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The Xishiku Church ⛪️ is truly beautiful.
A clean, neat Gothic style.
The original site was to the west of Ziguang Pavilion on the west bank of the Zhonghai. It was dismantled once during the Daoguang era, then rebuilt during the Tongzhi era. Cixi dismantled it again, and during the Guangxu era it was moved to this place.
In 58, it was turned over to the state. In 85, it was returned again to the Catholic Church in Beijing—the long-standing flow of history.
This place is not far from Guangji Temple. It closes one hour later than Guangji Temple—so you can head out from Guangji Temple fi

Guangji Temple—what a deluge.
I honestly couldn’t stop laughing. Every time I go to a Buddhist religious event venue, I can almost always end up right there when the rain comes pouring down.
I’m just standing under the eaves of the Hall of Great Heroes, carefully watching—wind and rain add a filter to the ancient monastery.
This place is the location of the Buddhist Association. There are especially many monks and believers. The person next to me can really recite scriptures.
All throughout the entire main hall are ancient Ming-dynasty relics. I feel they’re probably made of rosewood—i

When I was younger, I liked living on Changchun Street for a while. Because back then, a few of my good friends were on the west side. Changchun Street is relatively quiet amid the noise. It was also convenient to go to the Financial Street and Xidan. Basically, I didn’t really like crossing the Second Ring Road.
But when I lived over there, Xuanwu Art Garden wasn’t open yet. It opened after the Olympics. Back then, when you passed by, everything was enclosed—under construction and in renovation.
Xuanwu Art Garden turned out really nice. There are also lots of cats.
I came to Changchun Street

The ducks were also raised with a thriving, lively atmosphere.

There are countless Hibiscus trees along the water’s edge, their blush-tinted petals not yet fully浓.
The politics are like a beauty who is just beginning to get drunk; she strongly holds up the green mirror, wanting to dress herself but seeming languid.
——Wang Anshi
This year, in Beijing, it seems the only place where hibiscus is truly thriving is the strip of it by the backyard wall of Houhai. Elsewhere there are just a few scattered plants, with lilacs just beginning to bloom.
This year’s rainfall has been plentiful; the hibiscus looks even more alluring than the hibiscus herself.

The ten-thousand-character Buddha-figured coffer at Zhihua Temple is quite distinctive. Personally, I even think it’s better-looking than the starry-sky ceiling at the Xiannongtan.
Because the starry-sky ceiling is frankly too overly skilled in its woodworking—too much showy technique stacked with buffs maxed out. Instead of looking impressive, it ends up less elegant than the ten-thousand-character Buddha flower ornamentation, which feels pure and refined.
The main hall and the Wanfo Pavilion also have two large dragon-shaped coffer ceilings, but they were sold off by monks who, back then

Nianhua Temple. When I was a child, this temple wasn’t open to the public when I passed by. Even now, it still hasn’t been fully renovated.
The name sounds lovely. It also has a long history. It dates back to the Ming Dynasty.
The wall carvings at Nianhua Temple are all lotus flowers.
What’s especially wonderful is that the flowers, fruits, and vegetables offered by the people around here are all potted plants too. Natural and unrestrained—easy to feel close to. It doesn’t have that ominous, off-putting air that some ordinary temples do.
If I’m still alive, I should be able to catch it

The Qianmen area is really something you can keep strolling into and finding new things.
Every time you run your fingers over a corner and a wheel, you’ll come across a few old relics.
Today, on my way from the Christian church to Xianyu Kou, I pulled open another old escort agency.

Zhaofu Street is not long, it's a small alley I really like. Just hearing the name feels intimate.
Between Hong'en Temple and the former residence of the old imperial father-in-law. The trees reach the sky.
In this small area, there is Beiping Garden's sub-brand Beiping General Store, the last state-run grocery store, a "Shanghai Building" which is now a co-creation space, authentic pork offal congee. And there is an extremely handsome Italian restaurant.

Yesterday, I walked here in one straight shot from Zhizhu Temple.
This place is really completely empty once night falls.
I’m fairly familiar with the North and South Pools—if you go farther west, there are sentries every three steps, and you can’t take photos.
When I got to this pitch-black, barren mountain, I suddenly remembered that I seemed to have been here before.
I picked up my phone and sent a voice message to Director Hua—last time, weren’t we here together?
He said we were.
In addition to the memory anchor of Director Hua—those ugly-but-pretty meals—I added another temple

Fuxue Hutong is famous in Dongcheng.
It's that time of year again for the college entrance exam. This memory feels so long ago to me.
Actually, back then, it was popular not to go to university. I have many friends who dropped out after going to college—
If not going to college is considered a fashion, then taking the civil service exam is something everyone "sneers at."
Probably, attending university was the bottom line of compromise with my family. Taking the civil service exam was absolutely out of the question.
Hahaha, current events still seem like a dream.

I feel a bloodline kind of affection for lush bamboo. Probably because I’ve absorbed too many traditional standards of beauty.
In traditional aesthetics, it’s been endowed with so many beautiful qualities. And in itself, it also matches today’s aesthetic of “tall and slender,” as well as the “green” that most truly refreshes and delights the heart.
Each individual great green line shoots up from the ground, taking no detours, straight into the sky—so it’s basically something you ought to set up and worship at home like bamboo.

The tower inside Zhenjue Temple is an old artifact. The temple has burned down, collapsed, and been sold several times, but this large tower has remained.
It enshrines five Buddhas, among them one is the Golden-winged Dapeng. This is the first time I see a tower dedicated to this figure.
The tower has five ➕ a glazed canopy.
The carvings on the walls are exquisite, depicting a thousand Buddhas with identical images.
Autumn is the best time to see it here, as the ginkgo trees turn golden.