A Guide for a Short Stay in Beijing
Eat Peking Duck, Visit Great Wall and Shop at Silk Street
Sep 5, 2008
Beijing is the second largest city in China next to Shanghai. With more than 16,000 kilometers of area rich with cultural history and famous landmarks, how can one expect to explore this city extensively in just three days?
Three short and simple suggestions are recommended and this itinerary includes a taste of the region’s best cuisine, an excursion to a world-renowned historical site and a time for personal indulgence.
Eat Beijing Duck
The Beijing Duck which is known in the West as Peking Duck is one of China’s most delightful contributions to the culinary world! While this delicacy is extremely appetizing the preparation requires a lot of time and attention to details starting with the quality and a particular specie of duck. This complicated technique for roasting duck originally evolved from the process used for another popular Chinese delicacy, the suckling pig. In fact this uncompromising technique has become an art form and the result is simply heavenly to the palete!
The Beijing Duck is first served by slicing its light crispy skin into about one-inch wide strips and just long enough to be wrapped in thin round pancakes along with a couple of slivered scallions and a dash of sweet bean sauce to bring out its delicious flavor! The rest of the duck meat can then be stir-fried while its bones can be used to make soup.
Try the famous Quanjude Restaurants; or for a less touristy experience try the Li Qun Restaurant in the hutong area which also gets packed.
Climb Great Wall
A trip to Beijing is not complete without a visit to this great architectural wonder! The Great Wall has a 2000-year history and, by far, it is the longest man-made construction in the world. It snakes across deserts, grasslands, mountains and valleys stretching approximately 6000 kilometers from east to west of China.
Contrary to popular belief, no matter how vast it is, the Great Wall is not visible from the moon. Surprisingly, this masterpiece was not built with a master plan. According to historical facts the different parts were made independently for the defense of each region from the nomadic tribes of the north. There are several entrances to the Great Wall and these are the more accessible ones:
- The Badaling is the most popular and crowded section being the nearest to Beijing. The Mutianyu is a little farther and requires a bit of climbing but both parts can be visited not just by walking but also by using cable cars for those who want a more leisurely visit.
- For those who prefer a more adventurous trip, The Great Wall Adventure Club suggests that a whole day visit or an overnight camp along Simatai and Jinshanling sections is a must! Both sections are much farther from Beijing and these sections are not crowded. Unlike most parts of the Wall, both have retained their original architecture. For the overnight camp, one can witness the setting and rising of the majestic sun amidst this ancient structure!
Before heading home go for a one-stop shopping spree at the Silk Street Mall. The old Silk Street market was transformed into a five-storey mall in 2005. This arcade houses about 1,500 stalls selling everything from international-branded merchandise to local traditional items. It is recommended that buyers learn how to haggle the Silk Street way before they shop!
Silk Street Mall is along Chang An Avenue near Yong An Li (120) line 1 subway station which is connected directly to the mall.
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