Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Winter 2013 - (Page 36)

Fa l l i n g i n l o v e w i t h … Beijing is a study in cultural standoffs — a city world famous for its knockoff Prada and its neon skyline, replete with the new Rem Koolhaas CCTV tower — that also surges with a deep humanity. When we visit, my husband and I like to walk with our boys around Hou Hai Lake, to the west of Dongcheng Hutong. If you head north, away from the crowds and cafes and bars, it’s just you and the silky lake and the weeping willows. You’ll find yourself cast back whole centuries. The Family Fu Teahouse sits on the far side of the lake. You can chat here with Mrs. Fu’s lime-green parrot while you wait for her exquisite traditional tea ceremony. Her green tea goes very nicely with her mesmerizing stories of growing up as a mathematician in Beijing. The Drum and Bell Towers anchor this whole, low-slung neighborhood. The Bell Tower stands closely behind the Drum, and if you climb to the top of what have to be some of the steepest, longest flights of stairs in all of China, you’ll get a vivid sense of what central Beijing looked like before the skyscrapers cropped up. In the late afternoon, when the tourists have left, the courtyard between the towers is a great place to find a pickup game of the ever-popular shuttlecock (think feathered, Chinese hacky sack). For almost 500 years, the Forbidden City served as the imperial palace for emperors and their entourages. But brace yourself. It’s a long march through the ancient city, with one awe-inspiring , red-lacquered hall after another. Best to cover it with an English-speaking guide. Afterward, cross the street on the backside and enter into Jingshan Park. Then you can hike to the top of Coal Hill, which will give you an incredible view of the ground you’ve just covered. Tiananmen Square, too, will be in the distance. The emperor used to decamp from here to the nearby Temple of Heaven to offer prayers and animal sacrifices for good harvest. This is a temple to spend some serious time in because of the ornate buildings and the fantastic parklands. Locals flock here for picnics and badminton (a national obsession), and it’s easy to join in for a game. I also have a soft spot for Ritan Park (the Temple of the Sun) because of its old-style blue exercise equipment and fleet of pingpong tables. A passel of wizened Chinese men and women work out WILD RIDE From top: A rickshaw driver in Dongcheng Hutong; the Forbidden City as seen from Coal Hill; a spot on Coal Hill where tourists (many Chinese) dress up in traditional costumes for photo ops. BEIJIng IS THE MoST MESMERIzIng AnD AuTHEnTIC oF ALL THE CHInESE MEgACITIES. 36 w w w. r i t z c a r lt o n . c o m Andrew rowAt (3) http://WWW.RITZCARLTON.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Winter 2013

Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Winter 2013
Contents
Contributors
Editor’s Letter
President's Letter
Falling in Love With ... Beijing
Design
Technology
On the Boulevards
Shopping
Jewelry
Watches
Family
Local Knowledge
Outdoors
Puerto Rico
Montreal
Culinary
Let Us Stay With You
Heritage

Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Winter 2013