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Things to Do in Beijing

ninth-dragon screen(Jiulongbi) - Beijing
ninth-dragon screen(Jiulongbi)
by cpim2004
Reviews and photos of Beijing attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Beijing sightseeing.
Local Time 4:49 am Sunday, May 18, 2008
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See the Beautiful Big Orange Lanterns Lining St
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  • Lantern with restaurants in background - Beijing
    Lantern with restaurants
    in background
    by aussiedoug
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    Dongzhimen Lu - known as Restaurant Street because it has a strip of at least 1 Kilometre or more which has nearly all restaurants along either side opened for lunch or dinner. The reason I add this as a must see activity is because the street is also lined with large orange lanterns & it's really beautiful to have a walk along during the evening, particularly a lovely summer's evening as Vicky, Charles & I had, to walk along it both before & after our meal at the Tong Li Garden Restaurant. If you come out then you must have a meal too, but make sure one of your party can read Mandarin as I don't think any of the restaurants (I'm happy to stand corrected if anyone knows otherwise so please let me know if that's the case) have menus written in English as well as Chinese (characters). My attached photo is just one of the lanterns. My camera didn't have a powerful enough flash to capture what I was after which was to show not only the lantern, but also its reflection in the car's rear window. Now imagine how this looks like when multiplied by quite a few over a 1 kilometre (or more) stretch of not overly wide street. I'll be adding a restaurant tip from this street.

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  • Address: Dongzhimen Lu
  • Directions: If you would be coming by the subway/metro then you will need to get off at Dongzhimen & after coming out of Exit A turn right & follow it around till you see the street with the trees & lanterns stretching straight ahead in front of you.

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    Hutongs/Bell and Drum Towers: Back Lakes Beauty of Water & Trees
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  • Had read about this area in the Frommer's Beijing Guide, but knew I wouldn't have enough free time to explore this area at all. However, counted myself very lucky to see a little of it on our Hutong tour as explained a little in the above must see activity. Please enlarge the accompanying photograph as it shows you just a glimpse of how beautiful this area obviously is. I would suggest on the little I saw it also has some very interesting sightseeing, some equally interesting shopping (that we saw glimpses of, but didn't have time to explore, in Pipe Tobacco Alley) & apparently some great coffee that I really would have enjoyed because I experienced a dearth of "good" coffee during my week in Beijing. Apparently there are also some very good restaurants around here too. The entire Back Lakes Area (Shicha Hai)consists of 3 lakes - Qian Hai -Front Lake which connects to Hou Hai - Back Lake (see my photo looking back down Hou Hai from near Qian Hai) & Xi Hai - West Lake (now why wasn't it called slightly farther back lake - lol!) I read somewhere that these lakes were dug out during the 14th century to berth barges that were bringing the emperor goods to the Forbidden City. I wish we had had a full day to explore this area. If you are going to Beijing & have a 5-7day stay in mind I strongly suggest you allow yourself a full day to do what I wish we had been able to do.

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  • Address: North of Tiananmen Square
  • Directions: If you were using the Subway then I'dsuggest getting on Line 2 - the Circular Line & getting off at Jishui Tan Subway station which would put you close to Xi Hai - West Lake

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    Hutongs/Bell and Drum Towers: A Glimpse Into Ordinary Peoples' Lives
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  • I'm not starting my "Must See Activities" with the UNESCO Heritage Listed sites or the other most obvious biggies. Instead I'll go with something we did on the last day of organised tours & something that, in many respects, I enjoyed most. Of course it didn't elicit the superlatives from me like the others or go beyond superlatives which I think the Great Wall does. Instead it was relaxing & lovely, interesting & genuine. We were lucky enough to have a lovely "local, local guide" by the name of Jou Lie. She introduced herself as "Jolly" saying that was close to her name in English & did indeed describe her quite well. I was really lucky as I started the tour in a pedicab by myself, but because of the requirements of some of our party Jou Lie ended up riding with me & I had a fascinating conversation with her getting some insights into a "real" Beijinger's life. This was part of our tour package. The Frommer's Beijijng Guide suggests doing a walking or cycling tour of some hutongs & I think this is a good idea for independent travellers with good map reading/sense of direction skills. However I was very happy to be pedalled round while doing whatever walking was required. The most interesting part of our hutong tour was walking through "Pipe Tobacco Alley" near the Bell Tower. On this tour I felt I was near the real people's Beijing to a much greater extent than, of course, the 'big' tourist attractions. Although the other end of Pipe Tobacco Alley apparently has some of Beijing's trendiest cafes. Would have like to have tried some of them. Maybe next time!

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  • Phone: (10) 66 135 213 (our pedicab no)
  • Directions: There are many hutongs scattered around the city. The area I enjoyed most on our tour was around Hou Hai/Qian Hai, part of the Back Lakes District. Especially Pipe Tobacco Alley - Yandai Xie Jie.
  • Website: http://www.chinavista.com/experience/hutong/hutong

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    Beihai Park: North Shore Beihai Park
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  • North Shore Beihai Park is arguably the more beautiful and interesting of the two sides. Here you'll find the beautiful, decorative Nine-Dragon Wall, Five Dragon Pavilion, and many more temples, lake views, etc. From here you can get a very nice view of Jingshan across the lake. It's a good idea to spend two or more hours exploring this area. You can also see where the Huohai empties into Beihai.

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  • Directions: From the south shore, take a Y5 ferry, or enter the park through the north entrance.

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    Forbidden City: It is forbidden to miss the Forbidden City
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  • An emperor's view of Forbidden City tourists - Beijing
    An emperor's view of Forbidden
    City tourists
    by Confucius, 4 more photos
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    This is number 1 of Beijing's 4 must sees (Great Wall, Temple of Heaven, and Summer Palace are the other 3) The enormous size of the palace grounds and main halls makes you understand why the Chinese word for China literally translates as "Middle Kingdom". It is the true center of Beijing and, for Chinese people from the Ming through Qing dynasties, the center of the world. I always tell tourists to enter from the north gate instead of the south because the route leads you into Tiananmen Square. Starting from the north also gives you the panoramic view from atop Jingshan Park, which is best visited in the morning when the old folks are doing their tai chi and other exercises. The only advantage of entering the Forbidden City from Tiananmen Square is if you wish to rent the taped tour narrated by Roger Moore (one of the James Bond agent 007 actors) as following it requires you to proceed from south to north. Aside from the general entrance fee, be prepared to pay for extra tickets allowing you to see special exhibits and enter the Tiananmen rostrum. The Forbidden City now serves as a national museum so there are more interesting things to see inside other than just walking around the fascinating buildings. Take time to stray off the beaten path toward the eastern side of the palace as this is one of the best places to get those splendid photos with absolutely no people in them. In this modern era of commercialism displacing communism there is now a Starbuck's located inside the Forbidden City and some foreign tourists take pleasure in trying to discover its hidden whereabouts so I won't reveal its exact location. When you're near it, you will smell the coffee!

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  • Address: Beijing's city center
  • Directions: Use the north entrance across the street from Jingshan Park

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    Lama Temple - Yonghegong: Yonghegong - The Tibetan Lamasery
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  • The Yonghegong is one of Beijing's more curious temples, having started life as a residence for a crown prince of the emperor. Just thirty years later, in 1723, after the death of the prince, much of the palace was turned over to the monks. The temple compund has a succession of compounds, with seemingly endless halls of Buddhas, each one popular with the praying masses - and indeed it was the masses, as this must be one of the most popular of Beijing's temples. The temple is absolutely beautiful, but it is heavily commercialised. Meditation, let alone enlightenment, will be tricky with the constant noise and paraphernalia. Every hall has signs, obtrusive as always and often crass (like the Guiness Book Of Records plaque adorning the rearmost Wanfuge Hall.) Ironically, there are a number of large "Protect Cultural Heritage" signs inappropriately sited. So...Temple or Theme Park? You decide. Like many of the big Chinese Buddhist temples, such as Baimasi in Luoyang, it lacks warmth and 'feeling'. It is expensive at RMB25 per head, and the non-Buddhist doesn't feel educated or informed, despite the little exhibition hall in the last courtyard. I like the Yonghegong, but don't know why! I recommend that you visit the beautiful and tranquil Kongmiao (Confucian Temple) and Guozijian (Imperial College) at the same time: they are in a side street opposite.

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  • Address: Yonghegong lu
  • Directions: At the junction of Yonghegonglu and the second ringroad.

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    Temple of Heaven: The Temple of Heaven - Part 2
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  • Unlike the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, ironically, feels human and humane. The buildings do not overwhelm the individual, and even the height and grandeur of the stunning Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests (the leitmotif of the Temple of Heaven) does not feel massive and repressive. It genuinely is beautiful: its lines and proportions match those of any building in the world. The numerous associated buildings have been converted to extremely interesting themed displays on various aspects of the emperor's worship: the order of procession, the timetable of activities, the beautiful musical instruments and the costumes. I will add other 'Must Visit' reviews on specific parts of the Temple of Heaven, but recommend this as a real highlight of Beijing. It is well cared for, there is great respect from Chinese visitors, minimal commercialisation, but perhaps not enough cafes or restaurants (and I never thought I would say that of a temple in China!). They are working on wheelchair access, and many of the steps now have ramps, although the smaler buildings will remain inaccessible. I suspect it is a matter of time before even these are made wheelchair-friendly.

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  • Address: Tiantan Donglu

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    Peking Opera: There once was a man with a beard!
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  • For drama, acrobatics and wild and wonderful costumes, Peking Opera cannot be beaten! We paid for the expensive seats, and were treated to a table at the front, at which we were served all manner of lovely little cakes and an endless stream of tea! To the uninitiated it is not always very clear what is going on on stage, but like most high art and traditional opera, it was full of larger than life characters, unblelivably loud stage whispers and dramatic gestures. See website for background information. The tickets were not cheap I remember, but as I was saving on hotel bills I treated myself: it was worth every Yuan spent!

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  • Address: Peking Opera of Beijing
  • Directions: There are several theatres specialising in Peking Opera... just check out what's on when you get there. Hotels, the ex-pat magazines and daily papers all cover performances.
  • Website: http://www.chinapage.com/beijing-opera.html

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    Temple of Heaven: The Temple of Heaven - Part 1
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  • Hall o Prayer for Good Harvests - Beijing
    Hall o Prayer for Good
    Harvests
    by mke1963
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    It is surely one of the great cultural sites in the world, here where China considered was the centre of the entire universe. Built along a north-south, celestial, axis lie the buildings where the Ming and Qing emperors came four times a year to offer sacrifices to the Gods and to pray. Tens of thousands of courtiers, soldiers and officials proceeded in great ceremony through Tianan'men, south to Qian'men and down to the Temple of Heaven, beyond the southern gates of the city. Today, the visitor will swing in through the entrance in a glossy air-conditioned coach, almost as isoated from China as the emperors before them. Consider travelling from Tian'anmen along the route the emperor would have taken, passing the crowded, huddled houses and shops lining Qianmen Dajie. When the emperor passed by, in an almost endless procession of music and noise, the shops and houses were shuttered up: commoners were not allowed to set eyes upon the Son of Heaven. Your chances of seeing Qianmen Dajie shuttered up and deserted are nil: this is a street that, upon hearing of an all-out nuclear attack, would have stocks of gas-masks and bodybags out for sale within the three-minute warning. The great complex of the Temple of Heaven is in 273 hectares of stunning forest, and this alone makes it an unusual place: line upon line of Chinese cypress, Chinese juniper and scholar trees. Some of the cypresses are more than 600 years old. Dr Henry Kissinger, when he visited the Temple, stated that while the USA could recreate the Temple of Heaven if it desired, it could not create the trees. It is the trees that give the Temple of Heaven its character. Other Chiese parks and temple complexes are usually open, with plenty of grass, but here the eye is caught only by the blue sheen of the juniper and the cypress. Despite the massive crowds that visit the Temple, the surrounding forest somehow soaks them up and acts as a buffer.

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  • Address: Tiantan Donglu
  • Directions: East entrance is most used by visitors

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    Shopping: Xiushui Silk Market
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  • The clogged up streets of Xiushui Shichang - Beijing
    The clogged up streets of
    Xiushui Shichang
    by jono84
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    Whether or not you plan to spend any money, you'll be hard-pressed not to leave the Silk Market without purchasing some form of gift!! The streets can be immensely crowded but you can spend hours just wandering, ear-wigging on the destructive haggling battles and seeing what there is to offer, and being lucky not to escape without being involved in one yourself!! One important thing, just keep your wallet in a safe place, as you maybe the unfortunate victim of a professional at work.... I strongly advise this as a must-see if you have afew hours free, and a craving for a gift to take back home.

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  • Address: Xiushui Shichang
  • Directions: Easy to get to, its just through the subway from the Yong'anli metro station. Or by foot, its around 4km down the main stretch (Jianguomenwai Dajie) from Tiananmen Square.

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