Breakaway - 3 Days in Beijing (Part 1 on Sights To See)

If you are hoping to escape the ang pow frenzy this Lunar New Year in favour of a quick getaway then maximize your annual leave by taking Friday 12th of February off work. That way, you actually get a 4 day break on your hands as this year’s CNY public holidays stretch up to Monday 15th of Feb!

Where to go? I recently checked out two great Chinese cities, Beijing and Shanghai which I highly recommend especially if you have never been there. Although, you’d have to be game for some serious winter weather currently freezing up the two cities!

Having said that, SQ is offering a 2-to-go offer to Shanghai at S$775 and $875 per person to Beijing.

This week, we focus on Beijing and all its Middle Kingdom charms... so take that minimum 3 days off to explore these sights.  Here’s part 1 of our series…..

THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA 

There are pretty much two areas on the Great Wall that you can visit – the Ba Da Ling entrance to the wall which is much nearer the city centre or Mutianyu, an hour away from the city by car. I went to the latter and recommend it only because it is much less packed with tourists which allows you better photos taken on the wall. The view of the wall from Mutianyu and from the cable car going up the wall is truly spectacular. It is a far more scenic view in Winter with a snow covered landscape and in Summer, you see the wild flowers and foliage in full bloom. Apparently it is easier to walk this stretch of wall as it was restored more recently than the stretch at Ba Da Ling. A cable car brings you right up to the 14th station where you can continue to walk to the 20th station. Adrenaline seekers can also luge down the mountainside – all 12 minutes of thrills. (Head right after you get out from the cable car station on the wall.)

Tip : Contrary to what you may hear, the restroom at Mutianyu is new, spacious and clean. And you don’t need to bring an umbrella long with you. So go when you have to….No fear!

THE SUMMER PALACE

This was burned down by Anglo-French forces during the 1900 Boxer Rebellion and then subsequently rebuilt (not by Anglo-French forces) and restored. Explore the lake on the Palace grounds which you can walk across in Winter when it is frozen and see how the Empress and the Concubines spent their Summer months. You can’t go directly into the living chambers but you can peek in from the outside at the furniture, furnishings and art work. Walk through the Long Corridor and its intricate carvings that connect you from the Palace to the Grounds.

Tip: Buy the most basic ticket into the park and decide later if you want to pay extra to get into select sections. More ticket booths are conveniently located inside at the entrances to the special areas requiring additional fees but this is sneakily not mentioned at the main entrance of the park.

THE FORBIDDEN CITY 

Obama came here! Now the official Palace Museum and once home to over 24 Emperors who ruled China over 500 years. Expect to see the many ceremonial throne rooms, exam halls where scholars took government exams and the parade squares where the Emperor would oversee formal events. Beautiful and awe inspiring, even the stone steps have dragon and phoenix carvings and have been carefully cordoned off and preserved. Stand at the grand pavilions and pretend you are in the movie The Last Emperor.

TIAN AN MEN AND THE CHAIRMAN MAO MEMORIAL

At the edge of the Forbidden City is Tian An Men Square and the Chairman Mao Memorial. At 5pm daily, witness the ceremonial changing of the red guard amidst street vendors and hawkers trying to peddle various souvenirs.

THE HUTONGS

Take a Pedicab – which looks pretty much like a cross between a rickshaw and a Singapore trishaw – around the Hutongs to experience how the locals once lived. There are only about 5% of hutongs left in modern China as many were destroyed to make way for buildings during the cultural revolution. Don’t expect to walk it as the Hutongs are mazes of small shared homes that have markers at the entrances to tell you if the occupant was a scholar, a soldier or a merchant. Expect to see the palatial homes of the rich and famous like Sun Yat Sen’s family and the birthplace of Pu Yi, China’s last Emperor.

Tip: Only communal loos here for all residents and visitors. Unlike Mutianyu, if you have to go, bring your own tissue and umbrella! Be warned.

Other useful tips:

• Stay at any of the Hotels near the Wangfujing street – these are fairly near the Forbidden City and Tian An Men Square area which means that you can walk to these locations or at least take a short cab ride. Elaine stayed at the Novotel Peace Beijing and Ee Waun at the Grand Hyatt Beijing.

• Hire an English speaking driver (there are quite a number) who cost about 700RMB a day to bring you around to the outlying areas that are outside the city. You can arrange to visit the Great Wall, Olympic Stadium and Summer Palace all in one day.

• Cab it to the rest of the attractions. Cabs are relatively hassle free to get and cheap in Beijing. However don’t expect to get a cab outside the city so that’s where the driver comes in handy.

• If you want day tours, ignore the tourist touts and go straight to the China Culture Centre (www.chinaculturecenter.org), most reliable and which conducts absolutely fab, highly informative, no-nonsense tours with professional English speaking guides – mostly young university grads. The itineraries get straight to the point – no side visits to jade factories and souvenir stores. Just the tour sites as promised with plenty of time to soak it in and decent meals (if included). You need to book online in advance, and the best thing is, pre-payment is not required – they base it on trust and goodwill.

• If you want day tours, ignore the tourist touts and go straight to the China Culture Centre (www.chinaculturecenter.org), most reliable and which conducts absolutely fab, highly informative, no-nonsense tours with professional English speaking guides – mostly young university grads. The itineraries get straight to the point – no side visits to jade factories and souvenir stores. Just the tour sites as promised with plenty of time to soak it in and decent meals (if included). You need to book online in advance, and the best thing is, pre-payment is not required – they base it on trust and goodwill. 
  

- Elaine and Ee Waun