Jinxiang's Trip to Beijing
What did you do in Beijing?
I spent my entire summer in Beijing doing a summer internship in a Private Equity firm. The office is very close to WangFuJing, which is in the east center of Beijing and one of the most popular sights for everyvisitor. I lived at WuKeSong, very west of the city and near the Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium and Laoshan Mountain Bike Course. After getting up in the early morning, I would usually have my breakfast at some open breakfast stand. My favorite order is one bowl of soybean juice (sweet) and two pieces of fried dough (salty). I was taught to slice the dough into smaller pieces and put them into the juice, I truly love the taste which is very Beijing style. Without a driver’s license and car, I had to take public transportation to and from work. Fortunately, all the subway trains in Beijing are on time (not like the T in Boston). I took the first line which almost runs through the entire city from west to east. The public transportation in Beijing is getting better and better. You can get wherever you want by Gonggongqiche (bus) or DiTie (subway).
What’s a must see in Beijing?
TianAnMen Square is definitely a must see, and around the square you can visit the Summer Palace(empire palace), BeiHai Park (with many beautiful stories),WangFuJing Walking Street (one-stop shopping from traditional to modern), DongSi (for traditional stores), Houhai Pub Zone (many Chinese style pubs and tea places along the inner city lake), etc. As a student, you should definitely visit Peking University and Tsinghua University, which are the top two universities in China. The area of Tsinghua campus is four times that of Peking University. If you have time, you’d better visit some places outside the core city, like the Great Wall.
Most unusual thing you did?
The most unusual thing I did in Beijing was waking up at 3:00 am to go to the TianAnMen Square to see them raise the national flag at the moment of sunrise.
What sucked?
The weather was too hot. When you are taking the bus or train , specially during peaking hours, there are millions of people standing around you sharing the limited cool air from the air conditioner.
Craziest thing that you saw or did?
I rode my bike from Beijing to Tianjin which took way too long and I ended up not being able to feel my behind.
What was the culture of the city like?
It’s very hard to describe, you need to experience it. But you’ll find very modern things mixed with very traditional ones. You’ll see new luxury hotels alongside old Chinese buildings. It’s a great city with an incredible combination of old and new.
Best places to party?
SanLiTuan pub street and HouHai pub zone are the most popular two for all.
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