Beijing – Hutongs & New Year Dumplings
After a pretty grueling flight (hello 18 hours on an airplane), we arrived in Beijing late in the evening, and holy moly was it COLD! As we were driven to our hotel in Old Beijing, we pondered our surroundings. The juxtaposition of metropolitan life and ancient (literally) history was breathtaking – a woven tapestry of the old and the new.
Down a hidden hutong, we finally arrived at our home for the next few days, and it was more than we could’ve imagined. We generally don’t get too worked up over hotels – we hardly spend any time in them anyways and if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. How very wrong we were. Reminiscent of Beijing itself, Hotel Cote Cour Beijing was a fusion of the old and the new, steeped in hutong culture but with all the modern amenities you could ask for.
We awoke bright and early the next morning to some pretty frigid temperatures, but the show must go on. So, we braved the cold and made our way to the hotel restaurant where we were greeted with the most amazing FREE breakfast we have ever had. Yup…those are flowers made out of fruit and veggies!
Full and pleasantly surprised, we ventured out to the streets of Beijing to experience and explore as much as we could in the next 4 days. A short subway ride later and we emerged into the sunlight in front of a beautiful temple complex. The Yonghe Temple or Lama Temple is a Tibetan Buddhist temple and monastery located in the Dongcheng District of Beijing and still an active place of worship. Amongst tree-filled courtyards, you will find 5 main halls along the central axis characterized by magnificent arches, sloping roofs, and detailed frescoes.
By the way, it was cold…like really really COLD.
As clouds of incense filled the air, several Buddhist monks shuffled by while worshippers laid gifts on intricately adorned shrines. While most of the visitors to the Lama Temple were tourists, knowing there were those there to worship created a sense of fervor and reverence you don’t often find at most tourist destinations. If you see one temple while in Beijing, definitely make it this one.
After thoroughly exploring the Lama Temple and stopping by a tea shop to warm up for a bit, we headed further down the street to the Temple of Confucius and Guozijian Academy. Unlike the Lama Temple, the Temple of Confucius is no longer an active place of worship; however, being the second largest Confucian temple in China and home to various important cultural relics make it a worthwhile stop. The ornate architecture was absolutely gorgeous with its colorful glazed tiles and slanting roofs.
The temple houses hundreds of stone steles detailing the names of all the Jin Shi, those individuals who passed the highest-level exams in the Confucian State Doctrine during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. In the adjoining Guozijian Academy or Imperial College, 189 steles feature the over 630,000 chiseled Chinese characters of the 13 Confucian Classics. Wow. That’s a lot of chiseling.
With freezing fingers (literally, I was pretty sure I was suffering from frostbite) and grumbling tummies, we left the Temple of Confucius and headed into the heart of a nearby hutong. We absolutely LOVE Asian food, particularly dumplings, so when the opportunity presented itself to learn how to make (and then eat!) Chinese New Year’s Dumplings, we jumped at the chance.
The Hutong is a cultural exchange center in the heart of Old Beijing that provides locals and travelers alike with the opportunity to learn and experience Chinese culture in new and immersive ways through culinary classes, walking tours, biking adventures, and educational workshops. As we were visiting during the Chinese New Year, it seemed only appropriate that we spend our afternoon learning the traditions and customs behind New Year Dumplings, which just happen to be one of our favorite foods. And after our experience, I cannot recommend The Hutong enough!
After getting lost only once (hey, hutongs are hard to navigate), we were greeted at the entrance to The Hutong by our culinary teacher Michelle and led through a cozy courtyard decorated with red lanterns into a warm kitchen. Armed with cutting boards, rolling pins, and knives (yes, I was allowed to have a knife…haha), we were ready to delve into the traditional Chinese art of dumpling-making. And an art form it surely is. While we hand-made and rolled out the dough and diced veggies for the fillings, Michelle instructed us on the different uses of Chinese sauces and spices and the perfect thickness of dumpling wrappers. Then it was time to assemble. And after what felt like hundreds of dumplings, I think we were starting to get the hang of it!
With both pork and vegetarian fillings concealed inside colorful wrappers, we were finally ready to cook (and eat!). Michelle showed us the proper way to both steam and pan-fry, poured us some delicious tea, and explained the custom and traditions behind Chinese New Year Dumplings. The shape, filling, and arrangement all matter – each determining your wealth and prosperity for the next year. Legend has it that the more dumplings you eat during the Chinese New Year celebrations, the more money you will make in the New Year. So, since we basically ate our bodyweights in dumplings (seriously I must’ve eaten at least 30), I’m thinking this year will be pretty freaking prosperous!
