BEIJING A beautiful encounter between old and new architectures Location of Beijing As the capital of China, Beijing has a long history. It has been an inhabited city for more than 3,000 years and is the heart and soul of China’s politics which condensed and bearing profound national Chinese culture features for more than 800 years. Keeping up with the times, Beijing nowadays is still wonderful. It acts as a political and economic centre, international exchange centre, science and technology innovation centre, etc. As a result, incredibly unconventional buildings have emerged. It would be a great pity if you didn’t go through an in-depth tour of this city that mixes the ancient and modern elements. What’s hot The Palace Museum The Palace Museum that located in the centre of Beijing’s central axis was built in the Ming Dynasty and was once the palace of 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Covering an area of 720,000 square metres, it is the largest surviving palace-type building in the world and is of great historical value. Surrounded by walls and protected by a moat, the building has four gates and more than 2,600 existing halls. Currently, it is a museum with collections mostly from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. A tour of the museum offers a realistic view of the lives of the famous emperors and empresses in history. 4 Jingshanqian Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing City, China Take Beijing subway line 1 to Tian’ anmenxi Station and walk 1.2km from Exit B to the ticket gate (South Gate) 8:30am-5pm (Apr-Oct), 8:30am-4:30pm (Nov-Mar), Closed on Mondays Entrance fee 60RMB (Apr-Oct), 40RMB (Nov-Mar), Treasure Gallery 10RMB dpm.org.cn Niujie Mosque Built in 996 AD, the Niujie Mosque is the oldest and largest mosque in Beijing. It is said to have been designed by the Arab architect Nazaruddin during the Liao Dynasty. The Niujie Mosque has been renovated several times. It covers an area of more than 6,000 square metres, facing east and west, with a concentrated and symmetrical architecture. It is characterised by a blend of traditional Chinese design and Islamic aesthetics, with a classical Chinese brick and timber exterior, but with Arabic architectural decoration in the details. Ones can also buy some special snacks from Halal supermarkets at Niujie. 18 Niujie Street, Xicheng District, Beijing City, China Take bus Route 48 and get off at Niujie Qingzhensi stop and walk about 200 metres 8am-6pm (Daily) RMB 10 Hutong “Hutongs” are actually alleys that originated in the Yuan Dynasty and run through the urban fabric of old Beijing, as well as being places where people lived, documenting the changing landscape of the times and containing cultural flavours. Ancient people once used the phrase “There are three hundred and sixty famous hutongs, with innumerable not-so-famous that are as many as ox’s hairs” to illustrate the large number of hutongs in Beijing. Some famous hutongs in Beijing are Houhai Hutong, Nanluoguxiang and Mao’er Hutong, but ones can learn about the life of the local people by walking into any hutong. Houhai Hutong Houhai Hutong, Xicheng District, Beijing City, China Take Beijing subway line 2 to Guloudajie Station, and walk about 1.4km from Exit G All Day Free Summer Palace Located in the western suburbs of Beijing, the Summer Palace was not originally a royal garden. The Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty transformed it into a royal garden that covering an area of about 290 hectares as a summer retreat to honour his mother. Although the buildings today in the Summer Palace were rebuilt after being destroyed by the Eight-Nation Alliance and are not as large as they once were, the Summer Palace is still a popular hotspot for visitors, especially in summer. When lotus flowers are in bloom and green willows swing gently, it is most attractive to visitors and photographers. 19 Xinjiangongmen Road, Haidian District, Beijing City, China Take Beijing subway line 4 to Beigongmen Station, the Summer Palace can be reached from Exit A. 6am-8pm (Apr-Oct), 6:30am-7pm (Nov-Mar), please refer the website for opening times of each site.Closed on Mondays Entrance fee 60RMB (Apr-Oct), Combined ticket 60RMB (Apr-Oct), 50RMB (Nov-Mar) summerpalace-china.com “Bird’s Nest” & “Water Cube” The “Bird’s Nest” and the “Water Cube” that located in the Beijing Olympic Park are two of Beijing’s modern landmarks, both officially built for the 2008 Summer Olympics. The “Water Cube” is now Beijing National Aquatics Centre, it is also used as an aquatic recreation centre for fitness and swimming as well as ice sports, while the “Bird’s Nest” is Beijing National Stadium, where roadshows, exhibitions and competitions are held from time to time. There is a bookshop located inside. The uniquely shapes of “Bird’s Nest” and the “Water Cube” make them even more attractive at night under the lights. “Bird’s Nest” 11 Tianchendong Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing City, China Take Beijing subway line 8 to Aotizhongxin Station, the “Bird’s Nest” can be reached from Exit B1. 9am-7pm 20RMB, external visits are free of charge “Water Cube” 11 Tianchendong Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing City, China Take Beijing subway line 8 to Aotizhongxin Station, the “Water Cube” can be reached from Exit B1. 9am-6pm 30RMB, external visits are free of charge The Great Wall The Great Wall of China was built during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. It was built to resist the invasion of nomads from the north. After China was unified under the Qin Dynasty, a major construction project was carried out to connect the old Great Wall of various states, stretching for 10,000 miles, henceforth known as the Great Wall of Ten Thousand Miles. However, it was no longer revised in the Tang Dynasty, most of the Great Wall that seen today is a remnant of the restoration carried out during the Ming Dynasty. Mutianyu Great Wall Mutianyu Village, Bohai Town, Huairou District, Beijing City, China Take the 916 Express bus from Dongzhimen transfer hall to Huairoubei Street and change to bus H23, H24, H35 or H36 and get off at Mutianyuhuandao stop 7:30am-6pm (Mon-Fri), 8am-6:30pm (Sat-Sun) RMB 40 mutianyugreatwall.com What to eat Peking Roast Duck Peking Roast Duck is a royal cuisine during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. In the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, the roast duck was one of the main dishes on imperial court menus. Nowadays, it is a representative of Beijing cuisine with a worldwide reputation. There are a few ways to savour it—eat the skin with sugar, or wrapped the duck meat, garlic and sweet sauce with a small thin pancake. Shaobing “Shaobing” is a kind of bun made of flour and yeast. Chinese legends claim that the roasted, flat shaobing was brought back from the Western regions by General Ban Chao of the Han Dynasty. It evolved into many different types of stuffings in the Qing Dynasty. A classic Beijing Shaobing is with sesame on top. It is a perfect match with mutton hotpot (Shuan Yangrou). Beijing Pastry Beijing-style pastry brings together the best of Chinese, Manchurian, Mongolian, Hui Muslim and Tibetan food, it is a blend of southern, northern, meat, vegetarian, sweet and savoury flavours, which make it unique. Kidney bean rolls, Beijing mooncakes, rose cakes and egg yolk pastries are the popular pastries in Beijing. There are also many Halal pastry shops in Beijing which are suitable for Muslim visitors. Zhajiang Noodle Zhajiang Noodle, or known as Zhajiang Mian, is one of the “Top 10 Chinese Noodle Dishes”. It is an old Beijing dish that noodle is topped with minced meat and bean sauce. Zhajiang noodle exists since the Han Dynansty (202BC-220AD). The noodle used were flaky at that time before it gradually evolved into today’s strip shape. Local people like to eat Zhajiang noodle that is served cold in the summer. Where to go By train/ subway By taxi By bus On foot Day 1 The Palace Museum Lunch: Mutton hotpot TIP Qianmen Street 01 Houhai Hutong (Boat Trip) Dinner: Beijing snack at TIP Jiumen Snack Street 02 TIP Qianmen Street is a famous pedestrian street for 01 sightseeing and shopping. There are also some famous Halal restaurants including Yi Tiao Long which is famous for its mutton hotpot. TIP Old-school Beijing street snacks can be found 02 at Jiumen Snack Street, including famous halal shops like Baodu Feng. After the dinner, ones can buy Beijing Pastries from Daoxiangcun Bakery nearby. Day 2 Niujie Mosque TIP Lunch: Zhajiang Noodle 03 Summer Palace Dinner: Peking Roast Duck TIP “Bird’s Nest” & “Water Cube” 04 TIP Niujie Street has a wide range of food options 03 for lunch. In addition to Zhajiang Noodle, lamb skewers, beef in sauce and a variety of traditional Beijing Pastry can also be found here. TIP An evening tour is better than a daytime visit as 04 the “Bird’s Nest” has too little shade and is very hot in summer daytime. The illuminated bird’s- nest in the night will give you much of surprise too! Day 3 Breakfast: Shaobing TIP The Great Wall 05 Airport TIP Summer is the peak tourist season due to 05 summer vacation. It is a good idea to book tours and hotels in advance or visiting Mutianyu section that has much fewer visitors than Badaling. Halal choice Chinese Cuisine Yi Tiao Long Famous dishes: Zhajiang Noodle, Beijing-style mutton hotpot 27, Qianmen Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing City, China +86 10 6304 4638 11am-9pm, daily Chinese Cuisine Mu De Lou Famous dishes: Peking Roast Duck, roast lamb skewers and oxtail 19 Jiaozi Hutong, Guanganmen Inner Street, Xicheng District, Beijing City, China +86 10 8351 9751 10:30am-2pm,