Beijing Part V: Food Glorious Food

With the issue of food safety at the back of my mind, I am naturally cautious about my food choices in Beijing. To be on the safer side, I avoided all street food and stuck mainly to food in the hotel and renowned restaurants. Being the scaredy cat that I am, I still managed to get a taste of Beijing. :)

As Beijing modernises, the capital is now seeing a mushrooming of many hip and cool cafes. At 798 art district, there were so many cafes to choose from that I didn't know where to start. With a growling stomach, I finally settled in one of the many.

And ordered a traditional Beijing breakie of pan fried dumplings and glass of chilled soya bean milk. The dumplings tasted fantastic with the side condiments of vinegar and preserved vegetables. This 35RMB (approx S$7) breakfast set was enough to last me through the day.

Truth be told, I have never expected the streets of Beijing to look so chic.

I was staying at the St Regis Beijing and there are quite a few good restaurants sited in the hotel. I originally wanted to go Italian, but was lured by the too-good-to-be-missed hairy crab promotion. These hairy crabs from Yangcheng Lake are bigger and juicier that what we usually find in Singapore.

Eating these crustaceans is an art. It was challenging yet fun, at the same time. There was this very sweet waiter who even presented me a step-by-step guide to eating hairy crab at the end of the meal.

Because of the cold climate in Beijing, many locals often tucked into cuisine from northwest China (think Mongolia and inner Mongolia). My guide took me to this rather popular food chain serving northwest cuisine at the Summer Palace area. The main selling point of this restaurant is their organic food and their assurance of food safety and hygiene. 

Knowing that food from this region usually consists of plentiful mutton, I was initially apprehensive. But to my surprise, the noodles were tasty (though albeit a little too oily).

And with Beijing famous for their boiled dumplings, I made sure we ordered a plate of that.

What is a trip to Beijing without peking duck? 

After extensive research, I finally settled on Da Dong Peking Duck Restaurant.

I had a entire 1/2 duck to myself. 

And boy, was it heavenly. I was told to dip the skin in a little sugar and was surprised that it melted immediately. I never had such good peking duck back home.

The side condiments cost an additional 8RMB but it is well worth every cent.

There are many ways to devour the duck. You can either eat it as it is, or you could eat it with these fried buns, or you could eat it as a wrap.

The complimentary dessert at the end of the meal. It was the first time I tasted fresh hawthorn. Juicy and sweet.

This post marks the end of the series on my adventure in Beijing. It has been such an enriching, meaningful and successful trip that it is worth a toast!

Cheers to many more solo trips *hint hint*!

Beijing Part IV: Conquering the Great Wall

 The Great Wall of China can only be described in superlatives. The whole architecture and view from above is so awe-inspiring that I don't know how to start. We started our journey of the Great Wall climb with the cable car ride from the little village of Mutianyu.

                                 

Travelling to such scenic places always inspires and encourages me.

It is low season at this time of the year, and there aren't many visitors on the wall.

It is a luxury to have the Great Wall all to myself!

After a 2.5 hr walk, my guide suggested that I take a tobaggan ride down. I was apprehensive at the beginning and went really slow. But gained confidence eventually.

One of the 7 wonders of the modern wall, you should never miss the Great Wall. 

There is a popular chinese saying, "Not been to the Great Wall, not a great man". 

Now, I am a great man. Hehe :)

Beijing Part III: Over the Summer Palace and Into the Hutongs

Continuing my adventures in Beijing, I spent the 3rd day of my trip visiting the Summer Palace as well as some of the hutongs (actually only 2) in the capital. 

The Summer Palace is breathtakingly beautiful especially when standing at the highest point of the attraction. Of course, those who are familiar with Chinese history will know that the original Summer Palace was pretty much destroyed by fire when the Europeans came in in early 18th/19th century. What we see now were restored under the orders of Empress Dowager Cixi who loved this place tremendously. It was at the Summer Palace that she attracted the attention of her husband, the Emperor and eventually rose to power.

My guide was ingenious enough to start the tour from the back entrance of the Palace where we managed to avoid the hoards of tourists.

This part of the Summer Palace was so picturesque that I wished I had canvas, palette and paint with me!

It was a nice morning walk up to the temple, a sacred place for the imperial family. Like the Forbidden City, there is meaning and reason for every building, sculpture, names etc. found in the Summer Palace.

And it was at the Summer Palace that I caught sight of these mignon birds. These are actually magpies, xi que in Mandarin. In the Chinese culture, they are a sign of good luck and happiness. Indeed, I have had clear blue skies and nice temperature throughout my entire trip!

The very poetic and romantic view from the highest point of the Summer Palace.

After the Summer Palace, we visited some of the fast disappearing hutongs in China. As China modernises, many of these old buildings that has stood the test of time and history are destroyed to make way for skyscrapers all in the name of economic development. Even though China has in recent years, come a long way in terms of prosperity and modernisation, you will be surprised that many local homes in the hutong still lacked modern amenities such as heater and toilets! They are still burning coals to keep themselves warm in the harsh winter of Beijing!

What used to be a large private estate of military generals and rich aristocrats are now homes for 40 to 50 families. As a result, one will not be able to witness nor imagine the grandeur and space that a traditional si he yuan.

Entrance to the home of a former military general.

Wall murals from the communist era. A rare sight of Beijing today. These murals depict exemplary behaviours expected of the people in communist times.

While many hutongs face the inevitable fate of eventual destruction, there are also hutongs that are 'preserved'. Many of the houses in the prime district are now owned by the rich and famous. It is easy to spot flashy sports cars parked along the road and pavement. Some of these hutong areas are also converted into hip tourist spots where many rickshaw riders will offer a ride round the hutongs at exorbitant prices. These alleys at Nanluoguxiang are also popular with the city's younger generation as the mushrooming of cafes, pubs and bars in the area provided a cool place for them to chill and hang out.

With my lucky stars shining, I am blessed that my guide happened to know someone who lives in one of these houses in this posh area. The owner is a 80-year-old lady who only managed to get back their property from the central government in 2004. She was generous enough to let us look around her courtyard and living quarters.

View of a traditional si he yuan of a large chinese house. Very rare view in today's Beijing. 

And how can I miss such a unique photo opportunity :) Hehe.

The visit to the Summer Palace and the hutongs have been educational and was an eye-opening experience for me. To me, these places are uniquely Chinese and not to be missed when coming on a trip to Beijing. 

Next up, the Great Wall of China to conclude this mini whirlwind adventure of mine!

Beijing Part II: The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City is a must-see for every visitor to Beijing. The magnitude and grandeur of the palaces and the grounds is a sight to behold. Entering the Forbidden City is strictly by the South Gate and one cannot possibly miss this entrance as it is where the famous Mao Zedong's portrait is displayed.

Winter is considered low season but there are still hoards of Chinese tourists over the weekend :(

Visiting the Forbidden City is no fun unless you have a guide well-versed in Chinese history and could debunk for you all myths and stories popularised in the palace-intrigue dramas that we may watch from time to time.

With their knowledge, every rock and every step symbolises something and becomes more meaningful. The marble that leads up to the main palace (picture below) is in fact one continuous block of marble. In the olden days when technology wasn't as advanced, transporting it means freezing the streets in the winter months and sliding the slab over to the Forbidden City.

The alluring colours of the Forbidden City.

One of the many throne rooms at the palace.

The many quiet alleys at the Inner Palaces that had seen many concubines plotting against one another in the past.

Every piece of furniture, word and plant is symbolic in the Forbidden City. The 2 characters in the picture below essential means "wise" in Mandarin. However, the character either has an additional stroke or is missing a stroke. This is to remind the Emperor and the concubines that the world is imperfect.

Although the rooms and the grounds were not as well maintained as the European palaces, the visit has been a very educational one for me. It has helped me gain a better understanding of the Ming and Qing dynasties and the way of life for the royals. 

Beijing Part I: 798 Art District

Although Beijing is not an exotic destination, this is a very special trip. To me, at least. It was the 1st time I travelled to a foreign place all by myself. Everyone who knew I would be making this trip was worried as Beijing conjures up for them images of gutter oil, polluted air and uncivilised people.

But I guess as with all travels, it is important to go with an open mind and you'll be surprise by how much you can learn.

My first stop after checking into the hotel was to the 798 Art Zone. The only way to get there is by cab. I was there at around 10 in the morning and there were few people on the streets. The entire 798 art zone was previously a factory area and the galleries that now lined the streets were old factory compounds.

The first sculpture or art work I chanced upon was this sculpture of Van Gogh looking at the sunflower. In the art zone, sculptures and art installations can be found along the streets for people to look, appreciate and take a photo with it.

I am usually not a fan of sculptures but during this trip, I came across some sculptures I rather admire by Chinese sculptor Xue ZhongLin. His inspiration for his works came from a village in Shanbei and his sculptures seek to portray the joy and happiness of the villagers despite their simple and mundane lives.

This particular sculpture you see here was previously exhibited at the Shanghai world expo. The artist was inspired by the help that poured in from all over the world during the Si Chuan earthquake in 2008. The sculpture was moved to 798 after the expo for all visitors to enjoy.

Even if you do not have deep pockets by the professional artists, fret not. There are quite a few interesting design stores in the area and it is always interesting to walk into one of these where you may find clothes, jewellery, furniture with strong design elements. The prices are high for Beijing standards, but if you come from somewhere where the currency is strong, the prices are still acceptable.

Anyway, walking around the area is already fun enough. The above ground pipes here reminds me of the architecture I saw in Russia.

 When the weather got too cold for me, or when my feet is urging me to take a rest, I will pop into one of these quaint and cosy cafes that lined the streets of 798.

798 is not the usual tourist destination and to some, it may even be off the beaten track. But to me, it is interesting and definitely worth a visit ! :)