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Enjoying Life near Beijing Central AxisByYe Shan and Niu Weikun March 27, 2024
Wolters, a Dutch friend of China, and his Chinese wife, Li Wenjun, in 2004 settled their home in a traditional quadrangle courtyard in the Jingshan community. When standing on the Wanchun Pavilion, in Jingshan Park, the highest point of Beijing's old city, Beijing Central Axis can be clearly seen. "You have to go up, and then, you can see the axis in the context of the city," Wolters says. This, he tells Women of China, is an important reason why his family decided to live in Jingshan.
During a 1991 high-level UN-China experts' workshop on tourism management, which was held in the then-just designated UNESCO World Heritage site, Mount Huangshan, in east China's Anhui Province, Wolters met Li, who was an interpreter during the workshop. They married in 1997, the year Wolters spent his first Spring Festival in China. Wolters and Li say they were pleased to participate in the filming of a documentary promoting Beijing Central Axis to the world. As residents of Jingshan community, they tell viewers what daily life near the axis is really like. For example, they generally begin their day buying freshly cooked baozi (steamed and stuffed buns), doujiang (soybean milk) and youtiao (deep-fried dough sticks) at a breakfast stall in a hutong.
Why did Wolters decide to live in China? To be with his family here, of course. What's more, he has an "emotional bond" with Beijing Central Axis. Wolters once said he was impressed by the fascinating view after he climbed to Wanchun Pavilion. The artistic view, brought by symmetrical architectures, which are divided into two sides (east and west) by Beijing Central Axis, and the wisdom of planners for the old city of Beijing, triggered his interest in the capital city. Over the years, Wolters has read many books and reference materials recording the history of Beijing Central Axis.
Using his family as an example, Wolters says his youngest son, Ian, studied ballet in Tianqiao, in southern Beijing, when he was young. Ian's class normally lasted 90 minutes, and while Wolters waited for the class to end, he often wandered to Yongdingmen, in the southern section of the axis. "Especially if the weather was good, you could see a lot of residents in the neighborhood flying kites. Kites flying high in the blue sky, and embraced with wind, formed a typical scene there," Wolters recalls. He enjoys the peaceful, and interesting, lifestyle he has found along the axis, especially in southern Beijing. "Our sons, Sjeng and Ian, both grew up in the hutong area of Jingshan community. They look more like foreigners, but they can speak fluent Chinese, even with 'standard' accent of the Beijing dialect," Li says, smiling. Although Wolters can only speak a small amount of Chinese, their neighbors in the hutong are familiar with their old friend, from Holland.
"Sjeng studies stage direction in Shanghai. Ian continues studying ballet in Shenyang (in northeast China). I believe the most precious and remarkable memories of a person's life often rest in his/her childhood. Wherever my children have been to, Beijing and life nearby the axis will always be cherished in their hearts. This will remain to be my family's special connection with our home, in China," Li concludes.
Photos from Zhang Jiamin and Interviewees (Women of China English Monthly February 2024) 32.3KPlease understand that womenofchina.cn,a non-profit, information-communication website, cannot reach every writer before using articles and images. For copyright issues, please contact us by emailing: [email protected]. The articles published and opinions expressed on this website represent the opinions of writers and are not necessarily shared by womenofchina.cn. CommentsMagazinesProjects
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