5/29/2011 - Touring Beijing/Sleeper Train to Hailin

This very second I’m somewhere in northeast China en route to Hailin, Heilongjiang Province. This sleeper train is definitely an experience, to say the least. It’s eerily similar to the Hogwarts Express (yes this is a Harry Potter reference). I’m currently on hour 9 of a 20-hour train ride that will take me from China’s capital city to Heilongjiang Province - the place of my birth and where most of my extended family lives. This isn’t a trip for the weak-of-heart: overall it’s pretty uncomfortable, but this is the same route my parents used to take when they lived in Beijing and went home to visit their parents. Though I’m sure much has changed in the 15-20 years since they took this route, it’s generally the same sort of experience.

Yesterday though, I got to tour a few places in Beijing with my cousin, her husband, and one of my cousin’s relatives who is about my age.

First stop: Jing Shan
Jing Shan is a park/small mountain right outside the back entrance of Gu Gong, or the Forbidden City. From the top of it, you get a panoramic view of the Forbidden City that lets you take in and appreciate the breadth of it. It’s really quite pretty and worth going to before touring the Forbidden City itself. At the top of Jing Shan, there a few vendors who offer to let you dress up in the imperial manner for a small fee. I was convinced to do this…

Second stop: Gu Gong (Forbidden City)
This place is gigantic - it’s hard to imagine how all the rooms could have been put to use. We entered from the back gate and worked our way to the front, navigating through massive tourist groups from around the globe. What struck me the most is how massive everything was: in particular, one building was described as “the emperor’s dressing room” - it was easily the size of my house. What’s bizarre is realizing that someone occupied the Forbidden City just over a century ago - these aren’t historical relics, they’re the realities of a distinguished group of people only a few generations prior.

Third Stop: Wangfujing

We left the Forbidden City from its front entrance, which led us directly into Tiananmen Square. I didn’t see much of it though, by that point we were so hungry we opted to head directly to Wangfujing, the street known for great shopping and also considered a must-see for foreign tourists. It’s also home to one of Beijing’s most popular huo guo (hot pot) restaurants. Hot pot is a lot of fun, basically they give you a huge pot filled with broth that’s set over a burner at your table. Then you order various meat, seafood, and vegetables that you cook quickly in the broth immediately before eating. I’ve had it before at home but this was a million times better (sorry mom!). After we left the restaurant we took our time strolling along Wangfujing, stopping here and there to sample various street foods and Beijing specialties. 

Fourth Stop: Hu Tong

Last stop of the day was the small streets of old Beijing, with structures known as hu tong. These are the small huts and narrow streets of more than 50 years ago which are slowly disappearing as Beijing continues to pride itself on being an up-and-coming city. Some of these areas have been preserved and converted into specialty shops selling the handiwork of its few remaining residents. It’s really interesting to see - and this place has some of the best food I have ever had in my life - who knew?