Beijing felt like home the minute I got there. I couldn’t tell you why and I know that I was extremely lucky while I was there but everything just felt right. The food, the people, the culture, the weather, everything lead to the perfect week in Beijing. If someone had offered me a job while I was there I might still be there today.
First let me address the major issue of air quality. I arrived in June and before I got there they had experienced a full week of rain. Both of these accounted for an air rating of about 50 for the week I was there. This is no worse than any major US city. Only on my last day in town did the air quality spike up to 300 and unhealthy levels to remind me why I can’t live here. Now then on to the amazing city of Beijing!
Beijing just feels right. It is a major city but it has multiple sides to it. You have the old Hutong’s and narrow streets, you have the downtown areas and major skyscrapers, you have a modern subway system that costs almost nothing, and you have parks and gardens once only for the Emperor. Every area has it own charm and its own type of people all of which were wonderful.
The people of Beijing were the happiest people I have ever seen. Maybe it was just the weather and air at the time but I like to think not. In western culture we have ruined ourselves with computers and cut our selves off from our neighbors and the outdoors. I was flabbergasted to see the people of Beijing outside and doing things everywhere. Everyone has a hobby! I saw people fishing, flying kites, doing sports, playing Go, walking dogs, playing instruments, you name it and I saw it. Never in my life have I walked down a street to see someone just practicing a classical musical instrument at a bench. No hat for tips, no begging for money. They simply just wanted to be outside and let others enjoy the music.
But it didn’t end there. I saw old women doing fan dances in the park, groups of people doing Tai Chi, I cam across these little muscle parks (outdoor exercise stuff) and I found people of all ages working out and playing games. Not just young people trying to get in shape but older people to. Picture your grandparents playing a hackysack type game with other grandparents. It was madness, and the most amazing thing I have ever seen.
Couple this with old traditional Hutong’s, new modern Hutong’s and everything in-between and some area of town will be perfect for you. There are parks and gardens all over the city and they will be the largest and nicest places you have ever seen. You can rent a boat and ride around the lakes, stop and have tea under some tree, or just sit and read a book. People will be all around you doing everything.
The Forbidden City and summer palace are both sights to be seen. The amount of work and detail at these places will amaze you. But the real gem of Beijing is seeing the local Chinese people just spending the day at the summer palace napping and having picnics. You realize that these places are not just tourist traps but really are part of the city and culture.
If Beijing got its air pollution problem sorted out id be on the next flight over with my bags packed.
