Modern Beijing （现代北京）
Like many megalopolis in the world, Beijing has two sides: a modern one and an old one.
Qianmen (前门)
Qiánmén is one of the most central district of Beijing. No matter what you look for, you will find it there, either in one of the busy hútòng or on Qiánmén street itself: Beijing Duck at Quanjude, shoes at Neiliansheng, silk at Ruifuxiang… these century-old establishments were purveyors to the Imperial Court and still exist today.
Chinese Food (中国菜)
These are my personal favorite: Bāozi (包子） and Beijing Duck (北京烤鸭). These two dishes are relatively unknown overseas, where “Chinese food” is often a synomym of “Fried Rice”, “Chow Mien” and “Egg Foo Yung”… and other dishes that cater to Western taste and are everything but Chinese!
Beihai Park (北海公园)
Beihai Park is an imperial garden, North of the Forbidden City, and initially connected to it.
The Summer Palace (颐和园)
The Summer Palace, in downtown Beijing, is an enclave of peace away from the craziness of the city. Dominated by the Longevity Hill and set around the Kunming lake, an artificial lake entirely man made, the place has a variety of palaces and gardens.
Tiananmen Square (天安门广场)
Today, Tiananmen Square remains one of the symbol of Mao’s disillusion of grandeur, a huge square — the biggest in the world — dedicated to him, China, the “people’s heroes”, and jealously guarded night and day by the Party.
The Olympic Closing Ceremony (北京奥运会闭幕式)
Last Sunday, we attended the Beijing Olympic Closing Ceremony. We left early, expecting a huge crowd: the previous days, we had attended a couple of volleyball games and track and field, and getting to the Olympic Green was… challenging.
