 | Beijing Local Customs | Tips 31 - 40 of 264 |  |
On my numerous visits to hutongs around Beijing, I came upon these bright yellow outdoor fitness machines.
They are all free of course and I just thought it is a very good idea as I see young and old people doing physical exercise. We can find them in a lot of hutongs, on the streets. I have even tried a few of them and they are like the ones we can find in indoor fitness centres. Leave a Comment
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One of the best ways to tour hutongs is by bike. Biking in Beijing is not as dangerous as it may seem, there is no need to be afraid of the huge flow of traffic. Once you get used to it, you would know how to bike.
If there is a problem with your bike, you would find people to repair it almost everywhere... Leave a Comment
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When walking around in Beijing, especially in hutongs or by the lakes, we would see a lot of old people getting together to play cards, majiang, chinese chess or dominoes.
If you speak Mandarin, you can talk to them as old people are very friendly and they would even explain the rules of the games for you. Leave a Comment
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"Oh Confucius! That's disgusting! How dare you include "spitting" as a local custom in Beijing!!"
Yet it's true. Although not officially sanctioned as a local custom, spitting is a fact of life in China and especially in Beijing.
You will see signs all over the city, occasionally with English translation, that spitting is forbidden. In fact, the Great Hall of the People on the west side of Tiananmen Square is where the national government convenes and is also where you can see the world's largest "Please don't spit" sign. (Discreetly located to the left of the front stage when seen from the 10,000 seat auditorium, no English translation)
When the political wind is blowing particularly strong (or the Olympic Committee is in town) neighborhood militia are organized to patrol the streets and fine spitters a token penalty, armed with a red armband on their sleeve and a humiliating bullhorn.
Beijing citizens do not justify spitting because of the air pollution or sandstorms, nor are they unaware that spitting transmits the flu and a few other diseases. They simply believe it is a necessity of human existence and will spit on streets, on the bus, and even spit bones on restaurant floors (the cheap restaurants that foreigners never go to).
Will Beijing ever crack down on spitters with stiffer fines and other punishment?
As Johnny Cochran once observed in Tiananmen Square, "If they need to spit, then you must acquit." Leave a Comment
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It was kind of funny to see, as each time we were passing one of the many gates in the Forbidden City in Beijing, all the Chinese visitors were rubbing the big door knobs,
It must be some kind of superstition, as they believe that rubbing these door knobs will bring good luck.
It is also funny to see that the rubbed door knobs are really shining and the higher ones have a darker colour as these knobs can not be reached Leave a Comment
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There is old tree in Dongyue temple called "Shou huai". Shou is mean long life. In the past, most Chinese believe deity by Confucianism. They often go to temple to impetrate long life. They write their desirability on a red cards called blessing cards, then hang it to let immortal know it. Surely most people don't believe it again. However, hang blessing cards come down as a custom activity. Many red cards hang around the old three just express people's wish. They want to life as the red cards, flourishing as red flame Leave a Comment
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When you drink with the Chinese, they would toast their glasses lower than yours to indicate respect. Sometimes, a fight to lower toast glasses would end up equal on the ground! Also, for birthday celebrations, its the host that pays...and oh! There's even seating arrangements too...the host (the one paying) sits facing the door...but i heard it varies from province to province Leave a Comment
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Beijing Opera is a famous Opera in China. Lots of local people like it who are not very young. In old Hutong, you can hear the voice. We call the Beijing Opera fans Piao You. Every day or week, they will get together and sing the Beijing Opera, maybe it's not very good, but all the members are very earnest. Leave a Comment
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Seems, that some things have definitedly change to good in Beijing since I visited first time in 1988. Public toilets are now wortha visit: At least around the tourist spots they are very clean, do not smell and have private cubicles. This one even has a solar cell for electricity on the roof.But still: Do not forget to take your own toilet paper with you! Leave a Comment
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Al the buildings in the Forbidden City were very richly decorated. But it is really worth to stop and pay attention on the decorations on the roofs.
Almost every roof has those small statues. these statues represent persons, demons and animals (dragons).
I was told that these satues were there to keep the bad ghosts away.
Above these satties you see a kind of wire, that is just to keep the birds away. Leave a Comment
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