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CHINA | Beijing, China Travel Guide
Monday, December 30, 2024
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Beijing Orientation
Beijing Orientation
Beijing is a vast sprawling city, its grid-plan centered on imposing Tian’anmen Square and the Forbidden City, outside of which it is encircled by a series of numbered ringroads that form the city’s main traffic arteries. The central city is divided into districts: west of Tian’anmen Square is Xicheng, to the east Dongcheng leads into Chaoyang, while to the south the Temple of Heaven lies in Chongwen and, west of here, Xuanwu contains the city’s Muslim quarter. In the far northwest Haidian has the old and new summer palaces and these days it’s also getting a reputation for a lively nightlife and restaurant scene. Farther out from here, things become distinctly more rugged in the Western Hills, where you’ll find the Fragrant Hills and Badachu and, to the south, the temples of Jietai and Tanzhe.
Beijing's City Center
In Beijing itself, Tian’anmen Square occupies the center of the city. The square's northern end is dominated by the Forbidden City’s grand entrance and, within the square itself, you’ll find a number of monuments, including the concrete block of Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum, and to the east and west are the stately National Museum and the Great Hall of the People. West of the Forbidden City is the party enclave of Zhongnanhai, while to the north are two interesting parks, Beihai and Jingshan, the latter of which gives great views out over the Forbidden City and is a good place to get your bearings. Farther north from here takes you through the trendy hutong nightlife areas of Houhai to the Drum Tower, around which you’ll find some budget accommodation and tasty dining options.
One of Beijing’s best shopping districts, Wangfujing, is just to the east of Tian’anmen Square and, from its southern end, Dongchang’an Dajie, which becomes Jianguomen Dajie, runs east past banking headquarters and some of the city’s best hotels and malls. From Tian’anmen Square, Qianmen Dajie heads south through a popular backpacker hutong hotel haunt to the Temple of Heaven, east of which there are two worthwhile markets, Hongqiao and, farther out, Panjiayuan. Aside from those already mentioned, other trendy eating and drinking zones include the Workers Stadium and, not far away, the original bar street of San Litun Lu, which are both in the east of the city, near the second ringroad.
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