Beijing is a big place. So big, that even after several years, many of its secret nooks and crannies still remain hidden even to the most adventurous expatriate, writes Sophie Loras.
Travelling through Beijing in transit or left with a few days to spare at the conclusion of a business trip and wondering what to see in the Chinese capital? It’s amazing how much you can squeeze into 72 hours and I remembered this recently when an architect friend came through Beijing on her way home to London. With limited time, it was not difficult to arrange an itinerary for her, ensuring she left China with an authentic impression of Beijing’s historical, cultural and modern persona.
Day 1
Arriving midday on a Saturday, first stop was Lily Nails in Sanlitun’s 3.3 building for a manicure, pedicure and foot massage. Lily’s is a Beijing institution. Shanghai has no equivalent, but this cheap and very clean salon, which has three branches in Sanlitun alone, is a great experience for those fresh off the plane or exhausted after a few days of hard-core sightseeing.
For less than 200 RMB (A$35) treat yourself to a manicure, pedicure and a half hour foot massage or foot scrub. And this is not a pastime solely restricted to the ladies – I am yet to find an Aussie bloke who hasn’t relished the hand and foot massage experience by the lovely attentive Lily’s staff. No bookings needed.
Next stop is an evening drink at the Bell and Drum Tower Bar (pictured right). With the mismatching upholstery of its chairs and lounges, branches poking through the slated hutong rooves and a spectacular backdrop of the Bell Tower and Drum Tower, this charming little Beijing haunt feels more like a tree house than a bar.
The bar overlooks the main square between the two imposing towers. So sit back and enjoy a unique Hutong rooftop sunset as locals from the surrounding area congregate below for some mahjong or badminton or to play with their dogs or walk their birds.
There are two nearby options for dinner, including a 10-course dinner party at Black Sesame Kitchen (bookings essential) off Beijing’s most famous hutong strip, Nanguluoxiang. Dinner includes beer and Australian wines as a local chef prepares delicious Beijing fare in an open kitchen at the end of the table. An unforgettable Beijing experience. A second recommendation is Dali Courtyard, on Xiaojingchang Hutong off the northern side of Gulou Dong Dajie. The set menu of south-western Chinese food from China’s Yunan province in Dali Courtyard starts at 100RMB (A$18) per person and includes unusual but delicious dishes including deep fried kaffir leaves with spicy prawns, mouth watering morsels of dried beef and salads of unusual mushrooms laced with fresh coriander.
After dinner drinkies should include a stop at Mao Mao Chong or nearby Salud where the bar flavours its own vodka.
Day 2
Begin your morning with brunch at the world-renowned Din Tai Fung for their famous Shanghai Xioa Long Bao steamed dumplings (for those with a delicate palate, don’t miss the house speciality hairy crab xiao long bao). The chicken soup will revive anyone suffering from jet lag or a big night out. This Michelin star global chain has been awarded New York Times top 10 restaurants and is the perfect start to a day of sightseeing. Good photo opportunity too of the dumpling chefs producing their fare from behind a glass window.
Beijing is famous for its underground art scene and while the city boasts numerous galleries and art havens, Beijing’s 798 Art District is the best place to start for a general introduction China’s contemporary art scene. Located in the city’s north-east Dashanzi area, the block was once the site 
of a multitude of state-owned factories, originally producing electronics. The area’s industrial architecture still boasts in places original communist slogans painted on the stark, high-vaulted walls. In 2002, the area was rented out to artists and gallery owners, with cultural organisations, design companies, bars and restaurants soon following suit and turning the area into a flourishing art community and hub.
Wander down alleys and explore the area’s many galleries and outdoor art installations for a quirky impression of Beijing’s best and worst modern art. The area also hosts international artists. Art work at the many galleries changes on a regular basis.
Trek across town to the centre of Beijing to see Hou Hai – a collection of hutongs surrounding the city’s central lake (pictured right). In summer, tourists can hire a boat and have a paddle on the lake, in winter, hire a chair or bicycle skate and join every Beijing man and his dog for a spot of skating on the lake’s thick crust of ice.
No visitor can leave Beijing without trying the city’s most famous dish – Peking Duck. A low-key cheap and cheerful Peking duck dinner accompanied by local Beijing dishes and a cold Tsingtao can be just as enjoyable as some of the city’s more upmarket restaurants. We recommend Jing Zun near the Gongti Workers Stadium (on Chunxiu Lu) or Xiao Wang Fu with two locations across town, including a rooftop restaurant inside Ritan Park near the city’s Russian quarter. For more a more contemporary and stylish Peking duck dining experience and for some of the most exquisite duck you’ll ever taste, try Duck de Chine in the 1949 complex off Gongti Beilu where the chic atmosphere matches the attention to detail that goes into the food. Da Dong in Beijing’s Dongsishitiao continues to win annual food awards for best Peking duck as voted by the public and serves up traditional Chinese favourites with contemporary and modern twists.
For an unconventional end to the day, and for a taste of Little Moscow Beijing style, drop into Russian nightclub Chocolate (opposite the north gate of Ritan Park). The club boasts pole dancers and a very “Russian” midnight floor show with the whose-who of Central Asia.
Day 3
A busy day, made all the easier with a private driver and car. Begin the morning with a jidan bing (egg pancake) available at any good street corner. This Beijing breakfast favourite is whipped up on a gas hotplate and constitutes a giant omelette filled with chives, chilli paste and pickled beans wrapped around a Chinese deep-fried donut. Delicious!
Ensure you leave the city before 7.30 in order to beat the peak hour traffic and shoot out to Beijing’s Mutianyu (pictured left). The Chinese saying goes: “You are not a real man until you have climbed the Great Wall.” Mutianyu is close enough to the city to make this an easy half-day trip. Take the cable car up, walk right along the wall until you hit the “toboggan” (not joking!) for the return journey back to your waiting driver. Enjoy lunch at the Schoolhouse and then enjoy a photo or two on your way back into town in front of Beijing’s iconic Olympic Birds Nest stadium and Water Cube swimming centre.
Next stop is Jingshan park for the best 360 degree view of the city. Located on the city’s central axis, the park’s pagoda looks over the back of the Forbidden City. By exiting the park at the South Exit, it’s easy to then cross over the road and enter the Forbidden City from its northern gate – allowing visitors to go against the tourist flow and exiting the Forbidden City onto the city’s vast and hugely impressive Tiananmen Square. At dusk, catch the PLA soldiers engaged in an
elaborate flag lowering ceremony.
For a modern Beijing end to the trip, enjoy dinner at one of Sanlitun’s many hip restaurants in the Village where there is no limit to the choice in Chinese and international cuisine, from tapas bars, to Vietnamese, Indian and some of the best Japanese rolls you’ve tasted at Hatsune.
*Pictured left: Jinshan Park at sunset.
The list of things to do in Beijing remains endless, but top of the list for next time should include a visit to the Temple of Heaven park where in the mornings, locals enjoy all sorts of activities from calligraphy writing on the pavement with giant brushes and buckets of water, to martial arts, tai chi, ballroom dancing and singing to more modern pastimes such as jogging and rollerblading.
Beijing’s Panjiayuan flea market is the place to go for all your Chinese arts and crafts and souvenirs, while Yashow or the Silk Market are where tourists go to purchase everything from bags and jewellery to ski jackets, silk dressing gowns, scarves, shoes and clothes. Remember to bargain hard!
Lily Nails
Shop 3020, 3/F, 3.3, Sanlitun,
T: +86 10 5136 5919
The Bell and Drum Tower Bar
T: +86 10 8403 3600
41 Zhongulouwan Hutong
Black Sesame Kitchen
T: +86 1369 147 4408
(By appointment only)
Dali Courtyard
T: +86 10 8404 1430
67 Xiaojingchang Hutong, Gulou Dong Dajie
Din Tai Fung
T: +86 10 6462-4502
24, Xinyuan Xili Zhongjie
798 Art District
Jing Zun Peking Duck
T: +86 10 6417 4075
Bldg 6, Taipingzhuang Nanli, Chunxiu Lu
Xiao Wang Fu
T: +86 10 8561 7859
Inside Ritan Park (north gate)
Duck de Chine
T: +86 10 6501-8881
1949 – The Hidden City, Courtyard 4, Gongti Beilu
Da Dong Beijing Duck
T: +86 10 5169 0328
1-2/F, Nanxincang Int’l Building, A22, Dongsi Shitiao
The Schoolhouse, Mutianyu
www.theschoolhouseatmutianyu.com
