It has been a long time since Beijing was listed as the annual tourism plan! However, it has not been possible to make the trip. Although it was included in this year's plan again this year, the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic at the beginning of the year completely dampened this enthusiasm. By the middle of the year, the epidemic control measures in various parts of the country had reached the extreme compared to the whole world, and the country began to encourage and mobilize people to travel on a small scale. However, in mid June, there was another outbreak of the epidemic in Xinfadi, Beijing, which once again touched the hearts of the whole country. Fortunately, Beijing was already prepared for this time. Under the thunderous thunder, the epidemic was about to force it back in less than a month. Although as the capital, there were sporadic infections every day, they were all cases from overseas and were immediately quarantined at the airport.

Maybe it's fate! I just participated in the Blind Box Flyer event on JD.com in mid July, and the first destination I pushed was actually Beijing! In order to proceed, I immediately searched online and after multiple verifications, it was confirmed that I could travel. Although going to Beijing at this time may seem absurd or even foolish to most people, we would rather believe in the government. So there came a real "go and go" trip (which started on the first day of the holiday)!

All the way smoothly. Arriving at Beijing Daxing Airport at 5:15 pm, although it was during the epidemic period, there were still quite a few people taking the flight, almost full. Perhaps the shortage of flights was also a reason. Unlike usual, the three hour flight did not provide lunch, and each person was only given a small bottle of mineral water, so when they got off the plane, they were already starving. Considering that I am not very familiar with Beijing, and the key is that during this epidemic period, there are restrictions everywhere, and free travel may waste too much time, so I chose a Ctrip self operated group tour route. The driver waited at the airport early and immediately took us straight to the hotel. This highway was specially built for Daxing Airport (let alone the subway), and the road was smooth. Along the way, only a few vehicles from the same route were seen, with endless views on both sides. It is certain that most big cities will be built on a vast plain. Looking up at the sky and the gray ground, this is not surprising. The driver told me that compared to the sandstorm weather in previous years, it has improved more than ten times now.

There was nothing to say overnight. Visit the great capital of Beijing with the spirit of nourishing one's feet. It is an unwritten rule that everyone in the group must wake up early. The tour guide's biggest annoyance is the irregularity of a group of people. According to the tour guide, originally there were only my wife and I in this group. The night before departure, four people were added on a last-minute basis, which seems to belong to the same family. In normal times, this can be considered as a private group.

On the first day of our visit, we visited the Summer Palace, a royal garden specifically designed for the emperors and empresses of the Qing Dynasty to visit. In the past, it was very private, and ordinary imperial relatives and relatives were not qualified to enter. Based on this, people nowadays are really happy. It is said that this garden was built by Emperor Qianlong, but the one who truly enjoyed it the most was the old Buddha Cixi. The garden is nestled in the mountains (Wanshou Mountain) and by the lake (Kunming Lake), with beautiful scenery. Surprisingly, the water of such a large artificial lake was introduced from the south thousands of miles into the capital, because Beijing itself is a water scarce city. In order to ensure that the water remains unchanged and turbid, it needs to be replaced from time to time. This is a great calculation, but in the eyes of the emperor who has thousands of miles of land, this is really insignificant. The Summer Palace covers an area of about 4500 acres, of which about two-thirds are lake water. If you stand on the Buddha Fragrance Pavilion at the top of Wanshou Mountain and overlook it, the entire garden will be panoramic. Famous attractions in the park include the Summer Palace Promenade, Seventeen Arch Bridge, Buddha Fragrance Pavilion, Suzhou Street, and Stone Boat. The Summer Palace Promenade, with a total length of 728 meters and 273 rooms, was recognized as the world's longest promenade in 1992 and listed in the Guinness World Records. Each beam on the promenade is painted, with over 14000 paintings, all of which can be considered as artistic masterpieces. The Seventeen Arch Bridge was built in imitation of the Lugou Bridge, and it is said that there are a total of 544 small stone lions on it, which is 46 more than the Lugou Bridge; Due to the closure of the Fo Xiang Ge due to the epidemic, only one photo can be taken from a distance; Due to the limited time given by the tour guide, there are still many places to visit, such as Fun Garden, Jingming Garden, Xidi, Dehe Garden, Nanhu Island, etc. Overall, this is a garden with considerable artistic and cultural heritage. It requires ample time to combine the details of history to visit, such as at the entrance, the order of dragon and phoenix sculptures in the world. If you don't understand the Buddha's obsession with power, you cannot imagine that she can use these details to preach to the world!

The next stop is to stroll through Qianmen Street. When I was a child, there was a type of cigarette called Da Qianmen, which refers to this gate. The city tower is still there, and it can vaguely recall some childhood memories. Nowadays, it has been developed into several main streets, which in modern terms are commercial pedestrian streets, which is a bustling place in the city. Under the epidemic, all industries have withered, and these truly century old shops cannot be spared. Roughly estimated, the opening rate is only less than 30%. At present, only the two side streets of Dashilan and Xianyukou are slightly lively, but the original sites of those century old shops mostly stand here, and the past prosperity can be presented almost without imagination. Beijing's snacks have always been famous around the world. I wanted to taste them one by one in the snack street, but I ended up spending 29 yuan a bowl of Zhajiangmian recommended by the first tour guide, which is quite generous. For me, who is used to eating hundreds of Sichuan noodles, this taste is really hard to swallow. After eating tea, my stomach no longer has any interest in all the snacks behind. Friends who enjoy tasting local flavors and snacks should take it as a warning. Snacks and snacks must be eaten in small quantities.

Coming out of Qianmen Street, one goes to the Temple of Heaven Park. With the Temple of Heaven, there is the Temple of Earth. This image of Wei'an has been stored in my mind for half a lifetime. This is a place where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped the heavens and prayed for a bountiful harvest. Since ancient times, humans have revered nature, so upon arriving here, one can immediately feel a solemn and respectful atmosphere. The towering ancient trees that have been standing in the park for hundreds of years, although they have become heroes in their twilight years, stand still and silently, as if conveying a silent narrative from nature to generations of future viewers. Since entering the park, the sky has been continuously drizzling with light rain, making the photos blurry but quite fitting!

The next day's itinerary was announced early: watching the raising of the national flag and climbing the Great Wall made me excited. These two things are probably the top priorities that every Chinese person must do when they come to Beijing. I woke up at 3:20 in the morning, had a simple breakfast, and departed on time for Tiananmen Square at 4 o'clock. I didn't expect it to dawn so early in Beijing. After 4 o'clock, it was already white with fish bellies. After passing the security check, I arrived at the place where the national flag was raised in Tiananmen Square. A fence was used to separate it, and seven or eight soldiers stood straight in a row. The number of people on site was not very large, probably only a few hundred. Compared to the usual crowd, everyone present today can stand in the first row of the fence to watch, which is really lucky. At around 5:10 pm, the National Flag Team of the Three Armies walked out from under the Tiananmen Square. Unfortunately, they were too far apart, and even when they were brought closer with their phones, they could only see some shadows. However, the neat and resounding steps of the National Flag Team were still clearly audible. If we were to say that the soldiers were really neat and agile, they had not adjusted their filming yet. The magnificent national anthem had already sounded, appearing particularly loud and clear in the open and quiet Tiananmen Square. Perhaps most people wanted to use their phones to record this solemn and sacred moment on site, so the imagined situation of everyone singing the national anthem together did not occur in the end. In the video footage taken afterwards, some individuals were heard singing along with it. The voice of singing the national anthem, of course, also includes myself, but unfortunately I couldn't bravely sing it out loud! But the pride in my heart still arises naturally. A few years ago, a colleague came to Tiananmen Square in Beijing to watch the flag raising, and even climbed the Tiananmen Square Tower during the founding ceremony, as well as a commemorative certificate signed by the then mayor of Beijing. According to the tour guide, this service has been cancelled for many years. The heavens are not particularly beautiful. The gray sky has been drizzling with light rain, but I still took a photo in the rain, just to prove that I have come before. This is a lifelong memory.

After watching the raising of the national flag, we headed towards the Great Wall of Badaling. This distance was not short, and we drove for a full hour and a half without traffic congestion. We also took the opportunity to squint in the car for a while. It was only 7:30 pm when we arrived at the Great Wall, and the scenic spots didn't open until 9 pm. At this time, the rain started to rain heavily. When we checked the temperature, it was only 19 degrees Celsius. It was really an ice cave in the scorching summer, and many people were shivering from the cold. However, this seemed to not diminish everyone's enthusiasm for not being a hero in the Great Wall! Around 8:40, I started scanning the QR code to enter. Unexpectedly, I had to walk more than a kilometer to reach the true foot of the Great Wall. As an ancient military barrier, the Great Wall was naturally built on top of mountains or ridges. Climbing up to the Great Wall, the temperature further decreased and visibility was also lower. Fortunately, the Great Wall was built wide enough, and there must be a double lane width. Surprisingly, although it rained and the road surface looked slippery, there was no feeling of slipping when walking. You know, I was still wearing summer sandals! It is said that this section of the Great Wall is the most well preserved in the Beijing area, which has not undergone any modern repairs. After hundreds of years of continuous climbing, most of the blue stones on the ground have been trampled thin or deformed. The Great Wall is not always continuous. When encountering steep terrain, it naturally breaks off and uses the steep terrain as a natural barrier. The outer side of the Great Wall is higher than the inner side, and there are many battlements used for observation, observing enemy situations, and attacking incoming enemies. On the inner side, there are passages up and down the Great Wall at regular intervals, which may be beneficial for the transportation of military supplies. The two hours given by the tour guide were just enough to complete the northern section, which is the turn back on the eighth floor of the north. When I returned to the starting point, I realized that there was also a southern slope. So, a person quickly walked through the currently accessible fifth floor of the south. The Great Wall is thousands of miles long, and no one can complete the entire journey. However, at least in the Badaling section, I was able to climb the entire journey in a limited time, and I am still quite satisfied. If not reaching the Great Wall is a measure of not being a hero, then from now on, our group of heroes will truly live up to their name.

The afternoon is a gap period. Although I woke up early and climbed the entire Great Wall in a row, I was still unsatisfied and unwilling to return to the hotel to rest. So I got off the car near the Bird's Nest by myself and invited one of my wife's classmates in Beijing to go to the Old Summer Palace, which the tour guide disdainfully recommended. The Old Summer Palace covers an area of over 5200 acres, with a continuous circumference of 10 kilometers. It is composed of the Old Summer Palace, Wanchun Garden, and Changchun Garden, with the Old Summer Palace being the largest, so it is collectively known as the Old Summer Palace (also known as the Three Old Summer Gardens). With a construction area of 160000 square meters, it is known as the "Garden of Ten Thousand Gardens". Afterwards, it proved that this place is more worthy of those who have patriotic and historical feelings to pay tribute to. The movie "Burning the Old Summer Palace" has become a blurred memory, and coming to the scene to see the remaining relics of the past may be even more memorable. I believe that in such a prosperous and strong country today, restoring the scenic beauty of the Old Summer Palace is absolutely necessary. However, I would rather let these artistic masterpieces, which are not so much burned but rather destroyed by gunfire, preserve the tragic situation of being ravaged by the Eight Nation Alliance. They are the best patriotic blockbusters. She constantly reminds the Chinese people to strengthen themselves, accumulate poverty and weakness, and they will definitely be bullied and insulted. Personally, So, so is the country and nation!

The last day of the itinerary is to visit the Forbidden City. Also known as the Forbidden City, it is the royal palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties in China, located in the center of the central axis of Beijing, and is the essence of ancient Chinese palace architecture. It is one of the largest and most well preserved wooden structure ancient buildings in the world. The Palace Museum in Beijing is known as the top five palaces in the world (the Palace Museum in Beijing, the Palace of Versailles in France, Buckingham Palace in the UK, the White House in the United States, and the Kremlin Palace in Russia). Construction of the Palace Museum began in the fourth year of the Yongle reign of Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty (1406), based on the Nanjing Palace Museum, and was completed in the 18th year of the Yongle reign (1420). According to the tour guide's explanation, in order to move the capital to Beijing, Zhu Li used a total of 1.3 million migrant workers and troops, and it took 14 years to build it. This year happens to be the year commemorating its 600th anniversary! It is a rectangular city with a length of 961 meters from north to south and a width of 753 meters from east to west. It is surrounded by walls that are 10 meters high on all sides and a moat that is 52 meters wide outside the city. The buildings inside the Forbidden City are divided into two parts: the Outer Court and the Inner Court. The center of the Outer Court is the Taihe Hall, Zhonghe Hall, and Baohe Hall, collectively known as the Three Great Halls, which are the places where the country holds grand ceremonies. The center of the Inner Court is the Qianqing Palace, Jiaotai Palace, and Kunning Palace, collectively known as the Later Three Palaces, which are the main palaces where the emperor and empress reside. This place that has been seen in movies and TV shows all year round can be said to be thunderous and well-known. However, according to the tour guide, as of now, apart from the movie "The Last Emperor", no film or TV drama about the Forbidden City has been shot live here (there is a one-to-one replica of the Forbidden City in Hengdian, Zhejiang). Entering the Forbidden City, one truly feels the majesty and grandeur of the royal family. All the words used here seem pale and powerless. It is a symbol of imperial power and a declaration of national sovereignty. It dominates the land of China, looks down on the world, and is exclusive to oneself! If you have to choose a word, there may be nothing more suitable than the word "shock". There is a saying that when the Five Mountains return, they do not look at the mountains, and when the Nine Strongholds return, they do not look at the water. And the palace, perhaps there will be no one after the Forbidden City.

I had Qingfeng steamed buns for lunch next to Jingshan Park, and then went to Beihai Park. The white tower in the park is also a landmark business card. It is rumored that there is a relic (a finger bone of Buddha) hidden in the White Pagoda. With the blessing of Buddha, no wonder Beijing has become the capital of all dynasties. The famous administrative center of China, Zhongnanhai, is within reach, and I believe it will also be illuminated by Buddha's light. May China prosper and prosper for generations to come! In Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area, the small pool is called Haizi by the local people, which represents the yearning of inland people for the sea; When the Mongolian army, who had invaded the Central Plains from afar, entered Beijing and saw the vast and boundless water surface, they mistakenly thought they had seen the sea. Therefore, they named these connected lakes as the sea, such as the North Sea, Zhongnanhai (Zhonghai and Nanhai), and Shichahai (Qianhai and Houhai), collectively known as the Five Seas of Beijing. The dynasties that later established their capital here also adopted this name. According to historical records, during the Northern Song Dynasty, the Jin Dynasty conquered the Liao Dynasty and built the Central Capital on this land. Later, Emperor Kublai Khan of the Yuan Dynasty also expanded this area to become the later Yuan Capital. It was not until the Ming Dynasty established the capital that he moved to the current Forbidden City. In other words, the now inconspicuous Beihai Park was actually a royal palace for several dynasties! The rise, fall, and changes of history often make future generations sigh and sigh endlessly! At present, there is another famous place in the park, which is Jiulongbi. There are three famous Jiulongbi in China: the largest and oldest one, located in Datong City, Shanxi Province, was built in the late Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty; The second one is in front of the Ningshou Gate in the Forbidden City, and the most distinctive one is the Nine Dragon Wall in Beihai. It was built in 1756 and has a history of over 200 years. It is all made of colored glazed bricks, measuring 25.86 meters in length, 6.65 meters in height, and 1.42 meters in thickness. The two sides of the wall are decorated with nine coiled dragons, playing with pearls amidst the waves and clouds. The design is vivid, the colors are bright, and the craftsmanship is superb, making it a precious work in China's glass architecture. It is the screen wall in front of the gate of Daxi Tianjing Factory. The construction of such a shadow wall is said to be to deter fires and ward off evil spirits.

The last stop is Shichahai, which is separated from Beihai Park. You can see Kunming Lake with a vast expanse of blue waves in the Summer Palace, the deep and vast Fuhai in the Old Summer Palace, and the recently visited Beihai. This palm sized Shichahai is really insignificant, and the water quality is very clear. However, it also makes the garbage thrown into the lake by those unscrupulous tourists clear! Moreover, there were people who jumped naked into the lake and swam in broad daylight, which was truly indecent.


Tianjin is only about 120 kilometers away from Beijing, making it the two closest municipalities directly under the central government in China. Before going, I kept thinking about whether I should transfer to Tianjin. During those days of traveling to Beijing, I also kept thinking about this issue. According to the tour guide, Tianjin itself is not a tourist city, and unless it is used as an additional part of a Beijing tour, a special trip is not worth recommending. After thinking about it all, let's go take a look. Taking the subway or light rail from Beijing South Station to Tianjin only takes about 20 minutes, and it's completely an authentic city tour.

In order to save time, I still signed up for a charming Tianjin one-day tour on Ctrip, and the merchants came directly to the hotel to pick it up. The service was quite considerate and thoughtful. There is also a mother and daughter accompanying us, who are said to have taken their mother to Beijing for follow-up treatment and took advantage of the waiting time to come and take a look in Tianjin. As soon as I got on the bus, the driver kept complaining, saying that the group fee was completely at a loss, and it would be best to add an additional 100 yuan per person and give away two scenic spots, otherwise the trip to Tianjin would really not be fun. No wonder, roughly speaking, the transportation costs may not have been high enough. Unfortunately, the driver's tone was unacceptable to all four of us members. Although there was suspicion of fraud, we still felt that there was no need to worry about this. He was taken off the highway and picked up by another colleague. This young man was much more shrewd. As soon as we got on the bus, he would ask for warmth and comfort, and occasionally tell us stories and jokes in humorous Tianjin dialect. He also taught us a few Tianjin dialects. For the money increase, he said, "Since the outbreak of the epidemic, we have been the first group from Beijing to come and play. Before this, they were all unemployed and came out to play, hoping to be happy. Everyone will accept it with their hearts. This shows that communication and methods are equally important, but more importantly, a sincere attitude!"!

Or because of the epidemic, the itinerary has been disrupted, for example, Tianjin Eye and Porcelain House can only walk in the car to observe the flowers; Going out on a cruise ship is completely closed. We can only express our understanding and acceptance of this. The young man accompanied us around the Italian style street for a while, and then his other female colleague took over. With such a small team, there were three tour guides in an instant, which was unprecedented. The female tour guide is still as enthusiastic and friendly as ever. It can be seen that the explanations have been trained, professional, and require accumulated knowledge! In order to make up for the lack of some scenic spots, they were exchanged for Tianjin Erbaorui Wax Museum and Yangliuqing Ancient Town.

I have also seen wax museums in Hong Kong and have seen them sporadically in other places. They are nothing more than lifelike character designs, sculpted in a one-to-one ratio, and so on. From national leaders Sun Yat sen, Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, and Hu Jintao; From other heads of state such as Putin, Obama, and Clinton; From natural scientists Yang Zhenning, Yuan Longping, and Tu Youyou; I watched and took a group photo of entertainment and sports stars Yao Ming, Lang Ping, Jackie Chan, and others one by one. The most impressive thing was the conclusion written at the exit: We are not the world's largest wax museum, nor the most luxurious wax museum, but it is the world's highest level of artistic wax museum. The original intention of building the museum is to develop China's cultural industry, enhance China's cultural soft power, and let people all over the world see the wax statues made by the Chinese themselves and see that they are doing better than them!

Yangliuqing Ancient Town is the last stop of this trip, and for someone like me who already comes from the ancient town and has seen countless ancient towns, it doesn't have much attraction in itself. But the wooden New Year pictures from this ancient town are famous far and wide. In addition, her Paper Cuttings, kites, brick carvings and stone carvings are also second to none among Chinese people. Its Paper Cuttings art is often presented beautifully in CCTV's Spring Festival Gala. The ancient town is well preserved, and the biggest attraction is the Shi Family Courtyard. Legend has it that the owner of the Shi Family Courtyard, Shi Yuanshi, made a fortune through water transportation and had a good story with Emperor Qianlong. It is said that every time Emperor Qianlong passed through the Grand Canal to Suzhou and Hangzhou, he would stop here and was very fascinated by the scenery. Yang Liuqing was also from a poem by his family, and the gentry who was good at flattering and flattering accidentally bumped into each other, hence the name of the ancient town. In recognition of Mr. Shi's philanthropic spirit, Emperor Qianlong inscribed the character "root" (later copied on a stone tablet) on him. The Shi family was puzzled, but several years later, someone turned around and realized that the character "root" was also a character for "wealth" (in ancient traditional Chinese writing). The emperor bestowed wealth, so why is there any reason for underdevelopment? In addition, the most exquisite aspect of the Shi family courtyard is undoubtedly many details, such as the patterns on the lintels and eaves, each of which has been meticulously crafted; There are also stone lions, qilin, and other creatures lying on the ground, which have different forms and are completely different from tradition. Their claws rotate inward, which means they bring wealth back home. Zhang Zui closes his mouth, which means that whenever money comes in, it will come out It can be said that it is a painstaking effort.

Two days before leaving, it was reported that COVID-19 had been confirmed in Beijing, but it was still a local case, which was brought back from Dalian. Due to the timely isolation, there was no panic. And our trip to Beijing and Tianjin is destined to be an unforgettable and memorable journey!