The Great Wall at Badaling:
Lion’s Grove Garden, Suzhou:
The Great Wall at Mutianyu:
The Confucius Temple:
One of the biggest challenges when sightseeing in China is the hordes of people who are doing the same thing as you. We recently spent a weekend in Suzhou, a lovely old town with picturesque canals, along with – what seemed – a billion other Chinese tourists. A trip to the city’s famed Lion’s Grove Garden meant shuffling along in the teeming crowds, shaking our heads as enthusiastic tourists crossed the cordoned off garden areas to climb ancient stones in an attempt to capture the best photo possible. It reminded me of a similar experience last summer when we visited the Great Wall at its most popular point, Badaling, and ended up carrying our daughter for fear she might be trampled. Relaxing? Not so much.
That said, recently, I have found two places in the Beijing area where one can find some peace – and culture too. I discovered the first when my parents were visiting, and we stopped into the Confucius Temple and Imperial College, a place our driver had discouraged us from visiting for fear there was not much to see. On the contrary, we found a quiet sanctuary with lovely temple buildings, stone paths and trees. Even more striking, during our hour or so visit, was that we encountered very few others in this lovely enclave.
My favorite sight was in the Imperial College, the highest learning institute during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties (approximately 1270 to 1911). While the large red gate with green and yellow tiles upon entering was lovely, it was the collection of 190 stelae – stone tablets carved with Chinese characters – toward the rear of the grounds that were truly extraordinary. A plaque states that a single man, Jiang Heng, spent 20 years engraving the 630,000 characters comprising the thirteen classics on the stones, which date from the mid 18th century.
My second discovery was made at the advice of the mothers who congregate at my daughter’s bus stop each morning to drop off their children. When I mentioned a possible trip to Badaling prior to a friend’s visit, several women gasped. They urged me to explore, instead, the wall at Mutianyu, which they claimed would make for a more peaceful outing. What a wonderful recommendation it turned out to be.
The Great Wall at Mutianyu provided us with an enjoyable, quiet afternoon. Yes, there was still the gauntlet of souvenir stalls to survive, but the gondolas to the top were much more modern and comfortable than those at Badaling, and we were able to take a leisurely and relaxing walk at the top without worrying about being trampled by the throngs of tourists. If that weren’t enough, we dined at a lovely restaurant, The Schoolhouse, afterward at the base. The Schoolhouse offers delicious western cooking, and the day we visited, outdoor garden seating. All in all, a perfect – and relaxing – Beijing day.
During our year here, we have strived to visit as many sights as possible; however, we have often been challenged by the teeming crowds. Mutianyu and the Confucius Temple offered a great respite from the craziness inherent in a city with over 17 million people.