Beijing in 2010
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- monkeyshine
I'll be there for two weeks in February for work. Advice? What should I see in my free time?
- tsongtze0
789 is the name of the gallery district. Prepare to spend the whole day there! There are literally hundreds of good galleries.
The Great Wall is a must.
If you can, stay in a courtyard hotel in a hutong when you're in Beijing. It is very nice, especially in the winter. You get to see how real Beijingers enjoy life.
There are two summer palaces in Beijing. Both are worth visiting.
The street food market is only good if you're into getting grossed out by "weird" foods. It's for tourists who think Chinese people eat weird things.
- tsongtze0
798. typo.
- bacon130
stop over in shanghai too :)
- monkeyshine0
Thanks for the recommendations. 798 sounds excellent. I don't even like to go to Haymarket in Boston so will probably steer clear of the food market. Is it common for women to be traveling alone?
- tsongtze0
If you don't look "Chinese", they'll stare a lot, but people aren't mean or anything. They are just curious. Be cautious of anyone on the street offering "help" or "guidance" though. It would be good to book any kind of sightseeing tour with your hotel or some kind of official organization.
Also Beijingers are known to be straight-forward. In my opinion, they're pretty honest. Just be friendly and they will return the friendliness.And I forgot to mention this hutong area that is pretty cool called Nanluoguxiang. It is really popular with foreigners, but still it's a very nice traditional alley where you can hang out, drink some coffee (or beer at night) and watch some hip people. There are also some design shops that are worth visiting.
- pang0
Some warm clothes.
Check if you're traveling around the 14th as it will be busy for Chinese New Year celebrations.
- detritus0
There's that new restaurant in Dongcheng, I read about it in Monocle last month, where you go in, shit onto a steel plate and they do this heat / fermentation process so that after a half hour or so, you can literally eat your own shit!
The quick fermentation process apparently makes the shit safe and .. amazingly enjoyable (!) to eat. I think it was called the "Jub Phee" or something.
Think it probably helps to get a little drunk before this one!
- monkeyshine0
So my February trip turned into my March trip. Assuming my visa is approved this week I'll be flying out next Saturday to Beijing (my co-workers visa was denied last Thursday so not sure what's up there).
I'll be staying and working in the Haidian District. Is it advisable to hire a guide for site seeing trips or can I wing it myself?
- monkeyshine0
bUmP
- timjames0
No, don't hire a guide. You'll be just as confused with a guide. Here's a map I put together for some of my IP law classmates in BJ - specifically for Haidian centered points of interest. Since late 2007 Google put its own labels on the map and readjusted so some of the points might be off, but I would highly recommend the "hutong" I marked (still correct) near Beihai lake. If you can drink, you'll have great fun there. Other hutongs are likely demolished, and I'd also recommend not spending too much time at the SanLiTun bar area. It's clogged with self-important whiteys.
- monkeyshine0
That's a great map...thanks timjames! Self-important whiteys...if I'm going all the way to China I should at least be spared that!
- timjames0
Hope it serves you well. Also, don't worry about walking streets alone as a girl. I've heard of some minor harassment towards foreigners (and a subway ride will violate all sexes), but even the worst ghettoes and most remote villages of China are much safer than pretty much any other country I can think of.
As for the whiteys - I'm one too, but haven't yet found reason to be self-important. Thus I don't like associating with them at this time.