Although I don’t really like Beijing all that much, it does have a few things you definitely have to check off that list of things to do before you die. If you don’t mind being harrassed by the all too familiar “looka looka, tshirt, wata, best price” they are definitely worth the $2-$5 it will cost to see them. First you’ll want to take a cab down to Wangfujin Avenue, which is the major public outside mall. Basically a large street blocked off to cars with lots of shops and food stalls running up the sidestreets. There’s also a bunch of good restaurants and english bookstores. Lots of random chinese people will come up to you asking to practice your english with them. It’s oddly fun at first but gets old fast and half the time they’ll want to take you somewhere and try and get you to pay for them. Head down west over to Tiananmen Square to see the world’s largest public square and a bunch of commie-era buildings and structures. The sheer size of it is amazing, and it’s neat to walk around for a bit. Make sure to check out the hilarious socialist realist statues at the south end by Mao’s mausoleum. Head across the massive street to the north and check out the throngs of tourists heading into the Forbidden City. It’s worth it to go inside and check it out, but keep in mind the buildings all start to look very repititive after a while, and the indoor displays could use a serious refit. Keep heading north through the massive complex until you get to a gate that leads you to a park that consists of hills and some temples on top. For about 2$ you can get into the park and then climb up to the top of the temples for the best views of the Beijing. As an aside, do this when it’s cold, preferably in the winter, or when it’s windy, and you will actually be able to see the city. If you do it in the summer when its 36 degrees and smoking cigarettes is cleaner than breathing the air, you won’t see jack shit. Even Tiananmen will be dissapointing. After these two major sights, there is also the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace. I hear the Summer Palace is pretty good, but I’ve never been very keen on every checking either out. These few things alone will take atleast half the day if you walk the whole way, and should cost more than $10 total per person for the tickets to get into the Forbidden City and the park. Here’s some pics to give you an idea.

Filed under: tourist shit