Old Moaner Travel
I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list
China
It must be stressed this review is somewhat outdated, having visited in 2002, pre Olympics, so I imagine Beijing would be almost unrecognisable.
Having said that it is also unlikely the historic sites will have changed that much, so I will concentrate on those.
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Prices quoted and currency conversions are a guide only and are correct as of July 2020
I will begin outside Beijing and the Great Wall Of China.
There is an urban myth circulating the Great wall is the only man made structure that can bee seen from space.
That isn't strictly true, especially with the naked eye. Parts of the wall can be seen from very low earth orbit, if the weather and atmospheric conditions align and the astronaut / cosmonaut have perfect vision.
The wall is definitely big but it is not a single wall, indeed there has never been an official definition of what constituted the Great Wall. There are hundreds of separate walls along the northern Chinese border and they are collectively known as the Great Wall.
Semantics aside it is still impressive, and very cleverly designed.
The wall is obviously defensive and it goes up and down hills and mountains, so loads of steps. Of course fit soldiers would be able to run up and down normal steps with ease, so cleverly, every step on the wall is s different height, making it impossible to get a stride rhythm, slowing down attacking invaders.
Unfortunately it also makes the ascent and descent fairly difficult for peaceful tourists.
Most visitors to Beijing go to the Badaling section. It is one of the best preserved sections of the wall and is only 43 miles (70 km) from central Beijing. Only 65,000 visitors a day are allowed, so advanced boking is essential - you're better off going on an organised tour, especially as the online web booking site is only in Chinese and tickets can only be booked 7 days in advance. Admission is 40 yuan (£4.44) high season April - October and 30 yuan (£3.33) low season November - March.
For those with mobility issues or hose who are adventurous cable car and pulley systems are in operation to aid access. The cable care is 100 yuan (£11.10) single or 140 yuan (£15.54) return. The pulley system is 80 yuan (£8.80) single or 100 yuan (£11.10) return
The pulley system is basically a toboggan, you get pulled up by cable and the return trip is freefall with you controlling the speed with a lever.
Tiananmen Square is the main square i Beijing which became known internationally as it was the centre of student protests and the scene of a massacre in 1989.
Tiananmen means "Gate of Heavenly Peace" and is named after the Tiananmen Gate, which separates the Square from the Forbidden City.
In 1976, the tear after Mao Zedon died, work began on building a mausoleum to house his body. Mao wanted to be cremated but officials decided to embalm his body.
Situated in the centre of the square,ghoulish visitors can view his body. Opening times vary and admission is free but expect long queues.
The square does attract a large number of hawkers trying to flog you fake goods, especially watches and they can be annoyingly persistent
However I did feel guilty at one point as one hawker was becoming annoyingly persistent and I shouted at him to go away. No sooner had I done so, he was surrounded by police and dragged off - I hope his fate wasn't too grim.
Another evening we were walking round the city and a woman approached us carrying a baby and offered to sell us the baby - which was both surreal and sad.
Talking of locals there is one particularly unsavoury habit which you cannot escape and that is the need of Chinese men to expectorate, or put more crudely to spit - usually when walking down the street, so watch where you are walking.
The Forbidden City, so named because the public were not allowed into the complex, was the Royal Palace from 1420 - 1912
Consisting of 980 buildings and covering 180 acres it is a very impressive site.
Admission is 60 yuan (£6.66) summer or 40 yuan (£4.44) in winter.
Like the Great Wall admissions numbers are limited so advanced booking is recommended. Also. like the Great wall, the web site is in Chinese only, so I would strongly recommend going on an organised tour.
I did a full day trip which took in the Forbidden city and Summer Palace, It meant avoiding the queues and the information from the guide was very good, lunch was included.
Security is incredibly tight and overseas visitors need to show their passports on arrival.
Where the Forbidden City impresses with its sheer size, the Summer Palace impresses with its opulence.
As the name implies this is where the Royal Court decamped for summer to avoid the heat of the city. 1.1 square miles (2.9 square kilometres), 75% of the site consists of lakes
Built around lakes and with ornate covered walkways the place is amazing and, I have to say, was a highlight of my visit.
Most impressive is a marble reproduction of a paddle steamer.
Admission is 30 yuan (£3.33) summer and 20 yuan (£2.22) winter
China is home to the giant panda and Beijing Zoo is meant to be a centre of excellence for captive breeding.
Sadly I have to report the zoo is an absolute disgrace ....... if you imagine how zoos in the west used to be with bare cages and nothing to simulate the animals than that sums up the zoo perfectly. Some animals were even chained.
A disgusting establishment which should be avoided at all costs.
I've just realised I haven't mentioned getting around. Beijing has the second largest Metro system in the world with 23 lines and 394 stations (thankfully named in Latin as well as Chinese scripts).
For western visitors it is incredibly cheap with fares based on distance travelled but ranging from only 3 to 10 yuan (33p - £1.11), there is a 25 yuan (£2.77) supplement to get to the airport. You can pay cash at the station but a better solution is to purchase a Yikatong Card, which is a prepaid contact card, like London's Oyster card, which can be used on the Metro, buses and even taxis and public bike hire.
The card can be used to purchase tourist passes for three, seven or fifteen days, costing 10, 20 r 40 yuan (£1.10, £2.20 or £4.40) respectively.
This may be stating the bleeding obvious but the food you find in your local Chinese takeaway bears little bears little semblance to food available in China.
The Chinese do eat anything and everything and no part of the animal goes to waste.
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As you can see even seahorse is on the menu
If you are squeamish about your food hotels from the western chains will have a more International menu and the international fast food chains have a presence.
Street food is very popular but I was put off by the constant spitting
One meal I must recommend when in Beijing is the ubiquitous Peking Duck,
Peking Duck restaurants are everywhere but with the relatively low cost of living it is worth going to a more upmarket restaurant when the whole process becomes theatre. The one we visited had the chef bring the whole cooked duck out on a platter only to produce what looked like a massive chopping knife, with which he sliced the duck wafer thin.
The waiter then showed us how to create and fold the pancake into a perfectly formed, tight package. Of course our attempts to replicate this were an absolute shambles - it was reminiscent of the old Generation game on television.
Practice with your chopsticks before you visit. Main hotels will have knives an forks but local restaurants will be chopsticks only.
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