Beijing Travel Guide IN Imperial Capital Trip – Realizing a Parent’s Travel Dream ING

The imperial capital, Beijing, has always been a dream destination for most Chinese people, and I’m no exception, neither is my father-in-law. This time I finally had the chance to accompany the elderly and fulfill their travel dream to the capital. We chose this period specifically to avoid the May Day peak and also considered the climate, but it turned out that Beijing in May was even hotter than the south, with temperatures averaging around 35°C throughout the trip.

Overall, the trip had its ups and downs. On the bright side, we happened to catch the major ‘Belt and Road’ events, so Beijing’s air quality index was a bit better than usual, though still worse compared to southern cities. Also because of the event, many scenic spots were beautifully decorated – an extra bonus for our journey. The downside was also due to the event: sometimes we encountered security lockdowns at sights, like Tiananmen, which took us several attempts before we could enter.

But overall, the Beijing trip was wonderful – an incredibly rich cultural atmosphere, authentic local flavor that can’t be imitated elsewhere.

Below are a few photos of the main scenic spots:

Day1: Beijing Capital Airport T1 > Wangfujing Commercial Street

Day2: Temple of Heaven Park > Qianmen Street > Dashilan > Prince Gong’s Mansion >> Olympic Park

Day3: Forbidden City > Jingshan Park > Tiananmen

Day4: Huguosi Snacks > Summer Palace

Day5: National Museum of China > Madame Tussauds

Day6: Beijing West Railway Station

As we spent most of the day on the road, no sightseeing was planned. After arriving in Beijing, we just casually strolled around the hotel area and visited the famous Wangfujing commercial street.

Scenery from the flight

Scenery from the flight

Capital International Airport

Beijing’s airport is really huge – no wonder it’s the capital. The first impression upon arriving in Beijing was the sky: hazy and lacking clarity. I heard it’s actually much better now because many factories were shut down for the ‘Belt and Road’ event. I wonder what it’s like when it’s bad.

Wangfujing Pedestrian Street

I’d often heard of Wangfujing in TV dramas, so the moment we arrived in Beijing, I couldn’t wait to check it out. There are many time-honored brand stores here, like Goubuli, Quanjude, Donglaishun, Daoxiangcun, etc.

There’s a snack street inside with lots of local treats. If you get a chance, you should experience it. After all, travel isn’t just about ticking off sights – it’s also about experiencing the local culture, trying the food, enjoying the scenery, and staying in characteristic places. Isn’t that right?

Beijing Quanjude (Wangfujing Branch)

Even if you’ve never been to Beijing, you’ve probably heard of Beijing roast duck, and Quanjude is the iconic name. But for many old Beijingers, they might not go to Quanjude; there are many other small, authentic local shops. Outsiders, however, flock here because of the fame.

The chef first sliced off some of the duck skin, saying this part is the best – it melts in your mouth, though a bit greasy.

The duck meat was arranged into the shape of a peony flower.

Temple of Heaven, located in southern Beijing, east side of Yongdingmennei Street, Dongcheng District, covers about 2.73 million square meters. It was first built in the 18th year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty (1420), and later renovated during the Qianlong and Guangxu reigns of the Qing Dynasty. It was where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped Heaven and prayed for good harvests. The Temple of Heaven is the collective name for the Circular Mound Altar and the Altar of Prayer for Grain. It has two concentric walls forming the outer and inner altars; the walls are square in the south and round in the north, symbolizing the ancient Chinese belief that heaven is round and the earth square. The main buildings are in the inner altar: the Circular Mound Altar in the south and the Altar of Prayer for Grain in the north, aligned on a north-south axis with a wall separating them. Inside the Circular Mound Altar are the Circular Mound and the Imperial Vault of Heaven, while the Altar of Prayer for Grain includes the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the Hall of Imperial Heaven, and the Gate of Prayer for Good Harvests.

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests in the Temple of Heaven Park is supported by 28 massive pillars of golden-rimmed nanmu wood. They are arranged in concentric rings. The four inner pillars, called the ‘Longjing pillars’, are 19.2 meters tall with a diameter of 1.2 meters, supporting the top eave. The middle ring of 12 pillars supports the second eave; they are decorated with exquisite patterns of gold leaf on a vermilion base. The outer ring of 12 pillars supports the lowest eave. The ceiling has three layers with a dragon-and-phoenix caisson in the center. The beams and lintels are painted in dragon-and-phoenix Hexi patterns. The four inner ‘Longjing pillars’ symbolize the four seasons; the twelve middle pillars, slightly thinner and called the Gold Pillars, represent the 12 months; the outer twelve pillars are the Eave Pillars, standing for the 12 two-hour periods of a day. The 24 pillars of the middle and outer rings together represent the 24 solar terms.

Zhengyangmen, commonly known as Qianmen, Qianmenlouzi, or Daqianmen, was originally named Lizhengmen. It was the southern gate of the inner city of Beijing during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Located at the southern end of Tiananmen Square on Beijing’s central axis, just south of the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, it was first built in the 17th year of the Yongle reign of Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty (1419) and is one of the nine gates of old Beijing’s inner city. It consists of the gate tower, the archery tower, and the barbican, forming a complete ancient defensive system. According to local records, the original gate tower and archery tower were magnificent and imposing. The barbican was particularly grand, a masterpiece of old Beijing’s city wall architecture. Today, only the gate tower and archery tower remain, being the most complete city gate preserved in Beijing. There is a Beijing Folk Customs Exhibition Hall on the gate tower.

In the Ming and Qing dynasties, there was a high-ranking official called the ‘Commander of the Nine Gates’. Zhengyangmen was one of those nine gates and a key defensive point of the capital.

Xiyuanju Old Beijing Hotpot (Qianmen Branch)

Traditional Beijing hotpot uses only boiling water as the broth, with a few scallion segments, ginger slices, and goji berries. Compared to the colorful broths we usually have, it’s truly minimalistic. This seemingly plain broth doesn’t do much to the ingredients, but it lets you taste the most authentic flavor of the lamb.

This place is a hugely popular lamb hotpot restaurant, a truly authentic old establishment. When we saw the menu, wow – Beijingers have so many varieties of beef and lamb! The meat is divided into many types with different names. We couldn’t tell the difference, so we just ordered the house special hundred-day lamb, lamb upper brain, lamb tenderloin strips, and some vegetables.

Tip: Use your phone to join the queue in advance – it saves a lot of waiting time!

This restaurant is on Qianmen Street, and its hotpot is said to be very famous even among locals.

There was quite a queue at Xiyuanju Old Beijing Hotpot.

The steaming copper pot sizzled and bubbled. The meat – get it in quick!

Xiyuanju Old Beijing Hotpot

Here the lamb and beef are mostly freshly cut, giving a richer texture – we loved it!

The lamb is divided into fresh-cut meat and machine-sliced frozen rolls. We didn’t order the frozen rolls because they have their own ranch on the northern grasslands, and all fresh lamb comes from there. The meat is tender with a bit of fat, but not greasy. The lamb tenderloin strip is supposed to be one of the house specialties, said to be a must-order in Beijing-style hotpot.

This is the lamb tenderloin strip. We originally wanted to try one more portion of frozen rolls, which are machine-sliced, very thin, and said to be more tender, but we were just too full.

What we liked most was the sesame sauce dip, said to be a secret recipe passed down from the owner’s family! It’s made with 29 seasonings including fermented bean curd, chive flowers, and shrimp oil, plus cilantro (optional). It’s both fresh and savory, thick and intensely satisfying!

Dashilan Commercial Street

As our Beijing trip was almost over, we decided to spend half a day buying some local specialties to take home. We browsed Dashilan for a while and thought about buying some representative Beijing roast duck and Daoxiangcun pastries. But when we asked at Quanjude, we found out that with temperatures above 35°C, roast duck really isn’t suitable for preservation. In the end, we just bought some Daoxiangcun pastries as souvenirs.

Prince Gong’s Mansion is a key national heritage site and the largest princely residence from the Qing Dynasty. It once served as the home of Heshen and Yonglin. In 1851, Prince Gong Yixin became the owner, hence the name. The mansion witnessed the Qing Dynasty’s rise and fall, carrying an extremely rich historical and cultural heritage, hence the saying: ‘One Prince Gong’s Mansion, half the history of the Qing Dynasty.’

The mansion consists of the residence and a garden. The residence is not only spacious but also built to the highest standards. The clearest markers are the number of bays on the façade and the number of rooms. A prince’s mansion had a five-bay frontage, a seven-bay main hall, a five-bay rear hall, a seven-bay rear sleeping quarters, with side halls on the left and right. Residences of nobles lower than a prince could not exceed these numbers. The style of the buildings and even the color of the roof tiles could not be exceeded. Prince Gong’s Mansion has three parallel sets of courtyards – east, central, and west – and the rear two courtyards of each are the main areas open to visitors.

Olympic Forest Park

Originally we had planned to see sights during the day and rest or explore nearby commercial streets at night. But we saw online that because of the Belt and Road event, the night view at the Olympic Park was spectacular. Since the weather was hot anyway, we moved this to the evening. Overall it was nice – the park is huge and the scenery beautiful.

The famous Bird’s Nest, the main venue for the 2008 Olympics and the location of the opening ceremony, was jointly designed by China and Switzerland at a total cost of 3.5 billion yuan.

It’s very sci-fi looking.

I’d guess 99% of people visiting Beijing would come here. After all, it was the imperial palace for the Ming and Qing dynasties, which is exactly why it’s always packed with people. I strongly recommend booking tickets online and you need to book at least one day in advance – the Forbidden City does not offer same-day online bookings and caps daily visitors at 80,000.

Normally, it’s suggested to see Tiananmen first, then the Forbidden City, because behind the Tiananmen tower is Duanmen Gate, and behind Duanmen is the entrance to the Forbidden City: the Meridian Gate (the one where emperors in TV dramas often said ‘Take him out to the Meridian Gate and execute him’).

I recorded the descriptions of the main buildings in the Forbidden City with my camera. This article follows a style of picture first, then explanation, so I won’t elaborate too much on the pictures.

Forbidden City, Forbidden City entrance: the Meridian Gate

Regarding Jingshan Park, you can check the description on Baidu. We chose to visit for three reasons:

1. It’s right at the exit of the Forbidden City – convenient.

2. From the top of Jingshan Park you can see a panoramic view of the entire Forbidden City.

3. I heard that the Chongzhen Emperor of the Ming Dynasty hanged himself on a crooked neck tree on Jingshan Hill. I wanted to see that famous tree (but I couldn’t find it).

The exit of the Forbidden City; across the road is the entrance to Jingshan Park. From the Wanchun Pavilion at the very top, you can see the whole Forbidden City.

The White Pagoda in Beihai Park, but unfortunately the weather was poor and visibility was terrible.

Tiananmen: the place we tried many times but couldn’t get in – finally, today we could see it. Because of the Belt and Road event, it was under security lockdown the previous days. We came several times without success. Today our wish came true.

Why so determined? Because since elementary school I’ve learned the song: ‘Beijing, Tiananmen, five-star red flag, I love Beijing’s Tiananmen, the sun rises over Tiananmen…’ When you come to Beijing, wouldn’t you want to see it?

Chairman Mao Memorial Hall – we went several times but it never opened. Not being able to see the great man’s remains was a bit of a pity.

Symbol of China, the Five-star Red Flag.

Behind the Tiananmen tower is Duanmen Gate, and past Duanmen you reach the Meridian Gate, the entrance to the Forbidden City.

On the Tiananmen tower

On the Tiananmen tower

Standing on the Tiananmen tower and looking down at Tiananmen Square, imagining the National Day parade in my mind, I suddenly felt like a great figure.

To the right of the Tiananmen tower is the Great Hall of the People.

First, my personal opinion: a truly fantastic place, not to be missed when traveling to Beijing.

The Summer Palace, a royal garden from the Qing Dynasty, was formerly known as the Qingyi Garden. It is located in the western suburb of Beijing, about 15 kilometers from the city center, covering about 290 hectares, adjacent to the Old Summer Palace. Built on the basis of Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill, modeled after the West Lake in Hangzhou and incorporating the design techniques of Jiangnan gardens, it is a large-scale landscape garden and also the best-preserved imperial retreat and palace, hailed as the ‘Museum of Royal Gardens’ and a key national tourist attraction.

Its area is about four times that of the Forbidden City, so you could easily spend a whole day here if you really want to explore.

National Museum of China

If you want to understand the culture, history, and local customs of a place, a museum is the best place to go.

The National Museum introduces many aspects of Chinese history and culture. You could spend many days here and still not see everything. I suggest that if you have enough time, stay a bit longer to learn about our country’s human history.

Our six-day trip to Beijing has finally come to an end. For me, this was a very satisfying journey. Though I didn’t much like the weather, everything else was wonderful.