Beijing, PR China

I could well believe there are nine million bicycles in Beijing, but if this is the case this would barely seem to serve the endless and truly staggeringly vast population of the city. There were a lot of things I was expecting from the People's Republic of China, many of which I did see, but the sheer size and scale of the country is eye watering and caught me off guard. I work in London, I've visited almost every major Asian city and a good handful of American state capitols - I am by no means no stranger to the sprawl of a big city life, but nothing can prepare you for a city like Beijing. On our first afternoon, we walked from our nearby hotel to go and see Tiananmen Square; the pictures make this look like a relatively large space, perhaps not so different from Parliament Square (the irony of this comparison is not lost on me). But oh no. I can honestly say it took a good 30 minutes, perhaps more, to walk from one side of the square to the other – at a pace. Admittedly, part of this was due to the inexplicable and frankly very inconvenient rows and rows of gates and barriers surrounding the square. This became quite a theme in China – everything is barricaded in and it becomes a bit of a mental exercise to try and work out how to get from 'A' to 'B'. Eventually, however, we managed to find our way in; a long queue and a passport check later before surrendering our bags and going to meet the man himself: 毛泽东 - Mao Zedong. 

Chairman Mao's Mausoleum - Tiananmen Square, 2013

Mao’s mausoleum is located right in the middle of the square. A vast and ornate roof over a glass-cabinet containing the serene looking body of the former revolutionary leader. You were permitted a brief glimpse of him so long as you continued walking and didn't stop to stare too long. Draped in communist regalia, surrounded by flowers and offerings and watched over by several completely un-moving, fully uniformed guards, this was of course a particularly surreal attraction yet oddly unmissable. Before you were even allowed in to see Mao, however, there was a waiting room with what I can only describe to be a shrine and piles and piles of white flowers. Howling sobbing citizens fell to the ground, leaving their flowers and their tears in memory of their long-since deceased leader who left this world in 1976. I was surprised to find that the vast majority of visitors to the mausoleum were in fact Chinese, not tourists, which explains why we particularly had a relatively thorough search and interrogation on entering the building.
Fellow visitors watched us closely, perhaps waiting for us too to shed tears for the fallen dictator - who undoubtedly revolutionised the lives of countless millions of Chinese citizens for the better, and oversaw astonishing human rights abuses and mass starvation for countless million more - or perhaps the unwavering stares of the Chinese people around us were simply stemming from one of the many, many, many groups who would soon stop us for photo opportunities outside of the mausoleum and across the rest of China.

Quianmen Street, Tianamen Square visible in the distance

What started off as an endearing cultural quirk, allowing us all to chuckle along and agree reluctantly (whilst simultaneously feeling somewhat flattered) to pose for yet another picture with an entire Chinese family or group of friends, actually wore thin quite quickly. Both myself and my friend were pale and light haired and wearing western fashions; we tried to assume this was the basis of our appeal but, without knowing any Chinese whatsoever, we couldn’t quite shake the feeling eventually that this was a slightly more mocking tradition that the nationals had adopted. Who knows, but when you are trying to buy some water, or enter a museum, and you are launched on by groups of people wanting to pull your hair over themselves and pose for a photo, the appeal undoubtedly wore off. Indeed, whilst visiting a pagoda just outside of Beijing, we were asked to stand on a podium for a photo and soon more or less manhandled into position; the screeches and squeals of our photographers attracted so much attention we soon had a hoard of cameras facing us. That was when we knew: no more agreeing to photos. Enough was enough.


Beyond the highly westernised but unmissable Quianmen Street which led up to Tiananmen Square 

(shops on Quianmen included Sephora, Starbucks and H&M), beyond Mao's mausoleum and the national museum, beyond the patrolling Chinese guard, sat the sprawling expanse of the Forbidden City. 

The Forbidden City

The physical and metaphorical center of this city and, by extension, of the Eastern world. Entering through the main gates under a vast portrait of Mao, we were once again humbled but overwhelmed by the sheer size of the place; it would seem to take hours just to get to where you needed to be.

Luckily, rather than weaving through the numerous motorbikes and taxis on the streets of Beijing, you could hop into a tuk-tuk and have a slightly more scenic view of the sights and sounds of this truly remarkable city. Cheaper, friendlier though undoubtedly smoggier - this was the most interesting way to travel short distances.


The night life was it’s own spectacular experience. When you quote ‘Bar Street’ to a taxi driver, you will end up on Yinbing South around the Daxing district of Beijing, which feels more like a string of themed bars you would find in Magaluf. However, stray from this street by just another road or two and you find some hidden gems of Chinese nightlife; classy, pricey but extremely trendy bars and restaurants. All a short walk from a little cluster of nightclubs, overshadowed by the looming presence of the Workers’ Stadium. We found ourselves in the labyrinth of corridors spreading through ‘Mix’ – a nightclub which balanced Asian pop music with dub-step remixes of Taylor Swift songs. This became less weird after several of the extremely cheap cocktails from one of its many bars. Having not long since graduated university, this is really saying something; but I have possibly never seen people as drunk as I saw the Mix’s patrons that night. It seemed to actually be the objective to physically collapse from drink, leading on to a flurry of selfies and a lot of laughter. It was bizarre to observe, but a great night out all in all. N.B.: Be prepared for more of the clubs and bars to have no western toilets...

Toboggan Slide down from the Great Wall - Mutianyu

The Great Wall

Finally, Beijing is of course the obvious base for one of the true wonders of the world: The Great Wall of China. Disappointingly not actually ancient anymore, but still staggeringly impressive to observe, you can access the wall from several points – some more touristy than others. I was assured my access point - Mutianyu - was not too touristy, however when we parked next to a Subway and later took a (extremely fun) toboggan to get down from the wall, I doubted that very much. I can't imagine this was quite the authentic experience, but a £2 Subway Melt whilst overlooking the wall seemed to be a comforting sense of irony.
There are cable cars to get up to the wall, but climbing up makes it feel so much more worth it and lets you fully appreciate the scale of the construction. When on the wall, it is a constant stream of steps going up and down to each little outpost; some parts are extremely steep and accessed by stone ladders, others are less so but still require a hefty climb up flights of uneven stone steps. It was predictably foggy and smoggy, but undoubtedly breathtaking. Take a moment to sit atop a high point of the wall, with a bottle of water and observe the misty magic that is the Chinese landscape. Try not to look too closely at the vast white engraving scarring the otherwise perfectly untouched countryside which I was told to be a Maoist addition reading ‘demand total obedience to Chairman Mao.’ Very nice. Very subtle.

But then nothing about Beijing is subtle. I expected uniforms, single files, total order and military presence everywhere, but instead I was met with a slightly out-of-control population that is perhaps too vast, or too uninterested to be particularly controlled by anything: religion, politics, society. I couldn't shake the feeling that this national had been so rigidly controlled for so long by dictatorship that, in it's absence, there had become a slight vacuum leaving lots of un-tethered people living by their own rules. The scope is mind blowing, but that’s what P.R.China is now, with Beijing at the helm – it’s bigger, it’s better and it is absolutely one of – if not the – most interesting city I have ever been to.

UNMISSABLE: The Hutongs; criss-crossing lanes of cafes and restaurants and endless stalls and shops. The Hutongs show a glimmer of 'real China' - the way it once was and entirely unaffected by the Western world. You can get tours through the Hutongs, stopping at key tourist points such as the Drum Tower (well worth a visit above all else), Prince Gong's mansion and the little courtyard neighbourhoods. Unlike anything I've ever seen before, and an authentic and unmissable taste of China. A highlight was 'Pipe Tobacco Alley' near the Drum Tower and whilst I took off by foot, many choose to hire their own bikes to avoid the prices of the cab tours.

EATING: snack street is where to go. Cheap, extremely authentic and some tastier options if you’re willing to look past the still-wriggling scorpion kebabs, the skewered seahorses and the slightly flinching tarantulas. For those who do enjoy this type of cuisine, however, it’s just a few Yen and a deep-fat-fryer later until you have a crispy treat on a stick.

Snack Street - Starfish, Scorpions & Seahorses ready to be fried

Look beyond the tempting starbucks and McDonalds, because this is where Chinese food is it’s most Chinese. Not the Cantonese fried goods we’re used to from Western take-aways, but rather the true, authentic taste. Elsewhere in China, I found the food to me quite basic and bland, however  Beijing offers a sprawl of Yunnan Province restaurants, my favourite of which: Lost Heaven. As ethereal as it sounds, extremely atmospheric and absolutely delicious. Not the cheapest option in Beijing by far, but tucked away in a little courtyard just off the edge of Tiananmen Square, I could not fail to be entirely awestruck as I left feeling well fed, happily wined and then strolling straight into the fairy-lit and flood-lit square where Chairman Mao now rests. To each their own, but this for me was breathtaking.