My Funny Experience When Study in China: My favorite places to visit in Beijing (for those people who are looking to travel!)

1. Great Wall

I of course have to start off with one of the greatest things you can ever see in your life, The Great Wall. When me and my roommate decided to have a spontaneous trip to the great wall we didn’t really take into account anything before we went, like the time of year (early November) and didn’t judge how cold it would be until we actually got there… We firstly got up at around 7, headed to our local store, got some snacks, drinks and some gloves and headed towards the great wall using one of the buses to the great wall, and once we arrived at Badaling we realized why we were the only people who were actually there, because it was terrifyingly cold! I’d never experienced cold like it, but as soon as we got walking up the steps of the great wall and were arrived at the highest point, all we could see for miles and miles were various stretches of the great wall surrounded by beautiful green scenery and without a single soul with us, it was a peaceful quiet of which I’d never experienced ever before in my life. The feeling when you get here was truly surreal, I’d recommend it to anyone, even traveling in the cold, as it’s cold yes, but you’re not bombarded with thousands of other people, you can have this wonder of the world to yourself!

2. Lama Temple

Lama Temple in Beijing was the first place I visited on my trip in China, I got my packed lunch, drinks, camera and money and headed over to Lama Temple which at that time was only 2 stops away from my accommodation! Buying the ticket was easy, walk up to the window point out one finger and there you go! Pay your 20-40RMB ticket and you’ll have access to the whole temple. When I came it was just before Mid-Autumn Festival therefore there were more people setting up themselves for prayer, and walking around this place with your own sticks of incense, witnessing people praying to the Gods, and taking in the smells, sights, especially the architecture of the whole place you can truly appreciate why so many people come to Temples for peace of mind, it was extremely relaxing to be part of it and to be here in person. One of the greatest things about Lama Temple is the last Temple, which houses a 60ft statute of Maitreya (the future Buddha), which as you look up at the many stories that surround it, you often wonder how such an amazing thing can be created.

Not only inside the Temple, but outside the Temple has a vast network of Hutongs that are extremely interesting to walk down, many of which have some foreign cafes, in case you want to grab a sandwich or a coffee, or you can pay one of the many tiny gift shops a visit, most of which are ran by locals that live within the hutongs, definitely an experience you can’t miss.

3. Jingshan Park

Jingshan Park is the kind of place if you like views. Sitting overlooking the Forbidden City, Jingshan Park is the highest point within Beijing City, whereby it features 3 separate hills with the highest point providing a complete 360 view of the whole city, of which you can see for miles. Definitely somewhere that you need to go on a clear day, as you’ll be able to see Beihai Park, The Olympic Park, all of the hutongs in the centre, and on clear days you can even see as far as the CBD! It’s a bit of a walk, around 10 minutes steep uphill, but the walk up there is definitely worth it as the view is out of this world. There’s also a huge array of little stores that you can buy some gifts, or even have your photo taken in traditional Chinese clothes overlooking the Forbidden City. It’s also fascinating to read about the park before you go, and to also read the notices as you walk, as you can learn the true history of the park and how it became to be, so I’ll leave that for you!

4. Nanluoguxiang onto Houhai Lakes

Nanluoguxiang and Houhai lakes are one of the most popular tourist places in Beijing, but even quite touristy, they still have an incredibly original Chinese feel to them. Nanluoguxiang, probably one of the best places to go before people finish work, as you can walk down this main hutong of which has 100s of other hutongs spreading in different directions. This street is host to an array of gift stores, food stores, cafes, restaurants and also stores that certainly catch your eye, and you’ll know what I mean when you go there! Right next to the subway station, it’s often the main place for people who have just finished work who want to grab a snack and have a nice walk down some historical streets. The food in this place is incredible, and any kind of gift that you want to buy like fans, tea sets or even clothes, you can get from here.

Onto Houhai Lakes, this is the best place to go once you’ve been to Nanluoguxiang, especially at night, the whole area lights up with the bars, restaurants and stores opening their doors and turning on a spectacular light show, this place is extremely popular with tourists and also locals to have a walk around the lakes, and grab something to eat overlooking the houhai lakes, or to head to one of the many rooftop bars and watch the world go by, if that’s your kind of thing, then this is certainly the right place for you! Oh and many of the restaurants are adapted for foreigners so it’s great if your Chinese isn’t yet 100%!