北京生活行家指南

闞超群

I could easily list 10 things I do not like about Beijing， but at the same time I could list twice as many that I love about the city， which has been my home for 10 years.

As the countrys capital， Beijing has the best of everything China has to offer， from technology and culture to talented people. I love life in the cosmopolis， with its modernity and convenience， and the international exposure it provides.

I like the part of Beijing life that connects the present and the past， such as the retired men who gather in Jingshan Park for “bird walking” （morning walks carrying their caged birds）， people fishing in the Liangma River， and the wormwood hung on the gates to the Dragon Boat Festival to ward off misfortune.

Where to live： Haiyuncang Hutong

Haiyuncang Hutong mixes the modern with the traditional. Its name means “barn storing grains that were transported by sea”. It is an old community full of life， 3km north-east of the Forbidden City， the vast imperial palace in central Beijing.

Every morning， our neighbourhood of apartment buildings， home to some 10，000 people， is full of parents sending children to school on their bicycles， grannies holding bags of vegetables from the morning markets and old men practising tai chi in the park.

Across the street are rows of traditional hutong （narrow alleyway） houses， along with restaurants， schools， cultural spaces， barbershops and mah-jong rooms.

If I want a taste of “modern” Beijing， five minutes on the trolleybus takes me to Sanlitun， one of the citys most dynamic， fashionable and international areas， full of interesting bars， nightclubs， fancy hotels and flagship luxury stores.

Where to have dinner

Beijing has several good Yunnan restaurants， but In & Out， which is part of a chain， is the one I go to. The cooking in southern Chinas Yunnan province is famous for its freshness and use of herbs. For me， it has the best mushroom dishes of any Chinese cuisine.

The In & Out near the Workers Stadium sports complex is spacious and simply decorated， with greenery and artwork from ethnic minorities such as the Yi and Hani. The waiting staff are from Yunnan， and are always willing and proud to answer my questions on their dishes.

Where to discover art

Songzhuang art colony in the citys eastern suburbs is the biggest concentration of artists in Beijing， numbering thousands. Many of their works are reflections on social issues.

As the area has become more famous， however， property developers have been eyeing it up， and many galleries and studios have already been demolished. The artists themselves， who embody a spirit of free thinking and creativity， remain committed to fighting to retain their community.

Where to watch a film

Located in a hutong in central Beijing， Camera Stylo is a cinema， bar and art space. It screens several classic films each week and has monthly themes， such as Halloween.

You can rent a room for private screenings. I have done this a few times with friends. One summer night a few years ago we selected a film， ordered some wine and had a beautiful night on the roof with fierce discussions about politics and current affairs.

Where to listen to music

East Shore Live Jazz Café， hidden away in a corner of the touristy Houhai lake area， is small and cosy. Sitting at the window， you can see the lights from nearby venues reflected on the lake and watch tourists laughing and taking photos， while the beautiful jazz flows through the room. It is a place for me to forget my worries.

Where to walk

Ditan Park is big， quiet and very central. It is beautiful in the autumn when the ginkgo （maidenhair） trees turn yellow. “Ditan” means “altar of the earth”， and the park has a temple and altar dedicated to the god of the earth. Pensioners join in with group activities here， such as dancing， singing Beijing opera， practising tai chi or just strolling.

Where to write

I need to pay special tribute to The Bookworm in Sanlitun， which closed because of a problem with its lease. During its 14-year life， it was the centre of Beijing literary life. A bookshop， library， bar， restaurant and event venue， it was the best place to meet people， or to sit by yourself， reading or writing.

Nowhere else in the city compares for the dynamic， open environment it provided for deep discussions or constructive debate. It may be premature to say the bookshop is dead， however， as its management team is looking for a new venue.

我可以輕松列舉出我不喜歡北京的10個理由，但同時也能列舉出我愛北京的20個理由。北京是我生活了10年的家。

作為中國的首都，北京擁有中國所能呈現的最好的一切，從科技到文化到人才。我喜歡這個國際大都市的生活，享受它的現代和便利，以及它提供的國際交流機會。

我喜歡北京生活中連接現在與過去的那些場景，比如退休的大爺聚集在景山公園遛鳥（早晨拎著鳥籠散步），人們在亮馬河釣魚，臨近端午節在門上懸掛艾草辟邪。

在哪兒住：海運倉胡同

海運倉胡同融合了現代與傳統。它的名字意思是“儲存海運谷物的糧倉”。這是一個充滿活力的老社區，位于紫禁城——北京市中心龐大的皇家宮殿——東北方向3公里處。

我們這個小區約有1萬居民，每天清晨，小區附近都是騎著自行車送孩子上學的父母、拎著早市上剛買的一袋袋蔬菜的大媽，還有在公園里打太極的大爺。

街對面是一排排老式的胡同（狹窄的小巷）房，還有餐館、學校、文化空間、理發店和棋牌室（可打麻將）。

如果想領略“現代”北京，只要搭乘無軌電車，5分鐘就能到三里屯——北京最有活力、最時尚、最國際化的地方之一，盡是有趣的酒吧、夜總會、豪華酒店和奢侈品旗艦店。

去哪兒吃

北京有幾家不錯的云南餐廳，而我常去的那家連鎖餐廳名叫“一坐一忘麗江主題餐廳”。云南省位于中國南部，其烹飪以新鮮食材和使用藥草聞名。我認為云南有全中國最好的菌菇菜。

這家店靠近工人體育館，店面寬敞，裝修簡單，擺放了綠植及彝族、哈尼族等少數民族的藝術品作為裝飾。服務員都來自云南，對于我關于他們家菜肴的提問，總是樂于回答，言語滿是自豪。

到哪兒探尋藝術

宋莊藝術區位于北京東郊，是北京最大的藝術家聚集地，聚集了幾千名藝術家。他們的很多作品都反映了社會問題。

然而，隨著宋莊藝術區的名氣越來越大，房地產開發商也瞄準了這里，很多畫廊和工作室已被拆除。代表著自由思想和創造精神的藝術家們依然全力爭取保留他們的社區。

上哪兒看電影

位于北京市中心一條胡同里的“攝影筆”是一家電影院，同時也是酒吧和藝術空間。那里每周都會放映幾部經典電影，還有萬圣節這樣的月度主題展映。

你可以租一間私人放映廳。我就跟朋友租過幾次。幾年前一個夏天的晚上，我們選了一部電影，點了一些紅酒，在屋頂露臺熱烈地討論時事政治，度過了一個美好的夜晚。

到哪兒聽音樂

“東岸爵士吧”隱匿在游客嘈雜的后海的一個角落里，空間不大，很舒適。坐在窗邊，能看到附近場地的燈光倒映在湖里，看到游客說笑拍照，與此同時，優美的爵士樂在室內流動。對我來說這真是個忘卻煩惱的好地方。

去哪兒散步

地壇公園位于市中心，地方很大，很安靜。秋天銀杏變黃時，公園美極了。“地壇”意思是“祭地之壇”。公園里有一座寺廟和祭壇，用于祭祀地神。退休的老人會來這里參加集體活動，比如跳舞、唱京劇、打太極，或者就是散散步。

在哪兒寫作

我要對三里屯的“老書蟲書吧”致以特別的謝意。這家書吧因為租約問題已停止營業。在14年的營業生涯里，它一直是北京文學生活的中心。它不僅是家書店，同時也是圖書館、酒吧、餐廳和活動場所，不管是與人會面，還是獨坐看書寫字，那里都是最好的去處。

“老書蟲書吧”為進行深度交流或建設性辯論提供了活躍開放的環境，北京其他任何地方都無法與之媲美。不過，說這家書店已死可能為時尚早，因為管理團隊正在尋找新的場地。

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎者）