Why Beijing
- Lots to discover
- Great food
- Stunning architecture
- Lovely People
- You learn a lot!
Let’s talk about Beijing.
Click on the button to load the content from booking.
At some point during one of our shopping tours in the silk market (which you should definitely check out, you can’t buy nicer copies of brand items for a lower price anywhere else), one of the sales ladies just rubbed my face because she wouldn’t believe that I hadn’t used makeup. That was pretty strange, but my friend got a good price for a handbag in the end, so I figured this had helped. But apart from that, there is really much to love about this city. The old architecture is simply beautiful and there is something elegant in the way it mixes with the modern skyscrapers. But consider to wander off the usual tourist paths. The Forbidden City is definitely worth a visit, especially considering the long history, but there is much more to explore. I can only recommend to see the hutong quarters, it puts your life into perspective, how much luck you’re having if you live in a rich Western country. Though, come to think about it, the people there looked at least as happy, maybe even happier, as everywhere else.
There are definitely fewer tourists there which is probably a good thing for them. In the middle of a hutong quarter was where we participated in a tea ceremony. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s among the most relaxing things I have ever done in my life. There is something about listening to a lady (who looks 17 but is actually 40 years old) talking about ancient traditions while pouring hot water on an ancient clay tea pot that completely makes you forget time. We only just remembered where we were when some friends came in asking where the hell we had gone to. If you ever visit Beijing, don’t miss it.
UNIQUE EXPERIENCES IN Beijing
Food-wise, what can I tell you – it’s different from Chinese restaurants. Be brave, try something from elderly ladies selling their food on the street (best dumplings I’ve ever had). But always have something with you to stop explosive diarrhoea, especially if you have a sensitive tummy. I’m not saying that it will happen, but it might and it’s always better to come prepared. But most of the time it’s just great fun to look at the menus and order by pointing at the photos of the food. I ate some really great stuff there and some of it seemed like traditional dishes, but don’t ask me what it’s called. Or what’s in it. I highly recommend to eat in bigger groups, that way you can try different things and most restaurants have a rotating middle part out of glass which makes it both easy and fun to pass everything around. And please use chopsticks for eating. It may seem hard, but it’s worth trying and once you’ve got the hang of it it’s actually pretty easy. Most of the time. Some foods just can’t be eaten elegantly with chopsticks.
The last, and maybe most striking, experience was only possible because one of our group had some very good connections in China. He took us to visit a music school where students from all over the country lived to study, with an emphasis on drumming classes. It was just heart-warming to see how every student was assigned one of our group to show around. I was trusted to the attention of Sally (whose Chinese name I could neither say nor spell) who took her job very seriously. She couldn’t understand a word I said nor could I understand her, but we still got along really well which just shows that communication is more than words. She showed me how well she could play her instruments and had me have a go at them. We practiced a tongue-twister (which I failed miserably at) and laughed a lot. In the end, we even got to see a performance from one of the teachers who had played during the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Beijing. It was impressive and the Goosebumps were inevitable. I could tell you much more about this amazing place, but as always it’s better to go and see for yourself. You will likely see more great things that I have missed!