36小時玩轉北京

06-15

What to Do in Beijing36小時玩轉北京

It seems like only yesterday that Beijing had its much-ballyhooed 「coming out」 party — the 2008 Summer Olympics — but things don』t slow down much in China』s frenetic capital. Already, the city is eyeing another Olympics bid (it』s one of two finalists for the 2022 Winter Games) and planning a $13 billion airport that is expected to be among the busiest in the world when it opens in 2019. And yet compared with China』s other vertical megacities, Beijing is still a traditionalist at heart. The city may have fantastic new sculptural monuments designed by Zaha Hadid and Rem Koolhaas, but to truly understand Beijing, one has to delve into the remaining hutong neighborhoods — traditional alleyways lined with courtyard homes — and smell the sweet potatoes roasting on coal fires in the winter.

喧鬧一時的2008年夏季奧運會堪稱北京的「登場派對」, 令人記憶猶新，其後，中國狂熱的都城亦未曾放慢步伐。這座城市已在進行另一場奧運會申辦（它是2022年冬季奧運會的兩個終選城市之一），計劃投入130億美元修建新機場，2019年建成後預計會成為世界上最繁忙的機場之一。不過與其他高樓聳立的中國大城市相比，北京從本質上仍是傳統的。這座城市雖然擁有扎哈·哈迪德(Zaha Hadid)和雷姆·庫哈斯(Rem Koolhaas)等建築師設計的充滿想像力和雕刻感的新大樓，但是要想真正理解它，就必須一頭鑽進留存下來的衚衕里，在這些兩邊都是四合院的古老小巷裡，聞一聞冬日路邊碳烤紅薯的香味。

1. Beads and Incense | 4 p.m.

1. 佛珠和香火 | 下午4點

In the new Beijing of star-architect towers and gleaming Porsches, the Lama Temple (also known as Yonghe Temple) stands as a reminder of a less material and more spiritual time. Built as a prince』s home in the 17th century, the complex was gradually transformed into a lamasery and is today one of the most active — and colorful — Buddhist temples in the city. Beijingers pray amid gnarled pine trees with burning joss sticks held aloft and shopping bags slung over wrists, while monks offer quiet blessings of beads brought by visitors in hidden corners. Outside the lovely gingko-lined entrance are shops crammed with Buddhist trinkets and incense, the sounds of Tibetan music floating down the street. Admission is 25 renminbi, or about $4 at the rate of 6 renminbi to the dollar.

在充滿明星建築師設計的大樓和閃亮保時捷的新北京，雍和宮讓我們想起那個不那麼物質、更注重精神的時代。這個建築群建於17世紀，最初是一位皇子的宅邸，後來逐步改建成一座喇嘛廟，如今它是北京香火最旺、最華美的佛寺之一。北京人在長滿節瘤的松樹間祈禱，高舉著點燃的香，手腕上掛著購物袋；在隱蔽的角落裡，僧人們為遊客帶來的佛珠開光。入口兩側種著秀美的銀杏樹，門外有很多店鋪，裡面擺滿佛教用品和香，藏族樂曲在街上飄蕩。門票25元，按照1美元兌換6元人民幣的匯率計算，約合4美元。

2. Beijing Brews | 6 p.m.

2. 北京精釀啤酒 | 下午6點

The traditional hutongs around the Lama Temple are a fantastic place to soak up Beijing street life. Avoid overly gentrified Nanluoguxiang, a crowded strip of T-shirt and snack shops, and head instead to the maze of alleys around quieter Baochao Hutong to the west. Here, locals gather for nightly mah-jongg games and sip beer at dumpling shops beneath gray-tiled rooftops sprouting tufts of grass. Grab a pint yourself in the tree-shaded courtyard at Great Leap Brewing, a pioneer in Beijing』s craft beer scene that makes unique ales like Iron Buddha Blonde, infused with tea from the mountains of Fujian province (40 renminbi). Continue the hutong pub crawl at nearby Slow Boat Brewery Taproom, which was opened a little over two years ago by a pair of Americans and has more than a dozen unpasteurized beers on tap, such as Helmsman』s Honey Ale (40 renminbi) brewed with honey from local bee farms.

雍和宮附近的老衚衕是感受北京街頭生活的絕佳去處。不要去改造一新的南鑼鼓巷，那條狹長的街道異常擁擠，兩旁大多是T恤店和小吃店。還是去西邊更安靜的寶鈔衚衕吧，附近的衚衕如迷宮一般。本地人晚上聚在一起打麻將，在餃子店裡喝啤酒，屋頂的灰瓦上長著一簇簇青草。不妨在大躍啤酒屋綠樹成蔭的院子里喝上一杯啤酒。此處堪稱北京精釀啤酒界的先鋒，釀製獨特的麥芽啤酒，比如加入福建武夷山鐵觀音的金色鐵觀音啤酒（40元）。繼續衚衕酒吧漫步，便可來到附近的悠航鮮啤屋，它是一對美國夫婦兩年前開的，供應十幾種未經高溫消毒的桶裝啤酒，比如用當地養蜂場的蜂蜜釀製的舵手悠航蜜釀（40元）。

3. The Spice Is Right | 8 p.m.

3. 這裡的辣味最正宗 | 晚上8點

It』s brightly lit and raucous and if you come too late, the indifferent servers may begin stacking chairs around you as you finish your meal. Beijing may have more refined Sichuan restaurants these days, but Chuan Ban has retained a loyal following among locals because of its authentically mouth-numbing food — to be expected of a restaurant run by the Sichuan provincial government. The novel-length menu contains some perplexing dishes like Spicy Duck Lips, but there are safer standouts like mapo doufu (cubes of tofu swimming in crimson chile oil and smothered in ground Sichuan peppercorns; 18 renminbi) and stir-fried shrimp balls heaped with ground pork, preserved vegetables and diced chiles (78 renminbi).

這裡燈光明亮，人聲鼎沸。如果你來得太晚，沒等你吃完，冷漠的服務員可能已經開始收拾周圍的桌椅。如今，北京可能有更精緻的川菜館，但是川辦仍在當地人中擁有忠實擁躉，因為這裡是四川省政府經營的餐館，人們有理由期待它提供最正宗的麻辣食物。超長的菜單上有一些令人迷惑的菜肴，比如香辣鴨唇，但也有一些更安全的美味，比如麻婆豆腐（豆腐塊浸泡在深紅色辣椒油和四川豆瓣醬里；18元）和芽菜炒蝦球（78元）。

4. Gentle Gentrification | 11 a.m.

4. 溫和的改造 | 上午11點

While many of Beijing』s hutongs have been demolished over the years, others have been leveled and replaced with prettified versions of their former selves, turning neighborhoods into theme parks. The Dashilar neighborhood, one of the oldest in Beijing, is following a different path, with architects and designers leading a more sustainable gentrification process to try to retain the fabric of the community. One former factory in a 1950s Art Deco building has been gorgeously renovated into a cafe, Spoonful of Sugar, that serves organic coffee from Yunnan province and chocolates infused with fiery Chinese er guo tou liquor. Down the lane, check out the Ubi Gallery for handmade designer jewelry and Chinese ceramics, and the Li+U Workshop for handsome leather bags and wallets, made right there in the store.

經過這麼多年，北京的很多衚衕都被拆除了，還有些衚衕被拆除後，在原址上蓋起了新的美化版，附近區域也變成了主題公園。大柵欄是北京最古老的區域之一，它的改造模式與眾不同，建築師和設計師們主導著更具可持續性的改造過程，努力保持社區的質感。壹勺子糖咖啡館由一座20世紀50年代裝飾藝術風格的建築改造而來，這裡本來是個工廠。這家咖啡館供應雲南有機咖啡和加入濃烈二鍋頭的巧克力。沿著衚衕，你能找到Ubi藝廊(Ubi Gallery)，這裡有手工製作的高檔珠寶和中國瓷器，還有Li+U工坊(Li+U Workshop)，這裡的漂亮皮包和錢夾都是在店裡製作的。

5. Fit for a King | 1 p.m.

5. 炸醬麵大王 | 下午1點

As the name suggests, Old Beijing Zhajiang Noodle King does one thing really well: zha jiang mian, a hand-pulled wheat noodle dish that』s just as evocative of Beijing as roast duck or hearty dumplings. So popular is this local chain that the lunch rush can feel manic: Waiters dash up and down stairs shouting orders and numbers of guests, while diners crowd around wooden tables slurping bowls of noodles topped with shredded cucumber and radish, bean sprouts and a tangy sauce made with minced pork and fermented soybean paste. It』s not only tasty, but lunch for two will set you back only 36 renminbi.

店如其名，老北京炸醬麵大王的炸醬麵真的很棒。炸醬麵是一種手工麵條，和烤鴨、營養豐富的餃子一樣，也是北京的標誌性食物。這個連鎖店的生意太好了，午餐時分的場面簡直有點瘋狂：服務員在樓梯上跑上跑下，大喊客人的訂餐和編號，食客們擠在木桌子邊狼吞虎咽，麵條上放著黃瓜條、蘿蔔絲、豆芽，以及用肉丁和甜麵醬做的濃香肉醬。它不僅美味，而且便宜——兩個人吃一頓午餐只需36元。

6. Suburban Cool | 3 p.m.

6. 郊區的藝術酷地 | 下午3點

The sprawling 798 Art District is still the hub of Beijing』s contemporary art scene, although the last decade has brought commercialization in the way of souvenir shops, boutiques and cafes, distracting from the galleries. Head farther afield — literally in the dusty suburbs beyond the Fifth Ring Road — to see experimental art in less-crowded spaces. Designed by the provocative Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, the Three Shadows Photography Art Center, a stark, gray brick and concrete space, is said to be the first gallery in China devoted to photography, exhibiting works that, at times, explore the grittier side of modern Chinese life (free admission). At the new Red Brick Art Museum, near an outlet mall in the countryside, the focus is on video and installation works — think of charred New Zealand milk cartons as a comment on China』s food safety concerns — though the real draw may be the tranquil Chinese garden and angular, modernist red brick building itself (20 renminbi).

不斷擴張的798藝術區仍是北京當代藝術圖景的中心，不過，過去十年的商業化讓這裡出現了很多紀念品店、服裝精品店和咖啡館，它們搶走了畫廊的一些風頭。往郊外走，一直走到五環外塵土飛揚的郊區，去不那麼擁擠的展覽空間看看實驗藝術。三影堂攝影藝術中心由容易引發爭議的中國藝術家艾未未設計，它是一個樸實的灰磚混凝土建築，據說是中國第一個專門的攝影作品畫廊，有時會展示探索現代中國生活現實一面的照片（免費參觀）。新開的紅磚美術館靠近郊區的一個名牌折扣購物中心，它專註於視頻和裝置作品——燒焦的紐西蘭牛奶紙盒代表著對中國食品安全的擔憂——不過也許真正吸引人的是安靜的中式花園和稜角分明的現代主義紅磚建築本身（20元）。

7. Duck Dressed Up | 8 p.m.

7. 精心製作的烤鴨 | 晚上8點

Duck devotees face a tough choice in Beijing — with so much kao ya (roast duck) to choose from, how to pick the right place? Duck de Chine succeeds in elevating the dish to a higher plane. Set in a renovated factory with exposed beams and elegant red lanterns, this is the kind of place that has Bollinger on ice and a gong to announce the arrival of your bird. There』s even an art to preparing the duck: First, it』s crisped in an oven with date wood to enhance the flavor, then carved tableside and wrapped expertly in a pancake with a swirl of house-made tian mian jiang (sweet bean sauce) and radish, celery and leek slivers. Fortunately, the high production value doesn』t come with steep prices — a whole duck costs just 268 renminbi. Reservations are a must for a table and duck; it takes over an hour to cook.

烤鴨愛好者在北京面臨著一個艱難的選擇——有太多做烤鴨的餐館，怎樣才能找到合適的呢？全鴨季成功地把這道菜提升到了更高水平。店鋪由工廠改造而來，房梁露在外面，懸掛著優雅的紅燈籠，這裡供應冰鎮堡林爵香檳(Bollinger)，上菜時會敲一下鑼。在這裡，做烤鴨簡直是一種藝術：首先將鴨子放在爐中，用棗木將皮烤脆，以增進其風味；然後在餐桌邊切開鴨肉，將其和自製甜麵醬、蘿蔔絲、芹菜絲、蔥絲一起捲入薄餅。幸運的是，這裡堪稱物美價廉——一整隻烤鴨才268元。必須提前預約才能訂到桌位和烤鴨。要花一個多小時才能烤好。

8. Hutong Hooch | 10 p.m.

8. 衚衕烈酒 | 晚上10點

Before a government-enforced austerity drive killed all the fun, banquets in China used to be riotous affairs fueled by copious shots of the blinding grain alcohol baijiu. With baijiu producers now seeking new markets, the liquor has moved from the banquet table to the low-lit cocktail bar. At Capital Spirits, a hutong speakeasy with antique wooden furniture and no sign on the door, a mostly young crowd sips shot glasses of the rocket fuel from a menu that varies by strength (from the lighter, rice-based Guilin Sanhua to the 106-proof Maotai Prince) and flavor (the bar infuses its own pomegranate, garlic and Sichuan peppercorn baijius.) An 「intro flight」 of four types is 40 renminbi. The ultimate challenge is the intimidating Five Snake Liquor (20 renminbi per glass) — a baijiu containing, yes, five dead snakes that』s supposedly good for arthritis and male virility.

在政府厲行節儉、扼殺樂趣之前，中國的宴會一度是杯籌交錯的場合，一杯杯烈性白酒穿腸而過。現在白酒廠家正在尋找新市場，白酒離開宴會桌邊，來到燈光昏暗的雞尾酒吧。首都酒坊是衚衕里的一個地下酒吧，裡面擺著復古木傢具，門上沒有招牌。顧客大多是年輕人，他們用小酒杯一杯接一杯地啜飲這種烈酒。這裡的菜單按照酒精度數（從度數較低的米香型桂林三花酒到53度茅台王子酒）和口味（這家酒吧自己釀製了一種含有石榴、大蒜和花椒的白酒）分類。「入門組」包含四種酒，價格是40元。終極挑戰是嚇人的五蛇酒（20元一杯）——沒錯，這種白酒里泡有五種死蛇，據說能壯陽，治療關節炎。

9. Parks and Recreation | 8 a.m.

9. 公園和消遣 | 上午8點

The Forbidden City, the former imperial palace at the center of Beijing, can feel overwhelming with the sheer number of courtyards and rooms, not to mention the pushy tourists. A far more peaceful alternative on the weekend is the imperial family』s former country escape, the Summer Palace (30 renminbi admission). Yes, the park gets its fair share of tour groups and Jazzercising grannies, but it』s easy to ditch the crowds by hiking the pine-shaded hill behind the palace and taking in the view of the lake below. As you wander, follow the sounds of music; you might find a choir of hundreds in their Sunday finest belting out patriotic Communist tunes with a brass band, or a Peking Opera soloist performing in a pagoda for an audience of one.

提到北京市中心的故宮，光是想想眾多院落和房間就讓人望而生畏，更別提推來擠去的遊客。周末，還不如去舊時的皇家別墅——頤和園（門票30元），這裡要安靜得多。是的，這個公園也有不少旅遊團和跳廣場舞的大媽，但是你可以躲開人群，到宮殿後面松柏成蔭的小山上漫步，一覽山腳下的湖景。漫步時，跟隨音樂的聲音，你也許能找到幾百人的合唱團，他們身著周末盛裝，在銅管樂隊的伴奏下高唱共產主義愛國歌曲，或者你能在寶塔里找到京劇獨唱者，做此人唯一的聽眾。

10. Designer Dumplings | 1 p.m.

10. 高檔餃子 | 下午1點

The Opposite House hotel, with its green glass facade and soaring atrium draped in steel mesh, exemplifies the bold new architectural aesthetic taking root in Beijing. While staying at the hotel might be pricey (rooms start at 1,850 renminbi per night), the dim sum menu at Jing Yaa Tang restaurant (118 renminbi per person) is a real bargain. Feast on fluffy barbecued pork buns, pan-fried turnip cakes and homemade walnut milk (it tastes like a sweet soup) and then take in the Japanese architect Kego Kuma』s futuristic design in the lobby-cum-gallery space. The showstopper is a 19-foot-tall, 5,000-plus-drawer modern take on a traditional apothecary cabinet — a fitting symbol of how the traditional continues to influence the new in a city with thousands of years of history.

瑜舍酒店的正面是綠色玻璃幕牆，高高的中庭里懸掛著鋼絲網，這表明大膽的新建築審美正在北京紮根。在這家酒店住店可能過於昂貴（一晚房價1850元起），但是京雅堂的點心自助餐很是超值（每位118元）。先盡情享用鬆軟的叉燒包、煎蘿蔔糕和自製核桃露（喝起來像甜湯），然後在兼作畫廊的大堂里欣賞日本建築師隈研吾的未來主義設計。最精彩的是一個有5000多個抽屜的19英尺高現代版中藥櫃——這恰好說明，傳統仍在影響這座有幾千年歷史的城市。

Beijing saw a plethora of new hotels open for the 2008 Summer Olympics, so finding good deals is possible even in the peak travel times in the spring and fall.

為了迎接2008年夏季奧運會，北京修建了太多新酒店，所以即使在春秋旅遊旺季也有可能找到划算的房間。