Beijing 北京

"Not all those who wander are lost" ~ Tolkien

I am not even sure where to begin with Beijing. It's so different to Shanghai, not cosmopolitan at all, but equally as amazing. I've been to Beijing 11 times, being just a two hour flight from Shanghai it's an ideal break from the hustle and bustle of city life! The majority of these photos are taken from when I went there in 2010, my best friend Tasha and I spent a bit of time travelling around, so she features in some of these photos!

Beijing is home to so many incredible sights; from the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, to the Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven and not forgetting the breathtaking Great Wall of China!

Jinshanling, Great Wall of China

Beijing, formerly known as Peking, is the capital of the People's Republic of China and has a population of over 20,000,000. It is well known that Beijing hosted the 2002 Olympics, and it's still possible to go and visit all of the venues! (I haven't done this but I know you can).

So where should you stay?

I've stayed in a few different places around Beijing, the Capital Hotel is located a 15 minute walk from Tiananmen Square. It has two tower blocks and a fantastic breakfast, it's a bit of a splurge but nothing compared to the more centrally located hotels. To get around the sites of Beijing, it's necessary to get to grips with the tube. The traffic is horrendous so takes about 5 times longer to get a taxi anywhere! The tube is so cheap! The last time I was there, 2012 it cost 2 RMB (~20p) to go from any stop to any stop, a standard fare, and you can get anywhere!

A cheaper alternative is Templeside Hostel, located in a hutong in the centre of town. It's great here, my friend Tasha and I stayed here for a few nights. We also took full advantage of the fantastic affordable cooking here and great breakfast! We also booked a trip to the Great Wall through this hostel, leaving at 530am we travelled to the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall (my favourite and quietest place to visit). It cost £24 and included breakfast and lunch and travel to and from the wall (about a two and a half hour drive!)

Black pepper beef, garlic broccoli, fried rice...

The central courtyard

Standard twin room

Entrance to the Hostel

For a bit of a splurge there's always The Emporer Hotel located with a fantastic view over the Forbidden City. Even if you don't decide to stay here, the rooftop bar is a beautiful place to watch the sunset over the temple whilst sipping on a nice cocktail or cold glass of wine!

If you're sat looking at a travel book of China (my recommendation is always the Rough Guide to any country), contemplating what to do in Beijing, it can get a little overwhelming! There is certainly no shortage of things to keep you occupied - here is my list of the top 5 things to see:

The Temple of Heaven

Sometimes known as the Altar of Heaven, and dating back to the 15th Century, it was frequented  by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for good harvest. It is a collection of religious buildings (nominally Taoist)  spread over an area of 2.73 km².

Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests

If you are going to take the tube there, you will enter through the East Gate, and get off at Tiantandongmen Station on subway line 5. As with most temples, there is a small fee to get in, well worth it though! If you are a student, I highly recommend taking your student card - although it isn't accepted everywhere it's certainly worth trying! (Who doesn't like to save money!)

The Summer Palace

It can be described best as a 'haven to escape the summer heat'. The Pinyin for The Summer Palace is 'Yihe Yuan' translating in English to the Garden of Nurtured Harmony; covering an area of nearly three square km, the vast majority of that is overtaken by Kunming Lake. The central focus of the park is Longevity Hill, standing at about 60m high it is home to a number of beautiful buildings, such as the Cloud-Dispelling Hall, The Temple of Buddhist Virtue and the Sea of Wisdom Temple. I highly suggest paying the extra 10 RMB (2012) to climb up the hill, as the views from the top are spectacular. 

I have to apologise as the photos from the Summer Palace are not mine, due to poor visibility when I have visited - the photos I have do not do it justice!

http://wanderingshadowseeker.wordpress.com

http://www.chinatravelcompass.com/beijing

www.sacu.org

Confucius and Lama Temple

The Confucius and Buddhist Lama temple are conveniently located opposite each other and can easily be accessed from Yonghegong Station on line 5 of the tube. Built in 1302, the Confucian Temple in Beijing is the second largest in China. It contains four main courtyards and, in my opinion, there is no better place to get a real feel of the culture. Although not entirely escaping the hoards of tourists who seemingly accumulate at famous landmarks such as Tiananmen Square, it is significantly quieter in this area. I like to just sit on one of the walls and people watch - it's just so relaxing watching everyone go about their daily prayers. 

The Lamasery was built considerably later in 1694 during the Qing Dynasty, and was originally built as the residence of Emporer Yongzheng but in 1744 officially became the centre of Lama administration. The entrance fee is about 25 RMB (2012) similar to that of the Confucian Temple. The main building is called the Hall of Harmony and Peace, or Yonghegong in Pinyin (note this is the same as the station name!) and is home to three large bronze buddhas. Buddha statues usually come in sets of three, this is due to their representation of past, present and future. 

The Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square

I don't know anyone who hasn't heard of this place, the sheer size of it is overwhelming. Tiananmen Square has a somewhat more disturbing reason for it's fame. The 1989 Democracy Movement is more commonly known nowadays as the Tiananmen Square Massacre.

However, on a more positive note, I shall leave you to read of this tragedy on your own if it is of interest to you. The giant Tiananmen Square acts as a entrance gate to The Forbidden City. For over 500 years, this masterpiece of architecture was home to many Emperors and their households - and was known as the Imperial Palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty

Built in 1406, the city comprises of nearly 1000 buildings and halls and covers an expanse of 180 acres. The City is surrounded by an 8 metre high wall and a 6 metre deep 'moat', with towers at each corner. The Palace is traditionally split into two areas, the outer and inner courts. The Inner court was most commonly used as the residential area of the Emperor, whereas the outer areas were more commonly utilised for ceremonial acts. If you are interested in the symbolism of the colours included in the design of Halls, I suggest taking a look at the link I have included.

I recommend entering via the South Gate, passing through Tiananmen Square first then entering the city. Not only does this make more sense chronology-wise, but it's also, in my opinion, considerably easier - otherwise you'll be fighting with every man and his fish against the crowds of Chinese who are stampeding in the opposite direction! Also, if you exit via the North Gate, you can end with an easy(ish) saunter up the hill in Beihai Park  for some beautiful views.

Entrance Gate from Tiananmen Square

The Outer Palace Walls

View from Beihai Park

The Great Wall of China

Now when they say 'great' they mean GREAT! I can't stress enough how incredible a feat of engineering this is. When I first heard of the Wall, I imagined a wall of significant enough importance, following gently rolling hills...how wrong I was. The sheers inclines and drops this masterpiece follows is jaw-dropping - it literally follows the mountain outlines! 

On my first visit, I went to the tourist trap that is Badaling - and I must admit, I regret that this was my first impression of the Wall. Overcrowded with tourists and touts, you can't escape it. You're stuck in a one way traffic jam all along, until you get to the other end, where there is a cruel make-shift zoo - ultimately a dried up pit with a few disheveled looking sun-bears and people throwing things at them, not nice!

If you want the majestic picture of the Wall, you need to be a little more adventurous. My favourite place by far is Jinshanling (the Simitai section has been closed for a while now - I'm not sure if it has reopened or not yet). We booked our trip through our Templeside Deluxe Hutong House Hostel, and took route 3 [though it seems to have gone up a little now - I can still say that it's well worth the price, considering it includes entrance fee!] having been before, I knew what to expect view wise - but I took private transport last time so knew this would be an adventure for us both!

At about 5am we both woke up for an early morning set off! We had already been to the small shop around the corner from the Hostel to get some supplies for breakfast, yet to our surprise we hopped onto the minibus and breakfast was provided! Now, one thing you need to know about China, is although you may start off in a minibus - it doesn't always end up you staying on the minibus! Quite often they are in cohorts with other companies who pick you up and bung you all onto one big coach to save money - it's a pain in the ass, and a bit worrying the first time it happens but it's nothing to worry about (It's happened quite a lot to my family!) Though I will say always let your hotel know where you are going and have a contact phone number, in this case as the tour was booked through the hostel we had nothing to worry about! Just mind your kneecaps on the buses! After a few very sleepy hours we finally arrived at Jinshanling - wow! There's a rather steep cable car up to the top, it's not really for the faint hearted - but well worth it! We walked roughly 12km, which although it doesn't sound too far - on that terrain and heat it is certainly far enough, you certainly enjoy your lunch back down at the bottom!

Nothing like chilling with a cold beer!