Nanxun Trip

Saturday May 18-Sunday May 19

TRIP DETAILS

TRIP LENGTH: 1 night/2 days

PRICE: Early Bird: RMB 5000 members, 5500 nonmembers until May 21, thereafter RMB 5500 members, 6000 nonmembers. Pricing is based on double occupancy. Single supplement: + RMB 500

INCLUDED: Accommodation for 2 nights at the historic Beijing Hotel Nuo, 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 1 dinner, transport, tickets to sites, and Beijing’s most expert guides.

NOT INCLUDED: Transport to Beijing, personal expenses, other meals

CANCELLATIONS & REFUNDS: Cancellations prior to May 21 2023 are fully refundable; after that date, payments are non-refundable.

OUR GUIDE: Lars Thom Ulrik, our guide, is a dedicated, passionate historian of Old Beijing. For nearly 20 years, Lars and the team at Beijing Postcards have been researching the city, collecting archival material, maps, and conducting tours, with a singular focus: to better understand, through the lens of history, how Beijing became the city it is today.

ITINERARY

Thursday June 22 – Evening

7pm-10pm MIDNIGHT IN PEKING WALKING TOUR

This evening walk unravels the mystery of Pamela Werner’s 1937 murder at the foot of the Fox Tower. The murder shocked the capital but was largely forgotten until the story was chronicled in the bestselling thriller “Midnight in Peking”, by Paul French. The walk takes us to the main sites where the story unfolded, a largely unknown side of Republican-era Beijing, including the Beijing Badlands, the Legation Quarter, the Fox Tower, and the hutong where Pamela lived.

We’ll finish up at the Beijing Postcards Studio for a look at the archival materials used to put together the walk, while enjoying a “Gloom Chaser” cocktail (popular in 1930s Beijing).

Suggested Reading: Midnight in Peking by Paul French

Friday June 23

9am-12.30pm A CRASH COURSE ON THE FORBIDDEN CITY

Hidden behind high vermilion walls, the Forbidden City remained inaccessible for dynasty after dynasty, an enigmatic presence whose eunuchs, beautiful concubines, and vast treasure was concealed in the heart of the city. Today we can enter, but beyond the grand architecture, much remains a mystery.  This eye-opening walk unlocks the meaning behind the chambers of the Forbidden City, the ideas deeply rooted in 600 years of imperial architecture.

12.30pm LUNCH: Black Sesame Kitchen

Located in a charming Beijing courtyard, Black Sesame Kitchen was founded by a Chinese-American journalist who fell in love with Beijing cuisine, became a nationally-certified Chinese chef, and opened the tiny eatery to share the tastes of traditional Beijing dishes.

Suggested reading: Serve the People: A Stir-Fried Journey Through China by Jen Lin-liu, founder of Black Sesame Kitchen

6pm DINNER Bianyifang

Tonight we’re dining near the Temple of Heaven at Bianyifang, whose history dates back to the Ming Dynasty. Bianyifang serves imperial Beijing cuisine – the food of the emperors – and is famous for its Peking duck. (Don’t worry, vegetarians: lots of other options, too!)

7.30pm-9.30pm TEMPLE OF HEAVEN BY NIGHT

For thousands of years, the most important ritual of the Chinese empire was performed here at the Temple of Heaven by the Emperor, lest he lose the Mandate of Heaven that granted his continued rule. We’ll explore the remarkable history of the temple and the fascinating tales of the emperors in this very special evening walk. Illuminated by night, the temple’s altars possess an almost otherworldly beauty, revealing itself in a way you’ve never seen before.

Saturday June 24, Morning

9.30pm-12.30pm HISTORY OF THE HUTONG

In Beijing, you’ll quickly learn that the capital’s charming hutong alleyways contain the very soul of the city. Who built these neighborhoods, and who lives in them now? Using antique descriptions of the city and memories of the residents, this walk takes us through 2,000 years of the city’s history as told through the hutongs, a street-level narrative that takes us deep into the urban maze of old Peking.

Suggested reading: Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed by Michael Meyer

12.45pm LUNCH Deyuan, Dashilar

We’ll finish our trip with homestyle Beijing fare in a favorite restaurant in the same hutong we’re exploring. It’s popular with local residents, too, some call it “Dashilar’s Living Room”

Expert historical guiding with Lars Thom Ulrik of the renowned Beijing Postcards, where archival research and oral histories are the starting point for every walk.

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