Beijing in a Day

Our Local Expert Says:

Massive crowds attend the daily raising and lowering, at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., respectively, of China's national flag at the north end of Tiananmen Square. Jostle with locals for some elbow room and catch a glimpse.

Description:

The Chang An Avenue, stretching 38 kilometers and running east-westward through the Beijing city proper, is known as the first street and façade of the capital. It is definitely a must-see for first-time visitors. Both sides are lined with famous high-rise buildings. The avenue offers a rare opportunity to reflect on the city's past, present and future. The Tiananmen Square, located in the middle reach of the street, is filled with historic relics and legends, and the flag raising and lowering ceremonies there often attracts a large crowd of observers.

Our Local Expert Says:

Tiananmen Square is quietest early in the morning before the crowds gather, although it is easily accessible throughout the day. Getting there by subway is the most convenient option, as the wide roads and official buildings in the area make it hard for taxis to stop. Tiananmen Square is the best place to experience the look and feel of Communist China.

Description:

The centre of both glory and controversy in China's modern history, Tiananmen Square is a vast space located next to Forbidden City. Although the square was originally constructed in 1651, it was not until 1958 that it was significantly enlarged and concrete laid down that it became the square seen today. The site of a number of political battles over the last fifty years, Tiananmen Square is also home to the tomb of Chairman Mao. A sprawling and spacious area, Tiananmen Square perfectly highlights the divide between Imperial and Communist China.

Description:

This massive mausoleum and memorial hall was built right in the center of Tiananmen Square—the center of Beijing and metaphorically of the whole of China; shortly after Mao's death in 1976. For nearly thirty years he was the center of the Chinese universe, and however the future judges him he is certainly still revered today. The queues that file into the building and pass his glass sarcophagus are long but fast moving, and visitors often get the feeling they are being whisked away before they can get a good look at the mummified corpse. Admission is free.

Description:

When you go shopping in the Qian Men commercial area, two majestic towers greet your eyes. They are the Gate of True Sun and Arrow Tower, dubbed as Qian Men (front gate), which stand on the south side of Tiananmen Square. Originally built in 1419, the gate was the south entrance of the Beijing inner city during the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911). It is the largest well-preserved city gate in Beijing. The gate has become a museum of local customs, and visitors can see Beijing's old city wall, streets, markets and houses through historical photos and relics.

Description:

Standing on the rostrum of the Gate of Heavenly Peace, visitors have a panoramic view over Tiananmen Square. Built in 1417, the 33.7 meter high gate consists of a terrace and a tower. The site was used for grand ceremonies in the Ming and Qing dynasties. It has been renovated four times in the past 50 years and was opened to the public on July 1, 1988. Tiananmen, the front gate of the Forbidden City, is considered the center of Beijing.

Our Local Expert Says:

The main draw of Forbidden City is the impressive Imperial architecture and the sheer scale of the palace. Visiting on a clear day in winter offers the best chance for photographs of this historic site with a clear blue sky in the background. Take a day to visit the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square together, as they are right next to each other.

Description:

Located in the heart of Beijing near Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City is the most vivid reminder of China's Imperial past. Constructed from 1406 to 1420 and serving as the Imperial palace from the Ming to Qing Dynasties, Forbidden City is the largest palace in the world. There are nearly 1,000 surviving buildings in total, and many of these have been carefully restored to their former glory. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Forbidden City contains artefacts from China's Imperial past and is a must-see attraction when visiting Beijing.

Our Local Expert Says:

Chinese shopping malls are somewhat different to those in the West, and there are often really great places to eat inside the many malls at Wangfujing. Take some time to look around these seemingly generic and modern spaces and you can find some tasty treats from all over the world.

Description:

As one of the oldest and most famous commercial streets in China, it is no wonder that Wangfujing is now the modern shopping centre of Beijing. A wide collection of pedestrian streets and modern shopping malls mixed with the traditional snack stalls and architecture of old China, Wangfujing shows how the ancient and modern can blend to great effect. Alongside today's fashion brands such as French Connection and Nike lay traditional Chinese shops such as Shengxifu Hat Store, Tongshenghe Shoe Store and the Wuyutai Tea House. A great place to enjoy modern China whilst still taking in the history of Beijing.

Description:

This night market has to be seen to be believed. Eager crowds jostle alongside red and white stalls, responding to the calls of vendors or the sight of something delicious or extraordinary to behold. Food comes on skewers, in soup bowls, wrapped in tortillas, or even in half a pineapple, and includes familiar fried and roasted meat, fish, seafood, vegetables and fruit, alongside hearts, brains, stomach and other innards. Try baby sparrows, scorpions, crickets and silkworm grubs. Glutinous and sticky, savory and sweet rice dishes are filling and cheap. Vegetarians can eat corn, broccoli, mushrooms and noodles.

Description:

This is Beijing's most famous Peking Duck restaurant, and also one of the oldest, having been established in 1864. The huge, plush dining hall is filled with diners eager to try this dish in its most authentic setting. A basic duck starts at CNY108, but the pancakes, scallions and sauces are extra. For CNY168 you can choose your bird before it is roasted, and get all the trimmings "for free". The menu also has dishes made from every other part of the duck, save the quack. Beers, spirits and soft drinks are served, and there is a separate fast-food section.

Description:

If you only visit one temple after the Temple of Heaven, this should be it. A complex of progressively larger buildings topped with ornate yellow-tiled roofs, Yonghe Gong was built in 1694 and originally belonged to the Qing prince who would become the Yongzheng emperor. As was the custom, the complex was converted to a temple after Yongzheng's move to the Forbidden City in 1744. The temple is home to several rather beautiful incense burners, including a particularly ornate one in the second courtyard that dates back to 1746. The Falun Dian (Hall of the Wheel of Law), second to last of the major buildings, contains a 6m (20-ft.) bronze statue of Tsongkapa (1357-1419), the founder of the reformist Yellow Hat (Geluk) sect of Tibetan Buddhism, which is now the dominant school of Tibetan Buddhism. He's easily recognized by his pointed cap with long earflaps. The last of the five central halls, the Wanfu Ge (Tower of Ten Thousand Happinesses), houses the temple's prize possession -- an ominous Tibetan-style statue of Maitreya (the future Buddha), 18m (59 ft.) tall, carved from a single piece of white sandalwood. Once something of a circus, Yonghe Gong is slowly starting to feel like a place of worship, as there are now many Chinese devotees of Tibetan Buddhism.

Our Local Expert Says:

Nanluoguxiang is a great place to chill out and enjoy the surrounding architecture. It has plenty of choices for eating and drinking without the all-out party atmosphere associated with Sanlitun bar area.

Description:

Nanluoguxiang is one of the best preserved historical areas of downtown Beijing, as well as being one of the most chic and trendy places to hang out in the afternoons and evenings. The 768-metre-long south-north central lane, with 16 hutong branching off the central lane, is full of interesting craft shops, relaxing cafes and trendy bars. The area has a history of over 700 years and is one of the oldest hutong neighborhoods in the city. Nanluoguxiang has been fully restored to its former glory, and is surrounding by other historic sites such as Houhai Lake and the Drum and Bell Towers.

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:

Be sure to order a pitcher of the milky, white fermented rice wine.

Description:

Arty, minimalist and hip, it's hard not to feel a bit like a bon vivant here, eating fashionably small portions of flavorful, spicy, Yunnan cuisine. Try the tree bark—yes, tree bark—salad with its delectable dressing. The food is a joy to look at and eat.

Description:

Boasting dark wood paneling and floor to ceiling windows offering an eyeful of Houhai, this small jazz dive defines rugged sophistication. Started by Liu Yue, Cui Jian's former saxophonist, it's the most authentic jazz joint in town, featuring top acts from Thursday to Sunday. Perfect for those tired of glitz but hungry for jazz.

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:

Put a Japanese restaurant, a sexy cocktail bar and a dimly-lit comfy lounge together in Beijing and what do you get? RBL! Chef Dan believes that food is an art as much as a science—marvel at his precisely-cut sushi and well-presented Dalian scallop sashimi. But the Nagasaki suckling pig in kumquat sauce and the Shandong eel soaked in oils and spices is to die for. Fresh ingredients are added into these dishes, which is evident by the taste. For dessert, relax over a green tea cheesecake or the miso crème brûlée before you head over to the laidback lounge section for a chat with pals.

Our Local Expert Says:

Beginning with the massive water fountain and flag display out front, the Hyatt is the most impressive hotel in Beijing with service to match. The Red Moon bar is popular not just with hotel guests, as is Made in China, the in house restaurant. Don't forget to pack your suit. The indoor pool looks like a lush tropical lagoon.

Description:

Another one from the Hyatt stable, this hotel will offer you luxury beyond imagination. Steeped in Oriental traditions, yet very modern in design and amenities, the Grand Hyatt ensures a comfortable stay. Apart from the regular luxury features present in all the 825 rooms and suites, this hotel also has a swimming pool, a spa, a fitness center and a business center. It even provides limousine services, sight seeing tours, secretarial services and more.