If it’s a long lay-over or time to kill after wrapping up a meeting early, Beijing offers up dilemmas from every direction. This is a world city brimming with new found confidence following a decade of regeneration on an epic scale yet it is the echoes of its illustrious ancient past that are the big draw.
or most wide-eyed visitors, the main attraction is a stroll on the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and Summer Palace but the real heartbeat of Beijing is found in the ‘Hutongs.’ Both offbeat and off the beaten path, these tiny winding lanes dissect this entire sprawling city and are a great way to explore away from the snap-happy hordes. When time is short, Beijing is not the place to rush through at a whirlwind pace; it is at its most appealing away from the steel and glass skyscrapers and clogged up freeways for a slow, lingering taste of food, art, history and real Beijing life. Here are the best bits of Beijing far from the madding crowd.
Bohemian Beijing
More like Berlin than Beijing, the Bauhaus-style ‘798 Art Zone’ is the city’s vibrant counter-culture district, populated by deliciously bizarre modern art installations offering a telling glimpse of contemporary life. There is a real creative buzz with elements of traditional culture fused with flamboyant modern sculpture and vivid graffiti art.
Park Life
Jing Shan Park offers respite from the manic pace of life and a chance to brush up on your Tai Chi moves in a scenic environment that feels like a million miles away from the city. It is a picturesque oasis dotted with pavilions and charming tea stands and the view across to the Forbidden City is not to be missed.
Gastronomy on Ghost Street
It may be nicknamed Ghost Street but Dongzhimen Nei, to give it its official title, is most definitely alive and kicking 24/7. Its striking feature is the hundreds of red lanterns that line this celebrated eat street, lighting the way for hungry locals keen to chow down on lashing of fresh grilled seafood – spicy prawns, lobster, hairy crab and even turtle. Other extreme cuisine includes snake, fried scorpion and seahorse snacks. A little more palatable is the many varieties of the ubiquitous Peking Duck and flavour of the month, Mongolian Lamb hotpot. It’s a lively open air human zoo and a great spot to linger long into the night.
By Ray Montgomery
