{"id":6456,"date":"2014-10-06T13:00:35","date_gmt":"2014-10-06T05:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/english\/?p=6456"},"modified":"2022-03-14T20:00:08","modified_gmt":"2022-03-14T19:00:08","slug":"things-to-do-in-beijing-alternative-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/english\/things-to-do-in-beijing-alternative-plans\/","title":{"rendered":"What to see and do in Beijing: 10 alternative plans"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"things<\/p>\n

I have been living in Beijing for more than four years and aside from articles on how to rent an apartment<\/a>, study Chinese<\/a> and the city’s best hotels<\/a>, I have written practically nothing on the city which has been my home for such a long time. In this first article on the subject, I am going to suggest ten alternative plans for Beijing to you.<\/p>\n

Today I’m not going to talk about the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, and the other typical places in the city. They are obligatory visits if it’s your first time in Beijing<\/a>. At that moment if you want to read about this places you can just read the Lonely Planet<\/a> which give a fare and detailed information.<\/p>\n

Today, I want to share with you a little bit of the “wisdom” which I have been accumulating during these years. This article is dedicated to those people who are looking for something more in their visit to Beijing or those who have been in the city for a while and are looking for something to do in their free time<\/strong>. <\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Get lost in the hutong<\/em><\/h2>\n

\"shopping<\/p>\n

What is the alternative to this plan? The majority of tours and guides offer you visits to the hutong (or alleyways) which are located near the Drum Tower (Gulou), some of which have been converted into tourist attractions, such as Nanluoguxiang.<\/p>\n

Even though this is one of my favorite areas, due to its combination of old Beijing and new trends, for years it has been losing its charm due to the urban pressure which is transforming what were once alleyways into residential areas for the new city elite. Yes, it’s really pretty, but it’s also completely artificial. If you really want to experience what city life was like decades ago, I suggest that you get lost in another area.<\/p>\n

The area which I’m referring to is located in the southwest part of Tiananmen Square and is probably the only hutong area that has remained practically unchanged within the city.<\/p>\n

Getting there is quite easy: take the subway to Quianmen (Line 2) and walk in the opposite direction of Tiananmen Square across a completely restored street that resembles a theme park (and even has a trolley for tourists). Afterward, follow the first street on your right (it is full of people and souvenir stores). Follow this street to the end and cross the street to enter the alley in front (still pretty touristy). Follow this street, passing a few hostels such as my beloved Leo Hostel<\/a>, until you don’t find any traces of tourist stores. This is where your time travel trip starts!<\/p>\n

p.s. If you have not got how to arrive there, just go to Dazhalanxijie street (\u5927\u6805\u680f\u897f\u8857) and at the west end of this alley starts the zone to which I am referring.<\/p>\n

2. Sleep on the wild Great Wall<\/h2>\n

\"beijing<\/p>\n

Personally, I think that this is one of the most recommendable plans. I have visited different sections of The Great Wall of China <\/a> around twenty different times and I am still impressed every time I go.<\/p>\n

Some of the sections of the Wild Great Wall<\/a> (the parts which haven’t been restored) are impressive, practically deserted and their stretches are relatively long. For these reasons, they are ideal for doing a two-day excursion camping on the wall.<\/p>\n

Among all of the possible routes, the most popular is the one that starts at the Jinshanling section and ends at Simatai. It’s a trip of around 12 km which starts in the rarely traveled section of Jinshanling and ends at Simatai, which is more popular, making it easy to find transportation back to Beijing. While hiring a guide isn’t necessary because it’s really hard to get lost (you only have to follow the wall), you should keep in mind that the route isn’t exactly easy. Some of the sections require you to climb up almost vertically and rocks can become detached in your step. You should also keep in mind that you are going to be practically alone, so if you have an accident, finding help will be no easy task.<\/p>\n

3. Admire the city from the former observatory<\/h2>\n

\"places<\/p>\n

Located very close to Jianguomen subway station (Line 1 and Line 2), the former astronomical observatory is not excessively touristy and in my opinion, along with the Lama Temple, is one of the most unique tourist attractions in the city. Don’t expect to find an epic monument like the Forbidden City or the Summer Palace. The observatory is a small tower surrounded by a park, where you can find an array of enormous instruments for astronomical observation displayed, which are made of bronze and which mix occidental technology (learned from the Jesuits which arrived in the 1600s) with Chinese art. The entrance is only 10 Yuan and in my opinion, this is the perfect spot to get away from the hordes of tourists which populate the city.<\/p>\n

4. Go out at night in the university area<\/h2>\n

\"travel<\/p>\n

If you are thinking about going out at night in the Sanlitun area (or the village), it’s certainly the most popular spot. However, this is also the place where the majority of the expat community of the city groups together. This means that the clubs and bars are mostly filled with expats. Personally, I didn’t come to China to see drunken foreigners (I can stay in Barcelona for that and much more), and because of this, I don’t frequent this area much.<\/p>\n

The other popular area is where the Drum Tower, HouHai Lake, and Nanluoguxian Street are located. This area is where the majority of alternative businesses and live music are located, with bars for Chinese tourists located in HouHai (watch out for the prices of these businesses).<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, I want to suggest to you another, less popular, area, which is the Haidan district, where the majority of the universities of the city are located. Keep in mind that the majority of Chinese university students don’t go out much at night and if they do it, it’s mainly to karaoke bars (KTVs), so don’t expect lots of crowds in clubs and bars like in the areas which I mentioned previously. The Haidan district is enormous, and because of this, I am going to recommend two areas to you:<\/p>\n