For the last Historical Run of 2019, we will look at places of worship. We start out at the Beitang Cathedral, the only church in Beijing to survive the Boxer Rebellion in the year 1900. From there, we will run from temple to temple. Within a few hundred meters we will pass segregated religious compounds with different functions—both culturally, politically, and religiously. Inside Beihai Park, we will find the white stupa built to the Dalai Lama when he visited Beijing in his fifth reincarnation. On top of the Coal Hill, the Five Pagodas built to the Five Holy Mountain peaks by the emperor Qianlong are excellent platforms for looking at the Forbidden City. Then and on our way south, we will pass a small obscure temple that acted as a eunuch retirement home for castrated servants of the Palace. Inside Zhongshan Park, we will find the Altar to Soil and Grain where the emperor prayed for a good harvest. Next, we will finally stand in front of the Tiananmen Gate - a piece of architecture that has arguably become a Communist shrine in more recent times. On our way to the Beijing Postcards gallery, a mosque will remind us that a hundred years ago there was a very sizable muslim minority in the Capital, constituting just about 10 percent of the population. Once we reach our gallery, we will celebrate the finishing the run with drinks and snacks.

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Please read the important notes below before you register:

To participate in this run you will have to be able to run 9 kilometers in an hour.

We will have groups running in different paces, and including stops, everyone should be able to finish the course in two hours. This is not a race with time but a historical run!

We will provide water at the beginning of the run and have a well-deserved drink with snacks when you arrive at the Beijing Postcards Gallery.

We can collect your bags at the meeting point.

Please feel free to bring a bag with an extra change of clothes for after the run.

We do NOT have showering facilities.