Amazing Things to Do in Beijing, China
An Intro to Beijing
Beijing serves as China’s capital city, a sprawling metropolitan area filled with traditional Chinese walking districts (hutongs) and immense modern skyscrapers. The city has served as a powerful centerpiece for China’s history, containing a history that stretches back over three millennia. The capital serves as a major stronghold for cultural icons and relics.
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Advice when Visiting
Transport in Beijing
Getting around Beijing can be expensive when using taxis. There are cheaper methods of transit. One involves using a phone application to unlock public bikes. There are several companies that offer this service, but I use Ofo.
The underground metro system around Beijing is extremely helpful when trying to get around the city. However, carrying open liquids of any kind (including water) is forbidden at security checkpoints. The subway system closes around 11 PM each night. Rush Hour (4PM to 7PM) is so crowded, it may take several trains to find enough space to board.
The best ride sharing app in Beijing is called DiDi. It’s a good alternative compared to local taxi drivers and the drivers on the app tend to be pretty honest.
Beijing is very easy to walk around within limits. The streets are flat, safe and the sidewalks are broad. However, Beijing is enormous. Getting from district to district takes time and public transportation.
Be cautious when walking on streets near malls. Restaurants services often employee scooters to deliver food with strict time quotas. To meet these quotas, riders will hop onto the sidewalk and zoom past unsuspecting pedestrians.
Wandering Beijing
English is widely spoken in many shops, businesses and schools in Beijing. However, it’s harder to find English speakers in the service industry.
Google Translation App has an extremely useful feature where Chinese words can be scanned for translations. This is a handy tool to have if a person isn’t Chinese literate. Simply point the camera at Chinese text and a translation will appear. This application requires an internet connection.
I highly recommend steering away from the Beijing Zoo. The animals are kept in poor conditions.
Working in Beijing
In the event of employment issues in Beijing (withheld passports, late payments, etc.) contact the Bureau of Labor, the Expat Services Line and consider starting Arbitration with a lawyer (it’s a relatively cheap process).
Chinese culture has an aspect called “Saving Face.” This is a strict social taboo against publicly calling out others, most especially the superiors of a company or organization. For example, an English teacher teaching business English to a company should only ask the boss of said company questions he or she is very confident of getting correctly. Likewise, Chinese businesses are always slightly off balance (if not surprised) when an expat subordinate openly disagrees with their boss.
Points of Interest
Popular Tourist Attractions
The Great Wall of China – This enormous superstructure can be accessed in various cities throughout China, including Beijing. The Beijing segments are famously restored (not the original) and are in good condition but a bit artificial. This includes the “Great Wall of Badaling,” a highly popular section of the Great Wall (restored) with a modern replica of a stone Chinese village at its base.
The Forbidden City – The famous imperial grounds of ancient China, the Forbidden City is now a sprawling tourist attraction close to Tiananmen Square. Access costs around 50 yuan ($8.00 USD) with additional charges to enter the treasure gallery.
The Summer Palace – An ancient, restored and beautiful imperial retreat, the Summer Palace is situated along a series of lake islands with numerous bridges and dipping willow trees. The structures are impressive, and there are also nearby shops and the lakes can be used for ice skating in the frozen winter.
Tiananmen Square – A historically significant plaza, the square is excellently stunning during festivals when decorations are provided.
Unique Things to Do
798 Art Zone (Dashanzi Art Zone) – An old military factory showing lots of exposed metal and eroded brickwork has been renovated as a major art and culture district in Beijing.
Wangfujing or Dongcheng District Street – This is a tourism shopping avenue with many stores, neon signs, restaurants and other attractions. The street famously provides “tourism food” which urban locals don’t typically eat. This includes candied scorpions or frog legs.
Today Art Museum – An interesting contemporary museum for Chinese artists (local and abroad).
Museum of the War of Chinese People’s Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (often called Japanese Museum) – A holocausts museum depicting the events of Japan’s invasion of China during the time leading up to and through the Second World War.
The Place Shopping Mall – This large shopping mall is uniquely famous for its large plaza area, which includes an enormous LED screen depicting soothing patterns, pop shows and visuals during special events.
Parkview Green Gallery (芳草地画廊)- A unique mall and art gallery combination with staggered, angled bridge walkways crossing over various modern art projects within the building interior.
Chinese Watermelon Museum – A strange museum celebrating China’s history of watermelons.
Relaxing Places to Visit
Lama Temple – A rather peaceful tourism temple for Buddhism located near the city center.
Bahai Park (Nine Dragon Wall)– A truly wonderful park that surrounds a large lake (which is part of a chain going through Beijing). The park hosts many small paved trails and a famous wall depicting Nine Dragons, an imperial symbol in Chinese culture.
Jingshan Park – An enormous green park area close to the city’s center. There are often small art exhibits (such as Lego artworks) placed inside the green spaces.
Shichahai Three Lakes : Houhai Lake, Qianhai ‘Front Lake’ and Xihai ‘Western Lake’ – A series of large lakes in Northern Beijing known for incorporation of local Chinese neighborhoods (hutongs) and a vibrant night life.
Maan Coffee – A popular coffee chain found throughout China, the interior decoration of Maan Coffee is a pleasing blend of natural trees, hanging crystals and colored teddy bears which hold order numbers.
Slow Boat Brewery – A truly fantastic brewery with artisanal burgers and excellent portions.
Cultural Sites
The Temple of Heaven – An imperial and religious structure famed for its unique, elegant design and beautiful surrounding plaza space.
Bird’s Nest (National Stadium) – The super-stadium is in a beautiful plaza area in the city and its unique structure was a common sight when Beijing hosted the 2008 Olympics.
The Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan Park or the Imperial Gardens or the Winter Palace) – This is a large park area which artfully displays the ruins from a long-decayed imperial palace scattered across trees and lawns.
The Drum and Bell Towers (Gulou) – A large and sturdy set of towers which were used to play music and later on, to announce festivals and times. The Towers are close to Di’anmen Street, a popular tourism and shopping location showing traditional Chinese architecture.
Ritan Public Park and Temple of the Sun – A large, moated green space near the imperial palace area of the Chaoyang District.
Nanluoguxiang – A pleasant chain of hutongs with lots of shops and street snacks.
Visit the Leftfade Trail Blog to learn about more amazing things to do in Beijing and China.
Visiting China? The country’s Great Firewall policy can make it difficult to use English-Internet resources. Protect yourself by getting a Chinese-operational VPN.