Experience Beijing: The Local Perspective

They stand out on any map of Beijing like little cartoons marking the good times you hope to have on your vacation. The Forbidden City is a green and red rectangle to the south of the city’s modern center; to the northeast, the Badaling Expressway points the way to the towers and rambling walkways of the Great Wall. But as your plane begins its descent, you look out your window and for the first time you begin to understand just how sprawling Beijing actually is.

If this is your first visit to Beijing, your instinct to head straight to these landmarks is right on; but that doesn’t mean that you need to stick to the beaten path. Since landing in Beijing last spring, I’ve found ways to see the city’s top sites while avoiding the long tourist lines and saving time.

New Beijing Meets Old

Capital Museum

Before you head for the ancient red walls of the Forbidden City, head to the Capital Museum to brush up on your Beijing history. Located due west of the Forbidden City (too far to walk) at 16 Fuxingmenwai Dajie, the museum opened in 2005. Its massive entrance hall is grand and its collection of jade, calligraphy and bronzes, impressive. It also has reconstructions of the city’s old hutong neighborhoods, which are fast disappearing from the streets of Beijing, and a replica of a traditional opera stage, along with some eye-catching opera masks.

• The female lion playing with her cub is a symbol of the fertility of the royal family.
• Maggie Rauch

Kids will most enjoy the Old Beijing Folk Customs exhibit. It uses colorful New Year’s lanterns in the shape of animals, life-size lion dance models and explanations of Chinese street snacks and fireworks traditions, all to show how the Chinese celebrate New Year, their most important holiday. Here you will also find a collection of traditional toys and children’s clothing. Try to find the map of Old Beijing tucked away in the corner of the exhibit, where you can see the ancient city wall and the Forbidden City in its original surroundings.

The museum has two activity areas—one inside the folk customs exhibit, and the other on the lower level. Organized activities take place most days from 9 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 4:30 p.m., but they are led in Chinese so they may have a little trouble keeping your kids’ attention. As of March 2008, admission is free, and the admission quota has been increased to 4,000 visitors per day. In busy season, it may pay to reserve in advance.

Forbidden City

Once you’ve learned the difference between Ming and Qing, head to the Forbidden City (entrance fee is 40 RMB/$6 USD during the off season Nov. 1 to March 31, 60 RMB/$8.75 USD during peak season, April 1 to Oct. 31), which was built in the 15th century (Ming Dynasty) and functioned as the imperial palace until the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1912. Just make sure to get there before 2:30 p.m., as new guests are not allowed in after 3 p.m., and you will have to wait in line to buy your tickets. Inside, make sure to explore to the left and right of the main drag, where you’ll find dozens of rooms with exhibits on everything from ancient clothing to wedding customs to swords and guns.

The Forbidden City is more than half a mile long and almost half a mile wide, big enough to spend the better part of a day. After walking the ancient streets of the imperial palace, cross Chang’An Avenue to get a look at how Beijing architecture has changed in 600 years.

National Grand Theatre

Back in the direction of the Capital Museum, the new National Grand Theatre, designed by French architect Paul Andreu, is a stark contrast to the Ming Forbidden City and the Communist-style Great Hall of the People. Its local nickname is the Big Egg because the glass and titanium structure has an oblong shape and sits in the middle of a round reflecting pool like a half-submerged egg.

• The Gate of Heavenly Peace is one of the entrances to the Forbidden City in Beijing.
• Jade Law

Other sites in the immediate area include Chairman Mao Mausoleum, where an embalmed Mao lies in state; and Tiananmen Square, a huge plaza and the site of China’s 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, where pro-democracy protesters were gunned down in an incident that shocked the world but is now rarely spoken of among Chinese.

The Great Wall: Back to School

A day trip out to the Great Wall is a must for any first-time Beijing visitor. The 4,000-mile structure winds through a mountainous landscape, protecting China’s one-time northern border. It was first built in the 5th century B.C.; most parts within a short driving distance of Beijing are well restored to accommodate the tourists who flock there. While a hike along a remote and crumbled section of the wall is a great experience, the busier sections offer more conveniences like bathrooms, restaurants and cable cars.

For an easy trip out to the wall that still incorporates a different flavor than many visitors will get, head to the Mutianyu section (a driver arranged through your hotel should cost about 600 RMB/$88 USD). Before or after your wall climbing, head to the Schoolhouse at Mutianyu. A joint venture between foreigners and locals, the Schoolhouse is a sustainable tourism project that turned an old elementary school into a restaurant, glass-blowing studio and activity center. The Schoolhouse Canteen offers an Italian menu, a broad array of desserts and a kids’ menu. For directions, events and more information check out www.theschoolhouseatmutianyu.com.