posted by zjv5002 on September 24, 2011 | 7 comments
This is a friendly afternoon call to all you Beijingers. I'm venturing out of happy seaside Dalian for the first time after a year in China and making my way to the capital. There are plenty of resources with plenty of know-how (Insider's Guide) but I'm asking you, THE PEOPLE: where, in the current season, does Beijing really shine? Niche interests (Mongolia/Bauhaus performance art enclaves) and obvious sites (Great Wall) be received with equal gratitude.Thanks!
@zjv5002,
The Great Wall is absolutely worth seeing. Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City both feel somewhat oppressive, but the Beihai and Gulou districts to the north still have a hutong feel and are nice just to walk around. The Soong Qingling residence (on the northern part of Houhai) is worth visiting, and - further away from the center of town - the 798 art district in Chaoyang is worth a walk. Beijing and Tsinghua Universities are in the other direction and have beautiful campuses. The Summer Palace is not too far from there and also a must see.
One of the nicest times to see the downtown area around the Forbidden City for my money is actually in the late evening. They close the entrance to the palace museum itself, but the park is still open and walkable, and it's nicer since it's cooler and often very empty.
For Mongolian stuff, you can check with Alc at Amilal -- he runs the place and has bands in on occasion. Feel free to mention David and Brendan sent you and maybe we'll get a free drink out of it. :) Address here: [http://www.thebeijinger.com/directory/Amilal]
Thanks for the response! I'll be sure to take your advice and night stroll in the Forbidden City park. Everybody I've spoken with has stressed my fortune at going this time of year, so I plan to be in the relatively green places of the capital. Is the World Park surreal enough to justify tickets?
nkletnieks on September 29, 2011 | reply
We had a great time at World Park when we went a couple of years ago, though it is showing its age and a bit quiet (it was midwinter). Some kids who caught the same bus as us were really looking forward to it. Most of the modelling is pretty good. Our interest was due to seeing it in Jia Zhang Ke's "Shi4Jie4" (monorail and Eiffel tower aren't there). You can hire cute electric carts, be photographed in front of the building of your choice (the twin towers are very popular), pay to feed pigeons in Venice, travel the world without leaving Beijing, just like the ad says. Its probably better not to drive the cart over the Golden Gate Bridge, though we avoided being the "在世界公园国外的游客把小车开去悬岩“ story on the night's news. For a first trip to Beijing, depends on how much time you've got. We had fun.If you are interested in Bauhaus, definitely go to 798. The former factory buildings used as galleries were built in conjunction with East German architects(strangely Prouve did something similar in France on a smaller scale). Though not pure Bauhaus, if you wander around the back lanes of Dongcheng inside the second ring road there are some small apartment blocks and old factories of similar interest.
@nkletnieks,Your 世界公园 story reminds me of my own experience there. I have been there two time more than 10 years ago. The park was better than I thought, and I actually had fun too. It's not the priority, but if you have time and don't know what to do, it can be a good option :)--Echoecho@popupchinese.com
@zjv5002,
And if you like spicy food or Mongolian hotpot, don't forget to go to Guijie (簋街gui3ji1) and try "the Little Sheep" (小肥羊xiao3fei2yang2).
Btw, this (Sept. and Oct.) is the best season of Beijing now.
--Echo
echo@popupchinese.com
Everyone, thanks again for the advice, it was well-heeded. Now that I'm back from that train ride, time for some real sleep. Unlike, say, lurching against the guy next to you and drooling on and off for 12 hours. Sorry, window seat.