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Lost in Machikou's Hutongs
the teahouse in the courtyard is probably the one near the little temple on the west side, the old couple there only open in the afternoon & they'll refill your cup until you physically wave them off. machikou's been getting slowly demolished for years so the layout shifts every few months, alleys that were there last spring are just rubble now and new ones open up behind them. if u go back take the 昌平 line to 沙河 and walk in from the north end, way less confusing than trying to enter from the main road
Three days is about right for that area. Most people day-trip it and miss the rhythm of the place, which only really shows up in the early mornings when the vendors are setting up and again around 5pm when everyone's out with stools and beer. If you go back, the courtyard teahouses usually don't advertise, so you have to peek through half-open gates to see if there's a table free. Bring cash too, a lot of those pickle and fan stalls still don't take WeChat.
wait, do you mean Machikou near the 6th ring in Changping? cause that's a totally different vibe from the touristy hutong spots downtown. if so, the pickle shops make sense, there's a lot of Shanxi migrants out that way and they do amazing lao cu. next time skip the phone and just follow the old men carrying birdcages, they always know where the good tea is.
best photo spots in beijing?
olympic forest park is slept on fr. the linden trees along the main axis go gold in late october and the bird's nest reflection in the lake at sunrise is nuts, barely anyone there on weekdays. also check out 798 art district on a weekday morning, the old factory pipes and graffiti make great contrast shots. tbh bring a wider lens than u think you need, everything in beijing is bigger than it looks in photos
everyone goes for the big landmarks but honestly the best shots i got were from the overpasses on the 3rd ring road at dusk, just traffic light trails with CCTV tower lit up in the background. also guomao at blue hour from the silk street footbridge, the CBD towers all glassy & orange, tripod helps cuz u need a slow shutter. one thing nobody mentions, air quality totally changes your photos so check the AQI app the night before, a clear day after rain is worth waiting for
For sunrise the Temple of Heaven east gate area is underrated, locals doing tai chi around 5:30am with the morning fog, way better than fighting crowds at Tiananmen. For sunset honestly just walk along the canal near Shichahai, the reflections off the water with the Drum Tower behind are hard to beat. Bring a tripod if you can, the good light only lasts like 20 mins this time of year.
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