Since the start of summer, the weather has grown warmer, and Shichahai is bustling with visitors. The former site of the Huixiantang restaurant at No. 18, North Qianhai Street, also attracts many people for photos. Huixiantang was once renowned as one of the "Eight Great Halls of Beijing," alongside establishments like Fushoutang in Jinyu Hutong, Huifengtang near Guanyinsi outside Qianmen, Juxiantang on Baozi Street in Xidan, Jushoutang in Qianliang Hutong, Tianfutang in Roushi outside Qianmen, Yanshoutang in Zongbu Hutong, and Qinghetang on Di'anmenwai Street. The owner of Huixiantang was Wang Chengwu, the former personal chef of Zhang Zhidong, a prominent late Qing dynasty official. After opening during the Guangxu era, Huixiantang quickly became a social hub for dignitaries, literati, and Peking Opera masters, making its historical and cultural significance extend far beyond its culinary offerings. Today, the site is listed as a protected cultural heritage unit in Beijing.
Strategically located facing south, Huixiantang was originally the private residence of Bin Ru, a vice minister of rites during the Qing dynasty. The main street-facing structure is a two-story traditional Chinese wooden building with glass windows, featuring finely laid blue bricks and intricate carvings. This section was converted from the front part of Bin Ru's courtyard. As it faces Qianhai, the two-story building offers a view over the scenery of Shichahai. In its early days, a large stone fish tank stood before the entrance screen wall. Inside were two courtyards, each covered with tall iron canopies. The rear compound was divided into eastern and western sections, containing over a hundred rooms. The western courtyard housed a small stage that could accommodate over a hundred spectators. Between the eastern and western courtyards stood a three-story building named Jixian Tower, from which one could view the Bell and Drum Towers to the north, Qiong Island and the White Pagoda to the south, and the distant landscape of Shichahai. The architectural complex, primarily designed as a traditional Chinese courtyard with a slight Western influence, covered an area of 3,000 square meters, with a built-up area of 1,800 square meters. A bronze plaque inscribed "Huixiantang Restaurant" hung on the horse-head wall at the entrance, and the signboard above the door, bearing the characters "Huixiantang," was said to be the calligraphy of Lu Runxiang, a Zhuangyuan (top scholar) during the Tongzhi era who held various high-ranking positions. The doorframe featured four decorative pins, each carved with a character, together reading "群贤毕至" (All the talents gather), a phrase from Wang Xizhi's "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion." This inscription reflected both an aspiration and a confident prediction. Some suggest that the choice of Bin Ru's former residence was intended to inherit an atmosphere of scholarly refinement, as Bin Ru served in the Ministry of Rites, which oversaw education, culture, and foreign affairs. If so, Wang Chengwu had envisioned a gathering of distinguished guests from the start, and Huixiantang's prime location, spacious layout, and elegant ambiance helped realize his vision.
Naturally, as a restaurant, its cuisine was paramount. The writer and gourmet Tang Lusun described Huixiantang's operations in his essay "Eating in Beiping," noting its advantageous location, excellent decor, and superior service, which made it particularly popular in summer. It offered a wide variety of cold appetizers, notably the signature summer delicacy "Assorted Ice Bowl." This dish featured freshly picked lotus root, lotus seeds, water caltrop, and fox nuts, chopped and mixed, then chilled with crushed ice. It was served sprinkled with sugar, garnished with fresh peeled walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, and a few quince berries, offering a cool and refreshing taste. While available elsewhere, none matched the freshness and flavor of Huixiantang's version. The history of the Assorted Ice Bowl is said to date back to the Western Zhou dynasty, when it was a royal delicacy, only becoming accessible to the public after the Tang dynasty. This summer treat, perfected by Huixiantang, thus carried profound historical significance.
While the Assorted Ice Bowl was iconic, it was just one of Huixiantang's offerings. Some claimed that its Shandong cuisine had a imperial flavor, which was plausible given that Wang Chengwu was once a renowned chef in the imperial kitchen, skilled in palace cuisine. After leaving the palace, he became Zhang Zhidong's personal chef, eventually blending imperial and Shandong culinary styles to perfection. Under his guidance, Huixiantang's chefs were all highly skilled. Discerning patrons, aside from savoring the food, may have also been drawn by a sense of novelty. Thus, it became a natural gathering place for the elite. As a poem says, "Amidst music and song at Huixiantang, many nobles forget to return home." Those who frequented Huixiantang included political figures, cultural luminaries, and Peking Opera stars.
Among political figures, during the late Qing, Prince Regent Zaifeng conducted affairs at Huixiantang. In the early Republic era, the abdicated Emperor Puyi sent his minister Shaoying to host a banquet there for President Xu Shichang and Premier Xiong Xiling, among other dignitaries. In 1930, the Guomindang Reorganization Faction and the Western Hills Conference Faction held a party conference at Huixiantang, attended by figures like Wang Faqin and Chen Gongbo.
Cultural celebrities also gathered there. Around the time of the May Fourth Movement, Huixiantang became a key venue for progressive scholars to discuss new culture, hosting figures like Liang Qichao, Wang Guowei, Shen Yinmo, Hu Shi, Qian Xuantong, Lu Xun, and Chen Yuan. Shen Yinmo inscribed a poem praising the setting. In the early Republic period, cultural figures held "Xiuxi" activities at Huixiantang—ancient rituals by water for dispelling misfortune and seeking blessings, often accompanied by literary gatherings. Since the Yuan dynasty, Shichahai had been a site for such activities. After the September 18 Incident, Beijing's cultural elite held two Xiuxi gatherings at Huixiantang to condemn Japanese aggression. In 1948, Huixiantang became the alumni building of Fu Jen University. Later, it served as a dormitory for Central Conservatory of Music staff, housing cultural figures like painters Wu Guanzhong, Li Ruinian, and Wu Jingbo, Pingju actress Xiao Bai Yushuang, and guqin performer Li Xiangting.
Peking Opera masters also graced Huixiantang. It regularly hosted banquets for weddings, birthdays, and other occasions, and was a key venue for "tanghui" performances. The small stage in the western courtyard saw performances by masters like Wang Yaoqing, Yang Xiaolou, Mei Lanfang, and Yu Shuyan, always to full houses. Mei Lanfang performed there most frequently, recalling in his memoir that it was a summer retreat with a view of lotus flowers and willows by the lake, and a courtyard with a stage where he sang many times. Today, that small stage no longer exists. Historical records describe Huixiantang as spacious and bright, attracting nobles and travelers in summer, with carriages and horses crowding its entrance during the fifth and sixth lunar months when Shichahai's lotuses were in bloom.
Many know Lu Xun as a smoker, but not necessarily as a gourmet. According to his diaries, from 1912 to 1926, during his 14 years in Beijing, he visited up to 65 restaurants, including famous ones like Huixiantang. In May 1912, Lu Xun arrived in Beijing to work in the Ministry of Education of the Beiyang Government, later overseeing museums, libraries, and art galleries. His workplace near Xidan and his residence near Xuanyumen were both not far from Shichahai. In his leisure time, he often strolled around Shichahai, visited friends, and dined at Huixiantang. His work also brought him there conveniently, as the Capital Library was located in Guanghua Temple by Houhai from 1912 to 1916, and Lu Xun was responsible for library affairs. From May to the end of 1912, Lu Xun visited Huixiantang three times, as recorded in his diary, with possibly more unrecorded visits. One diary entry from August 20, 1912, notes: "Went with Qi Shoushan to Shichahai, dined at Jixian Tower, returned home at four in the afternoon." Jixian Tower, the three-story building between the courtyards, offered a superb vantage point. That day, after working on ancient texts at the Capital Library, Lu Xun and Qi Shoushan strolled to Huixiantang, where they enjoyed a meal until late afternoon, chatting and admiring the views of the Bell and Drum Towers, Qiong Island, the White Pagoda, and Shichahai. Beyond casual meals with friends, Lu Xun also participated in literary gatherings at Huixiantang around the May Fourth Movement, joining other cultural figures and progressive scholars in discussions on new culture.
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