cycled along Nanhengdong Street and Nanhengxi Street, and soon spotted a sign saying “Fayuan Temple * Block” — clearly a culture-and-creativity precinct.

There were outdoor seats on the street in front of a café with an odd name: “十千*时迁*食仟”. It was busy, so I went in and ordered a coffee to warm my hands.

The nearby hutong is called Lanman Hutong — a rather romantic name.

I strolled deeper into the hutong and came across the facade of the Hunan Guild Hall, now a kindergarten. Mao Zedong stayed here in 1920 when he came to Beijing as part of the Movement to Drive Out Zhang. This episode is also depicted in the TV series “The Awakening Age.”

Coming back out of the hutong, I kept cycling, ducking into the next lane, Qijing Hutong, past Xizhuan Hutong and along Fayuan Temple Front Street to the temple gate. Beijing temples often share a similar style: their entrance gates are never very large, but their reputations are enormous. I first heard of Fayuan Temple because of Li Ao’s novel of that name.

The temple was founded by Emperor Taizong of the Tang and completed under Empress Wu Zetian, who named it Minzhong Temple (Honoring the Loyal). Taizong built it to mourn soldiers fallen in the campaign against Goguryeo; the original site also encompassed the green space between the present temple gate and Nanheng West Street. During the Jingkang Incident, when Emperors Huizong and Qinzong were captured and brought north to Beijing, they were detained here. In the Yongzheng reign it was renamed Fayuan Temple and designated a monastery of the Vinaya school; the Qianlong Emperor even bestowed a calligraphic plaque reading “The True Source of the Dharma Ocean,” which hangs inside the hall. Sadly, photography isn’t allowed inside, so I couldn’t capture it.

Today Fayuan Temple houses the Buddhist Academy of China. Ancient trees tower in the courtyards, and the Buddha statue in the Pilu Hall is said to have been moulded in the likeness of the Wanli Emperor’s mother. At the very back, a lazy cat drew the teasing attention of visitors.

When I left Fayuan Temple, the sun was already low in the west. A short walk away stands the white building of the Islamic Association of China: the two faiths standing side by side is rather intriguing. I passed the famous Niujie intersection, then Guang’anmen, and with the Tianning Temple Pagoda silhouetted against the lingering sunset, soon made it back to my place — already looking forward to another aimless ramble the next day.

Map of my afternoon route.