The Forbidden City is another such attraction that lacks appeal in winter. Spring, when the trees and plants in the city’s gardens are in bloom, is the best time of year to visit. The Temple of Heaven, in the south of the city, is likewise a beautiful and fun place in warmer weather but quite bleak and depressing in winter. Indeed, without the trees, shrubs and plants that dot the massive area of the Temple of Heaven, it’s depressing more than impressive.

And shopping in the city is better in warm months as well. Panjiayuan, an open air art and antiques market, thrives in warm weather and wanes considerably in winter. Strolling pleasurably through the stalls is one of the simple joys of life in Beijing. And there is no more beautiful spot for strolling and shopping than Nanluoguxiang, the restored hutong alleyway that is home to famous bars, restaurants, and shops.

What is romance like in China? What customs are you expected to follow or ignore? Are flowers what you bring on a first date? Don’t worry hungry young man, we’re here to feed you seeds of knowledge to help you win the heart of your love in Beijing.

For a first date, you’re expected to pick the girl up at her home or dorm. Don’t ask to come inside, as that is presumptuous and could be misunderstood. Instead, give a small gift (usually chocolate or something small and dainty, like a hair clip or small purse). Dinner is usually expected, and that means shelling out a few RMB for a decent restaurant. You’ll find some tasty spots to dine in Sanlitun, and this is also the place to “see and be seen” which your girl will like. Drinks afterward is not expected, though if you decide to drink a smaller, hutong bar is more intimate and romantic, and shows cultural sensitivity. Steer clear of party bars like Salud and linger in hidden gems like 12sqm Bar & Cafe, or Mao Mao Chong.

Your second date you should bring flowers. The man is expected to pay for dinner again, and drinks. But if she offers to pay it’s smart to take her up on that so you don’t build a relationship of dependency.

It won’t be long until she asks you to meet her family. This is tricky. The family is usually only involved if marriage is an option. Make sure you don’t have your signals crossed. And don’t meet the parents unless you are quite serious about the girl. This will hurt her reputation with her family down the line should you break up.

In order to use a computer at an internet cafe you need to register at the front desk with your passport. Not all internet cafes (called Wang-Ba) allow foreigners. They will wave you away if they cannot accept foreigners in the cafe. If they can, the registration process takes about three minutes.

If you have your own laptop or mobile device it’s fairly easy to find wi-fi in major cities. In Beijing, Starbucks has free wi-fi and there is a Starbucks at every major mall, intersection and sometimes just out in the middle of nowhere. Other cafes have followed suit in the capital to the point where free wi-fi is literally everywhere. In Sanlitun Village, for example, you’ll find several connection options from every major area in the village. On Nanluoguxiang, the converted hutong area north of the Forbidden City, every tiny bar and cafe has wi-fi available. Even if they don’t advertise, it’s worth asking for the passwords.

One thing to keep in mind is the level of access you’ll get on the internet. Some of your favorite sites may be blocked, including the popular social networking sites Facebook and My Space, among others. This can be annoying, but luckily a quick search for a proxy or VPN will yield enough access for you to do your internet basics. Even if you’re basically web illiterate, finding a proxy is easy and if you’ll be in China for a while, necessary. You should not have trouble getting into your email or basic websites as long as they are not news or social networking related.

Jingshan Park is one of the single most impressive photography spots in Beijing. Located directly north of the Forbidden City, these are the absolutely most astonishing views of the Forbidden City from on high, plus you get a panoramic of the city. Since it’s the exact center of Beijing you’ll be able to see all the hutongs from on high, the lake to the north and west, and loads of impressive sites. Jingshan is, in itself, a cool park where you’ll be able to watch elderly men and women doing tai chi among the trees, plus the garden is a neat place for a picnic.

For iconic pictures of architecture you’ll have to hit up the Olympic Sports Center, more commonly known as the bird’s nest. This little gem of amazing modern art is especially cool at night, when it’s lit up with red lights with white beams on the hinges. It’s  cool site, and one that you’ll enjoy looking at again and again in your photography.

OF course, the Forbidden City is great for photos. Good luck getting a shot without a dozen people in it. If you get there right as they open you might have a chance at a few shots of the side streets. The same goes for the Great Wall, which is so packed in summer that it’s hard to get any good photography at all done up there. Instead, for great, memorable shots head to the Temple of Heaven. Here, you’ll find open garden areas full of tai chi practitioners, people practicing swordplay, people singing, playing cards or just walking. It’s great for photography of people, and especially of the old Beijing folks who make the place charming. Shots of the temple itself are also great, and are bound to be some of your favorite pics from the trip.

Nanluoguxiang is one of the single most iconic areas in Beijing. It’s crowded most of the time, but it’s still cool. It’s a cultural heritage site, a street full of old hutongs (traditional one-story structures) and bars, cafes, shops and restaurants. It’s an amazing place for photography, especially if you can make it early in the morning or late in the evening for night photography.

The Kro’s Nest is one example of a great kid’s place. They have coloring place mats, kid’s menus, and of course the environment is safe and friendly (music and TV stations) for the little ones. It isn’t uncommon to see kid’s celebrating their birthdays in big groups in the back room, though at night the place does get rowdy with the after-work drinking crowd.

The family favorite Bite-a-Pita is no only a healthy option for the whole family, but it has a kid’s menu, high chairs and a friendly, bilingual staff. You have to walk down a creepy back alley, but so do all the locals and expats who love and frequent this place.

Hot pot can be a lot of fun, under good supervision with older kids. Essentially a boiling pot of oil, you and your family dip raw foods into the pot and pull out a meal. It’s fun, interactive and tasty. But if the kids are too young it’s just downright dangerous. Still, the place is always full of local families and their kids, proving that it’s at least one method for family dining.

If you want to check out animals in captive in Beijing, the local zoo isn’t bad. Still, you’ll find a few of the conditions to be sub-par. Namely, the large cat enclosures, which are about the same size as the cats themselves. You’ll also find the aviary to be a bit disturbing, as it’s covered in bird feces, dirty and many of the exhibits are empty. Likewise, the reptile zone is a bit lacking, and many of the reptiles are stuffed.

One area where the zoo didn’t skimp is the panda exhibit. You can pay a bit extra to get in, and a bit more still to hold a baby panda for a cute photo op. Pandas are big business in the Middle Kingdom, and especially to the local tourism industry.

Some of the aquariums in town are tops, including the Beijing aquarium. This joint has some awesome sea creatures, including some unique to Asia.

Finally, you can see animals at the Bird and Pet Market. However, most of these adorable animals are not long for this world as the markets are rife with disease. We recommend highly that you not purchase anything from this area. It is a good photo journey, however.

Step 1: Wrap up! Some of the best places to pick up your warm-weather gear are Yashow- the favorite local fakes market. You’ll want to bargain hard at Yashow, where the local shop keepers make light work of most tourists. cut their asking price into thirds and expect to pay one third of the original price.

You can also grab some great garb at the market near the Beijing Zoo. Simply take the subway line 4 to the Beijing Zoo stop and walk across the street to the giant marketplace that’s open from 9am-5pm weekdays. You’ll find all kinds of clothing and warm-weather gear, and prices are usually marked. If they aren’t marked it’ best to ask and then, if it isn’t similar to the listed prices nearby just walk away.

One of the primary ways to stay warm while in Beijing is to start touring the sites in the early afternoon. If the sun comes out at all it’ll be warming up the city after noon. Besides, the great wall and Forbidden City and other such sites are usually packed early in the morning, between 9am-11am, and usually abandoned around lunch and shortly afterwards. This is perhaps because the lunch hour is very strictly observed in China.

Sadly, many fake, rip-off agencies target foreigners in the false belief that all foreigners are rich and don’t mind spending more money. Since tourists are often unaware that they need to be so vigilant about costs and hidden fees, they feel uncomfortable at the end when confronted with a massive bill they didn’t agree to. Your best bet is to stick to the “when in Rome” concept and ask about every detail and every cost before you agree to anything. You ask the price in advance for everything from a complete package to a cab ride without a meter.

There is no surefire way to make sure you’re not getting scammed though. While many great tour leaders have gone to school in order to be licensed tour guides, there are many more who have fake diplomas. If your guide speaks decent English, knows the facts and treats you with respect and not like a walking purse it doesn’t really matter if they are certified. Most “real” tour guides are women around the age of 24-30. Most older and especially older male tour guides are cons, but that doesn’t mean they are not also great at talking about Chinese history and leading you around the city. Use your best judgment when choosing a guide, and especially negotiate the price up front, especially with guides you find on-site, like at the Forbidden City or Great Wall. RMB30 an hour is reasonable for a real guide, if they demand much more than that you can start to suspect a con. The highest you should pay is RMB50, and that’s already pushing the ridiculous number. Paying more means you’re encouraging more fake guides to jump into the industry, and continues to drive prices up.

Paddy O’Shea’s Irish Pub is one of the most popular Irish hang out spots in the city. You’ll find the Irish owner behind the bar shouting good naturedly at the rowdy drinkers and whenever a sporting event hits the airways you can be sure to find other fans screaming at the dozens of TVs in the room. You can’t find much in the way of Irish cuisine, but with an Indian restaurant upstairs you’ll be able to enjoy the best type of drunk food for midnight snacking. Pints of Guinness and Murphey’s are on tap and you’ll find a lot of other great brews on offer, too.

The Irish Volunteer continues to be one of the more popular Irish pubs in town, but located out in Lido unless your hotel is in the area it’s probably easier to to head to Paddy’s. The Irish Volunteer is a small place, but the beer selection is good.

The James Joyce recently opened near Sanlitun offering Jameson, Bushmills and a lot of other decent Irish imports as well as a decent beer list. The James Joyce is still undergoing a transition phase, but owned by an Irishmen the décor and vibe is exactly what Beijing needed. The music, which is modern pop, is the only drawback.

For St. Patrick’s Day in Beijing, expect fun events, green beer and loads of Guinness at any of these great Irish options in the capital.

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