When visiting Beijing, the great variety of snacks is something you just can’t miss. While satisfying your hunger, the food allows you to get a taste of local culture. As the popular Wangfujing Snack Street serves everything from fried silk worms to crickets, many find the food weird, even most Beijingers.
Places to Visit Beijing: Houhai Lake
Tucked in a small alleyway next to the famous Houhai Lake, just a short cab ride from the Hwa Apartment Hotel, the big courtyard restaurant Jiu Men Xiao Chi holds a dozen of Beijing’s oldest and most famous brand name snack stalls, some dating back a hundred and fifty years.Meals offered here are the most authentic Beijing snacks, and you won’t find them anywhere else in China. Even Beijingers travel from all across the city to have a meal here.
So join the queue of hungry patrons! But first, here’s a quick cultural note that will make you a real Beijinger.The name of the restaurant Jiu Men Xiao Chi suggests the nine gates people would pass through to get into inner Beijing in ancient times. Throughout the years, the gates have become a symbol of Beijing’s ancient history.
These time-old snack restaurants moved from the famous Qianmen Street a few years ago when the area underwent a major renovation project. The city gathered them under one roof to preserve Beijing’s heritage. The good news is, as they expected, business has been booming since the relocation..Step in and you are embraced by lively old Beijing atmosphere. A dozen food stands line up along the hutong-style walkway. On the walls are nice black and white photos of old Beijing. And you can enjoy your snacks in beautifully engraved chairs at old-style tables.
What to do in Beijing: Eat Chinese Food! There are Many Options
You will need to walk from one stall to another for your order. And at each stall, there seems to be something unique.Wan Dou Huang offered at Qin is something that every sweet tooth seems to like. This soybean cake dish tasted as smooth as silk and used to be served in the imperial palace. Another dish of glutinous rice rolls has the interesting name of Lv Da Gun or Rolling Donkey.
Bais serves authentic bean juice, which is said to have been one of Emperor Qianlong’s favorite for breakfast. And just a short jaunt from the Beijing Taiyue Suites Hotel, you can come here every morning!Mas Sheep-Head Mutton has been inducted into the Chinese National Intangible Cultural Heritage list. The dish requires a dozen spices and is served in cattle horns.
Also, there is a chance to see some special Beijing acts that are increasingly rare in China’s capital city. One hit is Old Beijing Calling, which vendors used to perform to attract customers. It acquires a lot of time to benefit all that Beijing has to offer. The city has just so many attractions from Beijing hotels to beautiful nature spots that tourist finds to delight.
Beijing Tourism: Must See Places Both Old and New
Beijing has hundreds of scenic tourist spots and historic sites that people would love to visit year after year. Aside from the old historical sites, ancient artifacts, and architectures, people could also enjoy a perfect vacation of nature sightseeing. Beijing offers the famous beautiful parks in China, the Beihai Park, Chaoyang Park and the Beijing World Park that people would love to visit
Beihai Park has in store many famous and stunning spots that a tourist will certainly not pass by. It runs an area of about 0.71 so km of which the lake occupies half of it. Beihai Park is centered on the Gem Island of Qionghua.
Another interesting site is the Chaoyang Park or Sun Park built in the year 1984.The park is just adjacent to the embassy area and the business center of Chaoyang District.
For Nature Lovers, Beijing Tourism Has You Covered
Also opened to the public in September 1993 is the Beijing World Park. It is located in the southwest of Fengtai District. There are about 100 nature sites and cultural sites from 50 different countries all over the globe. Paying a visit here one could enjoy all kinds of amusements from the local customs and practices of various countries to the wonders of China’s culture and tradition as well.
What more Beijing could give? There are certainly a hundred more. Beijing historical sites and wonders are just a stroll away from Beijing hotels. Have a delightful stay and enjoy Beijing!
What to do in Beijing, China’s Capitol
Beijing is the capital of China. Beijing center of the country’s politics, economy. Beijing’s top attraction brings business for the nation. Beijing’s also a perfect destination of a romantic front. Beijing has many activities for visitors of all ages. Beijing is the mixture of the museum, art gallery, lakes, park, especially for its Sky Screen. Which is one the must-see the attraction for the couple? Beijing is also famous for its historical sites and architecture. Subway is the one more option to see Beijing so close. Beijing’s Six most beautiful ancient villages. These villages surrounded on the three sides by the mountain and on the fourth by the river.
Beijing was also famous for their art gallery. Like Allen Center for Contemporary Art, Red Brick Contemporary Art Museum, Egg Gallery, and much more. “Ullens Center for Contemporary Art” ( UCCA) one of the most prestigious art gallery in Beijing. The UCCA has a local and international temporary art exhibitions. Thursday are an especially great day for the art lover to come here as admission is free. Egg Gallery, located in North of Beijing. Egg Gallery famous for Chinese art, which is a combination of permanent and temporary art exhibitions. In this art gallery, you will see some boasts antique and furniture too.
Traditional Beijing Tourist Places
Beijing offers many museums to the visitor, like The Tap water Museum, China Honey Bee Museum, Daxing Watermelon Museum, and the Ancient Coin Museum much more. China Honey Bee Museum one of the surprising museums all over the world. This museum located in the Beijing Botanical Garden. There are total 600 bee specimens. This is the great bee-keeping exhibition.
Beijing has a huge historical site and temple. Which makes it huge magnet attraction various visitors all over the world. Beijing has many temples like The Temple of Heaven, The Temple of the Sun and Fahai Temple and much more. You can fly kites in The Temple of Heaven. This temple has a lavish park surrounding the temple. Some temples are older than Beijing. Beijing is also famous for its architecture in temples.
Beijing has huge lake and park. The Beijing lake offers to boat to the visitors. Like Beihai Park, Yuyuantan Park, Purple Bamboo Park and much more. In Beihai Park, you can visit ancient architecture and learn about the royal garden. In Beijing, the garden visitor can enjoy beautiful flowers while rowing boat. Beijing has many lakes like The Summer Palace, Houhai lake. Talking about Lake Houhai is a largest man-made lake. The summer palace is the largest existing and best-preserved royal garden in Beijing.
Beijing Tourism for Honeymooners
Beijing is the perfect destination for a newlywed couple for their honeymoon. Beijing Shichahai Lake is the perfect place for the newlywed couple. Here you can rent a boat with the licensed. Beijing Restaurant offers private Candle light dinner.Some lightning places also give you fascinating memory. The palace situated on the east of East Bridge.
Deep in a small alleyway next to the renowned Houhai lake, just a short cab ride from the Hwa Apartment Hotel, a dozen of Beijing’s oldest and most famous brand name snack stalls gather in this big courtyard restaurant called Jiu Men Xiao Chi. Some of these stalls date back a hundred and fifty years.
Snacks offered here are the most authentic Beijing snacks, and you won’t find them anywhere else in China. So it would be a great pity if you missed them during your trip to Beijing. Even Beijingers travel from all across the city to have a meal here.So hurry up and join the queue of hungry eaters! But first, you need a quick cultural note to make yourself look like a real Beijinger.
Old Beijing Attractions
Jiu Men Xiao Chi, or Nine Gate Snacks, refers to the nine gates that used to stand along this street. The name makes you immediately think of the ancient history of Beijing.These time-old snack restaurants moved from the famous Qianmen Street a few years ago when the area underwent a major renovation project. The city gathered them under one roof to preserve Beijing’s heritage. The good news is, as they expected, business has been booming since the relocation.
The big restaurant captures the old Beijing atmosphere and is a pleasant place to eat. Inside, old-style food stalls line up a street-style walkway. Nice black and white photos of old Beijing decorate the walls. And diners can sit in beautiful and, ancient-style chairs for their meals.To find your favorite snacks, take a look all the stalls here, as there seems to be something unique in each one of them.
Qian offers Wan Dou Huang, a dish of soybean cakes popular among those with a sweet tooth. It tasted quite smooth and refreshing and used to be served in the imperial palace. They also offer glutinous rice rolls with the strange name of Lv Da Gun or rolling donkey. It must be the rolls that give the snack its weird name.
Royal Drinks
Bais serves authentic bean juice, which is said to have been one of Emperor Qianlong’s favorite for breakfast. And just a short jaunt from the Beijing Taiyue Suites Hotel, you can come here every morning!Mas Sheep-Head Mutton attracts eaters with their skills of slicing. Also, it is served in cattle horns. The dish is cooked with a secret recipe and has been included in the Chinese National Intangible Cultural Heritage list.Weis serves cheese that is known for its subtle wine fragrance.
There are more down the list.Also, if you come by in the afternoon, you will have a chance to see some unique Beijing acts that are harder and harder to find in today’s Beijing. One popular act is the Old Beijing Calling. The distinctive calling, which salespeople used to use to attract customers, has become a symbol of Beijing.
There are two things that first timers should do and not let pass while staying in Beijing: climbing the Great Wall and savoring Beijing Roast Duck. Quoted from one of the Chinese sayings, “There are two things you must do in Beijing: eat Beijing Roast Duck and see the Great Wall.” Essentially, there are so many things that you can do in Beijing but these two you should not miss.
Where to Stay
Lodge in Beijing hotels and start your great experience and fulfilling trip in Beijing. From the hotel to the Great Wall get the most of your visit to Beijing and enjoy your hiking experience in one of the sections of the Great Wall. After that, take pleasure to also visit prominent restaurants and enjoy Chinese Cuisine specifically the famous Beijing dish with over 200 years of history, the Beijing Roast Duck.
From the elegance of modern Beijing, hotels begin your tour to the historical Great Wall of China. It consists of eight major sections namely Badaling, Juyongguan, Huanghuacheng, Jiankou, Mutianyu, Gubeikou, Jinshanling, and Simatai.
It was during the 5th to 16th centuries that the Great Wall was constructed serving as a barrier against wandering invaders from the north. The walls of the Great Wall were merged by more than three hundred thousand laborers into a continuous rampart to shield the country from its opponents. The Great Wall was said to be constantly changed along new routes as succeeding dynasties rose and fell.
Some History about the Great Wall
The emperors of the Ming Dynasty in the year 1368 to1644 put place the last great phase of wall building which formed the Great Wall as we perceive it nowadays in the north of Beijing. Have the benefit of climbing and hiking the Great Wall, which is the remains of the Ming Dynasty. And make sure also to wear strong footwear as you tour this magnificent and enormous Great Wall of China.
From the Great Wall, take delight to experience in one of the eminent Chinese food in Beijing, the Beijing Roast Duck. The Beijing Roast Duck is a well-known duck dish among Chinese and is one of the appetizing dishes all over the world. Today, it is regarded as one of China’s national foods. Historically, Beijing Roast Duck is listed among the imperial dishes and has been served since the imperial era. Experience the royal food of emperors and enjoy its delightful taste.
Enjoy your stay in Beijing hotels. It is just the beginning of learning more about Chinese cuisine, culture and customs. There is more you have to see and discover about Beijing.
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A trip to China is not complete if you don’t visit the Forbidden City in Beijing. It brings history alive to see the gates, rooms, courtyards, garden, architecture and more. You can easily spend half a day or more. Fabulous. The renovations to some of the structures shows you how magnificent these buildings were.
This a must see when in Beijing. We spent more then half a day there but could see how you could spend the entire day there. A huge site to see, all of the signs have English on them so it is easy to navigate without a guide. Some great history and great photos to be had!
A must see site on any tour of the city. Very very busy and a struggle to get a good view of some parts but impressive despite that.
You have to see it in person to understand the scale of this site. It is amazing. I enjoyed seeing all of the buildings, the Nine Dragon Screen, the Museum of Treasures, the watch towers and moat etc. I was not impressed with the Clock Museum.
The Forbidden City is a vast collection of buildings , gardens and monuments showing the home of the Emperors and its grounds. Very well preserved but very difficult to see inside the building due to the massive throngs of tourists roughly pushing their way to any good vantage point.