“A place to listen to the yellow oriole.” That’s what Ting Li Guan means. The \u675c\u68a8\u5ead is not just a viewpoint. It’s a portal to imperial China.
Ting Li Guan is a restaurant with a poetic name. Dowager Empress Ci Xi named it. She loved to listen to birdsong here. She compared it to beautiful melodies in opera and music.
Empresses and royalty dined in the Summer Palace. This extravagant park was built for the Qing Dynasty rulers. The restaurant’s beauty still awes diners today.
Emperor Qianlong built Ting Li Guan. He wanted to celebrate his mother’s birthday. Allied forces burned it down in 1860. But Dowager Empress Ci Xi rebuilt it.
Ci Xi was powerful. Her kitchen was bigger than the emperor’s. Tourists remember the long corridor in front of Wanshou Mountain. Beautiful paintings adorn the roofs and girders. Ting Li Guan has the same paintings. They are even more elaborate.
Many signs show this was Ci Xi’s favorite spot. A huge Chinese character for “longevity” decorates the entrance. Ci Xi herself wrote it. Inside, a stage with a roof stands ready. The empress enjoyed watching Chinese opera here.
The decor is grand and impressive. Vivid paintings of flowers and birds cover the roof. Beautiful chandeliers and Chinese lanterns add to the splendor.
Articles praising the imperial family and art once adorned the girders. These are copies now. The originals are in the Palace Museum.
The food is equally impressive. The menu evokes poetry. The appetizer, danfeng chaoyang, means “phoenix flying toward the sun.” It is almost as beautiful as the paintings.
Pork slices with red skin and pink meat form the wings. Green cucumber slices pave the tails. Yellow omelet strips, quail egg halves, and cherries add color. It’s a work of art. Diners hesitate to eat it.
An individual appetizer has seven ingredients. Mushroom, shrimp, seaweed, bean curd, pork slices, carrot, and peas are present. They are all bite-sized.
Traditional Beijing snacks also feature. Yellow pea cakes and white kidney bean rolls appear. Wowotou are little cone-shaped steamed buns of corn and chestnut flour.
Main dishes include flavorful braised sea cucumber with pork tendons. Steamed codfish with salty soybean sauce is another option. Abalone and white asparagus soup completes the meal.
Waitresses wear Qing Dynasty palace robes. They sport broad headdresses with big red flowers. They walk in traditional Manchurian clogs.
They narrate stories about the dishes. A round cake with minced pork filling is called “dreams come true cake.” A shrimp and venison dish was created by a palace maid. She wanted to marry outside the palace.
An “eight treasure” fish soup is cooked at the table. Fish slices, shrimp, chicken, starch noodles, and green vegetables are added. The waitress prepares it in a bronze pot heated with charcoal.
Ting Li Guan also serves closed-oven roasted duck with perilla leaves. Imperial-style cuisine has intangible cultural heritage status. This is due to its presentation and taste.
The restaurant seats 400 people in seven private rooms. Set meals start at 136 yuan. A 10-percent surcharge applies. This includes four dishes and a soup.
Private rooms cost 5,000 yuan for fewer than 10 people. Reservations are a must for dinner. Peking Opera performances can be arranged. The \u675c\u68a8\u5ead offers not just a view. It offers an experience.