Beijing by Candlelight: Romantic Hotspots

Our Local Expert Says:

Home to some of Beijing's best luxury shopping, the Peninsula's dining room serves one of the most impressive Chinese and Western buffets all day long.

Description:

Reflecting the rich traditions of the capital, and located close to downtown Wang Fu Jing shopping area, this hotel also offers access to government, diplomatic and business facilities. Famous landmarks Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City are a short stroll away.

Description:

An imperial playground dating back to the Tartar Jin dynasty (1115-1234), Bei Hai lies to the north of Zhong Hai and Nan Hai, which were also opened to the public in 1925. In the best tradition of Animal Farm, the Communist leaders created a new Forbidden City and named it Zhong Nan Hai. Bei Hai was left to the masses. Although it's a convenient way to combine a morning visit to the Forbidden City with a more relaxing afternoon in the Back Lakes area, most visitors have a quick peek at the southern half and then disappear. Unfortunately, they miss the north side of the park, which is more interesting.

Entering from the south, you come to Tuan Cheng (Round City), a small citadel on a raised platform whose most notable structure, Chengguang Dian, houses a 1.5m-tall (5-ft.) statue of a feminine-looking Buddha, crafted from Burmese white jade. Crossing the Yong'an Bridge to Qiong Dao (Qiong Islet), you soon reach Yong'an Si, where the founder of the prominent Geluk sect, Tsongkapa, was the focus of devotion. He is now portrayed as a Chinese reformer of corrupt Tibetan Buddhism, on the grounds that he was born in Qinghai rather than "autonomous" Tibet. From here, boats run to the north side of the park for ¥5 (65¢/35p), or you can walk around the east side, passing calligraphers wielding enormous sponge-tipped brushes to compose rapidly evaporating poems on the flagstones.

Boats pull in to the east of Wu Long Ting (Five Dragon Pavilion), where aspiring singers treat the public to revolutionary airs popular in the 1950s. Off to the left is an impressive green-tiled pailou (memorial arch; the green tiles signify a religious purpose, in contrast to the yellow imperial tiles of the Forbidden City and Guo Zi Jian). Continue on to the square-shaped Jile Shijie Dian, encircled by a dry moat. Built by the Qianlong emperor to honor his mother, the sandalwood structure is exquisite, topped with a priceless gold dome (apparently too high for either foreign troops or local warlords to reach). The gaudy fiberglass statuary inside brings you back to the present. To the west stands an impressive Nine Dragon Screen, which guarded the entrance to a now-vanished temple. Further east is Daci Zhenru Bao Dian, an atmospheric Buddhist hall built during the late Ming from unpainted cedar; topped with a black roof (to protect the precious wood from fire), it has a cool slate floor. Continue east to the northern exit onto Ping'an Dadao, which marks the southern end of the Shicha Hai (Back Lakes) area.

Our Local Expert Says:

Larger sized rooms are nice for a group foot massage after a long day of touring.

Description:

A range of decadent Thai and Chinese-style massages in a soothing, modern setting. One of the best in Beijing.

Description:

This traditional outdoor courtyard restaurant serves up a wide range of regional Chinese cuisine in beautiful and relaxed surroundings. Popular with foreigners, it offers them a chance to experience the versatility of Chinese food: Sichuanese, Northeastern, Shanghainese and Cantonese are just a few of the cuisines available, and the English menu makes ordering easy. Go with a large group to sample many dishes. To be honest, the portions are smaller, the quality lower and the prices higher than in other similar establishments, but you may be willing to put up with this for the convenience and surroundings.

Our Local Expert Says:

The coolest place in Beijing to be seen rubbing elbows with young starlets and newly minted business successes. Don't forget to check out the bathrooms.

Description:

French interior designer Philippe Starck has dolloped the Twin Towers with glamour, making eye candy the real main course at this restaurant and bar. So sip a lychee martini, revel in the exotic detail and be sure to check out the private mirrored bathrooms. At night, high-end partiers pile in to sip bubbly while house DJs spin. This place is not cheap, but what were you expecting, dahling? Perfect for the glitterati.

Description:

The CourtYard Gallery draws on a talented pool of young, avant-garde Chinese artists and hosts among the most exiting exhibitions in the capital, including shows by some of the best-known names in the contemporary Beijing art scene. Housed in the basement of the renowned CourtYard Restaurant, works include oils, inks, engravings, lithography and sculpture. The gallery is not large, and provides an ideal distraction for diners upstairs or anyone passing by. Most works are for sale. Check the snazzy website for details of current exhibitions.

Admission: Free

Description:

If you read the food magazines, this may be the one Beijing restaurant you know. Owned by a Chinese-American lawyer with family roots in Beijing, the CourtYard serves admirable fare but wins the most accolades for its setting, in a restored courtyard-style house next to the Forbidden City. The house's gray brick exterior still blends with its old Beijing surroundings, but inside is a different world: modernist white and glass, with tall art-hung walls and a beckoning staircase that leads to a contemporary art gallery in the basement. The fare isn't genuine fusion; dishes are recognizably Occidental or Oriental with only token mixing of styles, but they're delectable nonetheless. Foie gras brûlée, cashew-crusted lamb chop, and black cod with tomato marmalade are longtime favorites. The tender grilled chicken breast in lemon grass and coconut curry is superb, justifying rave reviews almost by itself. The wine list is more comprehensive and well thought out than anything this side of Hong Kong, with a surprisingly large number available by the glass. An intimate cigar lounge upstairs, furnished with leather couches, looks out across the Forbidden City's eastern moat.

Description:

This somewhat garishly decorated teahouse is named for one of the most famous plays by celebrated Chinese writer Lao She. Performances change nightly but always include opera and acrobatics. It pays to buy the more expensive tickets, as views from the rear seats are frequently obscured. Nightly shows at 7:50pm.

Our Local Expert Says:

Home to some of Beijing's best luxury shopping, the Peninsula's dining room serves one of the most impressive Chinese and Western buffets all day long.

Description:

Reflecting the rich traditions of the capital, and located close to downtown Wang Fu Jing shopping area, this hotel also offers access to government, diplomatic and business facilities. Famous landmarks Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City are a short stroll away.