This blog post was originally going to be my Beijing Part III post, before I decided to talk about other subjects. It has been kicking around my blog, and I have almost deleted the post on several occasions, but I decided that I wanted to share some of the other sights that was in Beijing. And not publishing it just feels like a waste of time on my part.
The Great Wall and Forbidden City (and Tiananmen) are probably the most well known things to see in Beijing, but the city has a lot of other sites worth seeing (and this is just the historic stuff--if you live in China, please check out modern Beijing; its a very international city and you are going to be able to find things here that you will not be able to find in the countryside--food, products, shopping, etc).
The first sight-worthy place is the Summer Palace, which is a lovely place to stroll around. It was apparently built by empress Cixi as a retreat, and if memory serves, she built it using funds she, well, stole, from the royal navy. For more, go here http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/880. It's architecture is pretty darn cool, although much of the palace itself seems to be off limits to tourists, therefore unfortunately, you seem to only be able to gaze at most of it from afar.
The best part of the Summer Palace, in my opinion, is the lake. It is modeled after the West Lake in Hangzhou (the most beautiful lake in the world, see here for more) and in the spring, it is surrounded by plum trees in full blossom. The path around the lake will take you over stone bridges and under painted pavilions. Unlike many of the other sites in Beijing, this one seems less remodeled and renovated; the paint on the pavilions looks old, the stone is crumbling, etc. There are also islands in the middle of the lake that can be reached either be these magnificent brides or via boat. Few people are willing to walk the entire perimeter of the lake, so its a little less crowded than other areas of Beijing, and depending on the time of the year, its a really lovely walk. I also recommend getting a paddle boat and cruising about the lake; there are some island that are really only reachable by boat.
Next up is the Lama Temple, a Buddhist temple--one of the few remaining in China, as many of them have been destroyed or neglected over the years. It is a very quiet place, comparatively, because it is a place of worship, and the signs asking people to keep it down seem to be heeded here (where it is elsewhere ignored). The temple consists of a series of buildings, each containing various statues (some small, some that take up the entire building). Honest to goodness monks walk about the area, organizing the offerings being left at the various alters. Around the complex, incense is available, and there are giant metal fire grates where you can light the incense and spaces to kneel and pray. After your prayers are complete there are stands for you to place your incense; these are located outside of most of the structures, giving the whole place a nice incensey smell. Right outside of the temple is sort of a Tibetan district, where if you are in need of any Tibetan or Buddhist stuff, you can find it all around this temple. It has its own stop on the Subway line, so it is really easy to get to.
Sorry about all the links to UNESCO, but honestly, for the most part I was distracted with the visuals and less worried about reading all the signs. I figured I would just look it up on the internet before or after, and that is what I did, although in all these sites, you can rent audio tours in your language to explain what is happening at each of these places.
The last thing I would like to mention in this post (this post that is not really doing justice to ANY of these really interesting places) is the Olympic Stadium. I thought I would end on an example of modern Beijing, as I have largely left it out of the posts on Beijing. Before I continue with the stadium, I do want to mention that there is a lot going on in Beijing beyond the historic; it is thoroughly modern city with all the wonderful conveniences and amenities.
So back to the Olympic Stadium; since 2008 and the world's greatest opening ceremony, the stadium (like many of its counterparts around the world) has turned into tourist attraction for foreigners. They do still occasionally use the stadium; after all, its got Olympic sized courts, arenas, pools, etc. I believe parts of it (especially the pools) are open to the community--sort of like a rec center. The Birds Nest is used for concerts, and a few national and international athletic events have been held at the Olympic Park since the Olympic Games.
You can get into the Birds Nest itself for about 50 Yuan, but from the inside, it pretty much looks like any other stadium, so I would recommend taking pictures of the exterior. The outside is typically lined with people selling Olympic themed gifts--hats, key chains, t shirts, little toys of the cute Olympic creatures featured that year. It is a neat thing to see, and only takes about 30 minutes of your time. Be warned, however: there is a weird photo thing in the basement of the Bird's Nest that is a total rip off, so avoid that.
I think Beijing, even split into a now five part blog entry is too big to tackle. There is so much to see and do in this city. I haven't even mentioned all the wonderful things you get to see and do and eat if you are living in a remote part of China and suddenly find yourself in Beijing. It's like being in an oasis of western food, shopping and culture (I know, irony). There are just too many things to talk about when talking about Beijing, but I hope these entries have inspired you to pay it a visit if you are ever going to be in China.
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