(Source: Beijing Daily)

In midsummer, I have the opportunity to revisit the former residences of Mei Lanfang and Guo Moruo in Shichahai. Walking in the tree-lined courtyard of the former Wang Fu, I recalled the outstanding achievements of two cultural masters during their lifetime. Although they left the empty building, they felt a deep sense of vicissitudes and intimacy, but they never left.

Walking out of Master Mei's former residence, it's getting late. Climb up the steps to the Yinsuo Bridge made of white marble, which is the famous Houhai. But seeing the lake open and sparkling, weeping willows on both sides, dotted with lights, the steeple of the palace wall reflected in the water in the distance, and the boat crossed gently from time to time, the scenery was charming. Walking slowly, I saw all kinds of antique small bars, small tea rooms and cafes dotted around the lake, attracting tourists with colorful flags, which was a bit poetic of Du Mu's "thousands of miles of birds singing green and reflecting red, rivers and mountains and wine flags". The name of the store also combines local and foreign languages, such as seaside, lakeside, left bank, white maple, encounter, mermaid, dream of Paris, Starbucks, Venice, summer igloo, hutong photo and street corner.

Accompanied by Mr. Liu, an old reporter, he was well informed. He said that Shichahai was a water area excavated in the Yuan Dynasty, and it has been more than 700 years. It used to be a water transportation hub connecting the Grand Canal and the sea, and it was also a trade center with hundreds of cities and merchants. Kyle Poirot once praised it as "the incompetence of all cities in the world". Shichahai is bounded by two stone bridges, which are divided into West Sea, Qianhai Sea and Houhai Sea. There are many palaces, temples and celebrities' former residences by the lake. "Old Beijing" remembers that there were many kinds of lotus roots in Shichahai. Lotus market is a famous summer resort in Beijing. Liang Sicheng, Hu Shi, Zhou Zuoren, Wen Yiduo and Lin Yutang all left footprints.

I have been to Sanlitun Bar Street, which is located in the embassy district, accompanied by the most upscale Yansha shopping mall in Beijing. Customers are mostly foreigners, white-collar workers and rich people, and bars there are mostly westernized. Houhai Bar Street is different from Sanlitun, where western-style bars coexist with Chinese teahouses and restaurants. Because of the beautiful waterscape, Houhai Bar Street has a quiet charm, which is different from Sanlitun. Responded to the current consumption concept that "eating the environment is more important than eating delicious food". It is said that Houhai Bar Street was formed only ten years ago. Most of the first guests were blond foreigners. After becoming famous, it also attracted Beijingers and "domestic guests" who came to Beijing for sightseeing and business trips.

Along the way, I found that most of the high-end bars here are European and American. The storefront is written in Chinese and English, serving foreign wine and western-style simple meals, which are expensive. If customers need it, they can also cook authentic Beijing food. Pubs in China often set up a long row of small tables by the lake, put in umbrellas, and deal in fried seafood, Beijing snacks and Beijing Erguotou, as well as beer of Yanjing, Qingdao, Budweiser and other brands at affordable prices. Of course, this kind of landscape is only available in summer and autumn, much like the food stalls in Central Island and lan fong yuen.

The pub here is clean and the service is warm, which makes people relax and feel at home. In order to protect this atmosphere, there are no bands playing in bars and restaurants. People who have been busy for a day, sitting by the lake with three or two friends in the dusk and drinking wine in the wind, are also carefree and have a special mood. Lakeside teahouses are mostly set off by traditional bamboo furniture and freehand flower-and-bird paintings in China, and the tea sets are naturally antique, giving the teahouse an antique charm inside and outside. Teacher Liu and I walked into a quiet "tea room near the lake", sipping tea, listening to the boss's Beijing accent and rhyme, and tasting the traditional snacks of old Beijing in the fragrance of tea, which was also very pleasant. Through the window, you can see the hutongs and quadrangles in old Beijing across the lake, and you can't help but flash past those old movies and novels, which are quite poetic.

Walking out of the teahouse, it was dusk, and the neon lights around Houhai lit up one by one, making the lake look like a fairyland. The food stalls by the lake are full of guests of all colors, including many foreigners. It can be seen that as the hinterland of Beijing's famous "nightlife", it has become the hometown where classical tradition meets modern fashion and eastern culture meets western culture. I blurted out "Shichahai is like the eyebrow of Beijing", which was greatly appreciated by Mr. Liu and even praised "good poetry"! Indeed, it is fascinating to have such a wonderful place in the hinterland of a bustling international metropolis. If other cities can open similar places near rivers and lakes, it will not only invigorate the economy, but also provide leisure places for citizens. I can't help but blurt out the ancient poem "Lights are everywhere in the city, and the Milky Way is in the middle of the water".

Strolling by the lake, Liu Lao said that if it is daytime, after taking a nap in bars and teahouses, tourists can enjoy antiques in Xie Jie, Dai Yan, a few steps away, or explore the ancient seclusion in the nearby deep house compound. Gongwangfu, Qinchunwangmi, Qingwangfu and other palaces and Fu Jen Catholic University sites are all worth seeing. I know that Gongwangfu in Qianhai West Street is the back garden of Little Shenyang House, which is known as "the largest quadrangle in the world" and the most complete representative of Wang Fu and Wang Fu culture in China in Qing Dynasty. Some people say that it is the "blueprint" of the Grand View Garden in A Dream of Red Mansions. Nowadays, most of these once rich houses have been opened for Chinese and foreign tourists to visit, or turned into cultural places. I casually pointed with my hand and said with a smile, "Maybe we will touch a little-known history by pushing open that thick red paint door!"