I have always had a wish:
I must travel to Beijing or live for a while. This wish has been buried in my heart, rising and fermenting.
Finally one day, I found an opportunity to travel to the capital of my motherland.
For me, 22 hours on a hard seat on a train is just something I’m used to. I have ridden on too many hard seats on trains. I remember the time I rode back from Sichuan to Tibet and sat on the hard seat for at least 40 hours.
The train time that used to be difficult became more subtle, and I started to enjoy it a little more.
As usual, I started my trip with a book, a mood, and a reason to set off. On the train, when you are bored, read a book, chat, write, or observe all kinds of people in the train, or sleep. The seemingly difficult time passed by unconsciously.
There seems to be a sense of relaxation between the lines, but in fact there are secrets and feelings that cannot be told to others, which I have hidden.
In the dead of night on the train, I raised my head and looked at everything around me quietly.
The yellowish light shines in the carriage, and there are all kinds of people on the train. Some are leaning quietly on the straight hard seats with their eyes closed, some are playing with their mobile phones with headphones, and some have dull eyes. Doing nothing and seeming to be thinking about something.
Everyone in the car has their own story and journey, and only you can understand what kind of mood you are sitting on the Z36 direct train to Beijing.
Many people and many things are either unspeakable or unable to be spoken to. Everyone knows the warmth and coldness of the world, and no one truly feels the same way, so there is no need to say more.
I arrived at Beijing West Railway Station at around one o'clock in the afternoon and followed the bustling crowd into Beijing. The hot sun is not to be outdone, and it is no weaker than Guangzhou.
Standing in this new city, looking at the blue sky above, the palace-like buildings seem to be a unique atmosphere of Beijing.
When traveling to a city, I prefer to experience the charm of the city by cycling.
So, when I left the train station that afternoon, I bought a free bicycle and went straight to Tiananmen Square to start my solo journey. Although I have expectations in my heart, I don't want to be alone.
I have fantasized about Tiananmen Square countless times, even though I have seen it too many times on the Internet. But when the moment actually arrived, I was extremely excited.
Imagination finally goes beyond imagination, it falls into reality and will become a story in life. In that story, there is the self without hesitation, the courage to leave as soon as possible, and the love and dreams of youth.
Wearing the army's sea soul shirt, I stood staring at the Monument to the People's Heroes for a long time. This is the capital of the motherland that has been guarded by thousands of soldiers, this Tiananmen Square that appears repeatedly in my mind, and the People's Monument that embodies the blood of millions of people. For a soldier, what kind of meaning this place has, maybe only one who has been a soldier can deeply understand it.
The fiery sun exerts its scorching charm to the fullest, leaving us with nowhere to hide. I was too lazy to hold an umbrella. When I was tired, I sat in the shade of the mobile convenience store to rest. I watched the row of five-star red flags fluttering in the wind in front of the monument. I was in a daze, thinking about the long-standing knot in my heart.
Go to the foot of Tiananmen Square and stare at the proudly isolated five-star red flag on the flag-raising platform, as well as the Tiananmen Gate Tower not far away. Spent an afternoon there.
It was a rare trip to Beijing to see the flag-raising and flag-lowering ceremonies, so I decided to spend the night in Tiananmen Square. After watching the flag raising and lowering once, one of my wishes was fulfilled.
Hiding from the sun, I sat on the fence surrounding Tiananmen Square and spent the long afternoon quietly. There were a lot of people like me, who were also sitting here, waiting for the flag to be lowered. The arrival of the ceremony.
Looking at the bustling crowds in the square and listening to Beijing Mandarin shouting in the square looking for tourists to take photos, it has a unique charm. The little episodes that happened to the people around me unfolded before my eyes like stories.
Every time I traveled in the past, I met some interesting people on the road. But this time I just want to be alone quietly and experience Beijing alone.
During the flag-lowering ceremony, I went to the foot of Tiananmen Square and stood in front of Chairman Mao’s portrait, far away from the crowd of onlookers.
No matter where I went, there was no shortage of people. I watched a group of people stretching their necks and leaning their bodies, squeezing in to video and take photos. I was definitely not in the mood to be like them, so I watched from a distance and watched the honor guards of the three armed forces marching towards the national flag in unison.
For me, this is all too familiar. I have seen similar scenes like this too many times in the army, and it was just a wish fulfilled.
After watching the flag lowering ceremony, the night slowly fell. When I was hungry, I went out to look for food and went to the Xianyukou Food Street at the front door of Tiananmen Square.
I want to eat Peking duck, but I find that a roast duck worth one or two hundred yuan is not enough for one person. I always travel on a budget, so my budget doesn't allow me to be extravagant.
In the end, he hesitated and refused, and walked into Xianyukou Alley alone to look for food.
I saw on the Internet that Xianyukou is a famous alley in Beijing, a representative of Beijing’s folk market and commerce. Together with Qianmen Street, it constitutes the iconic traditional commercial district in the southern part of old Beijing. In 2004, it was announced by the municipal government as one of the 25 key historical and cultural protection areas. This is the "memory" of old Beijing.
Because I was a little hungry, I wandered back and forth among the various shops in Xianyukou, but for a long time I couldn’t decide which one I wanted to go to. Because the prices and consumption in Beijing really make me feel helpless, and poverty limits my imagination.
After wandering around for almost half an hour, I finally decided to eat at a snack bar and ordered a bowl of Beijing fried noodles for 26 yuan, which was quite cheap there.
Even though I didn’t get to eat Beijing roast duck, I also got to eat Beijing noodles with soybean paste, so I’m sorry for myself. Haha, comfort yourself.
After my hunger is resolved, I am in the mood to stroll around the old streets and alleys of Beijing.
Red lanterns and quaint buildings are home to time-honored snack bars. Biianfang Roast Duck, Old Beijing Fried Noodles with Soy Sauce, Sugar-coated Haws, Tianxingju Fried Liver... Unfortunately, I don’t have much money, so I don’t have the luxury to enjoy it, so I can only look at it.
We arrived at Dashilar, which is connected to the fresh fish mouth, and saw Deyun Club, as well as the pastry "Daoxiangcun" and the "One Love Cake" next door. These shops were mentioned in someone's mouth It really appeared before my eyes.
The sentence "I give it to you, I am willing" written in the store really touched me. The complex emotions were indescribably intertwined, allowing them to grow wildly in my heart.
After finishing dinner, walking around the old alleys in Beijing, I returned to Tiananmen Square, that will be my destination.
The summer nights in Beijing are colder than expected, and even wearing long sleeves I still feel the coldness.
That night, I was alone, but not alone.
There were not many people in Tiananmen that night, and I stood alone at the foot of Tiananmen and stared at Chairman Mao in a daze.
Finally, I was reminded by the security personnel not to let me stand there for too long.
The mood I felt that night is a secret that I cannot tell anyone.
I am a fan,
I am a recorder of life.
So, bye.
Let’s meet again in words.