With the 2008 summer Olympics now a happy memory life is returning to some sort of normality in the Chinese capital. The legacy of the games is a potent reminder of the benefits of hosting such a major international event.
The new airport is primed to handle the continuing influx of tourists and the freeway linking the airport to the city easily handles the large volume of traffic. Other major highways link the city with popular attractions such as the Great Wall and Ming Tombs about 70km to the north and the Summer Palace in the northwest corner of the city area. The main Olympic stadiums are north of the city beyond the 4th ring road.
Elsewhere in the city towering office blocks, many of very innovative and distinctive design, are accompanied by a vast array of multi-storied residential buildings to house the influx of workers from other parts of China.
The one element the Chinese cannot control is the weather. Of concern is the persistent ‘haze’ that hangs over the city sometimes reducing visibility to only a couple of hundred metres.
More to see in and around Beijing
Despite the elements Beijing is an exciting city to visit with many attractions to keep you on your toes.
The Badaling stretch of the 6350km long Great Wall of China is the most accessible part and together with the Ming Tombs and the Sacred Way is a popular day excursion from the city. Until recently there was only one section at Badaling open for the public but, to accommodate the large number of visitors (for all Chinese a visit to the Wall is like a pilgrimage), a new stretch opposite the old has been opened. I would recommend this new section, as the steps have been newly laid and are much easier than the older one.
Great Wall of China at Badaling
The Ming Tombs and Sacred Way (complete with its 36 stone statues of officials and animals both real and imaginary) are the perfect compliment to the Great Wall.
One a fine summer’s day the Summer Palace is thronged with locals escaping from their small apartments for a day of relaxation on and around the large lake that is a centre point of the palace surrounds. Take a ride on a dragon boat, stroll along the ornately painted covered walkway, admire the huge Marble Boat or stroll over the bridge with 17 ‘spans’. The entire place is a de facto museum of China’s classical architecture..
bridge with 17 spans Summer Palace, Beijing
Tiananmen Square is the heart of the city and the queues still line up to pass by Chairman Mao’s embalmed body in its large mausoleum. At the northern end of the huge square enter the Forbidden City with its brightly painted red and yellow buildings and vast courtyards.
A popular excursion is a visit (beginning with a rickshaw ride) to a ‘hutong’, a traditional residential area of the city.
I am not a fan of Chinese opera but not to be missed are performances of acrobatic skills put on by young Chinese acrobats, jugglers etc. The incredibly athletic and colourful ‘Legends of Kung Fu’ show is an exhilarating display of martial arts interwoven into exhausting dance routines, the youthful performers decked out in dazzling outfits..
Daily life in the city
To cater for the newly wealthy a number of large shopping plaza and department stores have sprung up throughout the centre of the city. Despite this influx of names like Gucci, Versace and Rolex there is considerably more action at the now covered Pearl and Silk Market on Jianguomennei Avenue, the main east west thoroughfare that passes ‘through’ Tiananmen Square. Numerous floors of clothes, bags, belts etc in designer labels and, although ‘fake’, the quality is top notch and, after the requisite bargaining, of incredible value.
I love watching the residents at work and play and on a sunny Sunday joined them as they shopped at the crowded fresh food and vegetable market, watched groups of men playing cards or board games, a hairdresser operating an alfresco ‘salon’ and a choir of residents from an apartment block enjoy entertaining passers by.
One of the joys of visiting Beijing is the food. Peking Duck is the famous dish but I have found that if spicy Chinese food is your forte then seek out those restaurants where the clientele is all Chinese and you can have a delicious meal for very reasonable prices Beer is the best accompaniment to Chinese food.
Getting around Beijing is a relatively easy city for the independent traveller to negotiate. Taxis are cheap in Beijing and a ride from the airport to a city hotel should cost no more than 100 yuan (about $15). Always use a metered taxi and avoid touts at the airport offering rides – usually around three or four times the price of a taxi.
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