Start this walk by take a bus to the Zizhuyuan Nanmen stop, or a taxi to Zizhuyuan Southwest Gate. When you get off the bus or cab, you stand in front of the southwest gate of ZiZhuYuan (the Black Bamboo Park).
Black Bamboo Park
Black Bamboo Park was developed in 1953. It was named after the Black Bamboo Garden of the Fortune-Blessed Temple built during the Qing Dynasty. The park spreads over an area of 106 acres, of which one third is occupied by the waters of the Nanchang River, the Shuangzi Canal, and three lakes. With its picturesque landscape of hills, lakes and bamboo trees, the park has gained a great reputation for its beauty.
After entering the park through the southwest gate, head northward, and walk in a semi-circle around the lakes and rivers for a scenic view of the entire gardens. Before you go on, be warned that most the sights inside the park are unmarked. So I will give you a general flow of the walk, and will try to point out the location of the most noteworthy details the best I could. Make sure though to take with you the map accompanying this walk. It will help you find your way.
The first sights you will likely see are the Jingyou Pavilion, and the Black Bamboo Angling (Zi Zhu Chui Diao). The pavilion is one of many in the park, and these are numerous such structures at other Beijing sites. Beijingers can fish here throughout the year. Further north, you enter Fuyin Zizhuyuan, developed during the Qing dynasty and the predecessor to the current Black Bamboo Park. Today, it is a place of choice for Tai-Chi practitioners.
From Fuyin Zizhuyuan, walk east to reach my favorite section of the garden, called ¡°Crossing the Sea on an Eastern Expedition.¡± There you will find a Chinese Chess board, with stone sculptures of the Chinese chess equivalent of King, Rook, and Pawn.
Continue east to find the park¡¯s major attractions: the Friendship Garden and Graceful Bamboos.
Friendship Garden (You Xian Shan Guan) is a small garden built according to the architectural styles of Southern China. It is famous for its lively naturalness and exquisiteness. Here you can climb up the tower, stroll through the pavilions, or listen to the sound of flowing water.
Graceful Bamboos (Jiang Nan Zhu Yun) is the park¡¯s most famous scenic spot for its unique landscape of bamboos and stones. The garden features magnificent pines and bamboos, with stones of various shapes standing on craggy cliffs under which a small lake ripples in the gentle breeze. Go deep inside, and you will soon find yourself in an idyllic world where elegant bamboos cast their shade on the ground and where bubbling brooks flow.
Continue east, and you will eventually find the park¡¯s eastern exit. Leave the park, walk northwards, and you will arrive at the National Library of China about 5 minutes later.
National Library
Built during the Qing dynasty in 1909, the National Library of China (NLC) was then called the Capital Library. It was closed to the public until 1928, when its name changed to the National Beijing Library. Today, the library stocks a collection of over 25 million volumes (including more than 10 million in foreign languages), making it the largest library in Asia and the fifth largest in the world. The NLC also holds the largest collection of Chinese literature works in the world.
The nation¡¯s largest and most comprehensive library, the NLC is invested with many responsibilities: those of collecting, processing, storing, researching, utilizing and disseminating knowledge and information. Many college students come here to read books during weekends. You can sit down into a reading room and read open-shelf books for free. North Room 214 is for foreign language books and West Room 406 for magazines and newspapers in English. You can also search digital resources on the internal information system in East Rooms 202 and 204. If you need further help, just go to the information counter on the first floor of the Zi Zhu Ting. The receptionist can speak a basic English, and they will be your guide in the forest of books. The building also features a concert hall with over 1,000 seats.
After you leave the library, cross the street, turn right, and walk southwards. You will arrive at a busy junction in about 5 minutes. Turn left and walk eastwards. Within another 5 minutes, you will arrive at the gates of the famous Beijing Zoo.
The Beijing Zoo
Initially called the Ten-Thousand Animal Garden, the Beijing Zoo was built in 1908. The zoo spreads over an area of more than 12 acres and shelters 30 large animal halls. In addition to housing animals, the zoo is also a park, with a rich landscape of trees, hills and lakes, alongside a canal that flows all the way to the Summer Palace.
You will receive a map of the zoo when you buy your ticket. Most of the signs are in both Chinese and English, so there is no need for me to give you exact directions.
If you wish to see all the exotic Asian animals and popular attractions in general, I suggest you hit the following places: Giant Panda House --- Tapir Hall --- Golden Monkey Hall --- Marmoset Building --- Great Ape House --- Amphibian & Reptile House.
Of all the animals inside, the zoo¡¯s Giant Panda is by far its biggest draw. You can see the Giant Panda House immediately after you enter the place. Many visitors, both foreign and domestic, go to the Beijing Zoo solely to see the famous bears. In the wild, Giant Pandas today only inhabits the southwestern part of Sichuan, and are very much an endangered species. For this reason, the Chinese government only bestows them to other countries as national gifts.
You must buy an additional ticket to enter the Panda House. The fee is RMB 5. There were three pandas inside when I visited, and they were indeed simply adorable. You can also buy some souvenirs featuring panda images in the shops there too.
Besides the Giant Pandas, be sure to check out the other interesting and unique animals inside, including the Red Panda, the Golden Monkey, Manchurian Tigers, and Tibetan Yaks.
If after your visit to the zoo you do not wish to go shopping, skip to the Beijing Exhibition Center section. If you wish to hunt for some clothing bargains, read on.
Shijitianle Clothing Market
Opposite of the Beijing Zoo lies the Shijitianle wholesale market, famous among locals for its huge selection of discounted clothes. The tradeoff for better prices is an absence of real service.
With four full floors of shops, the place is absolutely huge. The 1st and 2nd floors are reserved for younger women¡¯s wear, including jeans and dresses. On the 3rd floor, you will find men¡¯s wear, and on the 4th floor, clothes for more mature women. There is also a basement floor which offers a selection of shoes.
All prices can be further discussed, and sometimes discounted by quite a lot. For instance, I found a pair of sport shoes with a sticker price of RMB 50, and bargained the price down to RMB 25.
For a more conventional shopping experience, try the HuaTang (Ito-Yokato) Plaza to the right. You will find designer fashion shops here, like the Belle shop for women leather shoes.
The Beijing Exhibition Center
Whether or not you visited the stores, simply walk eastwards from the zoo for about 10 minutes to arrive at the Beijing Exhibition Center. This historic building, built in 1958, was the first major exhibition venue in New China.
The Center features three exhibition halls in its East Wing, and a large hall in its middle section. An entertainment theater and a restaurant in the West Wing complete this cohesive, yet flexible and easily accessed venue.
The Beijing Exhibition Center is also noted for its Cinema hall and Beijing Amphitheater. The 1,000 seats and production facilities of the Cinema Hall are designed for motion picture showings, live stage productions, and a range of general and seminar type meetings. With its state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems, the 2,700-seat amphitheater features a stage suitable for large scale musical productions.
You can see the most up-to-date exhibitions information by visiting its official website: http://www.bjexpo.com/index.aspx
And this concludes our walk. The Exhibition center is not too far from the Xizhimen subway station. So if you would like to take the subway, simply continue eastward for about 10 minutes. |
