Quiet sites
Soong Ching Ling HouseThe Soong Ching Ling House is one of my favorite off-the-beaten-path places. It gets few foreign visitors and not that many more Chinese visitors. This makes it an ideal place to get away from the hustle and bustle that is Beijing and gather your wits around you. It's also a cool place where you can sit under a tree on a hot summer day
Soong Ching Ling was married to the first president of the Republic of China, Sun Yat-Sen, but she is just as famous in her own right. Educated at Wesleyan College in our state of Georgia, she pushed for the rights of women and children. She supported the Nationalists in the civil war (a sister was married to Chiang Kai-Chek), she also supported the communists afterwards. She was revered by both sides, and earned the nickname “mother of China.” Soong Ching Ling was the only woman to serve as president of the People's Republic, having been given the honorary title shortly before her death. Her home on the east side of Houhai Lake oozes serenity and graciousness, starting with the tall shade trees and meandering stream. The second floor of her house was where she lived, and it was left as it was on the day she died in 1981. Soong Ching Ling House is not difficult to find as you walk along the east side of the lake. It’s easy to pass by it, though, since there is only a modest sign on the gates. |
Drum TowerThe Drum Tower was the keeper of the time in old Beijing. After you’re visited the Soong Ching Ling House, it takes maybe 20 minutes or so to walk to the Drum Tower. The walk provides an opportunity to view the hutongs up close.
The Drum Tower is an imposing structure on GuLou Dajie, but the entrance is around back. There’s a museum on the top floor, but to reach it you have to climb up some mighty steep steps — a whole lot of them! A sign at the entrance says people with heart trouble will not be allowed to climb them. That tall building across the parking lot in back of the Drum Tower is the Bell Tower. If you need something to eat, there are small restaurants and coffee houses on both sides of the parking lot. |
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Copright 2012 by Cheryl Probst. All rights reserved.
Copright 2012 by Cheryl Probst. All rights reserved.