Beijing at Night
Are you one of those heading out for Beijing 2008 Olympics? With some half-a-million guests expected to arrive in the city, Beijing is all set to leave a good impression on the foreigners. Indeed the biggest draw is the Olympics came, but there are also an array of other attractions that you must check out. Here’s how you can plan an ideal weekend break in the city.
FRIDAY
5 p.m. – Take a trip back in time as you walk or bike through the Beijing’s disappearing hutong alleyways offering an insight into life during Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).
7 p.m. – Lie under shady willow trees, or in a lakeside cafe or bar such as No Name. Supposed to be Houhai’s first bar, it offers delectable Vietnamese, Irish and other iced coffees and snacks.
9.30 p.m. - After dinner stroll around brand-new Games venues the Bird’s Nest national stadium and Water Cube aquatic centre.
10.30 p.m. - Head to Sanlitun, the main bar district, via the new subway line 10. Here you will find a range of bars. From glitzy like Q bar to the rather seedy Kai bar, you’ll find them all!
SATURDAY
5 a.m. – If you wake up early, don’t miss the opportunity to watch the sunrise flag raising ceremony in Tiananmen, the world’s largest public square.
8.30 a.m. – Mao’s mummified body lies in a free-to-visit central mausoleum, open 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. except Mondays.
10 a.m. – Visit the glittering glass National Centre for the Performing Arts that lies inside a shallow moat whose rim, and small surrounding park, have become a popular hangout spot.
Tiananmen Square
12 p.m.- Just four blocks away from here is the former Legation quarter, home to foreign missions from 1861 to 1959 and Beijing’s most significant collection of early twentieth century European architecture.
2 p.m. – Have late lunch at Timezone 8 bookshop and cafe, or At Cafe, in 798 Dashanzi arts district. After that visit the sprawling state-run munitions factory downsized after 1980s reforms, and since the late 1990s has been overtaken by art galleries. Also don’t miss the photo gallery.
4 p.m. – Visit the China National Film Museum in newer arts district Caochangdi. Here you will also find galleries of renowned artists like that of Bird’s Nest co-designer Ai Weiwei.
7 p.m. – Feeling Hungry? Check out central-east Dongzhimennei Dajie, nicknamed Gui Jie or “Ghost Street”
comprising of hundreds of restaurants in a 2-km (mile) stretch.
10 p.m. – Karaoke time. Party like the locals do at Partyworld in your own private room.
SUNDAY
9 a.m. – Take a 300 bus and head to the southeastern antiques mecca of Panjiayuan. Open from 4:30 a.m. onwards, this market has 3,000 stalls selling almost everything from cheap Mao watches, books, trendy lanterns, jewelry etc.
12 p.m. – While returning pass the incomplete icon, Rem Koolhaas’ “crooked trousers” CCTV Tower, which state broadcaster China Central Television will move to.
12.30 p.m. – Head to Tuanjiehu station to refuel yourself with an ethical lunch of imperial favorite sharks’ fin or mock Peking duck in the aesthetic and tasty monk-run vegetarian restaurant Pure Lotus.
2 p.m. - Visit another historic center the Drum and Bell Tower first built under Mongol leader Kublai Khan in 1272.
6:30 p.m. - If it’s a clear day, trek south a few blocks to Jinshang Park for a panoramic view over the metropolis.
7.30 p.m. - No Beijing visit would be complete without Peking duck.
With so much to see and do, Beijing is an unforgettable experience!
