Beijing: Beyond the Big Attractions
By Aimee Groom
The Forbidden City? Check. Tian’anmen Square? Check. Once you’ve ticked off all the stops on a standard Beijing tour, you have to dig a little deeper to see what else lies beneath.
If you don’t have a friend who knows the city, it’s difficult to go beyond the basic tourist route to enjoy your stay in China’s ancient capital to the full. Here are a few tips for getting to the heart of Beijing, put together with a little help from our friends at à la carte maps (www.alacartemaps.com).
Food
Everyone knows about the freak show of scorpions, starfish, silk worms and snake skin along famous shopping street Wangfujing, but really, how much of that stuff are you going to eat? Try Minzu Daxue (Ethnic Nationalities University) on 27 Zhongguancun Nan Dajie in Haiding District to explore the fascinating and more edible range of minority cuisines. Everything from Mongolian dumplings to Uyghur lamian or the spicy-sour flavors of the Dai can be found in the cluster of restaurants and street stalls that surround it—a cheap and delicious way to get acquainted with China’s 56 minority cultures. Check out the Golden Peacock (16 Minzu Daxue Bei Lu) for top notch Dai cuisine from Yunnan with delicious dishes like the pineapple rice.
Hutongs
Though many of Beijing’s classic hutongs have fallen to the wrecking ball, there are lots of these charming courtyard communities that remain. By all means check out the gentrified cafes, boutiques and art galleries of tourist-filled Nanluoguxiang and the hip hangouts of the Houhai Hutong, but don’t miss the less well known hutongs like Baochao Hutong just off Gulou Dongdajie that populate the area east of the ancient Drum Tower. There are also many great hutong hideaways throughout the bounds of the old city and ditching the map and getting lost is one of the best ways to find them.
Parks
Parks all over China are a window into a disappearing traditional Chinese lifestyle, and in Jingshan Park, Xicheng District, you’ll find yourself surrounded by retiree taichi practitioners, water calligraphers, kite enthusiasts, line dancers and singers belting out old dancehall favourites or stirring renditions of Chinese classics. Grab a seat on a shady bench and just watch the world go by—but keep an eye out for taichi tennis, a game rarely seen in Shanghai where players pass a ribbon-tailed ball back and forth on soft paddles using graceful, dance-like movements. Beautiful to watch and surprisingly tricky—have a go yourself and invest in a taichi tennis set from a park vendor for around RMB 80, guaranteed to generate a small crowd of intrigued onlookers!
Art
For insight into China’s contemporary art scene, follow the tourist trail to the trendy 798 Art Zone (yishu qu) in Chaoyang District but continue on 4 kilometres north beyond the Fifth Ring Road to Caochangdi. An arts community founded by renowned contemporary artist Ai Weiwei, Caochangdi is home to a large number of exquisite art galleries scattered throughout a quiet urban village. More sedate and relaxed than 798, Caochangdi is often overshadowed by its hipper young neighbour. Set a day aside to go there, and be sure not to miss the Three Shadows Gallery, China’s first contemporary space dedicated to lens-based art.
For great deals on Beijing flights, hotels and tours, check out english.ctrip.com, where round-trip flights start at just RMB 1,100.
Aimee Groom is an editor for ChinaTravel.net, a sister site to Ctrip.com, China’s leading online travel service provider. ChinaTravel.net brings readers everything they need to know to enjoy their China adventure to the fullest.
For more Beijing insider tips, check out Beijing à la Carte. Your local friend in cities around the world, à la carte maps are full of carefully selected insider tips for things to see and do, packaged in lovingly hand drawn maps.
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