Stefanie Eschenbacher
The Schoolhouse at Mutianyu
The Great Wall at Mutianyu has some competition. A small group of old China hands and locals from different walks of life have transformed an old abandoned elementary school in the village of Mutianyu into The Schoolhouse – a tourist destination for families offering a restaurant, an art glass studio and an art room.
Sunlight enters the renovated classrooms that house the restaurant through yellow, green and violet windows and each table is topped with a bunch of wild flowers. Hungry, antsy kids can be distracted with crayons and blank placemats or sated with a handful of the complimentary – and highly addictive – roasted nuts, which are harvested locally.
