After 6 hours zipping from Shanghai to Beijing at 300km/h, I have safely arrived. My Beijing friend, Jennifer, whom I met in shanghai a few weeks ago, welcomed me at the gate. She is a biology student at China Agricultural University and super cool human. With the Chinese National Holiday week coming to an end, she spent her last two days showing me around her city.
My hotel, 布丁酒店 which they translated as Pod Inn but actually translates to “pudding”, was located in 东城区 (Dong Cheng District). My room was pretty awesome; modern design, clean, and relatively cheap by American standards ($35/night). After checking in and putting my bags away, we went to 三里屯 (a shopping center with tons of big name brands [Apple Store, yay], bars, clubs and restaurants — overall a little expensive but a great place to walk around and see some cool architecture)，火锅 (Hotpot!)，后海 (A gorgeous lake with shops surrounding it. I bargained for a tiny, wooden Buddha… Very cool)，and finally a nightclub called MIX. The next day started with a big breakfast of 包子 (Baozi: steamed bun with meat or vegetable filling), then we went to 蓝色港湾 (Blue Harbor) and ice skated. Finished the day off with a delicious 湖南 （Hu Nan）dinner (famous for their spice) and a chinese movie on Netflix called “Dragon”. All in all, couldn’t have asked for a better two days or a better tour guide!
Initial impressions of Beijing: 1) crazy polluted; even substantially more so than Shanghai 2) super cheap public transportation: buses are ¥1 or roughly $0.16, taxis are like $2 for anything in a close proximity, and subway is ¥2 to go anywhere 3) different feel from Shanghai; can’t really elaborate at this point…
October 8
Checked out of the Pod Inn and took a taxi — the driver, 李先生, was a great dude — to meet up with Ryan, Josh, Morgan, Hector, and Miranda. We’re staying at the Dragon King hostel.
I wondered around the corner for lunch, and discovered the awesomeness that is 麻辣烫 (
Malatang) It was basically a shelf full fresh vegetables, meats, noodles, tofus, and buns. The customer loads up a basket buffet style, the cashier weighs it and then gives to the kitchen to make into a delicious soup. Ah, simply delicious and the sub $5 price tag did not hurt either.
We had a lovely evening out and about in Beijing. Ate dinner what was probably the cheapest dinner of my life at a 西安 (Xi An) restaurant. The bill for 7 people was under $25… and most of us were unable to finish all of our food. On our way back to the hostel we bought some beers, and Josh, my roommate back in Shanghai, started speaking with an American-Japanese man sitting outside a small pub.
His name was David. He had traveled to just about every country imaginable. If you asked him, “where hadn’t he been?”, he would begin answering this question with Mozambique and then go on to site a handful of other countries in Asia and Latin America. Currently, he lived in a Beijing working as a professor at the renowned Beijing University. He enjoyed the genuine atmosphere of the 胡同 (
Hutong) and so that is where he rented his apartment and that is where he went to spend his evenings.
October 9
The Great Wall was true to its name. Sprawled along rolling mountains with steep slopes and dense vegetation. As an ancient invader physically getting up face to face with the wall seems like a miraculous feat in and of itself. 20-30 feet at most parts of it, it truly was an impeneraturtable defense system.
My friends and I veered off the main, restored stretch of the wall to hike along the real deal and it was awesome! Partially overgrown, crumbling apart, and mostly untouched by the masses, it felt so special to stand atop the wall and reflect upon the sheer beauty of this monumental beast of a creation. Hundreds and hundreds of years old, it is almost overwhelming to come face to face, foot to brick with this ancient wonder of the world.
After completing what was an equally exhausting and rewarding trip to the Great Wall, we headed back to meet up with Ryan’s friend, Olivia. Ryan has been tutoring her for her English test, the TOEFL exam, over skype, so this was the first time they met in person. So cool. She, like most Chinese people I’ve encountered, was an excellent host. She and her friend, Lillian, took us a super-awesomely-delicious 北京烤鸭饭馆 (roast duck: Beijing’s most famous dish).
Our bellies were full of duck, and we returned to our hole in the wall bar next to our hostel for beers with David. Great ending to a great day at the Great Wall.
October 10
Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Quite a site to see with my own eyes. The two famous sites in the heart of Beijing represent hundreds of years of history and the probably the biggest change in the Chinese governmental structure. Tiananmen Square displays a giant picture of the founder of the Chinese Communist Party, Mao Zedong. Aside from gracing tiananmen with his portrait, his handsome head can also be found on the paper money — all of it — and in many Chinese businesses and homes.
A man says, “The air quality is awful, I can’t even see Chairman Mao’s face at tiananmen!” Someone next to him replies, “So what? Yesterday I couldn’t see his face on my ¥100!”
Though the pollution isn’t quite at that point, the reality of it is quite concerning. Greyish white skies, horizons that fade into smog, and crowds of people in face masks have all been common sites.
Inside the forbidden city is kind of erie. It respresents a city inside of city that for hundreds of years was closed off to the public and essentially there to serve one man: the emporor. The first thing I noticed was its sheer size, both big and small. Massive palaces finished with the tiniest of details. While impressive from many standpoints, I was left with a somber feeling coming over me when taking into account the plight that so many Chinese faced while these lucky few were living lavish lives isolated from the realities of their country.
The second half of the day took a lighter turn. “The Guardians of the Galaxy” and sushi. Followed by a nap. And finally my friends and I accompanied David, the Beijing University professor, and a bunch international folks staying at our hostel to an awesome dinner at an authentic Texas BBQ joint. Pulled pork sandwich… Yum.
October 11
Heading home. I came to experience as much of Beijing as I possibly could in 6 days. Although I accomplished what I originally set out to do, I think I discovered a whole lot more in the process too. My friends and I climbed the Great Wall and saw the Forbidden City with our own eyes, but what really stood out most to us was a small hutong bar, some (cheap) European beer, and an interesting bunch of international passerbies.
Chinese, American, Dutch, German, Swiss, Italian. These are different countries with different cultures, customs, values, different ways of thinking and acting. Though we are all just people when it really comes down to it, I think it is still important to acknowledge these differences because differences can lead to the best opportunities for learning. What we all had in common was a mutual respect and curiosity for the perspectives of one another. And what that led to was some of the best conversation I’ve had in my twenty one years here. I can’t think of a better way to learn than sitting around at a bar with open ears and a glass of beer.
Someone once told me, “human beings have just 5 natural rights: the right to be born, the right to an education, the right to work, the right to play and, finally, the right to die with dignity.” These past few days I have really enjoyed exercising my rights to an education and to play with my new friends, and for that I am grateful. I can only hope our paths cross again one day.
So here I am again, traveling at 300km/h. My suitcase a bit heavier, my mind a little richer, and my network slightly wider. I’ll be back for you one day Beijing, but until then 再见
To be continued…
