If you're thinking of taking the family out and exploring Beijing over Golden Week, well, be prepared to face the hordes of tourists that will descend on our fair city. It's estimated that over 700 million Chinese travelers will be making the most of the holidays, with a fair proportion of them visiting their capital.
To help you avoid the crowds, yet make most of the city, we present seven alternative tourist attractions – for every day of the holiday – that should be less packed yet equally impressive to visit.
Skip The Forbidden City… head to the Temple of Successive Dynasties instead
Originally built in 1530, the Temple of Successive Dynasties (Lidai Diwang Miao), was used by rulers of the Ming and Qing dynasties to offer sacrifices to past emperors and, later, to hold a memorial service for Republic of China leader Sun Yat-sen. Unfolding across a 21,500sqm perimeter, the grand buildings are touted for their architectural likeness to the Forbidden City, even featuring the same yellow-gold bricks used to pave the floor in the main hall. Despite the fact that this mini Forbidden City opened to tourists in 2004 after a lengthy restoration project, it’s never really made its way on to the typical tourist hit list. While there’s no English audio tour to help you navigate the halls, info tablets explaining the roles and achievements of the honoured emperors are available in the East Annex Hall. 131 Fuchengmennei Daijie.Open 9am-4.30pm Wed-Sun. 20RMB. Subway station: Xisi.
Skip The Summer Palace… head to Jingshan Park instead
Originally
a private garden located just north of the Forbidden City, Jingshan
offers impressive aerial views of the imperial palace in its entirety.
On a clear day, walking around the viewing platform – the highest point
of land in central Beijing – you can expect striking panoramic views of
the entire (non-forbidden) city. Jingshan Qianjie. Open 6.30am-9pm daily. 2-10RMB. Subway station: Dongsi.
3
Skip Tiananmen Square… head to 798 Art District instead
Rather than head to Tiananmen Square to see the symbol of communist China, 798 is actually a good spot to get a feel for communist Beijing in its heyday. The art district is a former industrial zone, and the decommissioned factories and warehouses – made with a little help from East Germany in the infancy of the PRC in the '50s – are a reminder of China’s communist past. At 798 Art Factory the writing is (quite literally) on the walls: the grey factory hall is plastered with motivational Maoist slogans. Heading further east, beyond the train track that saw the arrival of trains from East Germany, take a walk over the steel highline walkway running north to south to get a good view of the German Bauhaus-style buildings in their entirety. As you walk along, you’ll notice a number of additional Maoist slogans still dotted around the space. 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu. Subway station: Jiangtai.
Skip the Lama Temple… head to Miaoying Temple instead
Tucked away in one of the city’s treasured low-rise districts, Miaoying Temple, also known as Baitasi, is generally overlooked in favour of its glitzier counterparts. But what it lacks in stature, it makes up for in historical significance and solitude. Originally built during the Yuan Dynasty on the orders of Kublai Khan in 1271, the temple was an important political symbol of unification between Tibet and the rest of the empire. The white dagoba (Tibetan-style pagoda) that sits inside its wall remains the tallest and one of the oldest in China. The temple halls house a collection of Tibetan Buddhist artefacts, including a number of scriptures and statues. 171 Fuchengmennei Dajie. Open 9am-4pm Tue-Sun. 20RMB. Subway station: Fuchengmen or Xisi.
Skip the Beijing National Stadium (Bird’s Nest)… head to Parkview Green mall instead
If you’re looking for iconic buildings to marvel at, the Bird’s Nest is so noughties. Parkview Green is just as impressive. Built using materials specifically chosen for their sustainability factor, this large glass pyramid has its very own self-regulating microclimate and uses 50 per cent less energy than most buildings its size. Plus it looks magnificent. If that isn’t enough reason to stay forever, the high-end mall houses a private collection of valuable art works from around the world, including one of the greatest private collections of Salvador Dali’s work outside of Barcelona. Sprinkle in a smattering of Beijing’s best restaurants, high-end shops and a five-star hotel and you have the complete shop-eat-stay package. 9 Dongdaqiao Lu. Open 10am-10pm daily. Subway station: Dongdaqiao.
Skip the Temple of Heaven… head to Ritan Park instead
When you can no longer face the hordes, reprieve awaits at Ritan Park. The home of the Temple of Sun, the altar was originally built in 1530 and used by Ming and Qing emperors to offer sacrifices to the sun gods. While you can expect to see similar, albeit less impressive, altars to those at the Temple of Heaven, Ritan Park carries its own. Its relative anonymity makes it one of Beijing’s most peaceful parks, with beautiful pavilions overlooking the lake. It’s one of the best places to catch old folk practising tai chi, dancing or playing mahjong without hordes of tourists flooding the place like the Temple of Heaven will – and it won’t cost you a penny to enter. 6 Ritan Bei Lu. Open 6am-10pm daily (peak season). Subway station: Yonganli.
Skip Wangfujing Snack Street… head to Huguosi Snack Street instead
You won’t find any insects down at Huguosi Jie; old Beijing snacks are the main flavour here. Once the home of Huguo Temple, Huguosi Jie was well known for its monthly temple fair, and its temple fair snacks. Although the temple has gone, the tasty morsels remain. The best known restaurant on the street, Huguosi Xiaochidian (护国寺小吃店) has more than 80 varieties of Beijing delights. Grab a tray and take your pick from the sweet and savoury (often dough- or soy bean-based) offerings. Elsewhere on the street, you’ll find slender pan-fried Dalian huoshao dumplings and crispy pan-fried donkey burgers. Huguosi Jie. Subway station: Pinganli.
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