BEIJING

Arrive Thursday 18 October – Depart Tuesday 23 October

TOUR GUIDE:  Ryan – http://ryanchaotours.weebly.com

Confusingly Chinese Money is known by two names: Yuan (CNY) or Renminbi (RMB)

(£1.00 buys 9.11 CNY/ RMB) (1 CNY / RMB buys £0.11p)

 

THURSDAY 18 OCTOBER

Morning

Arrive at 9.30am at Terminal 3 Beijing Capital International Airport on flight BA0039. Met by our Tour Guide Ryan.

Drive to our Airbnb House located in a Hutong.  In China always take your shoes off at the door of an apartment or home before you enter.  Our Beijing host has left slippers for us.

The house we are renting is situated in Juer Hutong (Old part of Beijing)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hutong

A hutong is a long narrow street or alley lined with shops and courtyard residences known as Siheyuan. In a Siheyuan you would have at least four houses one on each side of the courtyard.  Extended families would live here.  Different members of the family would live in each building and depending on their importance in the family hierarchy would decide how big and elegant the house was.

Historically speaking, hutongs were formed when dozens of residents established their own courtyard residences and then a group of these became a small neighbourhood.

Hutongs were first established in the Yuan dynasty (1206–1341) and then expanded in the Ming (1368–1628) and Qing (1644–1908) dynasties.

The door into the Hutong tells you a lot about the family. The number of woods above the door showed you the status of the family: 2 woods low status, 4 woods high status and 12 woods member of Royal Family.

Stones on either side of the door indicated if you were a military family, educated family or a member of the civil service. If you just had wooden blocks you were an ordinary commoner.

Afternoon

Leave apartment to go for lunch at Zhangji Kaoyangtui restaurant.  This is a roadside restaurant in a Hutong with white plastic chairs and tables out onto the roadside. They serves whole leg of lamb roasted on a spit above a charcoal fire on your table, together with vegetable salads, spicy dips and barbecued Nan bread.

After lunch walk back to our house.  On our way back get a few basic shopping items: bread, milk, eggs etc.

Late afternoon leave the house and walk along Nanluoguxiang Alley (a narrow Hutong Lane) on our way to see the Tiananmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace) and Tiananmen Square – One hour walk.

Nanluoguxiang Alley is approximately 800m (half a mile)long running from East Gulou Street in the north to Dianmen East Street in the south. It features traditional architecture both new and old.  Nanluoguxiang was built in the Yuan Dynasty and received its current name during the Qing Dynasty, around 1750.

Nanuoguxiang is a ‘tourist / visitor’ hot spot so it gets very busy, so rather than walking down the main alley we will explore the eight additional alleys that extend out of it.

The Hutongs around the Alley date back one thousand years, these neighbourhoods of narrow, twisting streets represent the “real life” of Beijing, where passageways connect to courtyards of traditional compact homes.

In recent years, the area’s hutongs have become a popular tourist destination with restaurants, bars, live music houses, coffee shops, fast food and souvenir shops, as well as some old Siheyuan associated with famous historic and literary figures.

Arrive at The Tiananmen (Gate of heavenly Peace).  This is the famous building which you see on all TV reports from Tiananmen Square. It’s the building with the large picture of Moa Se Tung in the middle, guarded by two pairs of Ming stone lions. On either side of the picture of Mao are giant placards: the left one reading: “Long Live the People’s Republic of China” while the right one reads “Long Live the Great Unity of the World’s Peoples.

Built during the Ming Dynasty in 1420, the Tiananmen is widely used as a national symbol of China. The Tiananmen was the entrance to the Imperial City, within which the Forbidden City was located.  The gate has been destroyed and rebuilt several times

The Chinese name of the gate, Tiananmen, is made up of three Chinese characters “heaven”, “peace” and “gate”, hence the translated version “The Gate of Heavenly Peace”.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen

https://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/beijing/tiananmen-square/

Tiananmen Square – This is the largest city square in the world, occupying an area of 440,000 square meters, which is the equivalent to 72 full size football pitches. Tiananmen Square was designed and built in the Ming Dynasty (1386 – 1644) in 1651. It was enlarged by four times its original size in the 1950s. The square can accommodate 600,000 people at any one time

It’s named after The Tiananmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace) located to its north, which separates it from the Forbidden City. Chairman Mao proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China in the square on October 1, 1949. In June 1989 the Tiananmen Square student and workers protests took place which were put down by armed troops

https://www.chinadiscovery.com/beijing/tiananmen-square.html

In the square are located: The National Museum of China.

The Great Hall of the People a state building used for legislative and ceremonial activities by the government.

The Monument to the People’s Heroes is the largest monument in China.  It was erected as a national monument to the martyrs of revolutionary struggle during the 19th and 20th centuries.

The Mausoleum of Mao Zedong (Chairman Mao 1893 -1976). In the Hall of Mourning in a huge glass chamber lays Mao in his usual grey suit, draped with the red flag of the Communist Party, the chamber is surrounded by PLA ceremonial soldiers.

Walk to Zhengyangmen Gate popularly known as Qianmen.  This gate is situated at the opposite end of Tiananmen Square and to the Gate of Heavenly Peace.

The gate formed part of Beijing’s historic city wall built in 1419 during the Ming Dynasty. It guarded the southern entry into the Inner City.

Qianmen was an entrance that was only used for imperial carriages. It only opened when the emperor went to worship heaven in the Temple of Heaven or during the emperor and empress’s wedding.

At 42 metres high, the Zhengyangmen gatehouse was and remains the tallest of all gates in Beijing’s city wall. You walk through the gate to get to Qianmen Main Street.

https://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/beijing/qianmen.htm

Walk down Qianmen Main Street (Front Gate Street). Qiamen Main Street used to be the imperial road used by emperors to get to the Temple of Heaven before the construction of the outer city in 1550 in the Ming Dynasty. The street was refurbished for the Beijing Olympics.

The streets around Qianmen Street feature many time-honoured shops including Dabei Photographic Studio established in 1921, Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant established in 1864, Qinglinchun Tea Shop opened in 1927, Changchuntang Drug Store and China Book Shop.

https://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/beijing/qianmen-street.htm

Walk down the narrowest alley in Beijing – Qianshi hutong (Money Market Hutong). For most of its 55-metre (180 ft) length it is 70-centimetre (2.3 ft) wide. At its narrowest part it is only 40 centimetres (16 in) wide requiring passers-by to turn sideways.

Early Evening

Walk to BeiJing LiQun Roast Duck for dinner.  This is a famous Peking duck restaurant situated in the owner’s old house in a traditional Hutong.  The restaurant looks run down, ramshackle and a bit grubby but it’s very authentic and popular with locals.  We may have to sit at a communal table.

We can order a whole duck, which is carved at the table with lots of side dishes.  Or can order a set meal cooked three ways.  First they serve the traditional Peking duck with rice skin, sauce, spring onions and cucumber. Then a dish of most of the rest of the duck carcass chopped and fried with spices. The third dish is a pot of soup – creamy white duck bone soup, served hot and intentionally bland, tastes mostly of white pepper with just a tiny pinch of salt. The soup is eaten to cleanse your palate of the rich, flavour-packed duck you have just finished.

Warning: The toilets are 20 metres down the street on the right (they will tell you left). They are public toilets, male / female share, one western style toilet and 4 x open public squat toilets situated next to each other with no screen or barrier between them!

After the meal go for a ‘nightcap’ at the Atmosphere Bar – This is the highest bar in Beijing. It is located on the 80th floor of the China world Trade Centre. It has the best views in the city. Drinks menu includes some 300 cocktails, 90 whiskies and 560 wines, along with beers and soft drinks.

 

FRIDAY 19 OCTOBER

Morning

Breakfast – Have a Jianbing from one of the street carts.  Jianbing is a thin crepe fried on flat griddles with an egg, and then flecked with cilantro, green onions and pickled mustard tubers. Savory bean paste and fiery chili paste are slathered on to add flavour, while a deep-fried wonton skin adds crunch. If you prefer your treats no spicy, just ask for it “búlà and the vendor will forgo the chili.

Get a taxi to the Forbidden City – The Forbidden City served as the imperial palace for 24 emperors during the Ming (1368 – 1644) and Qing Dynasties (1644 – 1912). It was also the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government s.

It was constructed during the Ming dynasty from 1406 to 1420. It’s the largest Palace complex in the world, consisting of 980 buildings and covers over 180 acres = 120 full size football pitches.

The Forbidden City is divided into two parts. The southern section or the Outer Court was where the emperor exercised his supreme power over the nation. The northern section or the Inner Court was where he lived with his royal family and his concubines.

It was forbidden to enter the Forbidden City without special permission of the emperor.  It is now known as the Palace Museum.

https://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/beijing/forbidden.htm

https://www.chinahighlights.com/beijing/map/forbidden-city-map.htm

Snack lunch – Have a Roujiamo (pulled pork sandwiches)

Afternoon

Walk to Beihai Park (North Sea Park) – Beihai Park is the oldest Imperial garden in the world and one of the largest. It was originally built in 938 during Liao Dynasty (916 – 1125). It was developed and added to during the reign of Jin (1115-1234), Yuan (1279-1368), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

The building of Beihai Park was the result of emperors wanting to find a secret potion that would give them the elixir of life. The Gods who had this potion were said to live on three magic mountains called Penglai, Yingzhou and Fangzhang which were located on the sea. So Beihai Park was laid out in the form of one pool and three “mountains”. Since 1925, the park has been open to the public

Beihai Park features artificial hills, pavilions, halls, temples, ornate bridges and covered corridors. The whole park covers a total area of over 68 hectares, more than half of it is taken up by the Beihai Lake. There is an island on the lake, called Jade Flower Island. On this island is White Dagoba Hill and on top of this hill stands a large white Buddhist Dagoba. There are great views from the Dagoba of the city.

https://www.topchinatravel.com/china-attractions/beihai-park.htm

Evening

7pm to 10m Private Food Tour with Un Tour Food Tours

https://untourfoodtours.com/product/old-beijing-dinner. Fully paid for

Beijing’s dinnertime cuisine is so much more than the crowded tourist markets featuring bugs and mystery meat on sticks!  We will explore delicious, traditional dishes shoulder-to-shoulder with Beijingers in a traditional Hutong neighbourhood. You’ll try traditional dishes that Chinese chefs have been perfecting for thousands of years, and learn about the history and culture of Beijing along the way

 

SATURDAY 20 OCTOBER

Trip to see the Great Wall of China.  Excellent historical description of the Great Wall, why it was built, by who and how at:

Drive to the Great Wall at Simatai (2 hours)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_of_China#Ming_era

(Part about the wall from 1.27secs into video)

(Watch first 1.54 secs)

On arrival we walk from the entrance to the wall and Watch Tower 2.  This is a long uphill walk, which takes around 45 minutes.  Then walk along the wall from Watch Tower 2 to Watch Tower 10, which should take around two and half hours.  Then walk back down to Watch Tower 8 and then follow the path down to the cable car which takes you back to the entrance.

Late Afternoon / Early evening

Travel to Ryan’s apartment for a traditional Chinese meal cooked by his girlfriend

SUNDAY 21 OCTOBER

Morning & Afternoon

Drive out to Lingshui Village (80km away, 2 hours) – It is an ancient village full of traditional rural residences built in the Ming (1368 – 1644 AD) and Qing (1644 – 1911 AD) dynasties. In these dynasties, China was dominated by ethnic minorities instead of Han nationality.

During the time of the Imperial examinations system 22 villagers passed the imperial examinations at the provincial level (Ju Ren) and 2 villagers passed the highest imperial examinations (Jin Shi). This meant that they were able to work for the government, a huge honour for the person who had passed, his family and the village. Because of the high number of villagers who passed the exam Lingshui is also called Ju Ren.

In the village you can see historical temples and many old, famous trees which are of great historical meanings and wells. Lingshui Temple is the oldest temple in Lingshui village, it is also considered as the first temple in Beijing

Evening

Hire Mobikes and go for a night time cycle tour of Beijing with Ryan.  On our way find a restaurant for dinner – maybe go to:  Pingwa Sanbao restaurant.  Between us order: signature hand-cut noodles, dry-mixed Qishan-style noodles, lamb skewers, Inner Mongolia lamb skewers, grilled oysters, Roujimo (pulled pork sandwich) with lamb bread soup (yángròu pàomó)

 

MONDAY 22 OCTOBER

Morning

Hire Mobikes to cycle from our house to the Lama Temple (Yonghe Palace).  The Yonghe Temple is a temple and monastery of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism.

https://plus.google.com/photos/photo/111559592005944113968/6226546521282275170

https://www.chinahighlights.com/beijing/attraction/lama-temple.htm

Walk to the Confucius Temple – This is the 2nd largest Confucian Temple in China, after the one in Confucius’ hometown of Qufu. The temple was built in 1302, and officials used it to pay their respects to Confucius until 1911.

Confucius was a scholar born in 552BC. As a reaction to the war and troubles surrounding him he taught a strict code of moral and social values based on hierarchy and obedience. He was not well known in his life time, but he became hugely popular 600 years later during the Han Dynasty when his teachings became the state religion.

As you enter the Temple complex see a bell that was rung 108 times when an emperor came to worship and a drum which was beaten 360 times when an emperor came to worship.

Scholars who passed the Imperial examination based on Confucius teachings are inscribed on stone tablets in the temple. The inscription gives the name of the person, place and date of birth and rank. There are over 50,000 names listed on the tablets some going back to 1313.

In the main courtyard there are 106 ancient Cypress Trees, some 700 years old

Lunch – Have a lurou huoshao (donkey burger).  Or if we are very adventurous have a qiánròu huoˇshāo (donkey penis)

Afternoon

Taxi to 798 Art Zone (Dashanzi) – The 798 Art Zone Is located in a complex of 50-year-old decommissioned military factory buildings boasting a unique retro architectural style.  Galleries, design studios, art exhibition spaces, artists’ studios, quirky open air sculptures, fashionable shops, restaurants, bars etc now fill the old factory buildings

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/china/beijing/attractions/798-art-district/a/poi-sig/1106265/355905

Evening

7pm to 10pm – Dinner at the Black Sesame Kitchen, 28 Zhong Lao Hutong, The Courtyard Institute.  Have a 10 course meal cooked in what is like a private house, sat at one communal table in a courtyard with up to 8 other guests

http://www.blacksesamekitchen.com/?utm_source=tripadvisor&utm_medium=referral

http://decisivecravings.com.au/black-sesame-kitchen-beijing/

 

TUESDAY 23 OCTOBER

Morning

Travel Beijing South train station to catch the 10:05 hours (G119) Bullet Train to Shanghai Hongqiao station arriving at 15:47 (5 hours 42 minutes)

Chinese Bullet Trains are the world’s fastest passenger trains travelling at speeds of up to 217mph.  The Beijing to Shanghai route goes over the longest bridge in the world connecting Shanghai to Nanjing (102.4 miles long) and the Tianjin Grand Bridge (70.6 miles long) which is the second longest bridge in the world which connects Langfang and Qingxian.  These take the railway over land, rice paddies and water.

There are three classes of travel on Chinese train: Second Class; First Class and Business Class.  We are travelling in Business Class – seats fold down into a fully flatbed!!