The next morning, as soon as Li Zhongxin got up, he heard his mother calling Li Shangyong to go out. Li Zhongxin couldn't understand why his mother had so much energy to do such a thing.

After having a simple breakfast at the Beijing Office of the Hei Province, Li Zhongxin and his parents got into the car driven by Wang Deqing and went straight to the Xidan Shopping Mall.

Wang Deqing has been in the capital for more than ten years and can basically be considered an old Beijing. While driving, he explained to Wang Yaqing and Li Shangyong and the others what was going on in Xidan.

The name of Xidan comes from a archway, which is titled "Zhanyun". There is also an archway at the intersection of Dongdan Road in Dongcheng District, titled "Juji".

Because they are all single archways and are opposite to the east and west, they are commonly known as Xidan archway and Dongdan archway, and are referred to as Xidan and Dongdan archway for short.

The history of Xidan Street Commercial District can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty. At that time, it was the main intersection leading to the Guang'anmen Road, the southwest of the capital. The commercial and travelers and goods coming from land from the southwest provinces must go from Lugou Bridge to the outer city Guang'anmen from the east, and then go north to the inner city Xuanwumen through Caishikou, and enter all parts of the inner city through Xidan.

To this end, some shops, wine shops and restaurants were opened in Xidan area to entertain passers-by. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Dali Temple, Taipu Temple, Taichang Temple, the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, and the Luanyiwei governments near Xichang'an Street were mostly purchased by Xidan, which promoted the commercial development here.

In the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, most Manchu nobles lived in the northwest city. Many institutions of the Beiyang government and the Kuomintang government were also set up near Xicheng. In order to meet the needs of the Qing Dynasty's legacy and politicians and upstarts, the number of restaurants, hotels, department stores, vegetable shops, and stall vendors in the Xidan area increased day by day.

The Xidan shopping mall founded on the east side of the street in 1929 includes daily necessities, snacks and food, vanity book stalls, and stories, juggling, entertainment, opera and other industries, with a wide variety.

Later, shops such as "Sanyou Industrial Club" and "Foreign Goods Store" appeared. Originally, vendors and shops in Xisi and Huguo Temple also gathered in Xidan, prompting Xidan Street to become the commercial center of Xicheng.

After the reform and opening up, Xidan Street grew into a prosperous commercial street, mainly including Xidan Department Store, Xidan Shopping Center, Baihua Market, Quanyechang, National World, Xidan Furniture Store, Xidan Vegetable Market, Guixiangcun Nanwei Pastry Shop, Tongchunyuan Restaurant, Yuhuatai Restaurant, etc.

Later, with the construction of the high-rise buildings, large department stores and office buildings such as Xidan Sate, Juntai Department Store, Zhongyou Department Store, Xixi Friendship Mall, Xidan Book Building, and Bank of China were established.

In 1992, the Xidan Station of the subway was opened, and Xidan Street was widened and could radiate to the fourth ring road of the north and south, and the enhancement of traffic functions further drove the development of commerce.

It is a place where merchants gather with a long history and profound cultural heritage. Xidan, Wangfujing and Dashilan are known as the three traditional commercial areas.

We were strolling here during the day. At noon, we went to the Tongchunyuan Restaurant for dinner. This hotel is a very famous hotel in Beijing. I have already set a location.

When Wang Deqing explained to Li Shangyong and Wang Yaqing about Xidan, he directly told Li Zhongxin and the others that he had already set a place for lunch.

"When I went to Tongchunyuan at noon, how does this restaurant taste like?" Li Shangyong asked seriously.

Li Shangyong really didn't care much about whether to go to Tongchunyuan at noon. After all, they had to go to the State Guesthouse to have a banquet at night. However, if they had lunch at Tongchunyuan Hotel at noon, they would at least wander less during the day. Li Shangyong was also scared by Wang Yaqing's combat power.

"Tongchunyuan Hotel has developed from a time-honored Chinese brand and a famous special restaurant. Among the many hotels in Beijing, hotels with the characteristics of time-honored restaurants are rare. The predecessor of Tongchunyuan Hotel was Tongchunyuan Restaurant, a famous Jiangsu-style restaurant known as the capital. It was opened in 1930 and has been operating in the bustling Xidan Commercial District for almost 70 years.

You will know what the taste of this restaurant is. When I went there last time, I heard that when Tongchunyuan opened, it was a top dish with squirrels and mandarin fish, which attracted diners to smell the fragrance and stop the horse and Zhiwei.

Squirrel mandarin fish is a must-order on the table. The unique feature is the taste, which is sweet and sour, with a slightly sour taste in the sweet and sour texture; the dish is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. In addition to the taste, it focuses on shape and feels fresh. The juice is squeaky on the table. The knife skills are staggered, the heat is burnt and tender, the sauce is sweet and sour, and the dishes are vertically placed on the plate, like a squirrel walking slowly. I have eaten this squirrel mandarin fish. The taste is really good, and it is incomparable to other restaurants.

I have heard many people say that in the 1920s and 1930s, Tongchunyuan was a big restaurant in the capital, and literati and scholars often came to admire fish. Back then, Mr. Qi Baishi was the master of painting, so he really liked the squirrel fish in Tongchunyuan.

It was said that the old man Baishi took his closed disciple Lou Shibai to Tongchunyuan to meet friends. After getting off the rickshaw, Lou Shibai was eager to support Teacher Baishi and the car broke his long shirt. Because Lou Shibai's family was poor, he saw that such a serious dress was broken, which made him feel very distressed.

However, in order to make his disciples happy, Mr. Bai Shi asked for paper and pen to enter Tongchun Garden, and wrote a picture of "Putting the Fragment" and wrote a poem on the painting: "Surve on foot and heading to the restaurant, the lights on the six streets are setting. When he returned, he was still drunk and leisurely, so he painted the Lou family's picture of "Putting the Fragment."

While driving, Wang Deqing talked about the Tongchunyuan Hotel to Li Shangyong. To put it bluntly, Wang Deqing also heard from the truth. He was not very clear about the specific things, but he knew that this place was an old hotel and was loved by high-end people in the capital.

"We will go to the State Guesthouse to have dinner in the evening. At noon, I think it's enough to just have a bite. It may take a long time to eat in such a restaurant." Wang Yaqing said these words and saw that her son and husband were eager to try, she started to speak.

Wang Yaqing really has no idea or interest in things other than shopping. What is the best and bad old shops in Beijing, but only have lunch. If you go to such a good place, you won’t have much time to wander during the day.
Chapter completed!