While China's official capital location has moved several times, Beijing has always maintained a dominant role in the country's affairs. Today the city is not only the capital but also a hub for entertainment, sports, and business. With a population of twenty million people and even more flocking to the city for vacation and temporary work it feels like there are people everywhere. Beijing is going through a period of rapid modernization and has recently been more careful to preserve historical areas that give the city charm - the challenge with visiting Beijing is that there is so much to see and so much to do that it becomes difficult to find time to escape the crowds - if you are able to do so you will see that Beijing still has neighborhoods operating as they have for hundreds of years. A well planned metro system makes it possible to reach most areas of Beijing's city sprawl, however, in between certain locations it's just as enjoyable and easy to walk between sites.
The Chinese cuisine can be a bit hit or miss until you reach Beijing where it seems every restaurant is serving up good food. It was a difficult to decision whether to go back to a place or try another new place because every restaurant seemed amazing. Where you stay will likely influence where you eat because at the end of a long day traipsing all over Beijing you may not want to wonder too far in search of a meal. Staying away from the tourist sites may also help you to see another, less crowded side of Beijing.
I relied on Timeout Beijing to assist with finding certain restaurants but - and this is a major caveat - Timeout seems to be written from a Western Expat perspective and they tend to recommend the "cool" places, such as a microbrewery, over those that have been operating for the past fifty years. It's worth experiencing both ends of the spectrum.
The Chinese cuisine can be a bit hit or miss until you reach Beijing where it seems every restaurant is serving up good food. It was a difficult to decision whether to go back to a place or try another new place because every restaurant seemed amazing. Where you stay will likely influence where you eat because at the end of a long day traipsing all over Beijing you may not want to wonder too far in search of a meal. Staying away from the tourist sites may also help you to see another, less crowded side of Beijing.
I relied on Timeout Beijing to assist with finding certain restaurants but - and this is a major caveat - Timeout seems to be written from a Western Expat perspective and they tend to recommend the "cool" places, such as a microbrewery, over those that have been operating for the past fifty years. It's worth experiencing both ends of the spectrum.
THE FORBIDDEN CITY
The common refrain in traveling in China is to wake up early to avoid the crowds. The Forbidden City's gates open at 8:30 - arrive earlier so you can pass through security first, purchase your ticket, and then you are ready to go - on some days the gates may open slightly earlier. Even with the early arrival there will still be lots of Chinese tour groups. The tour groups tend to move as a pack so it's possible to find open space, sit back, and enjoy the experience in relative peace.
What The Forbidden City has in scope and size, it lacks in intimacy and there's not a palace complex (at least one that's open to the public) with a bedroom, dining room, ball room, etc. as you find at Versailles or other European Royal Residences which seem to furnish buildings with period designs. at least one that's open to the public. In this sense it's very difficult to gain an understanding of what City life may have been like. In the morning it's possible to escape the tour groups by heading to the Nine Dragon / Treasure Gallery area on the east side of the complex. This area stands as a sharp contrast to the massive, 100,000 person accommodating courtyards that greet the visitor upon arrival.
What The Forbidden City has in scope and size, it lacks in intimacy and there's not a palace complex (at least one that's open to the public) with a bedroom, dining room, ball room, etc. as you find at Versailles or other European Royal Residences which seem to furnish buildings with period designs. at least one that's open to the public. In this sense it's very difficult to gain an understanding of what City life may have been like. In the morning it's possible to escape the tour groups by heading to the Nine Dragon / Treasure Gallery area on the east side of the complex. This area stands as a sharp contrast to the massive, 100,000 person accommodating courtyards that greet the visitor upon arrival.
THE GREAT WALL
Several sections of The Great Wall can be visited as day trips from Beijing. I've written a separate Great Wall Entry to cover this site in detail.
798 ART DISTRICT
Guidebooks, at least mine, list the 798 Art District as a Top Ten site, however, since there's so much time involved in seeing the Top Five Sites and reaching the 798 Arts District involves a city bus ride instead of the subway, very few tourists make it out to see this area. The 798 Art District occupies a former warehouse zone - warehouses have been replaced by art galleries, cafes, an
OTHER SITES
TIANANMEN SQUARE AND MAO'S MAUSOLEUM
Pack light - no cameras or backpacks are allowed in Mao's Mausoleum. The line to see the former chairman is long (at least a mile) but it moves quickly (an hour start to finish). After passing through a final security checkpoint you can purchase flowers to place at a memorial. Your appreciation of the Mausoleum may be linked with whether you like seeing dead people with an orange glow - I thought it was pretty cool and seeing Mao's giant orange head, a bit like a pumpkin, emerging from his well dress body under a glass case was worth the wait. You are escorted through the Mausoleum is less than ten seconds but that bulbous head is still in my mind.
The rest of Tienanmen Square is crowded and closed off in most places so after you've seen Mao it's back across to the other sites in the area - The Forbidden City, National Museum, and National Center for Performing Arts.
Pack light - no cameras or backpacks are allowed in Mao's Mausoleum. The line to see the former chairman is long (at least a mile) but it moves quickly (an hour start to finish). After passing through a final security checkpoint you can purchase flowers to place at a memorial. Your appreciation of the Mausoleum may be linked with whether you like seeing dead people with an orange glow - I thought it was pretty cool and seeing Mao's giant orange head, a bit like a pumpkin, emerging from his well dress body under a glass case was worth the wait. You are escorted through the Mausoleum is less than ten seconds but that bulbous head is still in my mind.
The rest of Tienanmen Square is crowded and closed off in most places so after you've seen Mao it's back across to the other sites in the area - The Forbidden City, National Museum, and National Center for Performing Arts.
SANLUTIN
Anybody who states that China is a communist country has never visited; specifically they haven't been to Sanlutin.
This area in the northeast section of Beijing is an upmarket area catering to the young and rich, as well as the diplomatic community. If you are only in the city for a few days this would be a good area to stay because it's away from the tourist zones and has lots of dining and nightlife options. Sanlutin is "centered" around the Tou Lo Ki "lifestyle" shopping mall - the malls in China don’t seem to be as crowded as those in Singapore and Hong Kong...supposedly the mainland Chinese aren’t as attracted to the European luxury goods. Tou Lo Ki a modern building that shows off the creative side of China. On the north side of this complex is Opposite House - one of the swankiest hotels in Beijing. It was a bit of juxtaposition to be reading the Price of Inequality while sitting in the cafe with diplomats, politicians, and businessmen were having power lunches.
A walk south from Sanlutin is another upscale area centered around The Place Shopping Center, home of the world's largest LED screen, and the boldly designed CCTV Tower.
Anybody who states that China is a communist country has never visited; specifically they haven't been to Sanlutin.
This area in the northeast section of Beijing is an upmarket area catering to the young and rich, as well as the diplomatic community. If you are only in the city for a few days this would be a good area to stay because it's away from the tourist zones and has lots of dining and nightlife options. Sanlutin is "centered" around the Tou Lo Ki "lifestyle" shopping mall - the malls in China don’t seem to be as crowded as those in Singapore and Hong Kong...supposedly the mainland Chinese aren’t as attracted to the European luxury goods. Tou Lo Ki a modern building that shows off the creative side of China. On the north side of this complex is Opposite House - one of the swankiest hotels in Beijing. It was a bit of juxtaposition to be reading the Price of Inequality while sitting in the cafe with diplomats, politicians, and businessmen were having power lunches.
A walk south from Sanlutin is another upscale area centered around The Place Shopping Center, home of the world's largest LED screen, and the boldly designed CCTV Tower.
PEKING DUCK
Beijing has the best food options in China so there's no need to research where to eat before looking for a meal...unless it involves Peking Duck at which point I would try to find a restaurant because you may not come across one if you are wandering aimlessly. I went to Xiang Man Lou which is a short walk north of Sanlutin. It's one of the better Peking Duck restaurants in the city but due to out of the way location has a locals only atmosphere. The duck wasn’t as meaty as duck I had in the past but in spite of the fat it tasted very light. The main dish included a few complimentary items to enhance the taste - a wrap, cucumbers, some sort of nuts, and a thick soy sauce and the combined wrap seemed better than the individual parts.
HUTONGS
Tourists flock to the Nanluoguxiang Hutong district. This area was incredibly crowded with lots of cafes and shops catering to Chinese tourists...which means it's not exactly a Hutong. Hutongs are all over Beijing and the best case scenario is your hotel/hostel is on a quiet hutong street - this will give you the more authentic experience than the Nanluogaxiang area.
DONGLAUMEN AND WANGULING SHOPPING AREA
Donglaumen is night market offering exotic meats (and occasionally insects) near the north side of the Wanguling Shopping Area. For all the people in Beijing, there's few places to actually sit and people watch. Wangfuling had a few cafes in the center of a walking street where you could grab a beer and watch the Chinese scurry past.
SUMMER PALACE
The Summer "Palace" is a bit of a misnomer...it's not really a palace but more of a giant, walled outdoor park with a centerpiece lake. There are a few temples on the north side but other than providing a good view of the lake the temples are otherwise unmentionable. A 17 Arch Bridge connects an island in the lake with the mainland. The nicer the day, the larger the crowds and despite being a park the pedestrian walkways aren't very wide and it can become a contact event to move around.
PUNJIAYUAN MARKET
A market in Beijing selling items from China's past!?!?!? Sounds awesome but I thought it was a bit disappointing. It's mostly jade sellers and there's not as much Mao / Communist Era nostalgic items that I came looking for. There are lots of older looking pottery items but who knows whether or not they were made last week in Guangzhou. If you decide to go start practicing your negotiation skills on the metro ride.
SHIJINGSHAN AMUSEMENT PARK
Renowned for being “inspired” by Disney World. The Park features a quasi Cinderella’s Castle but more closely "inspired" is the Epcot Center. There’s also a Thunder Mountain and Flying Elephant (Dumbo) ride. Admission was only 10Y although you needed to pay another 10-30Y per ride. All the kids and family seemed pretty happy even though half the rides were closed.
OLYMPIC PARK
I'm a sucker for Olympic Park complexes so one afternoon I headed north to see the Bird’s Nest National Stadium and Water Cube - I wasn't the only person there and shops were set up indicating the area must have a steady stream of visitors. I hoped to go into the Water Cube's water park the evening admission was 220Y not the 120Y per the website guide - which seemed a little too high for a small park with just a few rides. I was only going to spend an hour at the park so decided to head back to central Beijing a little earlier.
Beijing has the best food options in China so there's no need to research where to eat before looking for a meal...unless it involves Peking Duck at which point I would try to find a restaurant because you may not come across one if you are wandering aimlessly. I went to Xiang Man Lou which is a short walk north of Sanlutin. It's one of the better Peking Duck restaurants in the city but due to out of the way location has a locals only atmosphere. The duck wasn’t as meaty as duck I had in the past but in spite of the fat it tasted very light. The main dish included a few complimentary items to enhance the taste - a wrap, cucumbers, some sort of nuts, and a thick soy sauce and the combined wrap seemed better than the individual parts.
HUTONGS
Tourists flock to the Nanluoguxiang Hutong district. This area was incredibly crowded with lots of cafes and shops catering to Chinese tourists...which means it's not exactly a Hutong. Hutongs are all over Beijing and the best case scenario is your hotel/hostel is on a quiet hutong street - this will give you the more authentic experience than the Nanluogaxiang area.
DONGLAUMEN AND WANGULING SHOPPING AREA
Donglaumen is night market offering exotic meats (and occasionally insects) near the north side of the Wanguling Shopping Area. For all the people in Beijing, there's few places to actually sit and people watch. Wangfuling had a few cafes in the center of a walking street where you could grab a beer and watch the Chinese scurry past.
SUMMER PALACE
The Summer "Palace" is a bit of a misnomer...it's not really a palace but more of a giant, walled outdoor park with a centerpiece lake. There are a few temples on the north side but other than providing a good view of the lake the temples are otherwise unmentionable. A 17 Arch Bridge connects an island in the lake with the mainland. The nicer the day, the larger the crowds and despite being a park the pedestrian walkways aren't very wide and it can become a contact event to move around.
PUNJIAYUAN MARKET
A market in Beijing selling items from China's past!?!?!? Sounds awesome but I thought it was a bit disappointing. It's mostly jade sellers and there's not as much Mao / Communist Era nostalgic items that I came looking for. There are lots of older looking pottery items but who knows whether or not they were made last week in Guangzhou. If you decide to go start practicing your negotiation skills on the metro ride.
SHIJINGSHAN AMUSEMENT PARK
Renowned for being “inspired” by Disney World. The Park features a quasi Cinderella’s Castle but more closely "inspired" is the Epcot Center. There’s also a Thunder Mountain and Flying Elephant (Dumbo) ride. Admission was only 10Y although you needed to pay another 10-30Y per ride. All the kids and family seemed pretty happy even though half the rides were closed.
OLYMPIC PARK
I'm a sucker for Olympic Park complexes so one afternoon I headed north to see the Bird’s Nest National Stadium and Water Cube - I wasn't the only person there and shops were set up indicating the area must have a steady stream of visitors. I hoped to go into the Water Cube's water park the evening admission was 220Y not the 120Y per the website guide - which seemed a little too high for a small park with just a few rides. I was only going to spend an hour at the park so decided to head back to central Beijing a little earlier.
PHOTOS
For additional Beijing photos see FLIKR ALBUM.
