Beida
Romances Visitors
Story by Wu Runmei
Photos by Zhu Xiubo
Not far from the crowds at Summer Palace, a
charmed area of astounding beauty remains untouched.
Commonly known as Yan Yuan (the garden of Yan), the campus of Bei Jing Da Xue --Beijing University --has its own lake, ponds, pavilions, and even a marble boat.
It combines the subtle splendors of a Chinese garden with a romantic ambiance all its own that quietly mocks the mundane popularity of the big-name tourist sites.
A rather irregular layout and winding paths make the campus something of a labyrinth to any first-time visitors.
Until recently, no tours existed. A tourist could simply stroll in if he dressed like a student or academic. This of course was wrong and not recommended.
China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (Beijing Branch) has now opened official tours of the campus and Yuanmingyuan for 120 yuan.
Nonetheless, if you should stray off track, most students speak English and enjoy helping out. Beijing This Month official tour team took this route.
Westward Ho!
Since most of the must-sees are in the northwest, we chose the west gate as our starting point. Following the path to the right after entering the gate, there soon appears a long corridor. Resting by a small pond, this corridor offers a people-watching respite from the summer heat.
A lone male student sat on the bench thumbing through Wang Shuo's latest novel. A cool breeze tickled the loose tress of a young musician to the rhythm of her cello strokes.
Shao Yuan (garden) used to be part of the private garden of Mi Wangzhong (1570-1631), a famous artist in the Ming Dynasty.
Tall Guy
Back onto the path and heading east for a few minutes, the bronze sculpture of a gallant Westerner grabbed attention in the distance. Crossing the lawn where a circle of students sat with their teacher, we inspected the plinth.
None other than Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, stands here as testament to the friendship of the city of Madrid in 1986.
Emboldened, we began our quest for a famous, nameless place. Chirping swallows dashed in and out of the eaves as we wandered down Minzhulu (democracy road), a nice shady path towards our goal.
We took a right turn and in a short time, the view broadened, revealing the full beauty of "Weiming Hu (Lake Without a Name)", Students will confirm it's been the inspiration of many a poet or painter, and yet never earned itself a name.
Apocrypha
Tucked away on a small slope to the south of
that lake is another special spot. Rocks form a natural "lovers' seat" with an
ideal view.
Two signatures are carved in red onto the stone backrest. A small violet memorial garden lends a romantic air.
Beida folklore has it that once upon a time, two American students met here and fell madly in love. Later, they married and lived happily ever after in China. After their death, their proud sons planted a small garden to immortalize the great love. This story is still very popular around campus.
A memorial stone tablet set above the seat during renovation of the campus last year revealed something else. The signatures now legible, it became clear here lay no Romeo and Juliet.
Randolph Sailer (1898-1981) and Ralph Lapwood (1909-1984) were beloved teachers, who made outstanding contributions and so the school gave permission for their ashes to be buried here. That would spoil a good story though.
Old and New
On the south side are two popular landmarks. The Flower Goddess Temple, built in the Qing Dynasty, was burnt down in 1860 by French and British troops when their fire spread from nearby Yuanmingyuan. Only an arch gate and stone bases remain.
An impressive gray tower dominates the lake. It seems safe to assume this is a centuries-old pagoda. Actually, it is a water tower built in 1924.
Isle of Cythera
A narrow stone bridge at the north bank leads to the Huxindao (an islet at the center of the lake). We hung a left and hit a stone boat.
A miniature of the one at the Summer Palace, this flat marble boat once belonged to Shuchun Yuan (Shuchun garden), the private garden of He Shen, a Qing Dynasty prime minister. Its upper wooden architecture was also raised in the 1860 fire.
The marble base today serves a new purpose: as a cradle for romance, the love boat, indeed.
Tippex hearts, love messages and carved vows bedizen aft and stern. Realizing our mistake, we decided not to linger too long here and picked up the pace.
We quickly found another way back across the bridge to the lakeside path.
Fond Farewell
Heading northwest, we reached the Sackler Museum of Art and Archeology before its closing time of 4:30 pm. Beida archeology department has participated in key national archeology events and the museum displays a wide range of stimulating finds from the Neolithic Period to the Qing Dynasty. But in the summer, who cares? It was time to strike for home.
About 20 meters out the door is another beautiful pavilion (Xiao Jing Ting) perched on a pond. We paused one last time to savor student graffiti on a long stone bench nearby.
One young student urged his lost love to write to him, supplying a full name and address.
"Come back to me. I'll be right here waiting for you," wrote the lonely heart in bold white-out.
And at Beida, there's no doubt they lived happily ever after.