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Arts & Culture
There are many art museums and galleries in Beijing, and you could spend your whole trip wandering about in them. There are thousands of years of art to be explored in Beijing, and all styles are represented: from mega-ancient calligraphy and landscape paintings, to ultra-modern abstract body art.
China Art GalleryThe museum boasts a rich collection of artistic masterpieces by famous Chinese painters and sculptors. It is also the most important venue for art exhibitions in the capital city. Some 100 Chinese and foreign exhibitions are held here all year round.Address: 1 Wusi Dajie, Open: 09:00-16:00, Tel: 86-10-64016234 China Arts and CraftsA large art gallery for the storage, exhibition, repurchase and sale of Chinese art and craft items. The fifth floor houses 500 masterpieces. The gallery is located in the same building, the Parkson Shopping Centre.Address: Northeast side of Fuxingmen Overpass, Open: 9:00-16:30, Tel: 66012024 Peking OperaPeking Opera has entertained Beijingers for over 200 years with its elaborate costumes, ear-splitting arias, dazzling martial arts and musical dialogue. Most Peking Operas are unintelligible to the untrained viewer, but they are usually based on folk tales, famous novels and fairy tales and are a pleasure to watch if you know the basic story. The fantastic silk costumes are works of art in themselves. You can get a good taste of what Peking Opera is all about at the Liyuan Theatre in the Qianmen Hotel, Chang'an Theatre, Huguang Guildhall, which features nightly performances that are a medley of different operas. The shows are light on the singing and concentrate more on action like tumbling and martial arts and are therefore more foreigner-friendly. AcrobaticsChinese acrobatic troupes have travelled to many countries around the world and have amazed audiences everywhere. The usual tourist reaction to a Chinese acrobatics show is something like "whoa! that was so..." you are not sure what to say. The contortions and balancing acts are quite incredible and sometimes seem almost superhuman, or super rubber human. You will be on the edge of your seat through most of the show saying "don't fall, don't drop it!" and incredibly, they never do.Places to see in Beijing
Forbidden CityThe Forbidden City (known officially as the Imperial Palace Museum) was built between 1406 and 1420, but has been burnt down, rebuilt, sacked and renovated countless times, so most of the architecture you can see today dates from the 1700s and onwards. The total area of the complex is 183 acres, so it takes quite a while to walk through, especially if you want to have a close look at everything. Altogether there are 9,999 1/2 rooms in the Museum, not all of which can be visited.You can have a headphone tour, in which Roger Moore's voice will guide you through each of the main halls and attractions. If you go to see the Hall of Ancient Clocks (which has an authentic Chinese water clock!) you will have to purchase a pair of "Cultural Relic Protection Shoes," which are ridiculous-looking fluorescent orange slipper things that you put on over your shoes. Great Wall (Badaling, Mutianyu, Simatai and Juyong)Work began on building The Great Wall of China 2,500 years ago under the direction of one of the most notorious, shortlived, and influential of China's Emperors, Qin Shihuang was completed over a period of more than 1,000 years. Today, visitors from all over the world flock to the Great Wall to walk on the only man-made structure visible from space (so it is said). To look out from one of the guard towers out at the barren mountains and the Wall snaking off into the distance is a view not to be forgotten. But some sections were built in the Ming Dynasty or restored more recently. In these sections you can get a good feel for what the Wall was all about. The Wall extends for a good 3,000 miles from its origin at the seaside in Shanhaiguan (the Old Dragon Head), all the way to Jiayu Pass in Gansu province.When you are at the Wall, don't forget to pick yourself up a T-shirt proclaiming the dubious translation of a famous Chinese saying: "You're not a Plucky Hero till you climb Great Wall." Shopping
Shopping in Beijing is becoming more convenient by the day. Every year new shopping centres and plazas are sprouting up all over the capital. Just a few years ago there was only a few department stores and small bazaars, but now there are many superstores, mega-malls and markets where you can buy just about anything you need. Recently, the first IKEA just opened in the north of the city. The Silk Market at Xiushuijie and the free market at Sanlitun are also favourites among tourists, expats and locals alike.
There are various places to go for shopping, depending on what buyers expect and the prices they are prepared to pay. WangfujingWangfujing intersects with East Chang'an Avenue. The street, which is less than one kilometre long, is lined with shops. The best-known shop is the Beijing Department Store. To the north of the department store is the One World Department Store, hosting a collection of Chinese and foreign name brands and fine quality products. La Fayette presents French features, namely fashions and name brands. The newly-opened Sun Dong'an Market is the largest supermarket in Beijing. It covers a business floor space of 100,000 square metres and sells more than 200,000 kinds of goods. The Oriental Plaza, which is considered another miracle in Chinese architectural history, is scheduled for completion soon. It stands just by the south entrance of Wangfujing.QianmenQianmen street was a commercial centre of Beijing more than 500 years ago. Its old shops and small stalls are preferred by Beijingers. Not far from Tian'anmen Square is Xidan, which is regarded as the second Wangfujing. The street is lined with shopping centres, food bazaars and garment markets.Silver StreetSilver street is in the Dongdan Beidajie. It is where all the franchised foreign name-brand shops are concentrated.Jianguomenwai Dajie is famous for its colourful metropolitan scenes. The street is lined with star-rated hotels, office buildings, fancy restaurants, beauty salons and shopping centres. The well-known shopping centres are Friendship Store, SCITECH Plaza, Guiyou Department Store and the China World Shopping Mall. The Silk MarketDespite its name, the Silk Market has much more than just silk. The silk products here are cheap, and therefore popular, but there are also a lot of cashmere garments, down jackets, leather goods, shoes, hats, watches and some handicrafts and trinkets. The Silk Market basically consists of a long, narrow street (Xiushuijie) lined with dozens of stalls. One of the main things about the Silk Market is the fact that none of the prices are set. This can work for or against you. It all depends on your bargaining skills. If you are a proficient (i.e. stubborn) bargainer, then you can get great deals on all kinds of clothing, but if you are soft -hearted and don't like confrontation, then you may get taken for a ride. It is often helpful to take along a Chinese friend who can help you bargain. The way to do it is, look around at all of the stuff and point out to your friend which item you like, without letting the seller know. Then let the Chinese person go back and bargain for you. Of course, not all Chinese people are good bargainers, but at least if they go, the starting price is the same, but the lowest the seller will go will be lower for the Chinese person.If you are a tall person (6' and up) the Silk Market is the best place for you to buy clothes and shoes. Usually the shopping plazas and super-stores do not have really large sizes. If you are size 12 shoe size or larger, then the only place to really go is to the Silk Market. The silk and cashmere goods are also much cheaper than they would be in other stores or in other countries. These items make great gifts for friends back home, especially the silk Micky Mouse boxer shorts. Most of the sellers speak a little English, at least they know how to say "you say how much!", "I give you good price." And of course numbers are their specialty. There is also a large selection of fake Rolex, Omega and other wristwatches, rivalled only by the street hawkers of New York City. Tourism-administration-designated-storesCentury-old stores, like those in Beijing's hutongs (alleys) and siheyuan (courtyards), have become part of the city's history. Their fame and location in some of the most bustling downtown areas keep them busy but, at the same time, the stores are small and offer a relatively poor shopping environment. And competition is rising from the rubble of modern construction. In recent years, most traditional stores have made changes to keep up with their rivals, including renovating their facades and interior decorations, and upgrading services. Shopping in some of the best of the stores can be a unique Chinese experience.AntiquesA good place to find a wide selection of antiques is at Liulichang. Liulichang is a street in Xuanwumen, and many of the stores are old. This area has everything from scrolls, to jade articles to decades-old cigarette ad posters. There are definitely treasures to be found here, but it is hard to tell genuine antiques from fakes. Real antiques are supposed to bear a red official seal that proves their authenticity, but sometimes real ones don't have it and fake ones do. The best attitude to have is: if you like it and you can bargain down to a price you can accept, just go for it. Small jade articles and silver trinkets make great presents for people at home and they are easy to take on the plane.Another large antiques market is the Antiques City at Panjiayuan. This is a multi-story building which is full of antiques and general kitsch. The same rules apply here as in Liulichang: if you like it, get it. Don't worry if it is fake or not. Many of the things are not real antiques, but on the other hand, recently a 50,000-year-old fossil was confiscated from one of the sellers there. The fossil was on sale for about US$150, so you never know. Beijing Curio City, gathering more than 250 curio shops under one roof, is China's largest trade centre for antiques and fold art works. Many of the dealers are themselves connoisseurs and curio collectors. Antiques that date before 1795 are forbidden for sale or export. Those dated between 1796 and 1949 should bear a small red seal and a Certificate for Relics Export from the Beijing Cultural Relics Bureau (BCRB), to allow them to be taken out of Chin. The seal also proves the genuineness of the items. A word of caution: keep receipts which should indicate the name and age of the antiques if these items are bought in BCRB designated stores. PorcelainPorcelain, the original china, is still a major industry, producing dinner services, figurines and reproductions of antique vases, teapots and the like. The finest porcelain in the world can be easily purchased in China.CloisonneCloisonne (enamel formed in patterns of copper wire) is an art form developed in the 15th century, and now used to decorate vases, bowls, lamps, jewellery and ornaments.LacquerwareLacquerware consists of up to 500 coats of lacquer applied to a copper base and carved into designs. The colours are red, green, yellow and black, while favourite patterns show flowers, birds, landscapes and figures. Lacquer is used for vases, plates, bowls and figures. Some lacquerware is inlaid with gold, mother-of -pearl or jade, to decorate folding screens and furniture which are genuine works of art.SilkSilk, which has brought fame to China, can be readily found in a dazzling array of colours, patterns and textures. While large state-owned stores like the Beijing Yuanlong Silk Corporation can be trusted for quality and offer ready-made clothes as well as a complete array of fabric, private markets like Xiushui and Yabalu sell all kinds of silk clothing from shirts, underwear and trousers, to pyjamas and bedspreads at negotiable prices. Most vendors at the markets are self-employed and speak some English. All the products are marked in Western sizes, but sizes are often deceiving, so try on for size. Silk gowns can be a truly long lasting and useful item to purchase in China for yourself or as gifts for those 'special people' back home.JadeJade is regarded by the Chinese as a stone descended from heaven. They value its hard, cool texture and translucent colours. It is extremely difficult to carve but China's craftsmen create incredibly intricate ornaments and jewellery from jade.Painting & Calligraphy scrollsPainting and calligraphy works are found in hundreds of stores. They vary in age, quality and price with the finest being true works of art. The brushes, ink slabs, ink and paper that were the scholars traditional tools can be found in most antique shops. One of the best sources is the China Book Store, off the courtyard-parking in East Liulichang.HandicraftsClay figurines and animals can be traced back to 1840s, and are still one of the most unique crafts in North China.Dough modelling is another traditional folk art handed down from ancient times. Kneaded in half-cooked glutinous rice flour, dough figures, flowers and birds are popular small toys and exhibits in Beijing. Toy Monkeys are loved by children. The monkey is a near sacred animal in old Chinese folk tales. These toy monkeys are meticulously made. Papercutting is one of the most popular handicrafts in Beijing. There is a wider variety of papercutting patterns than you can imagine available. Kites can be used as ornaments and toys. One of China's favourite past times is flying kites, especially in Beijing where there is usually plenty of wind around to send them soaring into the sky. Snuff Bottles, with paintings inside, represent a popular art from the Qing Dynasty and make excellent small gifts. You and your friends will marvel for years on how the artist paints such intricate drawings on the inside of these very small bottles. Bone Products, made from oxen and camel bones, include knives, forks, spoons, bracelets and necklaces. Embroidery & Drawn work appear on table cloths, napkins, sheets and handkerchiefs, all of which are excellent buys, the Beijing Yuanlong Silk Corporation has a wide selection. Bars & Nightspots
Red Capital ClubUnrivalled atmosphere offering all the discreet ambience and other attributes of a private club. Somewhat surprising in that it is a shrine to the early days of the PRC. Address: 66 Dongsi Jiutiao, Dongcheng DistrictTel: 86-10-64027151 Big Easy Bar & RestaurantGood place for live music & jazz performed by American artists. Address: 1 Nongzhanguan Nanlu, South Gate of Chaoyang ParkTel: 86-10-65086776 Restaurants
The Noodle LoftAddress: 20 Dawang Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 1000022 Tel: 6774 9950Night of BeijingA colourful venue oozing Chinese culture, where you can enjoy traditional cuisine and learning a great deal about Chinese music and dance.Address: 1 Dayabao Hutong, Beijing, Tel: 86-10-65272814 Quanjude Roast Duck RestaurantTraditional hot spot with good traditional Peking Roast DuckAddress: 32 Qianmen Dajie, Beijing Tel: 86-10-65112418 Fangshan RestaurantTraditional palace cuisine in the beautiful surroundings of Beihai ParkAddress: Beihai Park, Beijing Tel: 86-10-64011889 Courtyard (Si He Xuan) RestaurantOasis of modernity in traditional Mandarin setting, next to the Forbidden City, so full of atmospher. Continental cuisine with Asian touches.Address: 95 Donghuamen, Dongcheng district,Beijing Tel: 86-10-65268883 |
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