Beijing Snack Street on Guijie Street

The first restaurant in Guijie is Xiaolin Hotpot; Guijie is a prosperous food street that emerged after the 1980s. It has nothing to do with ancient history, nor does it have anything to do with the bronze Gui. Speaking of the origin of Guijie Street, we can trace it back to the 1980s. At that time, China was in the early stage of reform and opening up, and the atmosphere of big pot rice was still very strong. The place to eat was the public restaurant canteen of state-owned enterprises, and there were no state-owned restaurants in Dongdan and Xidan. Not to mention individual restaurants. But the power of social change has begun to emerge. What Li Xiaolin is interested in is the prospect of the embassy and business district to be built outside Dongzhimen. "When they are built, my place will definitely be the main road. Then I won't have to worry about the source of tourists." He chose Work in individual restaurants. At that time, Dongzhimen was far less prosperous than it is today. There was still a dirt road leading to the Agricultural Exhibition Hall. Dongzhimen was also depressed and deserted, with almost no individual restaurants. There was no place to eat at night, and no one had late-night snacks. Xiaolin Restaurant was the first restaurant open 24 hours a day

After a year of hard preparations, "Xiaolin Restaurant" finally opened in the spring of 1988 open. A plate of fish-flavored shredded pork, fried rice, 10 cents each, and the most popular cold dishes are 1 yuan a plate; people who cycle to get off work will ask for a plate of mixed yuba, a bottle of Liquor... It has only been open for more than a month, and the couple is already thinking about opening a 24-hour store. Xiao Lin said: "At that time, I felt that this place is facing the street, and there are many cars on the road. There must be people to eat in the evening, so let's wait." When it first opened, there would be some customers around during the day; at night, there would be no customers, and the whole street would be open all night. At that time, it was rare to find a 24-hour restaurant in Beijing. Passersby spread word of mouth, "There is a late-night snack restaurant in Dongzhimen." A few months later, Xiaolin Restaurant had more customers at night than during the day.

Soon, there were a second, a third, and a dozen 24-hour restaurants, and a small night market was formed here. The reputation of "Little Ghost Market" soon spread by word of mouth. Outside Dongzhimen, Qianmen Street, Meishi Street, Sijiu City, and Jiuxian Bridge. In Chaoyang District, many people ride bicycles in Taiyang Palace for more than an hour just to have a late-night snack at Xiaolin Restaurant. Later, there were white noodles, Japanese Huang Dafa, and guests from far away would take a luxurious taxi to come and eat.

There are many versions of the origin of Guijie, and its name is usually written as Ghost Street. As for the origin of this name, many versions are based on speculation, and there is no official verification. Perhaps the only ones who truly understand the origin of the name Guijie are the old residents near Dongzhimen.

It is said that during the Qing Dynasty, each city gate in Beijing had its own special purpose and was not allowed to be used casually. For example, when the imperial court dispatched troops, they would go through Deshengmen, and when they executed prisoners, they would go through Xuanwumen, etc. Dongzhimen is specially used to transport wood to Beijing. Elderly people who live in Dongzhimen can still remember the scene when they were young, gathering friends and playing games on the upper floors of the city gate. Along the city tower, you can see a straight road in the city, opposite the Drum Tower. On the opposite side of the city is an endless cemetery. Since Dongzhimen was an urban-rural fringe area at that time, the first morning market naturally formed within the city gate. The vendors selling sundries, vegetables and fruits in Dongzhimen began to squat in the middle of the night and dispersed at dawn. These vendors use kerosene lamps to draw light, and the light looks hazy from a distance. Coupled with the coffin shops and barracks that can be seen everywhere around them, it feels very creepy. Therefore, this place is called "Ghost Market". What is strange is that after the market boom began, many merchants and shops on both sides of Dongzhimen Street began to carry out various businesses, but almost all of them lost the money of the shop owner.

Even the only state-owned department store The shops had to close down, and the evil in this place was very puzzling. But then people discovered that only restaurant business could be successful on this street, and the restaurants here were almost unvisited during the day, but at night they were bustling with people and bustling with traffic. No one can explain whether it is because, as the local elders said, ghosts come to the city to eat at night and this has led to such prosperity.

Due to the formation of the hot market at night, Guijie Street has become a household name in Beijing. Of course, many people have also seen the huge business opportunities here. Even the local government has changed from rejecting strong management at the beginning to supporting it later. The District Commercial Committee It was also named "Dongnei Restaurant Street". Just because the word "ghost" is not elegant after all, the staff of the Dongcheng District Committee began to think hard about changing the name of the ghost street. However, most of the bosses who operate here disagreed, saying that they were afraid that changing the name would ruin the feng shui. Business here will no longer be possible. At this time, the staff discovered that the word "簋" had the same sound but different characters in the dictionary, and this word could also be related to eating, so they began to publicize it and even made a bridge on the ghost street side of the Dongzhimen Overpass. The large bronze statue of "Gui" created this civilized "Gui Street".

Now Guijie has become a representative of Beijing’s food culture and a symbol of fashionable dining. Guijie has also become a longing in people's hearts, a place of joy, and even a topic of conversation after dinner. Many people's experience of "night tours" in Beijing started here; people would invariably choose to spend time here during many exciting days in Beijing, such as the successful bid for the Olympic Games, Chinese football going global, the Asian Cup defeat against Japan, etc. On important or exciting anniversaries, people stay here all night long to vent their feelings. Everyone sings, drinks, shouts, hugs, and cries together. The whole street is immersed in the atmosphere of that time. This is Guijie now.

There are many famous snacks in Beijing, such as braised hotpot, fried tripe, sheep scorpion, etc. Within a few years, a food chain featuring spicy crayfish has emerged in Guijie. The gluttonous frog and Chongqing grilled fish have once again become the protagonists of Guijie cuisine.

As foreign tourists, they prefer Guijie because it is adjacent to the embassy, ??so it is a good place for them to learn about Chinese food culture. In Guijie you can often see many foreigners gathering at a table here. There are three or five Chinese people in the middle, everyone talking together. In the middle of the table, there may be a super spicy hot pot or grilled fish with a strong aroma. The eating habits of foreigners here have also been assimilated by Chinese cuisine, and they have contributed a lot to the successful introduction of Chinese cuisine to foreign countries. The business of Guijie largely stems from the popularity of the market. The variety of food on Guijie Street, which should have insisted on its own characteristics, has become less and less, and the same food is sold all the way. This makes many nocturnal gods who are accustomed to searching for food at night lose a lot of fun of exploration. Even so, we can still find many specialties from all over the country in Guijie. For example, hot pot, soup, and porridge. Generally speaking, Guijie is a very unique place in Beijing’s catering industry. Of course, we may hope that Guijie can sell more flavors from other places, so that this kind of competition for the same food will eventually become a thing of the past, and bring better food enjoyment to the public and tourists. Feature 1: Spicy Crayfish

Gui refers to a food container with a round mouth and two ears in ancient China. A street is named after Gui, so it is naturally a place to eat. Spicy dishes such as spicy crayfish and spicy meat crab are the main dishes of Guijie. The spicy and spicy aroma attracts many repeat customers.

Feature 2: Civilian service

It is understood that in Guijie, the price of a spicy crayfish is about 3 to 8 yuan. According to the consumption standard of 3 or 4 people, 40 lobsters, plus 3 or 4 side dishes are enough to ensure a full meal, and the cost is about 150-350 yuan (RMB).

Feature 3: Open 24 hours

89 years ago, there were only a few restaurants on this street, because there would always be a group of customers coming for late-night snacks after 9 p.m. , several restaurants extended their business hours one after another, and later simply changed to 24 hours a day. Guijie has become a part of Beijing’s night culture. Its significance has gone beyond the scope of restaurants and wine shops, and more reflects an aspect of the daily life of ordinary people in Beijing. Special grilled fish themed cultural restaurant: Duyiwei Wanzhou Grilled Fish

Duyiwei Wanzhou Grilled Fish Restaurant is the first grilled fish restaurant on Guijie Street. It originated from Wanzhou, Chongqing, which is very popular in Beijing. It can be said that the originator of grilled fish in Beijing opened the store in 2005. to date. It specializes in grilled fish. The grilled fish has fresh, fragrant, spicy and various flavors. The meat is fresh and tender and the flavor is unique. It has been popular since its launch and has been well received by consumers. If you go to Beijing, you must go to Guijie. If you go to Guijie, you must go to Duyiwei. To eat roast duck and grilled fish at Duyiwei in Quanjude. Eric, who serves as the manager of the market development department of a website, said: "No matter what you eat in Guijie now, everything is the same. If crayfish is popular, crayfish are sold everywhere, and if grilled fish is popular, it's grilled fish." Eric's view of the current situation of Guijie can be representative of Guijie. business status. Meng Qi, a music producer who used to live in Dongzhimen, said: "Guijie has always been pretty good overall, but now the food is relatively monotonous and not as good as before."

Jerry, a construction engineer, has lived in Beijing for many years and has made many comparisons. After visiting the place, his evaluation of Guijie was as follows: "Guijie is a market where a group of businessmen gather together. Only wealthy people and foreigners like it. I will only go there to eat if I am forced." And many returnees and foreigners The evaluation of Guijie is different from that of Beijingers. Du, a returnee who worked for an airline company, happily commented on Guijie: "The world of food! It's cheap, affordable, and can lead the trend of Beijing food."

Therefore, For a food street with a certain history like Guijie, everyone has different opinions. The key is that this place may be more representative of a way of nightlife in Beijing. Because it is adjacent to the Workers' Stadium. In the nightlife of Beijing locals, this is an excellent place for many young people to go out for food after having fun at KTV and nightclubs. Although they may be dissatisfied with the current situation of Guijie, they still choose Guijie as their first choice for late-night snacks. Place. A dilapidated alley, everything is normal during the day, pedestrians are walking through it, and the shops are doing brisk business. When night falls, it becomes another world. All the locals know not to enter after dark. Some of the content in this book may be offensive, so do not read unless you like it.

Keywords of the work: Ghost Street Chapter 1: Night Terror

Chapter 2: Night Terror

Chapter 3: Night Terror

< p>Chapter 4: Life and Death

Chapter 5: Huangni Alley

Chapter 6: Huangni Alley

Chapter 7: Huangni Alley Lane

Chapter 8: Yellow Mud Lane

Chapter 9: Female Ghost in Red

Chapter 10: Female Ghost in Red

< p>Chapter 11: The female ghost in red

Chapter 12: The female ghost in red