Exploring Baoding | Revisit Classic Red Films, Discover Baoding's Unique Charm (II)

Rediscover classic red films,

and see a different side of Baoding.

These scenes are reenactments—and history.

Now, let's follow those old films etched in memory

and embark on a movie journey!

- The Time-Honored Architecture of West Street -

In the 1994 film "Flaming Steel", the scene where Xiao Fei buys medicine for Shi Gengxin was shot on West Street.

West Street records the glory and dreams of generations of Baoding people, increasingly becoming a symbol and synonym for Baoding's past.

As time passes, the ancient charm of West Street gradually becomes a memory. The entire street is paved with stone slabs. Buildings in the late Qing and early Republican styles can be seen everywhere—mostly two-story, with some three-story. Each building has its own character, with different windows, wall ornaments, and so on. In its heyday, it was the busiest street in Baoding Prefecture, lined with shops. East and West Street combined stretch 1,750 meters, half each, averaging five to six meters wide, forming the east-west axis of the ancient city.

The shops on West Street cover all trades and are incredibly diverse. Among them are famous restaurants often visited by celebrities, boasting exquisite cuisine. The renowned Huaimao Pickle Shop and Daoxiangcun were both on this street. Many time-honored brands created famous dishes and left behind stories whose influence lingers to this day.

- The Ancient Wang Family Manor at Yaoshan -

Many scenes from the films "Stormy Beginnings" and "Decisive Battle", and TV dramas "Hot Land", "Song of Youth", "World Granary", and "Cao Xueqin and Dream of the Red Chamber" were shot here.

The Wang Manor in Yaoshan was first built in the early Qing dynasty by the ancestor Wang Xigun. With a history of nearly 400 years, it is the largest and most complete surviving mansion of a Qing dynasty general and wealthy merchant in China. It is now a key national cultural relic protection site.

The manor's architecture is neither like imperial palaces or official residences, nor like ordinary folk dwellings; it is the pinnacle of northern residential architecture. Hence the saying: "For imperial architecture, look to the Forbidden City; for folk architecture, look to Yaoshan (the Wang family)."

The manor covers 279 mu (about 46 acres), originally comprising over 50 courtyard complexes and 500-plus rooms. The main buildings are laid out in a quadrangle, aligned on a north-south axis. The overall color scheme is gray, simple yet elegant, conveying a sense of dignity and grace.

Here, there are stories and scenery.

And there is more beauty

waiting for you to discover.