Shichahai has calmed down its history | Source | Shichahai
Author: Xinhua Daily Telegraph reporter Wang Minghao, Kong Xiangxin, Zhao Xu
Early in the morning of June 18th, with a gentle breeze, swallows chirping and birds singing. Li Bing, who has lived by the seaside in Shicha for nearly 30 years, goes out for morning exercises as usual. Take a brisk walk around the lake, breathe comfortably, and occasionally greet the old street residents who are strolling in the morning, saying, "There's no need to take the 'wrong path' anymore. There's no trouble, just look at the mountains and see the water, your heart is very calm!"
Putting it aside, it is a different scene: illegal buildings abound, and many places along the river boardwalk are occupied. Bars stand tall, attracting passersby with high decibels, and causing trouble after drinking occasionally. Although the morning in Shichahai is quiet, the garbage left from the previous night and the lingering alcohol smell are annoying.
This is a photo of Shichahai in Beijing taken on March 12, 2023. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Chenlin
"Facing the pool of accumulated water, with the city wall behind it, sitting on the stone and watching the tadpoles in the water or the tender dragonflies on the reed leaves, I can sit happily for a whole day." Li Bing sighed, "In just five or six years, the Shichahai depicted by Lao She has returned.
Old Beijing people often say, "First there was Shichahai, then there was Beijing City.". Shichahai is located in the northeast of Xicheng District, including three water bodies: Qianhai, Houhai, and Xihai, as well as adjacent areas. When the Yuan Dynasty established its capital, the city was built along the central axis of the new capital city, with Jishuitan and the east side of Beihai and Zhongnanhai, and Dadu was built. The Shichahai in history is ancient, beautiful, and natural. During a period of excessive commercialization, this place was noisy and disorderly. Nowadays, people say that Shichahai has gone from chaos to governance and has become "quiet". The reporter, with curiosity, explored the truth.
This is a photo of Shichahai in Beijing taken on March 12, 2023. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Chenlin
Strolling along the shore of the lake, the lotus leaves fill the pond in Shichahai, and willows brush the embankment. The morning sunshine sprinkles on the water surface, spreading sparkling golden light. The roadside is filled with small courtyards made of blue bricks and gray tiles, with red flowers and green branches hidden between pavilions and pavilions. Occasionally, a human powered tricycle "jingles" past, tranquil yet agile.
Passing through the "Lotus Market" archway and heading north, stop at a winding corridor along the north coast of Qianhai. "Who would have thought that this used to be the location of the 'Little Prince's Mansion', a high-end club built by private encroachment." Zhang Ruisheng, director of the Shichahai Scenic Area Management Office, said that the building of the 'Little Prince's Mansion' had once spread from the shore to the lake, protruding a glass room. "There used to be as many as 7 points of blockage around the lake."
Every blockage is a "hard bone". Considering the daily lives of the people, we cannot cut everything with one size fits all, but we must use a ruler to measure everything to the end. Bi Jundong, Deputy Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee of the Xicheng District Committee in charge of daily work and former Secretary of the Shichahai Street Working Committee, said that in May 2018, the dredging of the Huanhu Trail officially began. Over 2900 square meters of illegal land were demolished in four years, and the 6-kilometer waterfront trail in Qianhai, Houhai, and Xihai was fully connected, connecting the surrounding public parks, green spaces, cultural relics, leisure facilities, and characteristic stations, making people linger and forget to leave.
All the way north, at the intersection of Qianhai and Houhai, a White Marble stone bridge - Silver Ingot Bridge crosses the water. Standing on the bridge, leaning against the railing and gazing west, the water surface becomes wider and wider, and in the distance, the peaks of the western mountains are stacked one after another.
On March 12, 2023, tourists visited Shichahai in Beijing. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Chenlin
"Yinding Guanshan" is one of the "Eight Small Scenic Spots of Yanjing". The Qing Dynasty poet Song Luo left behind the poem "Gulou connects to Houhu Bay to the west, and Yinding Bridge shines horizontally in the sunset". In the late 1980s, a hospital building with a highest point of about 52 meters was built nearby, and unfortunately, "Yinding Guanshan" became "Yinding Guanlou".
"Let the city retain its memories and make people remember their homesickness." In 2020, the "Control Detailed Plan for the Capital Functional Core Area" listed "Yinding Guanshan" as one of the 36 strategic level landscape corridors in the core area. The following year, the hospital building completed its descent, and the "Silver Ingot Mountain View" was able to be recreated.
On the southeast side of the Silver Ingot Bridge, in a quaint residential courtyard, children's playful sounds can be heard from time to time. However, a few years ago, the transparent glass decorated fa ç ade was filled with sweeping lights and noisy singing and dancing at night, staying up all night. Nearby resident Zhao Baoguang said that the bar was overcrowded at that time, with wine bottles, beverage boxes, and packaging bags floating on the surface of Shichahai, and vehicles on the shore filling the gaps.
In 2003, the Shichahai Bar began to grow wildly. Investors are rushing to open stores, placing tables, chairs, and sofas by the lake. Some elderly residents see business opportunities and rent their own houses to others to run bars, hotels, and even "grow houses" for profit. Zhang Ruisheng said that there are over 240 stores and over 130 bars at the peak. "People seem to have forgotten that there are temples, gardens, and ancient houses in Shichahai, and they seem to have forgotten that this is a historical and cultural district."
"It has been lively for a long time, and everyone misses the quiet life by the water." The landlord and elderly residents are looking forward to change.
On June 10, 2023, citizens played chess at the seaside in Shicha, Beijing. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Zhonghao
The people's expectations are the direction of politics. In April 2017, the "Three Year Action Plan for Improving the Environment of Back Streets and Alleys in the Capital Core Area" was released and implemented, marking the beginning of the demolition and rectification of Shichahai Bar Street. "So far, there are only over 30 bars left," said Bi Jundong. "Shichahai" calmed down, slowed down, "and" felt like it was back then. ".
From the east side of Shichahai Scenic Area, approach the oldest bridge on the central axis of Beijing - Wanning Bridge. At the intersection of the Beijing Central Axis and the Yuhe section of the Grand Canal, the ancient bridge has stood for more than 700 years and has been playing an important role in north-south transportation since its construction in the Yuan Dynasty. With the rapid development of cities, there are more and more facilities attached to bridges, which are already overwhelmed. At the beginning of this year, the Beijing Central Axis Protection and Management Plan was promulgated. The comprehensive renovation of the application for cultural heritage on the central axis has been implemented, and the burden of Wanning Bridge has been reduced. The municipal pipelines have been relocated, isolation stone piers have been removed, and sheltered green plants have been removed. The scaffolding around the water animals on the riverbank has also been removed, and the original appearance of the bridge has been fully exposed.
Ascending down the stairs, I walked to a water beast and bent down to observe. It looked like a tiger lying on the ground, with horns on its head and scales on its body, fierce and majestic. Take out your phone and open an app called "Lingtu Tour". The Water Beast transforms into a "Water Spirit Dragon", adorable and adorable, leading visitors to experience the charm of landscapes such as the Clear Upper Gate, Shisha Qianhai, Huoshen Lingge, the North Gate of the Imperial City, the Peak of Jingshan, and the front of the Bell and Drum Tower as their positioning changes, and savor the vibrant central axis culture.
Traveling about 130 meters north of Wanning Bridge, enter the Di'anmen Shopping Mall, which has a history of over 70 years. Not long ago, it was upgraded and reopened, and all kinds of fashion play retail and China-Chic catering attracted customers. The Di'anmen Outer Street, where the Di'anmen Shopping Mall is located, is the earliest commercial street market formed on the central axis of Beijing. It starts from the Bell and Drum Tower in the north, extends to Di'anmen in the south, connects to Nanluogu Lane in the east, and faces Shichahai in the west, with a total length of about 730 meters. In the special action of "dredging, rectifying, and promoting", we aim to enhance our appearance and cultivate our temperament both domestically and internationally, while simultaneously promoting the revival of business formats and integrating antiquity and modernity. This not only evokes the historical memory of old Beijing, but also attracts a large number of young people to come and check in.
"Since the formation of the Yuan Dynasty, Di'anmenwai Street has reflected the ancient Chinese concept of" front court and back market "for urban management. After the restoration of tranquility in Shichahai, the regional business has developed towards historical needs, social requirements, management standards, and quality improvement. Professor Bian Lanchun from the School of Architecture at Tsinghua University has long been committed to the research of protection and development planning for the Shichahai area. In his view, Shichahai combines cultural landscape, commercial vitality, and traditional life, requiring support from characteristic business formats, guided by" old scenes and new consumption ", anchoring high quality, attracting new traffic, and coexisting with modern cities, in order to meet the connotation and requirements of the protection and development of the old city.".
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that it is necessary to unify the transformation and upgrading of the old urban area with the protection of historical relics and the preservation of historical context, not only to improve the living environment, but also to protect the historical and cultural heritage, so as to integrate historical culture with modern life." Sun Shuo, secretary of the Xicheng District CPC Committee, said, "Shichahai, as one of the most famous historical and cultural reserves in the old city of Beijing, is adjacent to the central axis and at the northern end of the World Heritage site of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. It is a window for foreign exchanges, a microcosm of ancient capital culture, and a paradise for the residents. It is necessary to give it a new atmosphere of the times, 'show the shoreline, return to the lake to the people, promote the development ', let the residents of the old city live more poetically."
This is a photo taken on March 12, 2023 at the Ya'er Liji Hotel in Shichahai, Beijing. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Chenlin
Around the lake for a week, it's already noon. Entering the "Ya'er Li Ji" restaurant located by the Silver Ingot Bridge, the owner Li Bing was busy entertaining guests. Having personally experienced the transition from chaos to tranquility in Shichahai, Li Bing's business grew stronger and he claimed to be a "new Shichahai person.". "This is not only a historical and cultural symbol, but also a condensed memory of growth and struggle. The 'lost and regained' Shichahai has also attracted more and more diners. It is difficult to find a restaurant by the window."
As the reporter was about to leave, another group of diners walked into "Ya'er Li Ji" with laughter and conversation, ordering and paying, and serving specialty dishes one by one. "Eating delicious food and looking at the famous lake, it has a unique flavor," they said excitedly.
On June 10, 2023, under the sunset in Shichahai. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Zhonghao
