Photos provided by Xin Zhou and iStockPhoto.com
Above left: Zhou Xin, Phoenix Digital employee and author of this guide to her hometown of Beijing, China; Above right: The twinkling lights of the city of Beijing at night
Beijing, the capital of the People’s Republic of China (also goes by the English name of Peking) is a busy city that is known as the political and multi-cultural center of China. Beijing is located in northern section of China and is surrounded by mountains on the north, west, and east, creating a pan shape around the city.
Beijing Culture
Beijing Dialect
In Beijing, Mandarin is the official language of the city, but there are striking differences between this dialect and standard Mandarin. Here are a few examples of the local dialect:
抠门儿 – kōumér (kou men er) – stingy; a way to describe some people
颠儿了 – diār (dian er) le – to leave; to run away
劳驾 – láojia – excuse me; when you are on the bus and want to get off at the next station, you should move to the door in advance or you will always hear this
搓火儿 – cuōhuǒr (cuo huo er) – to make someone angry, mad, crazy
迄小儿 – qíxiǎor (qi xiao er) – since a young age
二把刀 – èrbǎdāo – a person with limited abilities; a klutz
别价 – biéjie – do not, usually followed by (ya) if used as an; it means please don’t
Beijing Opera
Anyone who is interested in the Beijing Opera can read the following link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing_opera
Above: The costumes and performace of the Beijing Opera
You can go to the Meilanfang Theater to watch the original operas: http://www.mlfdjy.com/kuaixun.aspx
The tickets price range from $7 to $340 usd and vary according to the seat locations and programs.
Beijing Traditional Architecture
Forbidden City
This was the home of the Ming and Qing Dynasty Emperors during the last five centuries. It is said that there are a total of 9999.5 rooms in The Forbidden City, due to the fact that in old China, people called the emperors wan sui, which means 10,000 ages and refers to living a long life. So, we have a room for almost every year they have to live! For more details please read the following link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbidden_city
Hours and ticket prices:
November to March 8:30 am - 4:30 pm (they stop selling tickets at 3:30 pm)
April to October 8:30 am - 5 pm (they stop selling tickets at 4 pm)
Price: 60 RMB/each ($9 usd)
Above top and bottom: Exterior and interior shots of The Forbidden City
So, where did the ordinary citizens live if the above was the typically a home for emperors? Siheyuan and Hutong is our next stop:
Hutongs
Hutongs are Beijing's ancient alleyways, where you can find traditional Beijing architecture that dates back to when Beijing was the capital of the Yuan dynasty from 1266 to 1368. Most of the buildings in hutongs were created in the traditional courtyard (Sìhéyuàn) style, and while many of these courtyard homes were originally occupied by aristocrats, after the Communist takeover in 1949 the aristocrats were soon pushed out and replaced with poor families.
Above: The traditional courtyard in the Sìhéyuàn style
There are large quantities of hutongs in Beijing with the numbers reaching more than 7,000, and every hutong has it’s own story. They are often are given the names of people, commercial names, names of items, or simply something in the Beijing dialect. Examples of these include: Chengxiang (premier) and Jinyu Hutong (goldfish). The oldest hutong is Sanmiaojie in Beijing, which has been around for more than 900 years. The longest hutong is Dongxijiaominxiang, at a length of 3250 meters (the shortest is only 10 meters). The most narrow hutong is: Qianshi Hutong with a width of only 0.7 meters.
Hutongs can still be found throughout the 2nd Ring Road area, though many are being demolished to make way for new buildings and wider roads. The hutongs near Qianmen and Houhai are the most popular with tourists, and though they may feel intimidating to travelers at first, the locals are usually very friendly and will often try to help you if you look lost. During the summer months, you can always see young people riding bikes through the hutongs or people sitting in the sanlunche and making the most of the hutong views. For more information, visit this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hutong
Make sure to visit this example of a hutong if you have the time:
Prince Gong’s Mansion
17 Qianhai South Street, Xicheng district, Beijing, China
Hours of operation are 8:30 am - 5 pm
Ticket price: 30 RMB ($4.50 usd) or 70 RMB ($10 usd if you need a tour guilde for your visit)
Above: Street view of a hutong
Beijing Food
Traditional Beijing food includes peking roast duck, bing tang hu lu and zha jiang mian. Peking duck is the unique dish of Beijing and the most famous restaurant to find it at is Quan Ju De: http://www.quanjude.com.cn/main.php. There are also many chain restaurants in Beijing City, Qianmen, Wangfujing, Houhai where prices tend to run along 3 grades of 68, 98 and 128 RMB, ($9, $14, and $18 usd); the higher prices include more dishes with the duck.
Above top: A restaurant exterior in Houhai
Above middle and bottom: Peking duck, the classic favorite dish of Beijing
Bing Tang Hu Lu
Bing Tang Hu Lu is a popular traditional winter snack in northern China, especially in Beijing, and particularly with children. It consists of candied fruit on bamboo skewers. This snack can usually be found along the snack street of Wangfujing but there are are also street vendors who travel from place to place selling them. This typically has a hardened sugar coating that comes from dipping the skewer in sugar syrup, but versions can also be found with a second chocolate coating or sprinkles. The fruit that is used is traditionally Chinese hawthorn but in recent times, vendors have also used strawberries, blueberries, pineapples, kiwifruit, grapes, tomatoes, bananas, and apples.
Above: The street food tanghulu
Zhajiang mian (fried sauce noodles) is a northern Chinese dish consisting of thick wheat noodles topped with a mixture of ground pork that is stir-fried with fermented soybean paste. In Beijing, yellow soybean paste is used for his mixture, while in Tianjin and other parts of China, sweet noodle sauce (hoisin sauce or doubanjiang) is also used in place of the yellow soybean paste. In the cuisines of Beijing, Tianjin, and northeastern China, the soybean paste is stir-fried and oil is not used. You would find these noodles in some traditional zhajiangmian restaurants like ChongWenMen, HongQiao Market, and LiuLiChang.
Above: An example of a serving of zhajiang mian
In Beijing there are also some streets that are very famous for food; NiuJie that is located in the XuanWu district and GuiJie are two places I would like to recommend.
Guijie (Ghost street)
West of Dongzhimen is Guijie, (food vessel street), which is extremely well-known to locals. The character for Gui refers to a round-mouthed bamboo container for food. The name is frequently mistaken for a similar sounding word, meaning "ghost", so some refer to the street as "Ghost Street". Here, you would only need to spend around $10 usd to try many samples of food.
Teahouses in Beijing
A lot of Chinese food is quite oily and sweet, so the best place to cleanse your palate in one of our local teahouses.
Lao She Teahouse, the most famous teahouse in Beijing can be found here: http://www.laosheteahouse.com/
In this establishment, you get to taste their tea and watch traditional Chinese programs.
Address: No.3, Qianmen West Street, Xuanwu District, Beijing
Transportation: Take bus routes 5, 10, 110, 120 and get off at Qianmen stop, or take the subway line 2 and take off at Qianmen station.
The hours are: 9 am – 1 pm
Above top and bottom: Exterior and interior shots of the Lao She Teahouse
Regis Hotel Beijing
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/stregis/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=110
Address: 1/F Apartment sector, St. Regis Hotel Beijing, 21 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District 6532-7008
The following teahouses are also great bets:
Bi Bo Xuan (green waves teahouse)
A lot of effort went into decorating this place with a concept that is based in nature; it is one of the best in Miyun!
Address: 59-9 Shahe Chezhan Lu, Miyun County 6908-3998
Bi Shui Dan Shan (green water and red mountains)
The name implies it's origin from Fujian in South China, as does the decor. There is also an excellent group that performs here during the tea ceremony that makes it worth a visit.
Address: To the west of Yuetan Police Station, Yuetan Nanjie, Xicheng District 6805-0066
Night Life in Beijing
Night life was something that was unknown to many people in Beijing 20 years ago, so much so, that the word wasn’t even used. Nowadays, it is very common for people to hit the town (especially for young people). Typically, their time is spent at the cinema, theatres, nightclubs, song and dance halls, karaoke clubs, restaurants, and bars. Compared to the people in of southern China, the people of Beijing are more conservative and most of them, married people in particular, like to stay at home watching TV or chatting with friends. This explains the often deserted streets after 9 pm, when most of the shops close.
If you are looking for great nightlife, these streets are worth looking into:
Sanlitun
The most popular drinking and dancing place for foreigners in Beijing; it also offers some bars on North street (South street was a much better and cheaper option, but lately, it has been largely demolished due to construction). The eastern side of the street leading from Gōngtĭ bĕilù to Dōngzhíménwài dàjiē is lined with more fancy bars, while the narrow hutongs on the west side of the bar street offer a different style of establishment. The Poachers Inn is probably one of the most popular bars among foreigners in this area. It is located at 43 Beisanlitun Rd, Beijing
6417 2632 (Chaoyang district, Sanlitun).
Above: The busy streets of the Chaoyang district
San Li Tun
This street is located about 500 meters west of the Tuan Jie Hu station on Subway Line 10 (or just say "Sanlitun" to any taxi driver and they will know where to take you).
The Hòuh – He Houhai
This area also offers some upmarket places, like the Buddha Bar, Buddha Bar 2, and Buddha Bar 3. The area has a nice feel at night with red lanterns glowing in every corner and floating candles on the lake. We say that Sanlitun is the paradise for youth, while the Houhai bar area is a very elegant and peceful place; perfect for dating and business people to have a stroll. There are many different bars and restaurants that also line the shores of Lakes (houhai, shichahai and qianhai), but stay in Houhai and you will feel calmer, more comfortable, and therefore able to find a lot more enjoyment.
Above: A view of the boats and lights of The Hòuh
Shopping in Beijing
First, I'm going to introduce a few places where you can shop for traditional Chinese wares like antiques, lacquer pieces, silk, jade, art, and handicrafts. Of all the places to go to shop for homewares, you must stop by these three: Panjiayuan, Liulichang, and Dazhalan.
Pan Jia Yuan Jiu Huo Shi Chang
Panjiayuan, located in the southeast of Beijing, is a great place to find antiques that range from Tibetan crafts to communist memorabilia. Best to have a good idea of what you are looking for as many items in the area are antique replicas that are being passed off as the real thing. This area is comprised of over 3,000 stalls that cover 48,500 square meters and it has something for everyone... even Hillary Clinton has shopped here! The stall owners come from over 24 provinces around China to sell their wares and there is some overlap from stall to stall so you can price compare and find the best bargains. While the Antique Zone is open every day, the Arts and Crafts Warehouse Zone is only open on the weekends, so this is the best time to come for a visit. If you're shopping for accessories, the best time is Saturday morning as most of these sellers leave by noon.
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:30 am - 5 pm
Saturday - Sunday, 4:30 am - 5 pm (both of these are summer hours only)
Above: Pan Jia Yuan Jiu Huo Change
*Note: you must haggle here! Whatever you do, don't take the first price that they offer you, you must barter back and forth with them to get to the best price that you can manage. If you're uncomfortable or need some easing into the barter game, bring some Chinese friends with you to show you how it's done! Also, it's good to note to not believe the guides that are in the market as they sometimes get commissions from the sellers.
Above top and bottom: Panjiayuan Market and some local market wares
Also, you will want to bring cash with you but make sure to not come with overflowing pockets as you may regret it later when your bills go missing.
Liu Li Chang and Da Zha Lan
These two spots are on one street that are separated by a road. This section is located in Xuanwumen and is also a great place to find antiques of all kinds. Keep in mind that the same issue is a reality here with the replicas, so make sure to check for the official red seal that they should sport to prove their authenticity. The best attitude to adopt is: if you find something you like, bargain down for a price that you are happy with and take it home to your loved ones. Small jade pieces and silver trinkets make great gifts and are easy to pack onto the plane with you.
Above top: One of the ancient shops in the area that offer up many antiques to shoppers;
Above bottom: An example of artwork that can be found in the area
In this area, you will find less people and less noise than in some of the larger markets; it almost has the feeling of a small, peaceful village. Cash is always accepted and Visa is often also accepted in this area.
If this area seems too quiet for your taste, head across the road to the crowded Da Zha Lan where you will find silks, clothes, handbags, and tons of handicrafts.
Silk Street and Xidan-Wangfujing
In these areas you will be able to find jeans, shoes, assorted clothing, rugs/carpets, golf equipment, accessories, watches, silk by the roll, artwork, and electronics. It also has a small supermarket in the basement if you get hungry. Things tend to be quite cheap here and if you are a seasoned bargainer you can get things for ridiculously low prices. Most items in this area are high-quality designer knockoffs so don't expect the real thing for $10!
Xi Dan and Wang Fujing Streets
There are all types of western malls here where you will find everything from fashion and cafes to movie theaters and electronic stores. This is also a great spot to find books to study the Chinese language and various guide books for your vacation. Xi Dan Book Mall and Wangfujing Bookstore are both very famous, so make sure to pay them a visit.
Zhong Guan Cun
In the northwest corner of Beijing, this area is a great place to pick up reasonably priced electronics (but most sellers will not speak English). Make sure to research the market brand price before you head out shopping in the stores. This site is a good resource: http://www.zol.com.cn/
Home interior gifts, décor and decorating accessories can be found in any of the the several large building & construction material shopping centers. The two biggest shops of these are Juranzhijia (Easy home at http://www.juran.com.cn/ and Jimejiaju (Jiemei Furniture at http://www.jimei.com.cn/).
Above: View of Juranzhijia shops
Juran Zhijia North 4th Ring Road
Address: Beijing Chaoyang District North 4th Ring Road Fourth Road no. 65.
Phone: 010-84634443
Juran Zhijia Shi Li He
Address: Beijing Chaoyang District Shiba Li store, Dayang Fang Road no.106
Phone: 010-88873500 010-88873002
Juran Zhijia Yuquanying
Address: Beijing Fengtai District South 3rd Ring Road no. 58
Phone: 010-83679596
Juran Zhijia Shiji Jinyuan store
Address: Beijing Haidian District Yuanda Road
Phone: 010-67303500
http://shop.juran.com.cn/search801.asp
Store hours generally run from 9 am - 6 pm on the weekdays and 9 am - 5:30 am on the weekends. Most of the staff in these stores don’t speak English so you may need some Chinese friends to help you shop.
Transportation in Beijing
It is very convenient to travel by subway in Beijing and all of the subway lines tend to cross so you can get around on one ticket so long as you transfer underground and don't head above ground. Have a look on this site for more information on the subways lines and pricing: http://www.bjsubway.com/ens/index.html
Above: Beijing subway system map
The bus system in Beijing is for the truly adventurous! You can pay less to ride on the buses that have no air conditioning or more to ride with less people and some air conditioning (if you can't handle the heat or the masses on that particular day). If you buy a ticket card, you will save money rather than buying individual tickets.
Taxi service in Beijing are priced according to how many km you travel and what type of car you are riding in. The cheapest of these is the Xiali (Chinese car) at 1.20 RMB and rides can vary from not too bad to awful. For 1.60 RMB, you can take a ride in a fairly new Vollkswagen or Citroen that is a bit faster and will have some air conditioning, but it is still a compact car, by American standards. The best taxi ride that you can get is for 2.00 RMB and is the most comfortable ride in a black town car with the driver that may speak some English (though, this is still quite rare). Keep an eye out for the price of the taxi that is displayed, inconveniently, on the corner of the rear left or right side of the window. Once you get to know the types of car, you can judge the price this way and once you become great at it, you can judge the type of car at night by their headlights alone! Keep in mind that the prices tend to be a bit higher between 10 pm - 4 am.
Accommodations
China World (Shangri La)
This hotel has always been one of the best hotels in Beijing and has recently undergone a complete refurbishment. It is an excellent example of Chinese style and a fantastic level of service.
http://www.shangri-la.com/en
For reservations, visit: http://www.shangri-la.com/en/corporate/contactus/worldwidereservations
Great Wall Sheraton
In the northeast corner of Beijing, otherwise known as the expatriate entertainment and residence capital, this hotel was one of the first luxury hotels in the city and everything about it says class.
10 North Dong San Huan Road, Chaoyang District
Beijing, Beijing 1000125
China
Phone: (86) (10) 6590 5566
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=175&localeoverwrite
Rich in culture, historical significance, ritual, routine, as well as much of the world’s industry, Beijing is the perfect destination for anyone that would like to visit the city’s opulent palaces and temples, or simply spend a leisurely day having tea and visiting local art galleries. One thing to keep in mind is to pack for the season, as the winters tend to be dry and cold, while the summers tend to be hot, humid, and monsoon-influenced. Layers are typically a good choice as they can be added or taken off as needed. No matter what, you will not be disappointed with this epicenter of tradition that includes nearly 2,000 years of treasures and something that is surely to delight any traveler.
Written by Xin Zhou
To contact Xin Zhou:
Phone: 86-13520248857
E-mail: annie2007happy@hotmail.com
Website: http://www.phoenix3d.cn/