Beijing – the city every Chinese wants to visit
Entrance to Forbidden City
After few thrilling days exploring Shanghai during my first trip to China, I finally made it to Beijing. Beijing (which means North Capital) became capital after it was moved from Nanjing (South Capital) back in the 14th century. The capital of China attracts a lot of people, especially during public holidays. As the title says it’s the city that every Chinese wants to visit, at least once in their life. There are almost 22 Mio citizens living there, which makes the city already quite crowded. I went during the May holidays, and the number almost doubled (at least it felt like it) which you noticed especially around the biggest tourist attractions, including the Great Wall.
Travelling to Beijing
Beijing has to big airports: Beijing Capital International, where still most of the international flights arrive and Daxing, which is the new mega airport serving domestic and international flights. I arrived and left through Beijing Capital International. From Capital International take the Airport Express and then change to the metro to get to other parts in the city. Daxing Airport as well has an Airport Express line, that then connects to the metro.
If you travel by highspeed train, you’ll most likely will get into Beijing at the Beijing South Train station. From there you can take metro line 4 and 14 to reach other parts of the town.
What to do
The most prolific tourist sight is the Forbidden City (故宫), which is the former Emperor’s palace in Beijing and a massive complex of buildings. As it’s quite a big place with plenty of history I recommend you go with a tour guide, otherwise you’ll easy get lost and miss out on significant items. Before entering the Forbidden City through the Tiananmen Gate (southern gate) you have the cross the Tiananmen Square (天安门) with its monumental buildings: the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum of China, the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong and the Monument to the People's Heroes. During my stay the closest metro station to the Forbidden City, Tiananmen East, was closed and I had to walk like 20minutes from the next closest station. There were quite a lot of other stations that had some of the exits closed which helped to manage the sheer number of visitors. Again, if you go during a public holiday be prepared. Once you passed the Tiananmen Gate with the massive portrait of Mao Zedong, you have to pass two more Gates before getting to the main palace complex including the living quarters. You’ll need at least two to three hours to explore everything. At the end of the tour, you’ll leave through the Imperial Garden and the Gate of Divine Prowess (northern gate).
Just opposite the Gate of Devine Prowess you have the Jingshan Park (景山公园). As a foreigner you’ll need to get an entry ticket before walking up to the hilltop with a magical view over Beijing including the Forbidden City. It’s a fairly easy walk up and it’s absolutely worth it.
Another sight that you don’t want to miss in Beijing is the Temple of Heaven (天坛). It’s composed of three buildings: the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, the Circular Mount Altar and the Hall of Abstinence. All are in a big park (Tiantan Park), and you can easily walk between the different sites. You’ll get there by taking the metro to Tiantan Dongmen and leave through Exit A for the East Gate of the Park.
The Temple of Heaven today is a touristic attraction and less a spiritual place. If you’re looking for some temples that are still used by local, you should make a trip to the north of the city and visit the Lama Temple (Yonghe Temple) [雍和宫] and the Temple of Confucius [孔庙]. Take the metro to Yonghegong and use Exit G to walk south along Yonghegong Street. The Lama temple is a Tibetan Buddhist temple build in 1694. Before entering the main complex make sure to get some incent sticks (they’re free). There are multiple halls including a big reading hall. One of the last buildings is housing an 18m high Buddha statue made of a single piece of white sandalwood from Nepal. The Temple of Confucius was built in the 14th century and is dedicated to the teaching of Confucius. When you walk in you pass a statue before entering the area with the different religious halls. One of the halls is also a museum and showcases the influence of Confucius worldwide. Next to the temple you’ll find the former Imperial College with the study hall of the former rulers. The temple is also located in one of the traditional Hutongs. Even though my favorite is Nanluoguxiang, a hutong full of food stalls with delicious delights.
There are many more places to visit, but unfortunately, I didn’t have time. Next time I’ll visit Beijing I will make sure to also visit the Summer Palace [颐和园], Beihai Park [北海公园], the Yashou Market [雅首市场], the Panjiayuan Antique Market [潘家园古玩市场] and the 798 Art Zone/Factory [798艺术区]. Especially 798 Art Zone is a quite unique place, and you should definitely put it on your checklist.
The main reason why I couldn’t visit the other sights in Beijing was my day trip to Great Wall of China. I went to the Mutianyu section of the wall, which is the one further away from the city. The Badaling section is closer, but also less impressive. Normally, Mutianyu is not very crowded, but as it was the May holidays there were a lot more visitors. The part of the Great Wall is divided into the East and the West section. The East section are towers 6 to 1. The West section are towers 14 to 20. You’ll take the cable car either to Tower 6 (East) or Tower 14 (West). I opted to walk along the West part which ends on the highest point of the Wall with an amazing view over the whole Mutianyu Wall. On the East you have tower 4 which is a rare structure with three watchtowers on a terrace. If you have a lot of energy and you’re used to walking up many steps I recommend hiking up to Tower 20, be careful it is more exhausting as it looks. If you just want to have a casual stroll I would choose the East part. Though you can walk between towers 6 and 14, the cable car tickets are different, and you will have to buy one for both sections if you go up one side and down the other. Initially I wanted to visit both sections, but because of the many fellow travellers I couldn’t. Sunscreen is a must particularly at sunny days as there is no shade on the walls. I got a lovely tan because at every second tower I had to wait around 30min to cross them. Mubus is the operator I used and almost everybody I met while in Beijing. Mike, our tour guide, was quite entertaining and explained a lot of the history of the Great Wall.
As in Shanghai I was looking for some great tea in Beijing. I found two great tea shops: Wu Ya Tai and Ten Fu’s. Both are chains and have multiple shops in Beijing and the rest of China. I visited the branches in Wangfujing Street, which is the main shopping street.
Where to stay
You’ll find plenty of great hotels in Beijing, in all the different parts of the city. I stayed in Wangfujing area, which is in the center. From there it’s easy to get to other parts of the city and it has also a good selection of restaurants and some street food. Another central area close to main sights is Qianmen Street (close to Tianmen Square and Forbidden City) and there are some good hotels. As in Shanghai as long as you’re close to a metro station it will be easy for you to explore the town.
Food & Drinks
An absolute must is Nanluoguxiang, one of the Hutongs. It’s a long street lined with many food stalls which makes it perfect if you want to try some local delicacies.
Around and close to Wangfujing road you have plenty of great restaurants. I enjoyed Ming Chef on Wangfujing road and Najia Garden Restaurant in Jinyu Hu Tong. Both offer very traditional dishes and are reasonable priced. Ming Chef is also quite busy with locales. If you like Dumplings you have to try Si Taste Dumplings in Beiheyan Avenue.
One thing I missed and definitely will try next time is the famous Pekin Duck. One recommendation I got is Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant.
In Beijing you also have a great craft beer brewery: Slow Boat Brewery. There are three locations. The one next to Exit A of Denshikou metro station was the closest to my hotel and an absolute delight. I really love their beers and the food is great, especially if you’re vegetarian.
One area I got recommended for a good time out at night is Sanlitun. Take the metro to Dongdaqiao and then walk along Chaozang Beilu. It’s outside the historical part of the town in the more modern part.
Travelling around Beijing
Beijing as the capital and as any other major city in China has a great public transport system. The metro is easy to use and very convenient. The only minor issue is paying for the tickets with WeChat or Alipay. For paying at the vending machines, you need a local number. As I didn’t have one, I bought a multiple-trip ticket (it’s 20RMB extra for the plastic card, ask for it with a translation app if the clerk is not speaking English). You can also pay cash at the vending machine or buy the ticket at the counter.
To get to the airport I also used Didi, which is the equivalent of Uber in China. It’s very convenient and safe. Use the mini-app in Alipay for the English version.
Best Photography Spots in Beijing
Obviously, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and the Mutianyu Wall are scenic spots on their own. And you’ll find an abundance of photo opportunities.
For a great view over the city and the Forbidden City itself, walk up the hill in Jingshan Park. Qianmen Street and Tianmen Square are great for the impressive buildings and some street photography.
And don’t forget to explore the historic Hutongs.
I hope with all the above, I could help planning your next trip to Beijing.
Here a link to my Beijing site which hopefully gives you some ideas of what to expect.
