beijing

Beijing had a very different vibe to Shanghai and it became apparent that there is quite a rivalry between the two cities. Shanghai is the flashy 'western' city, Beijing the Communist Capital.
We stayed at the Jade Garden hotel which was a Communist Party building in a former life, being a residence to the 'gang of four' during the Cultural Revolution.Tiananmen Square was vast, the so called June the 4th Incident (六四事件) of 1989 a world event etched in my memory. There was an almost tangible 'serious' feel to the place.

The Forbidden City was massive, crowded, and to be fair, like nothing I had ever seen before. We did a rickshaw tour through the Hutong also, down the many alleyways of traditional siheyuan courtyard houses. And I tasted my first ever Peking Duck in Beijing's Da Dong Roast Duck (大董烤鸭店) restaurant. It was divine. Beijing felt like China.

Peoples Statue Tiananmen Square

 Looking from Tiananmen Square towards Chairman Mao, Forbidden City.

The vastness of Tiananmen Square

Entering The Forbidden City.

Where Emperors walked.

Chinese version of the domed ceiling.

Rickshaw ride through the Hutong.

Chef cooks Peking Duck at Da Dong.