Lake Diary 3.0: A Wonderful Collision of North Lake Scenery and Craft Beauty
Lake Diary 3.0: A Wonderful Collision of North Lake Scenery and Craft Beauty
On May 4, I originally planned to first visit the China National Arts and Crafts Museum, then head to Beihai Park, and finally return to school at 2 PM. However, since the school bus arrived at Olympic Village at 8 AM and the museum wasn't open yet, I unexpectedly embarked on a "reverse journey." That day, I measured 30,000 steps of beauty with my feet!
🌊Beihai Park: Encountering Poetry by the Lake
I scored discounted tickets again, which was delightful! Travel guides recommend entering through the south gate and exiting from the north gate to better appreciate the White Pagoda. However, since the south gate isn't directly accessible by subway, I chose to start my journey from the north gate. From the Olympic Village campus, it's a 5-minute walk to Line 8 subway station (Yinghai direction). After 6 stops, I exited from Exit C at Shichahai Station and walked another 10 minutes to reach the north gate. On the way, I caught glimpses of Shichahai's scenery, which was an unexpected pleasure (P3).
As soon as I entered the north gate, the side view of the White Pagoda came into sight. The main difference between viewing the White Pagoda from the south gate versus the north gate is the perspective and distance. Walking along the Beihai lakeshore, the sparkling water and swaying willow leaves created a truly enjoyable experience for a park walking enthusiast like me.
As a hiking enthusiast, I naturally chose to walk to my dining destination for a proper city walk! After leaving Beihai Park, I passed through Jingshan Park, Drum Tower, Guozijian Street, and Jianchang Hutong. The lush green canopy and the vibrant early summer atmosphere allowed me to experience the romance unique to this season as I strolled along.
🎨China National Arts and Crafts Museum: Exploring Artistic Treasures
I was super lucky to catch both the Chinese medicine exhibition and the Dunhuang art exhibition! The museum's exquisite modern collections, intangible cultural heritage art pieces, and stone carvings were eye-catching. However, my "main event" for this visit was collecting stamps! (p12)
The first-floor creative area has 4 free stamps, plus consumption stamps (apparently each stamp needs to be stamped on a postcard, and the finished product is gorgeous); the fourth-floor creative area houses about 10 free stamps related to the Dunhuang exhibition. I had planned to try my luck on the sixth floor, but couldn't find any stamps there, guessing they might have been moved to the fourth floor. I wanted to get a paper ticket at the ticket office as a souvenir, but unfortunately, the staff told me they were temporarily out of stock, which was a bit disappointing.
The Arts and Crafts Museum is located near Olympic Forest Park, with the Bird's Nest, Water Cube, Olympic Tower, and other attractions nearby. Since I had already visited these in August, I didn't need to make another trip.
🍱Food Exploration
- MATSUWA Izakaya: A hidden gem on the second floor of Wudaoying Hutong that would be hard to find if I hadn't been there before. I arrived around 10:40 AM, right when they opened. The staff was incredibly attentive. I ordered the lunch set for one, which included two appetizers and one main dish. The curry pork cutlet rice was absolutely amazing! The curry was aromatic, the rice fresh, and the pork cutlet crispy on the outside and tender inside. I was impressed from the first bite—much better than what I had at Shuangma! Unfortunately, my stomach capacity was limited, so I couldn't finish it all. The caramel pudding was too sweet for someone who doesn't like overly sweet foods; however, the wasabi octopus sushi was a delight—cold, chewy, fresh octopus cubes paired with pungent wasabi instantly awakened my taste buds!
- Meitan Village: I had heard about this place for a long time but never had the chance to try it. Today I arrived before their opening time (10 AM), and by 9:50 AM people were already queuing. The shop is small, designed for ordering, picking up, and leaving. I bought 2 Dhigu, 1 Earl Grey tea, 2 matcha, and 1 blood glutinous rice taro cheese for a total of 66.5 yuan, and I couldn't wait to taste them!