My trip in Beijing

Beijing caught the world's attention in the summer of 2008 when the Olympics gave tourists one more reason to visit China's national capital. Visitors can now see modern architectural wonders in Beijing, such as the “Birds Nest” and “Water Cube”, along with the well-known historical wonders: the Temple of Heaven, the Great wall and the Ming Tombs. I planned a six day vacation in Beijing, intending to see both the old and the new aspects of the city. Many of the tourists who visit China will book a multi-city package tour, because the prices are relatively inexpensive. I arranged my own transportation and accommodations, but took three day-long guided China tours in which our tour groups were transported by van or bus. The first tour visited a Ming Tomb and a popular section of the Great Wall. The second tour stopped at the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace. The third tour went to a remote section of the Great Wall. If I were to plan the whole vacation again, I would fill even more of my time with such tours. I had some interesting conversations with vacationers and world-travelers of many different nationalities. I arrived in Beijing during the mid-afternoon of June 29th and relied upon internet instructions to find my accommodations. I took a crowded airport express bus to the nearest subway station (Dongzhimen), but would have been better served by the marginally more expensive, but infinitely more comfortable, high speed airport train. Finding my hotel wasn't difficult, because all of the subway signs and street signs were written in English. Although, in retrospect, I should have printed the address in Chinese in case I needed to take a taxi. My accommodations were located in a central part of Beijing called the Hutong District. Many foreign tourists stay in this area. On my first full day, I visited a “Drum Tower”, which was within walking distance of my hotel. The Drum Tower was built in 1272; it was initially used for musical performances, but was later used to announce the time. One has to climb about 100 steps to reach the “first floor” where all of the drums are located. There were about ten large ceremonial drums in the tower and while some of them were very old, others were still in use. There are regular musical performances in the tower, conducted for tourists. Fortunately, the timing of my visit coincided with one of these performances, and it made all of the stairs climbing worthwhile. After visiting the Drum Tower, I walked around the nearby Hou Hai lake, which is a very popular nightspot for bar hoppers, checked out the train station area, and went looking for Tian'anmen Square. Later in the evening, I went to the “Red Theatre” in order to watch a Kung fu themed play. The play was clearly produced and marketed for foreign tourists; half of the script was in English and the announcers repeatedly ballyhooed the souvenir shop. Nevertheless, I thought that the play was well done; it was a well-choreographed juxtaposition of drama and martial arts exhibition (probably more the latter).