As late autumn draws near, on a crystal-clear dawn, I ascended a mountain peak in western Beijing and witnessed a rendezvous spanning more than a hundred kilometers. Before sunrise, the lingering lights of the long night blanketed the North China Plain. The Dingdu Pavilion stood in solemn silence, holding within its walls the ancient origins of Beijing. More than a hundred kilometers away, Tianjin’s 117 Tower quietly emerged along the distant horizon. Gradually, daylight spilled across the earth, and the city lights dissolved into the first glow of dawn. A pavilion steeped in the legends of an ancient capital and a modern skyscraper piercing the heavens gazed at each other across the vast expanse of land, coming together to greet the very same sunrise.
