Fun things to do in Beijing

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The best place to see the Giant Pandas, you can not leave china without seeing this unique creature,very beautiful .

a bit sad you don't want to visit the African Animal Zoo, ( its a bit sad the animals are kept) please Just go visit The Panda!

You can buy some cheap panda gift for your loved ones there; such as key holders, and fridgerator sticks and so on.

you can also visit birds, and the aquarium!

Hours: Zoo: 07:30 to 18:00 (Apr. 1 to Oct. 31); 07:30 to 17:00 (Nov. 1 to the next Mar.31)
Aquarium: 09:00 to 17:00

best bus to take to the zoo 111, you should just sit until the last stop at Dong Wu Yuan (Zoo) Station.The bus will mention to you when to stop.

The Tickets to the zoo are quite cheap just about 5 yuan,

We wanted to experience a real Peking Duck dinner but unfortunately for us, the choice of restaurants was a mistake because although most of the dishes were enjoyable, the duck itself was disappointing. It was a meal that would cater for a western palate rather than the local Chinese palate. Thankfully, this problem was duly rectified later in Hong Kong where we experienced the real Peking Duck that we should have had in Beijing!

My advice: research in advance/ speak to hotel staff and keep well-away from westernised Hotel Restaurants because these are not authentic at all. The food is ok but if you're in Beijing, try and experience the real thing.

I just got back from Beijing, and wanted to share this place i discovered that I was so happy I actually got to know it while I was there, because they aren't really advertised online. But it is this little cultural centre in a small hutong, so a typical residential Chinese backstreet, and they offer these intensive language classes. i was in Beijing for 5 weeks, and I didn't speak any Chinese before going. Then we were having lunch one day and picked up their flyer as we left. I ended up doing a 10-day intensive course with them, and i think it was the best thing I could've done. Even though I was only in china for 5 weeks it helped me so much because I could at least function when going around and understand something! It made life so much easier at times! I recommend it to everyone who is going to China for three weeks or more! it is so worth it, and the staff are super nice. We ended up going to the great wall with them and it was a really nice tour!

I would say to definitely do a language course if you can, if not do one of their cultural workshops! We also did a calligraphy workshop on the weekend that was really fun:) it seems like i spent my whole trip there, but it is a must-see!

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We did not expect to visit this place, but the tour to the Great Wall at Badaling had to stop here. I thought to have good use of the time, we visited this Waxworks Palace. Anyway, I did not like to waste time here as shorten our time visiting the great Wall.

Overall, This Waxworks Palace was quite nice to visit. It displayed the people of Ming Dynasty with a flow of history events. Due to limited time, we could not learn the story fast enough. There was a lady tour guide who speaks Mandarin explaining the scenes of each waxwork. She spoke too fast, I could not catch and pay attention to here. If I did pay attention to her stories, I wouldn't be able to appreciate the art of the waxworks in Ming Dynasty Costumes.

They were cheesy to charge visitors Y10 to use own camera to take photos of those waxworks.

Opening Hours: Summer: 7am-5pm
Winter : 8am-4:30pm.

Admission: Y40 ( not included in Great Wall tour package)

In Chinese: 十三陵明皇蜡像宫

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Even with the strength of an exterior door or the glittering colors of the decorative doors, they are a detail where Chinese art is always in evidence.

Any cultural reason? Maybe!

I didn't heard or read anything about it.

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After the disappointment of the Forbidden City, this visit was a pleasant surprise.

All the complex is harmonious and varied, with the lake enhancing the beauty of each spot, and inviting for a trip in one of those characteristic dragon boats.

We had no time (the visit was focused in the highlights), but we enjoyed the scenery as well.

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This is an excellent museum to see. And enjoyed taking lots of photos while I was there. Listen to this irony,... whereas I could take as many pictures as I wanted in this museum, in Japan's war museum located at Yasuken Shrine, they won't let you take pictures in most areas (only the front and back entrances). Isn't it ironic that you can in China yet not in Japan (considering Japanese are supposed to have greater freedoms)?

Anyway, this museum is great. I'd love to see it again. Granted it might be of more interest to guys (it lots of tanks and other toys of destruction), but it provides great insight from a historical perspective even if the historical viewpoints may be skewed. Who's to say others aren't either.

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Dagoulou Cinema is the oldest cinema in Beijing. It is located at Dashilan Street. It is still remain as a cinema in the business district of Dashilan. The history of Chinese Cinema was began here. You can see the large old clock built on the ground at main entrance. The price of the movie ticket is cheaper than other modern Cinema because they show movies that was previously showed in other cinemas.

The signboard was written as:

"Daguanlou was named by the pioneer of Chinese cinema and national entrepreneur Ren Qingtai, who purchased it in the year of 1902. It begins to project the so-called "Electric shadow" in 1903, and the first Chinese made film "Dingjun Mountain" was exhibited here in 1905. The past century has witnessed the people of Daguanlou, one generation after another, writing the glorious history of Daguanlou Film Theatre, the birthplace of Chinese Cinema. "

In Chinese: 大观楼 (Da Guan Lou)