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Beijing Things To Do

Body building Chinese style - Beijing
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Reviews and photos of Beijing attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Beijing sightseeing.
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Beihai Park: North Shore Beihai Park
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  • chewy3326
  • By chewy3326 on December 9, 2005
  • Beijing Page by chewy3326
  • Beihai Park - Beijing
    Beihai Park
    by chewy3326
    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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    Tiananmen Square: Wear a RED SHIRT when in Tiananmen Square!
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  • jumpingnorman
  • By jumpingnorman on January 31, 2009
  • Beijing Page by jumpingnorman
  • Wearing Red in Tiananmen Square, Beijing - Beijing
    Wearing Red in Tiananmen
    Square, Beijing
    by jumpingnorman
    I still remember the images of years ago when demonstrators and tanks were in confrontation at the Tiananmen Square (1989)…I did not think then that I would visit the same Square years later, wearing a red shirt in a sunny April morning…

    Tiananmen, translated in Chinese, as the Gate of Heavenly Peace is ironically the site of the brutal repression of massive demonstration for democratic reform on June 3-4, 1989. It did serve as a suburban residence for emperors, a place in the countryside yet near the capital.

    This is considered the largest public square in the world and is located at the center of Beijing. Tiananmen Square is composed of Tiananmen Tower, Monument to the People's Heroes, Great Hall of the People and Mao Zedong Memorial Hall.

    When I visited, there was some sort of Chinese Holiday and it was nice seeing the throngs of citizens enjoying this humongous complex. I was also wearing RED to go with walls and the Chinese flag, and also for good luck

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  • Directions: In the very center of Beijing
  • Website: http://www.roundtiananmensquare.com/index.html
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    See the Beautiful Big Orange Lanterns Lining St
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  • aussiedoug
  • Updated By aussiedoug on August 15, 2004
  • Beijing Page by aussiedoug
  • Lantern with restaurants in background - Beijing
    Lantern with restaurants
    in background
    by aussiedoug
    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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  • aussiedoug
  • By aussiedoug on August 15, 2004
  • Beijing Page by aussiedoug
  • Hou Hai - Back Lake - Beijing
    Hou Hai - Back Lake
    by aussiedoug
    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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  • aussiedoug
  • Updated By aussiedoug on August 15, 2004
  • Beijing Page by aussiedoug
  • Pipe Tobacco Alley - Beijing
    Pipe Tobacco Alley
    by aussiedoug
    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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    Temple of Heaven: The Temple of Heaven - Part 1
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  • By mke1963 on September 12, 2004
  • Beijing Page by mke1963
  • Hall o Prayer for Good Harvests - Beijing
    Hall o Prayer for Good
    Harvests
    by mke1963
    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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    Temple of Heaven: The Temple of Heaven - Part 2
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  • By mke1963 on September 12, 2004
  • Beijing Page by mke1963
  • The sacred stones - Beijing
    The sacred stones
    by mke1963
    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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    Shopping: Xiushui Silk Market
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  • jono84
  • Updated By jono84 on August 4, 2004
  • Beijing Page by jono84
  • The clogged up streets of Xiushui Shichang - Beijing
    The clogged up streets of
    Xiushui Shichang
    by jono84
    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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    Summer Palace: Wear an Emperor Suit at Summer Palace!
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  • jumpingnorman
  • Updated By jumpingnorman on February 1, 2009
  • Beijing Page by jumpingnorman
  • Myself as Crazy Emperor of Qing Dynasty, Beijing - Beijing
    Myself as Crazy Emperor of
    Qing Dynasty, Beijing
    by jumpingnorman
    When in the Summer Palace, be on the lookout for those Emperor Costumes that they rent out for just US$2 (or was it $10?). I had fun donning it and having my pictures taken. My guide was a bit horrified of my enthusiasm and wanted to explain more about the Summer Palace, but I said I wanted to try this “tourist trap” FIRST.

    I was also allowed to walk around with it, and they had a little bit of trouble asking me to remove it because I was having so much fun, hehehehe….The silk was so smooth against the skin and I just pretended I was from the Qing Dynasty (I don’t even know what year that was!).

    Definitely this activity is not for the “shy” type though…lol. I dare you…

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  • Address: Northwest of Beijing
  • Website: http://www.summerpalace-china.com
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    Tiananmen Square: Tiananmen Gate 2
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  • filipdebont
  • By filipdebont on January 5, 2005
  • Beijing Page by filipdebont
  • Tiananmen Gate - Beijing
    Tiananmen Gate
    by filipdebont
    On the Northern side of the big Tiananmen Square you can not miss the big red Tiananmen gate (Gate of Heavenly Peace).

    Maybe it is one of the most famous views in Beijing.

    In front of this gate there is a kind of moat. Like this there are several beautiful bridges across it.

    Lucky for us, people who like to make (beautiful) pictures, some are closed, and like this it was possible to make a picture without people on it. This is not so evident when you are visiting Beijing.

    On both sides of Mao’s picture there are two big slogans.

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  • Address: Tiananmen Square
  • Directions: In the very center of Beijing
  • Website: http://www.roundtiananmensquare.com/index.html
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