100 Fun Things to See and Do in Beijing

A number of years ago I put together a list of 100 fun things to see and do in Beijing for a new teacher orientation program that I was working on.

This week I’m getting ready for a group of visitors to arrive from the US and UK for a week, so I thought it would be a good time to update and re-post it. The list reflects my own interests and experiences.  I also hope that it will be useful for first-time visitors as well as folks who visit China from other parts of the country, hence the inclusion of western eateries.

What else would YOU include on the list?

 

 

 

 

1. Attend a Chinese Acrobat performance
2. Attend a concert in the National Center for the Performing Arts
3. Attend a folk or jazz concert at the Sanwei Bookstore
4. Attend a Peking Opera performance
5. Attend a show at the Lao She Teahouse
6. Attend services at one of the Catholic Churches
7. Attend services at one of the Protestant Churches
8. Attend the flag lowering ceremony at Tiananmen Square (sunset)
9. Attend the flag raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square (sunrise)
10. Climb the Great Wall at Jinshanling and hike to Simatai
11. Climb the Great Wall at Mutianyu and ride the alpine slide down.
12. Climb to the top of Coal Hill in Jingshan Park (just north of the Forbidden City)
13. Climb up the mountain at Badachu Park and ride the alpine slide down
14. Dance with locals in the park in the morning or evening
15. Drink ‘bubble tea’
16. Drink Shaken Iced Tea at Starbucks
17. Eat a bowl of Jia Zhang Mian (special noodles)
18. Eat baozi on the street for breakfast
19. Eat Beijing Roast Duck
20. Eat candied fruit on a stick (bingtang hulu)
21. Eat at the Schoolhouse near Mutianyu
22. Eat jianbing on the street for breakfast.
23. Eat scorpions on a stick at the Wangfuing night market
24. Eat snacks on the street in the evening
25. Eat youtiao (oil sticks) on the street for breakfast
26. Eat a green pea pie at MacDonalds
27. Eat a Whopper at one of a handful of Burger King restaurants
28. Eat at an outdoor café in the lakes area
29. Eat at Element Fresh
30. Eat at Hutong Pizza
31. Eat at Peter’s TexMex
32. Eat at the Bridge Café at Wudaokou
33. Enjoy a tea ceremony at a teahouse
34. Get a ‘dry hair wash’
35. Get a facial.
36. Get a foot massage
37. Get a medicure/pedicure
38. Go boating at Houhai
39. Go boating at the Summer Palace
40. Go to the top of the Gate of Heavenly Peace to look out over Tiananmen Square
41. Go up into the tower at Deshengmen
42. Hang out at The Village at Sanlitun (tons of Western restaurants; Apple Store)
43. Hang out in an exercise park
44. Have a suit or dress made
45. Rent a bike
46. Ride a subway line to the end. Get off and explore the neighborhood.
47. Ride the tourist express train from Xizhimen to the Badaling Great Wall
48. See the pandas at the Beijing Zoo
49. Shop at Beijing Glasses City (low priced frames and lenses)
50. Shop at Jenny Lou’s imported foods market
51. Shop at Jingwuxing Wholesale Market
52. Shop at Ladies’ Street
53. Shop at Panjiayuan Antique Market
54. Shop at the clothing wholesale market across from the Beijing Zoo
55. Shop at the Harley Davidson store
56. Shop at the Liang Ma Flower Market (across the canal from the Lufthansa Center)
57. Shop at the Pearl Market (Hong Qiao)
58. Shop at the Silk Market (Xiu Shui Jie)
59. Shop at the wholesale fabric market at Muxiyuan
60. Shop at IKEA
61. Shop at the Yashow Market (Ya Xiu)
62. Shop at Tianyi Wholesale Market (Christmas Central in November and December)
63. Shop for antique furniture and reproductions at Gaobeidian
64. Shop for computers/electronics in Zhongguancun
65. Shop in the Xidan area
66. Take a boat ride along the canal near the Summer Palace
67. Take any bus to the end of the line.  Get off and explore.
68. Visit The Bookworm (restaurant and bookstore—lots of current western titles)
69. Visit an art gallery
70. Visit a temple fair during Spring Festival
71. Visit Beihai Park
72. Visit Chuan Di Xia Ming Village (2.5 hours west of town in the mountains)
73. Visit Nan Lou Gu Xiang (cafés and nightclubs)
74. Visit the 798 Art District (galleries and restaurants)
75. Visit the ancient observatory at Jianguomen
76. Visit the Art Muesum
77. Visit the Bell Tower and Drum Towers
78. Visit the Bird’s Nest (pay to go inside)
79. Visit the Botanical Gardens
80. Visit the Capital Museum
81. Visit the CCTV Tower.  This is best done on a very clear day.
82. Visit the China Minorities Park
83. Visit the Confucian Temple
84. Visit the Forbidden City
85. Visit the Fragrant Hills
86. Visit the Mausoleum of Chairman Mao at Tiananmen Square
87. Visit the Military Museum
88. Visit a morning market
89. Visit the Museum of Ancient Chinese Architecture
90. Visit the Old City Wall at Chongwenmen—Go into the Dongbianmen Tower at the east end to visit the Red Gate Art Gallery and view photos of Old Beijing
91. Visit the Cishou Pagoda in the west at Xibali Zhuang
92. Visit the Planetarium
93. Visit the Temple of Heaven
94. Visit the tomb of Matteo Ricci.
95. Visit the Water Cube and Bird’s Nest Olympic venues
96. Visit the Yonghegong Lama Temple
97. Walk around Kunming Lake at the Summer Palace
98. Walk around the lake at the Old Summer Palace
99. Wander around the old Legation Quarter (near Tiananmen Square)
100. Wander the old streets of the Da Zha Lan (Da Sha Lanr) district

Leave a comment and tell me what you would add to  the list.