Silver Ingot Bridge

The Silver Ingot Bridge is located at the intersection of Qianhai and Houhai in Shichahai, with single-hole stone arches, "sectional" stone railings, figure-eight railings and drum stones at both ends. It has swallow-wing walls on both sides of the bridge and 5 pieces of white jade openwork cloud flower railings and 6 emerald scroll flower pillars, presenting a small and exquisite feeling as a whole.

There are two main theories about the origin of the name of the Silver Ingot Bridge. One is that the bridge body of the Silver Ingot Bridge is very short, and the figure-eight wing walls on both sides are very long, looking down from a height like an inverted silver ingot. Another theory is that when the silver ingot bridge was renovated, it was found that the cypress stakes under the bridge were fixed with silver ingot locks, so it was called the "silver ingot bridge".

In the early years, there were not many tall buildings in Beijing, and the people rarely saw the distant scenery. However, on a clear day, if you stand on the Silver Ingot Bridge and look west, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of West Mountain over the water.

Appointment: No appointment required

Address: No. 75, Yandaixie Street, Xicheng District, Beijing

Yandaixie Street

Yandaixie Street is located in front of the Drum Tower on Di'anmen Outer Street and was first formed in the Yuan Dynasty. The street itself is like a tobacco bag as the slender street is like a tobacco bag pole, the east entrance is like a tobacco bag mouth, and the west entrance is folded to the south, leading to the silver ingot bridge, which looks like a tobacco bag pot.

In the old days, Yandaixie Street was called "Little Liuli Factory". After the end of the Qing dynasty, the princes and nobles living near Shichahai and the children of the Eight Banners lost their fortunes, and in order to make a living, they sold antique calligraphy and paintings and opened a number of shops dealing in the four treasures of literature, antique jade, framed calligraphy and paintings on Yandaixie Street.

As soon as you enter the street, the flavor of old Beijing comes to your face. Antique door faces, carved doors and windows, navy blue curtains, and plaques with gold characters on a black lacquer base hung on the lintel, many of which are handwritten by famous artists. The shops along the street dealing in paper cutting, pottery, clay kneaders, candy blowers, and special snacks can help immerse visitors walking on this quaint street in the rich cultural atmosphere of Beijing.

Appointment: No appointment required

Address: No. 50, Di'anmen Outer Street, Xicheng District, Beijing

Translator: BAO Minmin

Reviewer: ZHANG Ruochen