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Published: February 6th 2011
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sleeper train
blissful way to travel 5 Things/Experiences/Places I loved in Beijing
(in no particular order)
*Beihai Park
*The Temple of Heaven
*Chinese Acrobatic Show
*Walking all day
*Happy Dragon Hostel Bar
1) Beihai Park
As we left the Forbidden City, Rachael and Shum decided to take a rickshaw ride around some of the old Hutongs (streets) in the local area. I feel far too guilty about getting a person to cycle my lazy bum around to enjoy that particular experience so decided to take a walk to Beihai Park, a former imperial garden. I'd been drawn in my the massive White Pagoda that sits on a hill and can be seen from outside the Park, but found so much more. The entrance is down a little lane past some houses and small shops and I actually had to ask someone to make sure I was going the right way. I paid 5 yuan to get in to the park and just wandered around taking a few pictures. I'd rather see things properly rather than through a viewfinder so haven't taken many pictures but this place was exquisite, a real gem. It was really quiet
and there were lots of places to wander off the path and explore. The lake was mostly frozen and the colours of everything just enhanced by the darkening light. It really felt like my own secret, special place, which I know sounds odd given that it is a major tourist attraction in the centre of Beijing. I met a grandfather and granddaughter and chatted to them for a bit then wandered round the lake and sat down to enjoy the view (and the Chinese version of maltesers that I'd bought!). All too soon the girls called to say they had finished their ride and I had to leave, before I'd even seen about a tenth of what the park had to offer. I think it would be incredible in the summer too and would love to go back sometime.
2) The Temple of Heaven
This is another major tourist attraction but again I was very, very lucky with crowds (or the lack thereof). Visiting in Chinese New Year meant that some things were closed all together, but many others were just quiet, and the Temple of Heaven was one of them. Again, I was on my own, the
girls having gone on a tour to the Great Wall. Several times in the Temple Gardens I found myself alone, and found it really easy to take photographs of various temples, pagodas and gardens without any people in the way of my view. My favourite things at this attraction were the actual Temple itself, and the Temple of Abstinence. The Temple of Heaven sits high on a mound with three tiers of staircases, which itself sits on a hill. It's beautiful, green, gold, blue and terracotta and it so imposing, yet peaceful. It really is awe inspiring and I was glad to be able to contemplate it in near solitude.
The Temple of Abstinence was where the Emperor would go for three days before the prayers and sacrifices. He had to abstain from food, alcohol and women. This Temple is surrounded by a moat, and when you get in to the garden, there is another moat to the actual temple, so it's very secluded. Now, the moat is empty and there were only a few cats scrabbling about, but it was very easy to imagine it in all it's glory. I stayed around three hours and pretty much visited
every nook and cranny. It's hard to know if I would have loved this place as much if it had been busier - a big part of the attraction was the peace I felt there, and the pace at which I could enjoy it, but for me, on that day, it was exactly what I needed.
3) Chinese Acrobatic Show
As I've been to Beijing before there wasn't anything I particularly wanted to see, and I wasn't particularly excited about anything. However, on the first evening I was flicking through Shum's Lonely Planet and read about Chinese Acrobatic Shows and was immediately hooked. The hostel could organise it for us, and with some reservations about the quality of the shows booked through an agent, we booked to see Peking Opera and Chinese Acrobatics. The Peking Opera was odd, and I think that was partly because it was just very different to what I was expecting, and partly because the company the hostel booked us to see weren't very good. It wasn't too expensive and was an interesting experience so I don't regret going, but I'm glad it was only an hour.
The Chinese Acrobat Show, on the other hand,
was phenomenal. Our seats were rubbish so I started the evening feeling let down and disappointed, but after the first ten seconds I was transported. The music was brilliant and perfectly fittings, the set and staging was immaculate, the costumes were perfect and the actual performances were incredible. We bought copies of the DVD and I can't wait to get home and relive the experience. The whole show was breathtaking, but highlights included:
*Someone cycling a unicycle on a tightrope
*A man juggling 8 or 9 balls (but bouncing them off the ground instead of throwing them into the air) while walking up and down the stairs.
*A troupe of young boys as flexible as monkeys pretty much bouncing off each other and the staging while performing perfectly timed acrobatic stunts
*Twelve girls riding one bicycle
*And a contortionist balancing on one arm and resting glasses on every body surface including her head, the bottoms of her feet and her other hand
Of course, a wee voice inside my head was asking if the artists were getting paid enough, what happens if they get injured, and how come some of them looked so young, but even my conscience couldn't
Hospital
The name amuses me because one of the translations of the Pinyin is 'sore people', stop me enjoying it. Super, super, super and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone in Beijing, or indeed if they tour.
4) Walking around all day
The day the girls went to the Great Wall, I just took my map and walked around all day. I know I wanted to end up at the Temple of Heaven but other than that was just going to go where the day took me. It was the only day I didn't have to use the subway, and although the underground system is useful, it was wonderful to just see the city. I went to a ruined Ming dynasty wall, wandered past some very poor houses and ended up on a very posh pedestrianised but below Tiannammen Square that was beautifully decorated for the New Year. Walking is my favourite way to explore a city but it's hard when you have a lot of things to do and places to see so I'm glad I got one day just to absorb the city in my own way.
5) Happy Dragon Hostel Bar
Special mention has to go to our hostel. The staff were fantastic, very friendly and helpful and the other
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Remnants of a Ming era wall guests were great too. Everyone congregated in the bar and shared hints and tips. It's quite small so you often have to share a table, which is great for increasing the sociability. We met lots of great people (mainly English teachers) and enjoyed some lovely food there. Top place.
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