Day 03: Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall (April 2019)

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Saturday, 20th April 2019

I started my day with a visit to the Military Museum which was served by a metro station of the same name. By now, I had become accustomed to life in Beijing - bag checks everywhere at the metro entrances as well as at the various attractions. There was always a queue of people ahead of me wherever I go. Unlike most countries that I had visited, there was a need to carry my passport with me everywhere in the city as I needed that to exchange for the admission tickets.

The Military Museum occupies the premise of a rather spacious building. The exhibits were however concentrated at the central foyer as well as at a temporary exhibition space displaying photographs of the One Belt, One Road initiative. I noticed that there were some other exhibition rooms located at the upper floors of the building which were strangely cordoned off during my visit. With so few things to see, I probably spent about 30 minutes at the museum before heading over to the dome-shaped National Centre of the Performing Arts. The only good thing that happened was that the museum offered free admission to anyone who wished to pay a visit.

Soon after, I opted for an early lunch at Haidilao Hotpot located at the New World Centre. Famed for its great service, this was probably hospitality at its very best. Waiting time was approximately 30 minutes even though it did not seem like an eternity given that I was well-fed with tidbits during the wait. The final damage was RMB144 although I had not ordered that many items from the menu. Nevertheless, this was still quite a memorable lunch experience for me.

Two more museums were on my visit list in the afternoon - the China Railway Museum and the Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall. Both venues were within easy reach of one another in the Qianmen District. The Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall is the star attraction in the afternoon with plenty to see and marvel. There was even a room containing 3D building models of the entire city which offered great insights of the urban planning initiatives undertaken by the authorities.

In the evening, I made my way to the upmarket China World Mall at the Guomao District to take in views of the beautiful CCTV Building. This was followed by a very satisfying tonkatsu cutlet meal at Saboten, a well-known Japanese chain in the city.

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