An exhaustive effort: On the trail of Beijing's hidden history

When it comes to Beijing, what first come to mind are the grand imperial landmarks — such as the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, and the dozens of other magnificent temples and structures, big and small, peppered throughout the capital. But dig a little deeper and set your sights a little further afield, and you'll find countless hidden gems sitting in plain sight, both inside and outside city limits.

This is a fact I soon discovered after joining a trail running club earlier this year — a hobby that allows me to combine my love of running with photography. Though not for the faint of heart, trail running offers a unique, albeit extremely exhausting, way of experiencing more of the natural landscapes that surround Beijing and other parts of China.

I actually made one attempt at a trail run in 2021, and I hated every moment of it — 21 kilometers through the mountains in 32-degree heat. But my desire to explore while staying fit, along with the enticing name of the club, HiGO(short for "Hi friend, let's go"), and its equally inspiring slogan zhuri, meaning "chasing the sun", drew me in enough to give the sport a second chance.

With routes that typically take you through mountains and forests, the trails are always a unique experience. On a recent run starting at Dajue Temple, we followed a route known as the Three Peaks — a particularly grueling 21 km course covering Luobadi North Peak (1,146 meters), Yangtai Mountain (1,278 meters), and Miaofeng Mountain (1,291 meters). The trail eventually wound its way down into a small village nestled at the base of a valley. I took the chance to explore while we were there and spotted some elderly hikers making their way up stone steps to an ancient shrine perched on the edge of a rocky outcrop.

As I made my way over to them, the hikers kindly explained that this was a place to pray to Guanyin (the bodhisattva of compassion, also known as Avalokitesvara) — an influential goddess said to be a protector and healer, a compassionate listener (as her name means "the one who perceives the sounds of the world"), a figure of enlightenment, and even a goddess of fertility.

After some more very broken conversation, I continued on my way. Though it was only a brief, if memorable encounter, experiences like this more than justify the sore muscles — and, in my case, creaky knees — that come with trail running. It's a great way not only to stay fit, but also to explore the nature and history of Beijing in a special way and meet like-minded people with whom to share the experience.