I stayed in the Qianmen area and didn’t have much of a plan for Beijing, but there were a couple sights I wanted to see so I started walking.
I started walking on the commercialized streets but soon found these kinds of alleys to be more interesting.
I had an uneven feeling that I would walk around these small street for a while and it’d take me hours to find my way back, but it wasn’t long until I came across another commercialized street. Time for coffee!
I found Zhengyangmen, also known as Qianmen.
Fast facts: The proper gate of the inner city of Beijing, built in 1419, located at the southern end of Tian’anmen Square, 43.65 meters high and covers an area of 3047 square meters.
Since Qianmen was right by Tian’anmen Square, it was pretty easy to find that little square…
The forecast said rain and thunderstorms for 4 days, I didn’t see any thunderstorms, but there were some sprinkles and this is the times I appreciate being a foot taller than the average Chinese person, I can see over all the umbrellas!
China is celebrating 70 years since the end of the second world war on September 3rd with a big “F* You rest of the world” military parade. They had closed parts of the square and some sights to prepare.
This is the actual Tian’anmen, or “Gate of Heavenly Peace”. If you try to vandalize the portrait of Mao Zedong, you’ll get arrested. Don’t do it. Five people has already, more or less successfully, tried. The portrait weighs 1.5 tonnes and is replaced once a year with a new one so it’s always looking fresh and clean!
The Forbidden City was living up to its name and was shut down due to end of the war celebrations. The whole Forbidden City! It can’t be much more forbidden than that! I was considering sneaking in anyway, but then I realized I was carrying my American passport, so maybe not.
I kept walking thinking maybe, maybe could I find a small window where I could peek in, but there wasn’t much of that.
Made it all the way to the other side of the Forbidden City and saw a big “thing” on top of a hill. Since I had nothing better to do I decided to walk up to it.
Turned out I was in the Jingshan Park.
Fast facts: Almost 1000 years old garden located in the center of Beijing, covers an area of 230 000 square meters, the little hill I saw peaks at 94.2 meters above sea level, in the year of 1644 shits were hitting the fan and Chongzhen the Emperor took the easy way out and hung himself in the park, the park open to public in the year of 1928.
There was a huge Buddha statue inside here, but you were not allowed to take photos. Respect.
Hey, check this out, you could see into the Forbidden City from the hill! I think that’s all I really wanted to do anyway, I didn’t wanna fight with a ton of locals and tourists, I just wanted to see it!
Time Out Magazine told me to take the subway to Guijue, because that’s were everything is happening at night.
I feel like I totally scored!
I sat down at a table and the waitress was very impatient as I flipped through the pictures in the menu. She gave away a big sigh, grabbed the menu from my hands and quickly flipped through to a page with some beef and pointed. I shook my head, I didn’t want no beef, I haven’t had beef in nearly 20 years! She rolled her eyes and flipped through to the next section: chicken. No, I don’t want, let me! We played tug-a-war for a bit until I finally won and got to order my precious crayfish!
When they arrived she wanted to explain how to eat them, but girlfriend, I was born with a crayfish in my hand.
The table next to me all turned to watch me eat as well, I’m glad this westerner could give them something to talk about.
