Someone travel to china? How is beijing?
Someone travel to china?
jawenolee on 10/08/2012 - 23:50
Comments
I liked Beijing, it does have a funny (but not altogether unpleasant) sweet smell that you notice on your first night there (it can make some people feel kinda stoned). As mattgal said, not as polluted as somewhere like Xian, which is awesomely dark like Blade Runner! ;)
You'll hear a lot about Wangfujing Street, but I found it kinda meh unless you're really into irritating shopping experiences! The Bird's Nest & Aquatic Centre are cool. Forbidden City & Tiananmen Sq are also a must see…make sure you get there early to see Chairman Mao lying in state…that experience is just surreal! However, the Summer Palace was a standout for me…start at the top & walk down though, you'll thank me for that, trust me! :)
The infrastructure in Beijing has really improved since the Olympics, an excellent extensive subway system that only costs 2 yuan or so per ticket…as a matter of fact public transport overall has improved significantly in recent years! Then there's the food, OMG the food…so cheap, so nice, so generous…I miss China!
I miss China too. I have been living in Australia only for the last four years or so. Yet I got sick literally every time when I went back to China. Don’t be stopped by the pollution. Comparing to other magnificent stuff, it is totally bearable.
+1 to StewBalls, same experiences here. Though I do miss Xian for one thing - there's a 3/4 story dumpling restaurant near the Bell Tower there.
OMFG. Best XLB and dumplings. EVER. We nearly missed the overnighter train to Shanghai because of it. On that note, should also mention that the first class compartments while slightly expensive are very nice given they are often reserved/used by government officials. Great for a snooze to arrive fresh in the next city :)
Agreed, the dumplings & XLB really are outstanding…I think the Uyghur & Moslem influences really infuse much of the food in Xian with it's own unique twist.
Also near the belltower is a branch of the Lao Sun Jia restaurant who serve Yangrou Paomo (mutton stew with bread). This is an unusual dining experience unique to Xian, you get a bowl & slab of hard tack bread that you tear into tiny chunks & put in the bowl…the staff then take your bowl and top it up with with the mutton stew…just divine on a cold evening! :)
If you get a chance, definitely visit Xian, don't let the pollution put you off…it's actually really quaint. The Terracotta Warriors simply must be seen to be believed, no documentary/display/exhibit can do the scope of the excavation justice!
I've been to a lot of countries but China was pretty amazing. Shanghai is one of the best cities I've been to. Didn't quite like Beijing for some reason. Overall, there is lots to do, everything is cheap there and it is easy to get around (esp Shanghai with the best metro system in the world imo). Communication isn't that bad either. Don't know what all the fuss about pollution is, it was 100% fine there. I guess people have never been to Jakarta - it's literally 10 times worse there (can't even breathe if you open the car window for a few seconds in the city central).
I was in beijing in Feb
seeing a day of blue skies is considered lucky.. the norm is just polluted skies and smog
Beijing is big.. looks small on the map but impossible to walk around .. a block on the map can be actually the size of a suburb in oz…. taxis can be a pain to catch cause they pick their fares and they are generally in limited supply..
and traffic can get real bad in peak hours
but besides that its not a bad city, plenty of things to see and do .. wangfugin, sanlituen, great wall, forbidden palace (make sure you see the treasure galleries) all great places to visit
I actually really enjoy walking around the old area eventhough its considered the poor part of town with distinct buildings
I would go back to beijing just for the peking duck… amazing
+1 to Beijing kaoya, every time I have it here in Oz I wanna cry…then I get the bill for it & wanna spew! Actually, if anybody knows a decent place for duck in Sydney please let me know, I've tried some of the big names there & been unimpressed.
I completely forgot to mention the Great (rabbit) Wall; don't make the mistake I did the first time I went there & get suckered into a tour from a street vendor…regardless of how 'official' the govt tourism credentials look or appealing they sound. All they'll do is take you via a few dodgy factories for backhander shopping deals en route to & from, and the included lunch will be pretty much in their mate's deserted diner somewhere nobody else goes.
These operators only go to the most publicly accessible part of the Great Wall anyway; so you can just take a public bus & spend lots more time at the Wall; rather than be rushed in & out in an hour!
+1 again mate. We took the public bus there which was quick and no messing about at dodgy artefact factories so plenty of time at the wall which was truly awesome because we got both clear day photos when we arrived where you could see the wall go on forever and then awesome misty fog photos by the time we left due to turn in the weather :D
My recommendation would be to download a good offline translator app or one that comes with pinyin signboards so you can ask your way around. English speakers can be in short supply at times.
Anyone flown with China Eastern airlines? My mom wants to go to China, so I wanna go there with her then to M.E. They seem to have some decent fares ex. MEL
polluted, but not as bad as some of the other cities in china. mmmm black snot
otherwise, lots of stuff to see