Beijing is a necessary stop if you come to China. After all, it is the capital of a vast country deeply rooted in its culture and history. After nearly four years of living in south China, I decided to take the opportunity to travel to this grand city during the National Holiday. My fiancé and I were hesitant at first because we knew that it would be packed with Chinese nationals venturing to their capital to celebrate. Well, let me tell you — we did it right! I planned everything while Juan was down for the ride. I intended on seeing as much as possible, but most importantly, the Great Wall and the Forbidden City.
Beijing is enormous, and as most 'Top Tier Cities' in China do, you realize just how small you are on this planet. It's extraordinary to partake in the hustle and bustle below the towering buildings. I was seriously thrilled to commute around the city on a bike with millions of others. We certainly got our cardio in!
There are a plethora of things to see, do and eat. Between our day ventures, which have tabs of their own as The Great Wall of China, Forbidden City, and Temple of Heaven, we explored the city by night. We ventured around our luxury hotel (which I got for a bargain price thanks to Booking!) and into hutong’s, or old neighborhoods, where we explored cool bars, eclectic shops, and a delicious sushi bar.
Our trip was anything but relaxing. Despite our grand claw tub that awaited our return in our hotel room, we were moving to make the most of our time. We wouldn’t have done it any other way. In the four days that we had to explore Beijing, we did everything that we'd hoped to. Our next flight wasn’t heading back to Guangzhou though — we were en route to Taiwan!