Weekend Outing in Beijing Suburbs | Gubei Water Town

| Gubei Water Town. Text: Standing on the bluestone road of Gubei Water Town, I looked up at the layered black eaves, and in the distance, the outline of the Simatai Great Wall meandered in the twilight. The lanterns by the water lane suddenly lit up one by one, and the river water kneaded the warm yellow light into pieces and then pieced it together again. At that moment, I suddenly felt that the time pinned to the screen in the city, the PPTs circulating in the conference room, and the KPIs that were always 0.5% short were all crumpled into paper balls and thrown into this pool of water with a "plop." ◼️ Why here? After three years of being stuck in Beijing, I came across a night view of Gubei Water Town late one night after working overtime. The lanterns reflected on the water looked just like the brushstrokes in "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains." The next day, I took a vacation, and after a 1.5-hour drive, I really threw myself into this "painting." There is no anxiety of checking in at popular online spots. The rhythm here is the time it takes for a waterwheel to turn a circle—slow and justified. When taking a sculling boat through the arch bridge, the boatman said, "Lower your head." With a bend of the waist, the stone bridge above and the brick wall covered with vines flowed out of sight. This sense of ritual of "lowering your head to see the scenery" inexplicably healed the cervical spine that was constantly straining against the computer. ◼️ Healing Moment Archive ▪️ Unmanned Water Lane at 6:00 AM Strolling around before the tourists wake up, there are only my own footsteps on the stone road. In the misty air, the early-rising shopkeepers set up steamers, and the sweet smell of brown sugar steamed buns mixed with the morning mist and drilled into the tip of my nose—it turns out that "the atmosphere of life" is the most advanced aromatherapy. ▪️ Dusk at the Church on the Top of the Mountain Climbing halfway up the mountain and looking back, the entire town is like honey amber softened by the sunset. Listening to "Pipa Language" in my headphones, the wind jingled the copper bells on the eaves. I suddenly understood what the ancients meant by "stealing half a day of leisure from a busy life"—the word "stealing" is really wonderful. ▪️ Stargazing on the Great Wall at Night Take the cable car to Simatai, and the city wall is like a sleeping dragon's spine. When I looked up at the stars, someone behind me whispered, "Look, Orion's belt." Suddenly, I smiled tacitly with a stranger. How long has it been since I shared a night sky so aimlessly in the city? ◼️ Anti-Involution Revelation When I was writing in my notebook on the balcony of the B&B while nibbling on roasted sweet potatoes, I found that all the shops in the town closed on time at 10pm, and even the cafes wrote "Work at sunrise, rest at sunset." The owner said with a smile: "We can't compete here. We have to watch the stars at night." I suddenly realized that we always imagine "escape" as a heroic resignation and wandering, but perhaps the real anti-involution is allowing ourselves to be like this small town—having the courage to turn off the lights and the confidence to turn them on. On the way back, a colleague's overtime message popped up on my phone. I turned off the screen and threw the last shell of sugar-fried chestnuts into the trash can with the word "slow" written on it. 📝 Pragmatic Easter Eggs ▫️Transportation: Beijing Suburb High-speed Railway Miyun Station + 30 min taxi ride, easier than driving yourself ▫️Hidden Spot: The window frame on the second floor of Yinghua Academy can capture "seeing the Great Wall through the window" ▫️Anti-Involution Props: Jasmine tea at the riverside teahouse for CNY 38 per person, can be used to space out for two hours Gubei Water Town