100 Reasons to Survive in Beijing

Author: Yin Lichuan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: The city that captured global attention in 2008, an avant-garde Beijing you may not know. Carefully edited over three years. This is not just a travel book, but a soulful book about Beijing. While it includes introductions to attractions and popular dining, entertainment, and leisure spots, it also captures the rapid changes Beijing has undergone in recent years. Amidst the transformation and constancy, it expresses a poignant sense of loss for the swift disappearance of hutongs, siheyuan, and the traditional Beijing lifestyle, while also capturing the enduring, self-contained, and tolerant urban atmosphere of Beijing that has remained unchanged for centuries. From ancient times to the present, Beijing has embraced people from all walks of life, and everyone can find a niche to rest and rejuvenate here. The book is divided into eight chapters: Fossil, Heaven and Earth, People, Transformation, New, Refreshing, Drifting, and Gaps. These eight chapters can be simplified into three characteristics of Beijing that we want to describe to the readers. This brings to mind a scene from 1978 when I.M. Pei led an American delegation on a visit to China. I.M. Pei stood atop Beijing's Jingshan Mountain, gazing far into the distance through the railings. Under the brilliant sunlight, the majestic and elegant architectural complex of the Forbidden City revealed a splendid and serene harmony with all things. Suddenly turning back, I.M. Pei smiled and said to his American colleagues, "I am a Chinese."