Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
    Life

    An exhaustive effort: On the trail of Beijing's hidden history

    By Michael Rhys Card | China Daily | Updated: 2025-05-23 00:00
    Share
    Share - WeChat

    When it comes to Beijing, what first come to mind are the grand imperial landmarks — such as the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, and the dozens of other magnificent temples and structures, big and small, peppered throughout the capital. But dig a little deeper and set your sights a little further afield, and you'll find countless hidden gems sitting in plain sight, both inside and outside city limits.

    This is a fact I soon discovered after joining a trail running club earlier this year — a hobby that allows me to combine my love of running with photography. Though not for the faint of heart, trail running offers a unique, albeit extremely exhausting, way of experiencing more of the natural landscapes that surround Beijing and other parts of China.

    I actually made one attempt at a trail run in 2021, and I hated every moment of it — 21 kilometers through the mountains in 32-degree heat. But my desire to explore while staying fit, along with the enticing name of the club, HiGO(short for "Hi friend, let's go"), and its equally inspiring slogan zhuri, meaning "chasing the sun", drew me in enough to give the sport a second chance.

    With routes that typically take you through mountains and forests, the trails are always a unique experience. On a recent run starting at Dajue Temple, we followed a route known as the Three Peaks — a particularly grueling 21 km course covering Luobadi North Peak (1,146 meters), Yangtai Mountain (1,278 meters), and Miaofeng Mountain (1,291 meters). The trail eventually wound its way down into a small village nestled at the base of a valley. I took the chance to explore while we were there and spotted some elderly hikers making their way up stone steps to an ancient shrine perched on the edge of a rocky outcrop.

    As I made my way over to them, the hikers kindly explained that this was a place to pray to Guanyin (the bodhisattva of compassion, also known as Avalokitesvara) — an influential goddess said to be a protector and healer, a compassionate listener (as her name means "the one who perceives the sounds of the world"), a figure of enlightenment, and even a goddess of fertility.

    After some more very broken conversation, I continued on my way. Though it was only a brief, if memorable encounter, experiences like this more than justify the sore muscles — and, in my case, creaky knees — that come with trail running. It's a great way not only to stay fit, but also to explore the nature and history of Beijing in a special way and meet like-minded people with whom to share the experience.

     

     

    A statue of Guanyin at the village shrine. MICHAEL RHYS CARD/CHINA DAILY

     

     

    Today's Top News

    Editor's picks

    Most Viewed

    Top
    BACK TO THE TOP
    English
    Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
    License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

    Registration Number: 130349
    FOLLOW US
    国产羞羞的视频在线观看 国产一级无码视频在线 | 亚洲福利中文字幕在线网址| 色窝窝无码一区二区三区色欲| 在线播放中文字幕| 亚洲AV永久无码天堂影院 | 亚洲Aⅴ无码专区在线观看q| 日韩国产中文字幕| 天堂√最新版中文在线| 99久久人妻无码精品系列| 亚洲精品无码MV在线观看| 国产中文在线亚洲精品官网 | 99高清中文字幕在线| 亚洲成A∨人片天堂网无码| 少妇伦子伦精品无码STYLES | 亚洲精品~无码抽插| 中文精品人人永久免费| 99久久超碰中文字幕伊人| 亚洲AV无码一区二区大桥未久 | 无码色AV一二区在线播放| 国产精品亚韩精品无码a在线| 国产AV无码专区亚洲AV漫画| 中文无码喷潮在线播放| 亚洲欧美成人久久综合中文网| 久久综合中文字幕| 色综合久久综合中文综合网| 婷婷色中文字幕综合在线 | 精品久久久久久中文字幕大豆网 | 国产精品无码一区二区在线观一 | 亚洲AV无码一区二区三区在线观看 | 日韩精品人妻系列无码专区免费| 国产成人无码AV一区二区| 无码丰满熟妇juliaann与黑人| 亚洲日韩VA无码中文字幕| 五月丁香啪啪中文字幕| 亚洲欧美中文日韩V在线观看| 中文无码喷潮在线播放| 中出人妻中文字幕无码| 亚洲av无码不卡一区二区三区| 无码乱人伦一区二区亚洲一 | 成在人线av无码免费高潮水 | 亚洲AV中文无码乱人伦下载|