{"id":4347,"date":"2014-06-18T08:30:25","date_gmt":"2014-06-18T12:30:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/?p=4347"},"modified":"2014-06-17T19:40:37","modified_gmt":"2014-06-17T23:40:37","slug":"skip-miss-beijing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/skip-miss-beijing","title":{"rendered":"Things to skip and things to not miss: Beijing"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Guest post by Program Consultant Cara Suriyamongkol.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Living in China for a year and a half, I quickly found out which sights, activities and meals were enriching and enjoyable cultural activities and which were maybe just a\u00a0little<\/em> over-hyped. Sure, you probably want to form your own opinion on the most popular tourist attractions, but knowing how much time to spend in each attraction, which foods are worthy of ordering every day, and what activities to skip altogether could help to make your tour even better. So, consider my advice\u00a0when you’re planning your next tour to Beijing<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

SIGHTS<\/h3>\n

Don\u2019t miss<\/strong>\u2026<\/p>\n

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The Hutongs near Houhai.<\/strong> With graceful architecture and weeping willows lining the lake, it\u2019s cool, scenic and a definite must-see. And if you have a buddy, try the tandem bikes\u2026 but stay off the busy roads!<\/p>\n

Maybe skip\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

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A\u00a0long<\/em>\u00a0time in Tiananmen and the Forbidden Palace<\/strong>, especially in the summer. Of course you have to see it, but keep it short, see the sight and move on! If you\u2019re there in the summer make sure to wear cool clothing, because it\u2019s going to be boiling!<\/p>\n

FOOD<\/h3>\n

Don\u2019t miss\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Dumplings, or \u201cjiaozi.”\u00a0<\/strong>These are a staple of locals and there are millions of small restaurants all over the country. If you get the chance, it\u2019s best to try them with a local family. However, be prepared to draw the line when you have eaten your fill\u2013Chinese families are infamous for over-stuffing their guests. A useful phrase to use is \u201cWo tai bao le!\u201d (it sounds like “woah tie bow leh”) or in other words, \u201cI\u2019m too full!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Maybe skip\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Peking duck,<\/strong> unless<\/em> you know a really good place from a local Beijing-er. It\u2019s a good meal, but overrated in the most popular restaurants.<\/div>\n

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES<\/h3>\n

Don\u2019t miss\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

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A Tai-chi lesson.\u00a0<\/strong>It is an ancient art still widely practiced and a fixture in every Chinese city\u2013both big and small. Not only that, but if you get a chance to try it, it\u2019s a great way to relax, re-energize and work off a few of the calories you\u2019re bound to have consumed after the onslaught of delicious food you’re bound to eat!<\/p>\n

Maybe skip\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Beijing Opera<\/strong>, unless you\u2019re a proven lover of the style. It\u2019s often rough for foreigners to appreciate because of its nasally sound and long performances. Check it out on YouTube to see if you like it first!<\/p>\n

Ready to visit Beijing?<\/h3>\n

Check out our Beijing<\/a> tour or other tours in\u00a0Asia<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\nGuest blogger: Cara Suriyamongkol, Explorica Program Consultant<\/strong><\/p>\n

Meet Cara, one of Explorica’s dedicated program consultants. Cara has had her fair share of adventures jet-setting\u00a0across the globe, including a year and a half living in China.\u00a0So, to get the scoop on China tours, just ask Cara!\u00a0<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Guest post by Program Consultant Cara Suriyamongkol.\u00a0 Living in China for a year and a half, I quickly found out which sights, activities and meals were enriching and enjoyable cultural activities and which were maybe just a\u00a0little over-hyped. Sure, you probably want to form your own opinion on the most popular tourist attractions, but knowing Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[436,147,345],"class_list":["post-4347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-explorica-news","tag-beijing","tag-china-tours","tag-educational-tours"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/35"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4347"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4347\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4556,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4347\/revisions\/4556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}