Last Sunday was a really nice and sunny day, so I went for a stroll around Xihai, Houhai and Qianhai, all of which are lakes Northwest of the Forbidden City. I started out at Xihai Lake, very close to Jishuitan subway station. As opposed to the other two lakes, it’s allowed to fish there, so the lakeshore was crowded with people patiently dangling their fishing poles into the water.
I walked around the lake, taking short detours through the adjacent alleyways every once in a while. Occasionally, there would be a rickshaw driver coming my way shouting “Hello! Hello! Hutong!”, but apart from that it was really nice and quiet, something you really learn to appreciate in Beijing. The number of rickshaw drivers and hawkers increased as I came closer to the other two lakes. Houhai and Qianhai are lined with Western-style bars with huge Budweiser-signs and Western-style decoration, where you can get expensive drinks and, well, let’s just say mediocre Western food. I had a salad at one of the bars, and while I’ve definitely had worse, I’ve certainly had better, too.
After lunch, I went on another trip through the Hutongs, this time on foot. There’s a small, busy alley right next to Houhai and Qianhai, where you can buy yet more souvenirs or just enjoy the atmosphere. Once I got out of there, I headed left and walked through the Hutongs next to the Bell and Drum Towers.
For the night, a couple of friends and I had reserved tickets for the performance at “Laoshe Teahouse”, a teahouse named after the play “Teahouse” by the famous writer Lao She. It’s behind Tian’anmen Square, to the West of Qianmen. People sat at tables and could enjoy tea and snacks during the performance, some of which tasted really good while others tasted really… interesting. The show included traditional music, excerpts from Peking operas, sketches, an artist who could change the color of his face within the fraction of a second, a magician, and a kung fu performance. I can really recommend this place. Don’t expect a Western style theater: people are drinking tea and chatting while watching the show, but that’s exactly what makes for a great atmosphere. Performances are every night at 7:50; you have to reserve tickets in advance. Prices for tickets vary from 60-180 Yuan ($7.5 – $23) depending on how close or far away from the stage you want to sit.
So, do you know what the snacks are ahead of time, or do you just kind of have to guess whether anything is edible?
Would the show still be enjoyable if you didn’t speak Chinese?
With some of the snacks I could guess what they were, with others I had no idea. It’s worth trying them anyway.
The show is definitely enjoyable also for people who do not speak Chinese. I had difficulties understanding the sketches myself, and even the Chinese cannot understand a word of what is sung in the Beijing operas. The visual part, the music, and the atmosphere make it worth going.