Muslim-Friendly Mountain Stays Near Beijing: Two Hui Guesthouses for Spring Trips
Reposted from the web
Summary: This spring travel account visits two Hui Muslim guesthouses in Beijing’s mountain areas, with notes on meals, family trips, local scenery, and Muslim-friendly countryside stays.
At the end of April, we had lunch at Dongge Shanyuan Farmhouse, located deep in the mountains of Shengshuiyu, Fangshan. The farmhouse is very close to Shangfangshan National Forest Park. The mountains here are rugged, making this the steepest Hui Muslim farmhouse I have visited in Beijing. Driving to the farmhouse is fine, but electric cars cannot make it further up the mountain, so please be aware of this.
It is run by a Hui Muslim man from Haidian, and they specialize in Chinese toon (xiangchun) feasts and whole roasted lamb. The guest rooms are newly renovated and very clean, making it a great place to escape the summer heat. The courtyard sits on a platform atop a cliff. There are chickens and pigeons in the yard, along with many Chinese toon trees, which is why it is also called 'Chunxiang Valley'.
We ordered roasted lamb chops, scrambled eggs with Chinese toon, magnolia buds (mulanya), free-range chicken, stir-fried river shrimp with chives, shredded pork with garlic sprouts, and braised tofu with green onions. The Chinese toon was picked fresh from the trees, and the magnolia buds are the tender spring shoots of the goldenrain tree, a classic wild vegetable in the Beijing suburbs.
On May 5th, we went to Huairou for a post-holiday gathering at Xiangyu Homestay in Lianhuachi Village. It is run by Hui Muslims from the Tongzhou Great Mosque, and they specialize in rainbow trout and farmhouse dishes.
The homestay is in Lianhuachi Village, Huairou, right behind Mutianyu. You follow the valley from Yanqi Lake and pass Shentangyu to get there. I heard there was a huge traffic jam here on May 4th, but it was much less crowded when we went.
You must eat rainbow trout when you come to Huairou. Rainbow trout only survive in running water, so it is hard to find in the city. Their roasted fish is very well-made and has a great texture. For our meal, we had braised beef with potatoes, spicy stir-fried chicken, boiled beef, scrambled eggs with Chinese toon, celery with dried tofu, stewed tofu, stewed meatballs, mixed wild vegetables, and deep-fried prickly ash buds (huajiaoya), with green onion pancakes (conghuabing) as our staple food. The meatballs served at the start were a bit salty, but they adjusted immediately after we mentioned it, and the following dishes were all light. The Chinese toon and prickly ash buds were picked fresh from the trees; the main reason to eat in the mountains is for that fresh taste. The green onion pancakes were also pan-fried to order, which made them quite fragrant. The spicy chicken was a bit like fried chicken; it was tender inside but the flavor didn't soak in. The braised beef was cooked until very tender, and I thought it tasted good.
After eating, we went to play in the water at Shentangyu Village in Huairou. Parking in the village costs 20 yuan for anything over 30 minutes. There is a row of poplar trees by the water that provides shade, so it is not too sunny. We bought water clothes for the kids on the spot, but they still got quite wet sitting in the water, so I suggest bringing an extra set of clothes for the children. The water temperature in May is still a bit cool, but the sun is warm, making it perfect for outdoor activities.
Summary: This spring travel account visits two Hui Muslim guesthouses in Beijing’s mountain areas, with notes on meals, family trips, local scenery, and Muslim-friendly countryside stays.
At the end of April, we had lunch at Dongge Shanyuan Farmhouse, located deep in the mountains of Shengshuiyu, Fangshan. The farmhouse is very close to Shangfangshan National Forest Park. The mountains here are rugged, making this the steepest Hui Muslim farmhouse I have visited in Beijing. Driving to the farmhouse is fine, but electric cars cannot make it further up the mountain, so please be aware of this.
It is run by a Hui Muslim man from Haidian, and they specialize in Chinese toon (xiangchun) feasts and whole roasted lamb. The guest rooms are newly renovated and very clean, making it a great place to escape the summer heat. The courtyard sits on a platform atop a cliff. There are chickens and pigeons in the yard, along with many Chinese toon trees, which is why it is also called 'Chunxiang Valley'.
We ordered roasted lamb chops, scrambled eggs with Chinese toon, magnolia buds (mulanya), free-range chicken, stir-fried river shrimp with chives, shredded pork with garlic sprouts, and braised tofu with green onions. The Chinese toon was picked fresh from the trees, and the magnolia buds are the tender spring shoots of the goldenrain tree, a classic wild vegetable in the Beijing suburbs.
On May 5th, we went to Huairou for a post-holiday gathering at Xiangyu Homestay in Lianhuachi Village. It is run by Hui Muslims from the Tongzhou Great Mosque, and they specialize in rainbow trout and farmhouse dishes.
The homestay is in Lianhuachi Village, Huairou, right behind Mutianyu. You follow the valley from Yanqi Lake and pass Shentangyu to get there. I heard there was a huge traffic jam here on May 4th, but it was much less crowded when we went.
You must eat rainbow trout when you come to Huairou. Rainbow trout only survive in running water, so it is hard to find in the city. Their roasted fish is very well-made and has a great texture. For our meal, we had braised beef with potatoes, spicy stir-fried chicken, boiled beef, scrambled eggs with Chinese toon, celery with dried tofu, stewed tofu, stewed meatballs, mixed wild vegetables, and deep-fried prickly ash buds (huajiaoya), with green onion pancakes (conghuabing) as our staple food. The meatballs served at the start were a bit salty, but they adjusted immediately after we mentioned it, and the following dishes were all light. The Chinese toon and prickly ash buds were picked fresh from the trees; the main reason to eat in the mountains is for that fresh taste. The green onion pancakes were also pan-fried to order, which made them quite fragrant. The spicy chicken was a bit like fried chicken; it was tender inside but the flavor didn't soak in. The braised beef was cooked until very tender, and I thought it tasted good.
After eating, we went to play in the water at Shentangyu Village in Huairou. Parking in the village costs 20 yuan for anything over 30 minutes. There is a row of poplar trees by the water that provides shade, so it is not too sunny. We bought water clothes for the kids on the spot, but they still got quite wet sitting in the water, so I suggest bringing an extra set of clothes for the children. The water temperature in May is still a bit cool, but the sun is warm, making it perfect for outdoor activities.
