"Beijing" a Beijing Travel Page by Jez79

My time in Beijing was kind of a whirlwind tour, but I had a fantastic time and really enjoyed the city. The first thing I noticed about Beijing (after all the trees) was the contrast between old and new. Beijing appears to be undergoing some dramatic changes, which is reflected in the landscape, architecture and people of the region. Amid the hutongs, the characteristically Chinese architecture and vast number of historical temples, palaces and gardens, there are modern appartment buildings, shopping centres and freeways. Coming from Australia, I was struck by the complexity and richness of the Chinese culture, and the way it has been melded with western influences to still retain its character.

The first few days of our trip coincided with the Labour Holiday, so Beijing was packed with people from all over China. Tian an'men Square was a mass of people, and the line to see Mao went on for kilometres. The Forbidden City was phenomenal, and the mass of people gave it a great atmosphere. It was interesting to see Chinese tourists in their own country, as it gave us an idea of how significant the history is to them, as well as the rest of the world.

Despite the language difficulties (I didn't know more than a few words of Chinese), we found the people to be great, and had many an amusing moment trying to communicate something. I took a phrasebook, and it was useful on a number of occasions to point to something in Chinese character. It's amusing in the markets, as many people have some grasp of English, so as soon as they saw european looking people they would call out 'hello! you buy, very cheap, good price'. They were also great at converting the cost to US dollars, I assume to make the price more meaningful.

Due to the limited time we had in China, we did an organised tour, which meant we had the four of us plus a guide and driver. This was a great way to get around, as it saved any hassles having to navigate and work out public transport. It did however mean we didn't get to interact as much with the locals. On the few free days we had we went out ourselves, which was an interesting experience. The taxi's were reasonably priced, and we got the chance to try some interesting food.

To be continued...