Beijing (part 1)

Day One

Singapore Airlines

It was less crowded on public transport at about 10 pm, therefore decided to take a bus from home to Tampines, followed by MRT to Changi Airport. Arrived at Airport Terminal 3 and checked in for my flight SQ 800 departing at 0105 hrs (left photo below). Flight seat wasn't comfortable but I still managed to doze off and woke up just in time for my inflight meal (right photo below).



Due to the H1N1 pandemic, health survey and temperature check were slow in Beijing International Airport Terminal 3 which took almost half hour before I was cleared from customs. This was followed by another 2-mins skytrain ride to the main hall to collect my luggage. It was rather smooth thereafter and there wasn't any problem finding the Airport Express and transferring to Subway before reaching the hotel.

Beijing Zhongan hotel (北京中安宾馆)

Beijing Zhongan hotel is just 3 to 5-mins walk from Beijing Railway Subway station (北京站) and Beijing central Railway station (北京火车站). Because the hotel is located behind a small alley, therefore can be rather difficult to find and most taxi drivers won't know the place.

Here's the direction: once reach Beijing railway station of the Subway Line 2, exit from Exit C. Walk along the pathway parallel to the road (bypassing California Beef Noodle King fast food and a Bus Terminal) until you reach a road junction where Tiantang Yangguang Hotel (天堂阳光大酒店) is opposite the road. There are signs in Chinese at this junction to indicate the hotel location (left photo below). Turn right at this junction and walk straight along the alley until you reach a 5-storey Police building. Turn right again and you should be able to see a green and pale yellow 3-storey building (right photo below), and this is Zhongan hotel.



Following is the map as a reference on the hotel location.

Because the hotel is located in a 'hutong' (胡同), or Beijing neighbourhood, it is quiet and fortunately I couldn't hear any noise from the trains at night from my room. This hotel has a rather nice courtyard outside the restaurant for visitors to relax (left photo below). There was no odor from the bed sheets (right photo below). Although this is a 2-star hotel, basic amenities such as towels, simple toiletries (right bottom photo), and even LCD television were provided (bottom left photo). I really liked the bright colors of the room which gave a lively ambience. Also the hotel staffs were friendly and helpful.





This hotel is definitely worth the price paid for a budget hotel. Booked this hotel through the internet for SGD 61.30 (about RMB 278) per standard room per night. However one drawback in this hotel is that no elevator was available; visitors had to carry their own luggage up the stairs. Another negative aspect of this hotel is the alley towards the hotel was rather dark at night.

Great Hall of the People (人民大会堂)

Took Subway Line 2 to Qian Men station (前门站) and went straight to Beijing Hub of Tour Dispatch to book my 2-day tour package to Chengde. After paying for my tour, I then walked towards the Great Hall of the People located at the west edge of Tiananmen Square.

The Great Hall of the People was built and completed in Sept 1959 within 10 months as a parliamentary building (left photo below). It was one of the 'Ten Great Constructions' completed for the 10th Anniversary of the People's Republic. This building is used for legislative and ceremonial activities by the government of the People's Republic of China and the ruling Chinese Communist Party. The National Emblem of the People's Republic of China can be found in the middle of the roof beam above the columns (right photo below).
After purchasing the admission ticket, all visitors had to deposit all their hand carry bags at a service charge of RMB 2 before entering the hall. Only important items such as passport, wallets or cameras were allowed to be brought into the hall.

Grand Lobby

Subsequent to security checks, the Grand Lobby was the first sight (left photo below). This place is meant to welcome and direct visitors, control access, and provide exit ways from buildings.

Gigantic Chinese Painting

One of the more popular photo-taking areas by local Chinese is in front of this gigantic painting named as 'Beautiful homeland'《江山如此多娇》(right photo below). Completed within two months in 1959, the painting was 5.5-meters high and 7-meters wide. Later, under the guidance of Premier Zhou Enlai, it was expanded to 6.5-meters high and 9-meters wide. Since then, the painting has been hanging in the reception hall of the Great Hall of the People. This is where most foreign dignitaries would have their group photo taken to mark their visit.

Grand Auditorium (万人大礼堂)

This is another must-see sight. Known to accommodate 10,000 people, this is the main place where the Chinese Communists had their annual meetings in March (photos below). Only selected route (balcony floor) was opened to visitors, thus the view of its beautiful ceiling was blocked by the gallery (3rd floor of the auditorium). A digital photo could be taken at RMB 20 each in this auditorium by the employees there.

State Banquet Hall (宴会厅)

Measuring 102-meters by 76-meters wide and 15-meters high, the State Banquet Hall could hold up to 5,000 guests to dine at one time (right photo below). It has now become the venue for the Chinese government to hold their National Day State Banquet. The center ceiling of the hall is inlaid with a large ceiling lantern composed of crystal glass (right photo below).

Besides the functional halls, each province, special administrative region and autonomous region of China has its own meeting room. Each room has an unique characteristic of its province and furnished according to the local style.

Hunan Room (湖南厅)

The Hunan Room is decorated with beautiful chandeliers and columns. The highlight in the room is a screen with the painting of its famous UNESCO World Heritage site: zhangjiajie (张家界) (photos below).

Liaoning Room (辽宁厅)

The Liaoning Room (left photo below) has a coromandel screen decorated with Dazheng Hall of Shenyang Palace Museum (沈阳故宫) which is another UNESCO site (right photo below).

Sichuan Room (四川厅)

Sichuan Room (left photo below) has some fine embroidery works including the carpet screen of its UNESCO world heritage site: Dujiangyan Irrigation System (都江堰) (right photo below).

Shanghai Room (上海厅) and Taiwan Room (台湾厅)

Not all rooms were available for visit. Walked passed Shanghai Room (left photo below) and Taiwan Room (right photo below). The existence of Taiwan Room in the Great Hall symbolizes that Taiwan is part of China.

Admission cost was RMB 30 (photo below) and opening time of the Great Hall of the People are 0800 to 1130 hrs and 1330 to 1640 hrs when National Conference is not in session or there is no major event. Ticketing stops after 1500 hrs. Do note that visitors are only shown to a pre-determined route inside the Great Hall.

Archery Tower (箭楼) and Zhengyang Gate (正阳门)

Located at the southern edge of the Tiananmen Square, these two gates were formerly the front gates of Inner City of Beijing since 1419. During the Imperial Dynasties, Zhengyang Gate was the first gate to pass through, followed by Daming Men / Daqing Men (大明门 / 大清门), Tianan Men (天安门), and Duan Men (端门), before entering the Meridian Gate (午门) of the Forbidden City.

Archery Tower and Zhengyang Gate were once connected to each other via a semi-circular brick wall, and commoners could only pass through via two smaller gates located at each side of the wall. The gate of Archery Tower was closed most of the time and only opened for the Emperor to pass through. However this semi-circular wall was demolished in 1915 because it obstructed the traffic at Zhengyang Gate.

Following showed the front view of the Archery Tower (left photo below) and rear view of the Tower (right photo below).



Zhengyang Gate is often called 'Qianmen' (前门) or literally 'Front Gate' by local Beijing residents (left photo below). With the height of 42-meters, this gate is definitely impressive even if viewed from miles away. After a recent renovation, this Qianmen is now open to visitors with an admission cost of RMB 20. I didn't visit its interior as my itinerary does not allow me to do so. Facing Qianmen diagonally at its eastern edge is the Beijing Railway Museum (right photo below). Visitors interested in railway probably won't want to miss this museum.



Qian Men Street (前门大街)

This street runs directly south of Tiananmen Square and located just in front of Qianmen and Archery Tower (left photo below). It has been a bustling commercial area for 500 years, with many hundred years old shops (老字号) located along this street (right photo below). In 2006, Qianmen Street and its adjacent alleyways underwent a major renovation to revive back its former glory.



Quanjude (全聚德)

Now the famous Peking duck restaurant Quanjude (全聚德), is relocated back to Qianmen Street (photos below). This restaurant was established in 1864 and currently has 8 branches in Beijing. There is even a takeaway counter, besides the main entrance, that sells vacuum-packed Peking duck at RMB 88 each.



Eating Peking duck has almost become an itinerary in Beijing that there is even a saying '不登长城非好汉 不吃烤鸭太遗憾'. Prices of a Peking duck could range from RMB 30 to over RMB 100 at some famous restaurants. The difference in price is due to the skills of marinating, roasting and slicing the skin from the meat at different restaurants, which ultimately affects the taste.

Duyichu (都一处)

Another restaurant Duyichu (都一处), well-known for its steamed dumplings (烧麦) is located along Qianmen street. Just need to look at the queue outside will know how popular the restaurant is (left photo below). The restaurant got its fame because in 1752 Emperor Qianlong secretly had his meal there and was delighted with the food. The bronze sculptures (right photo below) outside the restaurant retold the scene where Emperor Qianlong sent a script of 'Duyichu' to the owner after he returned back to palace, and thereby bestowed the name of the restaurant.

Qianmen street has only recently completed its revamp, thus there are still quite a number of shops waiting to be occupied when I was there.

Dazhalan Street (大栅栏)

Local Beijing residents pronounced it as 'Dashila-er' (大石腊儿). Literally "Great Fence", this street (left photo below) is located adjacent to Qianmen Street (right photo below). It was so named because of the barriers were once erected at both ends of the street to close the street during a curfew. This curfew occurred as early during the Ming Dynasty. With the concentration of shops at Qianmen street, Dazhalan soon was crowded with shops during the reign of Emperor Yongle (1403-1424).



Now this 270-meters long and 9-meters wide street has the most hundred years old shops in Beijing.

• Liubiju (六必居) was established in 1530 and famous for its various preserved vegetables and sauces (photos below).
  
  


• Zhangyiyuan (张一元) established in 1908 and well-known for its more than hundreds types of Chinese tea (photos below). Chinese tea-lovers definitely will not be disappointed by its varieties and competitive prices.
  
  


• Xiangyi Hao (祥义号) (left photo below) was established since 22 year of reign of Emperor Guangxu (1896) and Ruifuxiang (瑞蚨祥) was established in 1862 (right photo below). Both selling clothes and silk products.
  
  


• Tongrentang (同仁堂) was established in 1669 and this shop is well-known as a traditional Chinese Medicine company (left photo below). You will be surrounded by the strong smell of Chinese herbs once you entered this shop. There are even Chinese physicians for patients to seek cure on any illness.


• Goubuli restaurant (狗不理) is famous for its steamed buns (包子) (right photo below). Established in 1858 in Tianjing (天津) and became famous because Empress Dowager Cixi once loved its taste. Its name 'Goubuli Baozi' (狗不理包子) literally means "Dogs won't care" in Chinese. With modern branding strategy, this traditional steamed bun has a trendy name called 'Go Believe'.
  
  


• Neiliansheng (内联升) is a cloth-shoe maker (left photo below) established in 1853. It used to make court boots for top officials. Now this store is famous for its handmade cloth shoes with several layers of thick cloth to form the soles. At a corner of the shop, there is a display of the shoes (replicas) made for Chinese leaders such as Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and Deng Xiaoping (right photo below).
  
  

Ox Street Mosque (牛街礼拜寺)

Took Subway Line 2 to Changchunjie station (长椿街站) and walked out from Exit A2. Bus No. 10, 38, 477 or 626 can be taken to reach the mosque. Alternatively, it takes about 15 to 20-mins walk along Changchunjie (长椿街) and Ox Street (牛街) to reach the mosque.

Do not doubt that I've uploaded the wrong photos; these Chinese-style architectures are buildings of the oldest and largest Mosque in Beijing. Ox street mosque was first built during the Liao Dynasty (year 996), since then it had encountered several rebuilding and expansion. Till now it still kept the Chinese cum Arabic style of architectures. The front gate is usually locked and visitors have to enter through its side gate. Admission cost was RMB 10 for non-Muslim visitors (left photo below).

The 'Moon Observation Tower' (望月楼) was named because Imam and Elders used to climb up this tower to observe the moon phase so that the first and last day of the Fasting Month (Ramadan) could be determined (right photo above).



The 'Worship Hall' (礼拜大殿) face towards Mecca and consists of a Cave Hall, Worship Hall and an attached Hall (left photo below). The Cave Hall or Mihrab was built in Liao Dynasty and was expanded during the Ming and Qing Dynasty. Now this hall can accommodate up to a thousand worshippers. The tower was built to protect the stele that commemorated the founding and restoration of the mosque (right photo below).



Interesting observations inside this mosque would include a meter-tall Chinese vase with Arabic writings (left photo below) and a daily schedule to indicate the time of prayers (right photo below).



Do note that visitors must wear modestly; wearing shorts or bermudas and ladies wearing skirts (unless wearing pants) are deemed unacceptable to enter the mosque. There is no indication on the opening hours of this mosque.

Food Centre (美食城)

Diagonally opposite the mosque is a Food Centre (美食城). Its basement and ground floor consists of a super-mart selling Halal food (left photo below), the 2nd floor is a food court and on the 3rd floor is a Muslim primary school (right photo below). However the food court was under going renovation when I was there.



Yonghe King (永和大王)

Had my lunch at this Yonghe King restaurant (left photo below), where I ordered a bowl of braised meat rice (卤肉饭) and a cup of chilled soy bean milk (豆浆) which cost a total of RMB 12 (right photo below). The braised meat rice tasted great and definitely highly recommended by me.



Ancient Observatory (古观象台)

Took Subway (either line 1 or 2) to Jianguomen station (建国门站) and walked out from Exit C.

This Ancient Observatory was built in 1442 and dedicated to the astronomy, astrology and seafaring navigations during the Imperial Dynasties. Now this observatory has become a museum in affiliation with Beijing Planetarium. Buildings in this observatory were turned into exhibition halls and currently showing the concepts of ancient Chinese Astronomy, the history of this observatory and all the great Chinese astrologists (photos below).


The instruments displayed on the roof were designed and made by the Jesuits during the early Qing Dynasty by the orders of Emperor Kangxi (photos below). Among these 8 instruments, 6 were designed and made by Jesuit Ferdinand Verbiest (南怀仁) in 1673 and the other two were improvements made in 1715 and 1744. During the attacks by the Eight-Allied powers (八国联军) in 1900, these instruments were robbed by the French and Germans and taken back to their respective countries. Due to International pressure, the French returned all the stolen instruments back to China in 1902, and only till 1921 that the Germans then returned the remaining instruments back.



Besides its accuracy, each instrument was lavishly made with beautiful decorative patterns on its supporting parts (photos below).


Replicate of an Armillary Sphere (浑仪) inside the museum where it was used to measure the coordinates of the celestial bodies (left photo below). Remarkably this Sundial (日晷) still gives an accurate time when I compared it against my digital watch (right photo below).



Admission cost was RMB 10 (photo below) and opening time from 0900 till 1100 hrs and 1300 till 1700 hrs (from Tuesday to Sunday). Ticketing stop after 1600 hrs and this museum is closed on Monday.

Temple of Heaven (天坛)

Took Subway Line 5 to Tiantandongmen station (天坛东门站) and walked out of Exit A.

The Temple of Heaven complex used to be a place for annual ceremonies of prayers to the Heaven for good harvest by Emperors of Ming and Qing Dynasties. Do not think that Emperors only pray to Heaven, there are also temples for Earth, Moon and Sun built during the reign of Ming Emperor Jiajing. Each temple is located at four sides of the Forbidden City; the temple of Sun (日坛) located on the East, Temple of Earth (地坛) located on the North, Temple of Moon (月坛) located on the West and Temple of Heaven (天坛) located on the South. Interestingly, the last ritual ceremony was not conducted by the Last Emperor of Qing Dynasty; in fact it was carried out by the then President Yuan Shih-Kai in 1914 during the Republic era as part of the effort to declare himself as the Emperor.

This place was converted into a park in 1918 and opened to the public for leisure activities.

In 1998, Temple of Heaven was listed as a UNESCO world heritage site for its symbolic layout and design that influenced the architectures of the Far East for centuries.

Long Hallway (长廊)

Located on a grassy field besides the Long Hallway, the Seven Star Stones (七星石) were placed by Emperor Jiajing to symbolize the seven peaks of Tai mountains (泰山) (left photo below). An additional stone was added at the North-Eastern direction by Emperor Qianlong to symbolize that Manchus were part of the Chinese community. The long hallway was built to prevent the offerings being damaged by the weather when they were brought out from the sacred kitchen to the altars (right photo below).



Now this 350-meters long hallway has become a popular gathering place for local Beijing residents. It is interesting to observe many locals were playing cards or Chinese chess, singing and dancing inside this park. Following are two clips I've captured to show how spontaneous the local Beijing residents are when it comes to singing (videos below).





Was amazed by the following clip that local Beijing residents could spontaneously dance differently, such as Tango, Cha-Cha, Chinese folkdance and aerobic workout, even though a single song was played (video below).

Imperial Hall of Heaven (皇乾殿)

At the northern edge of the temple complex is the 'Imperial Hall of Heaven' (皇乾殿) (photos below). During non-ceremonial days, the tablets of God of Heaven and Emperor's Ancestors were worshipped in this hall. A day before the actual ceremony, the Emperor would come to this hall to divine greetings for the transference of the tablets. After which court officials would then transfer these tablets to appropriate positions in the 'Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest' whereby the ritual ceremony would take place.

Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest (祈年殿)

Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest probably is the most famous landmark in Beijing (photos below).

It was first built in 1420 by Emperor Yongle and was called 'Hall of Great Offerings' (大祀殿) during that time. In 1545 it was rebuilt by Emperor Jiajing into a triple-eaved structure that glistened with blue, yellow and green glazed tiles, which in turn symbolized the heaven, earth and mortal world. Emperor Jiajing renamed this hall as 'Hall of Great Enjoyment' (大享殿). In 1645 Emperor Shunzhi renamed the hall to 'Hall of Prayer for Grain Harvest' (祈谷殿). Years later in 1751, Emperor Qianlong replaced the tiles to current azure roofing to symbolize the sky and renamed to its present name 'Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest' (祈年殿).

At 36.5-meters high, the vault was skillfully slotted together without the use of any nails. The 4 inner pillars (decorated with golden flowery patterns) corresponds to the four seasons, the 12 middle pillars (red pillars) denotes the months, and 12 outermost pillars (connected with the doors) represents the 12 traditional Chinese hours of a day. When combined the number of pillars, it symbolizes the traditional solar system (photos below).

Even the stone carving of the stairways were symbolically represented. The 3-tier round stone terrace of the hall were decorated with 'Auspicious Clouds over Mountains and Seas' (瑞云山海) at the lower level (photo below), followed by 'Two phoenixes over Mountains and Seas' (双凤山海) at the middle level (centre photo below) and 'Two dragons over Mountains and Seas' (双龙山海) at the top level (bottom photo below). Amazingly the water drainage columns were carved into its representation at the respective tiers. These 'Cloud' and 'Phoenix' drainage columns are very unqiue in design and cannot be found elsewhere.

Hall of the Imperial Vault of Heaven (皇穹宇)

Hall of the Imperial Vault of Heaven is a single circular building built on a single leveled stone base (left photo below). This was once the home of the spirit tablets of 'HuangTianShangDi' (皇天上帝) which were used in the ritual ceremony associated with the Round Altar (right photo below). The circular brick wall that surrounds the Imperial Vault is known as 'Echo Wall' (回音壁) where its unique design allows two people standing in opposite points on the wall to hear each other speaking.

Circular Mound Altar (圜丘坛)

This altar is erected on a 3 round marble terraces, surrounded by two sets of walls (photos below). The outer square wall represents earth while the inner circular wall represents heaven. These representations were based on the traditional concept that Heaven is round and Earth is square (天圆地方). This altar was where the Emperor prayed for favorable weather.

Admission cost for a combined ticket is RMB 35 (photo below) during peak season (Apr to Oct) or RMB 30 during non-peak season (Nov to Mar). The admission to the park alone (excluding the attraction buildings) cost RMB 15 during peak season or RMB 10 during non-peak season.

The park opens from 0600 to 2100 hrs daily (ticketing stop after 2000 hrs), while the attraction buildings open from 0800 and close at 1700 hrs (during Mar to Jun), 1730 hrs (during Jul to Oct) and 1800 hrs (during Nov to Feb).

Hongqiao Mall (红桥百货)

This mall (left photo below) is located directly opposite the eastern gate of the Temple of Heaven. The lower floors sell mainly shirts, clothing (right photo below) and electronics. But the top floor is a well known tourist market that sells many souvenirs, especially pearls. This mall has the largest number of pearl retailers in Beijing.



At the southern edge of the Hongqiao Mall is the Toy City (红桥天乐玩具市场) (left photo below). A wide variety of toys (mainly for young children) can be found at the ground level of this toy city (right photo below). Whereas stationeries and gifts are found in the upper 2nd and 3rd levels.



Junefield Sogo Departmental Store (庄胜崇光百货)

Took Subway Line 2 and alighted at Xuanwu Men station (宣武门站). Walked about 2 to 3-mins to this shopping mall. Junefield Sogo Departmental Store (left photo below) is a huge shopping complex with two separate buildings of different themes. Had my dinner at the Gourmet Street located on the 6th floor. Customers have to get a 'Cate Card' (right photo below) in order to purchase the food in this food court. All remaining amount in the card can be refunded from the sales counter.



Went to this KungFu fast-food restaurant (真功夫) (left photo below) and ordered a pork's rib rice set (香汁排骨饭) at RMB 24.50 and a cup of chilled papaya drink (冰糖木瓜) at RMB 8 (right photo below). The soup was tasty and the pork's rib was good, except the meat was cut into rather small pieces. My favorite was the papaya drink which really tasted like those home-made ones. Once again, this fast-food restaurant didn't disappoint me.



At the basement of the mall, I purchased some mineral waters and snacks for my 'Beijing outskirts' trip on the next day.