Silly Zhu's Moving: The Old Neighbor's Nightmare

Inside Houyuanensi Hutong, there is a building that combines Chinese and Western architectural styles, named "Enyuan". It was originally the residence of Zaifu, the second son of Prince Qing during the Qing Dynasty.

This mansion changed hands several times and became Chiang Kai-shek's residence when he came to Beiping.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, this place successively served as the office of the North China Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, the Yugoslav Embassy, ​​and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. It is now the Friendship Hotel.

No. 13 Houyuanensi Hutong will later become the former residence of Mao Dun, which was originally the site of Yuanen Temple in the Yuan Dynasty.

Mao Dun moved here in 1974, and the screen wall in front of the gate will be inscribed with the four characters "Mao Dun's Former Residence" written by Comrade Deng Yingchao.

Compared to the surrounding grand mansions, it appears ordinary and inconspicuous.

This small, two-courtyard house was renovated and reopened on the occasion of the 110th anniversary of Mao Dun's birth.

A bust of Mr. Mao Dun stands in the front yard of his former residence, and the surrounding rooms display his life story.

The backyard was furnished according to how the gentleman had arranged it, including a bedroom, living room, and study.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Mr. Mao Dun lived in the Ministry of Culture dormitory in Dongsi Toutiao. In 1974, he moved to Houyuanensi Hutong, where he spent the last seven years of his life until his death in 1981.

In addition, Heizhima Hutong also has some large, secluded courtyard houses, most of which are currently owned by private individuals or organizations.

The hutong preserves the residence of Kui Jun, a minister of the Imperial Household Department during the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty. It is a building with a garden, located on seven steps, and has five courtyards.

Today, the garden and part of the courtyard have been occupied by Heizhima Hutong Primary School, which is a municipal-level protected courtyard house with a history of more than 370 years.

Heizhima Hutong Primary School enjoys a high reputation in Dongcheng District. Its East Campus was originally the Bordered Yellow Banner Official School established in 1644, while the West Campus was located in the East Garden of the Prince Kuijun Mansion in the late Qing Dynasty. Its predecessor was the "Chinese Women's Vocational School" established in 1923, which was later renamed "Private Hongren Primary School" in 1949. After 1956, it was officially named Heizhima Hutong Primary School.

The famous writer Mao Dun personally inscribed the school's name.

The origin of the name Heizhima Hutong is said to be that there was once a paper horse maker named He in the hutong. His workshop, "Qiqiaozhai", was later called Hezhima Hutong by people using the homonym, and then evolved into Heizhima Hutong.

Sha Zhu wandered around Nanluoguxiang in a big circle, his body still wet from the rain.

I returned to Ju'er Hutong, my current residence, No. 137 Nanluoguxiang, which is located in the historic Ju'er Hutong community.

Juer Hutong, as the northern boundary of Nanluoguxiang, connects Jiaonan Street to the east and Nanluoguxiang to the west, with a total length of 438 meters and a width of 6 meters.

The residents of the hutongs are of diverse ethnicities, including Han, Manchu, Hui, and Mongolian.

Near the east entrance of Ju'er Hutong and in a mansion in Shoubi Hutong, Ronglu, the Qing Dynasty Governor-General of Zhili and Minister of War, once lived.

The original mansion was quite large, consisting of Western-style buildings, gardens, and a five-courtyard Chinese-style siheyuan (traditional courtyard house).

However, after liberation, it was divided into several parts, including one that had served as part of the Afghan Embassy and was later converted into staff quarters, which greatly affected its layout and preservation.

Nanluoguxiang is famous for its dense network of hutongs, but the ancient and tranquil residences of famous people in these hutongs add endless splendor to this street.

According to later statistics, there are 27 former residences of famous people in the Nanluoguxiang area.

This includes the Senggelinqin Prince's Mansion, the maternal home of Empress Wanrong in the late Qing Dynasty, and the residence of Zaifu, the second son of Prince Qing Yikuang.

In addition, there are Chiang Kai-shek's former residence, Mao Dun's former residence, Qi Gong's former residence, Qi Baishi Memorial Hall, and the Central Academy of Drama, which is known as the "Avenue of Stars". Shajing Hutong also preserves the residence of Qing Dynasty minister Shi Kui.

Lu Xun's former residence is located at No. 51 Nanluoguxiang. This is where Lu Xun, a giant of modern Chinese literature, once lived and created. It preserves Lu Xun's living environment and creative trajectory and is an important place to pay tribute to him.

Bing Xin's former residence is located at No. 85 Nanluoguxiang, showcasing the life and cultural achievements of this important female writer and translator.

The Lin Yutang Memorial Hall at No. 19 Nanluoguxiang, which was built in later years, is a museum established to commemorate the modern writer Lin Yutang, showcasing his literary achievements and personal life.

In addition, the Beijing People's Art Theatre at No. 12 Nanluoguxiang is the property owner of the Beijing People's Art Theatre. It is an important performance venue for Chinese drama and theater, and often stages a variety of excellent theatrical works, attracting many artists and audiences.

Nanluoguxiang was once the residence of officials and nobles of various dynasties. The oldest surviving residence is the mansion built by Hong Chengchou, a rebel general at the end of the Ming Dynasty, according to the standards of a first-rank official. Although most of it has been transformed into courtyard houses and bungalows, people can still feel the weight of history.

Unfortunately, most of the famous residential buildings in the Nanluoguxiang area are not open to the public; visitors can only admire them from the outside.

In later generations, only a few former residences, such as the Qi Baishi Former Residence Memorial Hall and the Mao Dun Former Residence, are open to visitors.

Nanluoguxiang is conveniently located near the Drum and Bell Towers, Houmen Bridge, Shichahai, Lotus Market, Yandaixie Street, Beihai Park, and Jingshan Park.

Seeing Yu Shui's lackluster expression, Sha Zhu muttered to himself, but forced a smile and suggested:

"How about I take you to Beihai Park for a stroll?"

Rain looked at her brother with a wronged expression, gently pounding her legs with her little fists.

With a worried look on her face, she said, "Brother, it would have been so much better if you had just taken me to Beihai Park from the beginning. Now I'm too tired to walk anymore, and you're only bringing this up now. Maybe we should just go home."

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu smiled and teased, "What, don't you want to go play with your friends?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Shui panicked, grabbed Sha Zhu's arm tightly with both hands, and pulled him straight towards home.

He kept shouting, "I'm not going anywhere, brother, open the door right now."

And so, Sha Zhu was half-dragged, half-carried by the rain to his own doorstep, where he happened to bump into Xu Damao, who was squatting on the ground drawing circles.

The kid was holding a small pebble, scribbling on the ground while muttering, "Stupid Zhu, you deadbeat Zhu, you've kept me waiting for so long."

Hearing the noise, he suddenly stood up and shouted at Sha Zhu, "You stupid Sha Zhu, as soon as I heard you moved back, I rushed over, and you actually made me wait for so long."

Are you still my good buddy? You haven't contacted me for over two months. Do you look down on me and have forgotten about me?

"Silly Zhu, you said, if you don't want to play with me anymore, I'll never come to see you again. Who wants to play with you!" Xu Damao said, pointing his finger at Silly Zhu with a red face and thick neck.

Sha Zhu shrugged helplessly and explained, "Sha Mao, you know I'm either at work or learning cooking from my master on Qianmen Street. I don't have time to look for you."

Sha Zhu muttered to himself, "Xu Damao is already in junior high school, how come he's still so childish?"

Xu Damao wasn't buying it and argued, "You're lying! When you used to rest at Fengzeyuan, didn't you often come back to visit me?"

"Alright, alright, Sha Mao, step aside. I need to open the door. Yu Shui is in a hurry to get home. Let's go inside and talk." Sha Zhu said, preparing to pull Xu Damao aside.

Seeing this, Xu Damao stepped back, leaning against the door, and shouted, "No, Shazhu, you have to apologize to me, or I will never let you open the door."

Sha Zhu smiled and compromised, "Okay, okay, I apologize to you, alright?" As he spoke, he grabbed Xu Damao's arm and pulled him aside.

Sha Zhu took out his key, turned it gently, and the door opened with a click.

He first let the rainwater into the house, then put his arm around Xu Damao's shoulder and half-pushed, half-pulled him into his new home.

He said with a smile as he walked, "Come on, I just moved back today. You haven't seen my new home yet. Come on in and I'll show you. I guarantee you'll be very envious."

Xu Damao was half-carried, half-dragged inside by Sha Zhu. His small hands tried to break free from the large hand on his shoulder, but he couldn't pry it off.

He kept yelling, "Silly Zhu, you haven't formally apologized to me yet!"

Only after entering the house did Sha Zhu release Xu Damao's shoulder.

He said with a smile, "Didn't I just apologize casually? Besides, you know perfectly well that when I was learning my skills at Fengzeyuan, it was because my dad was still alive that I was able to come back and visit you whenever I had free time."

Now that I'm working, I haven't even officially graduated from my apprenticeship yet. My master will definitely use his breaks to give me intensive cooking lessons. Even if I wanted to go out, my master wouldn't allow it.