Longtan Lake Park and the Tomb of Yuan Chonghuan.

Heading south along Xizhaosi Street, you will see the newly renovated Longtan Lake Park.
I haven't been here for more than 30 years since I graduated from high school. When I was in my senior year of high school and preparing for the college entrance examination, all of my classmates would come here for a walk before evening self-study, walk around Longtan Lake, and then return to the classroom to continue studying...
In the 1980s, at the beginning of social reform, a large group of us who were preparing to become the pride of the world, did not know the tomb of "Yuan Chonghuan" in the park, which should be remembered by the people of Beijing. It seems that we should know that the tomb keeper has been passed down from generation to generation, and has been silently guarding this anti-Qing hero! The loyal ministers have always had a tragic end. Remember to curse him a few times when you go to Jingshan to see the crooked neck tree where Chongzhen hanged himself next time...
Until around 2010, the annual Longtan Lake Spring Festival Temple Fair was one of the three major temple fairs in Beijing, along with the Ditan and Changdian Temple Fairs. It is said that the booth fee was sky-high at that time, and it had to be auctioned publicly!
Times have changed, and the square behind the Yuan Chonghuan Memorial Hall is still crowded with people in front of various stalls, and the shouting is endless.

Post by Charlotte Caldwell | Oct 5, 2024