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Dubbed as one of the world’s great cities, Beijing is a metropolis in North China that exudes both old world charm and modern connectivity. It is the capital of the People’s Republic of China as well as one of its Four Great Capital Cities, as the second largest city after Shanghai, Beijing is one place you can’t ignore. Despite having played host to the recently concluded 2008 Olympic games, it still breathes eight centuries of Chinese history, culture and art. Beijing simply vibrates with a rich mixture of the old and new, as you can find the renowned magnificent palaces, temples, stone walls, gates, art treasures, universities and great Forbidden City together with the popular student hangout called Wudaokou and ultramodern transport systems. Since Beijing serves as focal point of many international flights to vast China, you’ll experience the joy of traveling right from the start. The city may have hot humid summers with average temperatures of around 30° C or 87° F in July and generally cold, windy, dry winters. Its world Heritage Sites such as the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the temple of Heaven and other magnificent landmarks more than make up for minor discomforts from the heat. Students who want to get a feel of history or simply have fun will find Beijing the ideal place to start. Since it is in the heart of Asia, you can find affordable ways to visit other Asian cities afterwards.

Beijing Pictures

Things to do in Beijing

Beijing is overflowing with tourist attractions, historical landmarks, traditions and treasures. The most renowned are the Badaling stretch of the Great Wall of China, the Tiananmen and the Forbidden City; places you must visit to feel their splendor. You can climb the challenging steps to the Great Wall – the only earthly structure that can be seen from outer space – to experience its majesty. You can enter the Forbidden City – the vast palace compound that housed the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties, or visit Tiananmen Square – the largest square in the world found right across the Forbidden City. From this square, you can visit the Tiananmen, the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum of China, and the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong. You can go then to the western part of Beijing to ride on a dragon boat, which brings you to the Summer Palace with its massive imperial gardens and palaces. Or pay homage at the religious sites such as the Temple of Heaven or the Temples of the Earth, the Sun, or the Moon, and so many other temples, pagodas, museums, parks and gardens. Whether you want to experience the historic, the grand, the sacred, the exotic or the naturally beautiful, you name it, Beijing has it.

Nightlife in Beijing

If you enjoy hanging out with friends at night, then Beijing’s Wudaokou is the right place for you. This is a very popular area where students hang out at night, found in Northwestern Beijing. There is also the famous Wangfujing Night Market which has a selection of exotic Street foods such as worms on a stick, deep fried insects, scorpions, sea creatures, animals or animal parts, and many other more common delicacies.

Dining in Beijing

Chinese food has gained worldwide fame, but in Beijing, chefs cook Mandarin cuisine, Peking Roast Duck being the most famous. You may want to experience the Manhan Quanxi or the Manchu-Han Chinese full banquet, the traditional banquet for Manchu emperors of the Qing Dynasty, though it can get a bit expensive. You may also opt to taste traditional Beijing snack foods like the Fuling Jiabing, a pancake, or flat disk, with filling. A visit to one of Beijing’s teahouses and to the famous Snack Street at night should complete your desire to taste what Beijing has to offer.

Shopping in Beijing

What’s traveling without some shopping? Beijing offers several famous shopping areas, most famous of which are Wangfujing, Xidan, Silk Street and the Beijing Financial Street. Wangfujing street is off limits to cars and motor vehicles, so you can get to shop along the entire street, which is usually full of other shoppers. Wangfujing is home to around 280 famous brands of Beijing, but perhaps you’ll want to give cloisonné or lacquer ware as souvenirs for your friends and family products known as specialty of Beijing’s cultural art. The magic of Beijing is calling. Buy your ticket now.

Beijing travel tips

• Language spoken: Beijing dialect, the basis of Standard Mandarin, is the language of natives.
• Fun Fact: Beijing is known for steps to the Great Wall that you can climb as a challenge; for its ancient cypress tree that gives good luck to lovers; for its Kung-fu schools and exhibition fights; and for its quaint cricket fights.
• The temperatures can be extreme in China–very hot in the summer, and very cold in the winter–so plan your travel dates accordingly!