Beijing has a history of more than 3,000 years,and has been the cultural,
political and economical centre of China. It is no wonder that the richest
history is to be found here, with many of the ancient relics still existing
today,some for viewing in museums too.
One has never been to Beijing unless one visits the world-renowned Forbidden
City, TianTan(Temple of Heaven), YiHeYuan(Summer Palace) and of course, The
Great Wall(at Badaling,most probably) and many many more must-see places
of attraction. I won't try to cram you with details about them; rather I'd
like to share with you little trivials that my tour guide told us.
However,I really prefer to look at the 'un-touristy' stuffs, and
really see China (Beijing) as a local would. Thanks to Bruce,I did have a
chance to 'glimpse' into the life of a local. He brought me to this night market,a whole street where stalls are set up, with all the local delights being cooked,sold and eaten right on the spot; if you choose to,you could eat
while walking down the street to just 'soak' in the convivial atmosphere.
I do not know the exact location of the street,but Bruce told me it is near
what used to be the financial centre/district of Beijing. It is also just
a stone's throw from the TianAnMen Square,and I must say,go alone on your
own and view it at night. It is very romantic,and you do not see tourists
there,as you definitely will when you go in the day; instead,couples,families
and students in groups go there for a lovely stroll in the nice cool
evening! Oh how I miss it all!
Being S'porean,how can I not mention food in Beijing? To quote my tour guide,
"Beijing cuisine cannot compare to that of S'pore,since it is really
more oily and salty as compared to the S'porean food. Even the Peking Ducks
in S'pore,prepared by HK chefs, is better than the authentic Beijing ones!" I am not complaining, since this tour guide is a good friend of the organiser of this trip, he went through all troubles to let us have meals
in really nice restaurants, some even brand-new Cantonese ones! One thing I
noticed was that they seldom eat meat.Since they are a mainland country, they
only have freshwater fish, which have LOTS of bones! Having choked on fish
bones before, I am not willing to risk it again; definitely not on holiday!
I find it really refreshing though, having such a large variety of vegetables to choose from, prepared in the local way. Now I know why all the Chinese girls are so trim,with such nice complexion! Definitely worth considering
moving there hehe... And in fact,many S'poreans and foreign expatriates live
there,and it is not very hard to adjust to lfe there too.It is really quite
modernised now,with shopping complexes, hotels and restaurants that are of
really high standard.
The locals DID sound intimidating though. They can be curt and sound real
fierce;but that is really the minority. Give them some slack; all of us have bad days too,huh? ;) When I told Bruce this,he said do not take it personal,
it is the way the locals speak; they are really straigh to the point and it
could be their accent or what that I am not used to. No offence,but compared to many Hong Kongers,the Beijingers are polite! One thing I have to warn you visitors is that the sellers have absolutely NO ethics,especially the street hawkers. Bargain real hard, since the opening price could well be 4
times what they would finally accept! No kidding! Since my uncle has been to many parts of China, he says that generally, things are really much more expensive in Beijing compared to elsewhere. But then again,each province
has its own unique speacialities for sale, so do not miss out!
I was really surprised to see ladies wearing dresses and face masks riding
a bicycle!It's really amazing to see almost every Tom,Dick and Harrry (Tang,
Di Ke and Ha Li--must be more Chinese hehehe...) wearing suits! And I
confess that I'm a sucker for all men wearing suits; so handsome don't you
think?*swoon* Bargain hunters take note:suits cost only US$25!!!
All sizes available too! Haha!They are on sale right at the starting point of
the Forbidden City tour,so it's hard to miss. Of course,you cannot expect
them to look like those from Armani or other designer-branded ones! It is
healthy and fun to cycle everywhere to work too. Only in Beijing can you
see so many cyclists. However,they can be a road-hazard. The rule is: the big
give way to the small. It was an exhilarating experience crossing the roads
in Beijing! Not for the faint-hearted I assure you,and believe you me, I'm
not being hyperbolic!
Without further ado,join me as I go down memory lane...