I Spent 3 Days in Beijing 🇨🇳

Beijing is a city where history still feels alive, from the scale of the Forbidden City, to the watchtowers of the Great Wall, to the rituals around the table like Peking Duck and Copper Hot Pot. It's where traditions live on and thrive. We started our journey in Beijing at the high-speed rail station and we checked into the Hilton Wangfuji. We got upgraded and the room was huge and the best part was that it was connected to one of Beijing's largest malls where we stopped by for some lunch. We were craving noodles and here the noodles come in sets where you order the base and toppings and they make it all right in front of you. Their signature dish is a braised pork noodle and you smother the pork into the broth which melts the fat and brings the meat, noodles, and broth all together. I loved how springy the noodles were and the meat is so tender it just falls apart in your mouth. We also got the shrimp noodles which is served with bamboo shoots and river shrimp which are so light and delicate. We saw a ton of tables order these crawfish noodles so we had to as well. The crawfish tastes like mini lobsters and we also got it with these garlic noodles which came together so nicely in the sauce. We also got this fried pork chop that had this incredible crunch and we finished off by getting a strawberry lemon tea that was super refreshing. After lunch we headed over to the summer palace which is where emperors and empresses escaped summer heat. It's like the ultimate Chinese imperial garden with its own lake, hills, temples, and bridges. We started from the backside and hiked our way up and then down to the lake and you get to soak in all the incredible Chinese architecture and views. One of the most interesting parts was the long corridor which is covered in thousands of colorful paintings showing scenes from Chinese legends, landscapes, and historical stories. Even though it's really hot there's a ton of shade to stay cool and you definitely see why it was a royal retreat. Afterwards we headed back for dinner at the Hilton Chinese restaurant with family and it was time to rest up for day two. We started our day taking the free bus for two hours from Beijing to the Great Wall which is both a military defense system and a symbol of all the effort to protect the Chinese civilization. We explored the Ba Da Ling section of the wall which consists of a series of guard towers and it's the first major section of the wall open to the public. We went on a Monday and the wall was packed with people and it does get a bit steep but once you go up you get these sweeping views of the surrounding area. Around tower 8 it got way too busy with people so we opted to take the cable car down. We got a last view at the wall with it snaking across the hills behind us rising and falling with the terrain. As with many tourist attractions in China there's a pretty decent food court on the bottom and when we saw these freshly made jianbings we had to get some to order. They brush the sweet soy sauce and the pancake itself was super flaky. They wrapped this mini sausage inside that was a bit gritty but we ended up also getting the Taiwanese sausage that was super juicy and packed with flavor. We also got the flatbread stuffed with pork that was pretty dry and we also finished off with some fresh cut watermelon. As we're heading out we also couldn't resist these Tanghulu strawberry skewers and we had to get some before we head back to the city. After we got back we hung out in the Dongchun neighborhood which is the heart of old Beijing. We were checking out the narrow hutongs and to escape the heat we accidentally stumbled upon one of our favorite cafes on the trip. They had a ton of interesting drinks like the sour papaya with a tropical sweetness and a fizzy finish. The acidity and richness really came together in the papaya cream soda and we walked the rest of the way to Beihai Park. Once part of the imperial palace Beihai Park is now fully accessible to the public. The park is built around a large lake with an island in the middle and the idea is to create a miniature world where nature and architecture felt perfectly balanced. Next we checked out one of Beijing's most famous hutong streets and did a mini food crawl. It's packed with a ton of shops and we started with some Beijing yogurt. The yogurt itself has a texture like flan and it's super creamy. You get a slight tang and of course it's not too sweet. A lot of the cities on the street gave that old city feel and it was really fun to just walk around. This chocolate store was so unique and had this full-scale recreation of the forbidden city and if you bought enough chocolate they also gifted you a capybara so of course we had to cop. Another famous Beijing street food is Adorno meat bun. The name is from how it looks but it has a really savory juicy meaty inside. One of the scariest Beijing street foods we tried was a fermented mung bean. This spot made it into ice cream to make it a bit more palatable and you get this kick of sour fermented taste with a lot of funk. We preferred the much more mild peanut ice cream and after looking through a few more shops it was time to head to dinner. Our friends in China recommended this traditional Beijing hotpot spot so we had to go and check it out. They use a copper pot with a chimney in the middle so the broth is kept hot and at the perfect temperature for fresh lamb. The meat is super tender and because the broth is clear water you get a super clean lamb flavor. The sauces are also really simple with sesame and garlic and overall it was a lot wider than the traditional hotpot with loads of chili and oil. We finished off with some veggies and we also tried out these lamb skewers which are super charred and crispy on the outside and the meat was tender and juicy. We were super full and we finished off with these sesame flatbreads and we walked off a bunch of our dinner afterwards in After a short walk we stumbled upon one of our favorite tea shops, Maoi Tea, so we had to go and check it out. They had a ton of new drinks on the menu they don't have in the US like this pink guava one and it was so refreshing. We started our day waiting almost two hours in the searing Beijing heat to check out Tiananmen Square, the symbolic center of modern China. Historically it was where Chairman Mao proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China and it was surreal to walk through the gate and enter into the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City is the largest palace in the world and the center of imperial China. There are over 9,999 rooms and you walk through a series of gates that define the center axis of Beijing and represent a series of public and political checkpoints. The further you walk the more powerful and private the space becomes from the public face of the empire to the hidden residence of the empire himself. After all the walking it was so hot we had to get these matcha and mango popsicles to help cool off. My favorite part was seeing the treasure gallery with all these incredibly intricate artifacts including this bok choy that was made out of jade. It was so hard to imagine the level of craftsmanship in each of these artifacts and just around the corner were these ancient drums that were some of the earliest recorded signs of Chinese writing. There is so much more to explore in the palace but we were feeling tired so we headed out the north gate to Jing Shan Park. The park itself is right outside the Forbidden City and you walk up a hill that gets you to some of the best views in Beijing. When you look south you see the central axis aligning the whole city and you can see the beautiful and detailed architecture on top. It was getting pretty hot but luckily the trees provided some shade and soon it was time to head out to one of the meals I've been most excited for which is Si Ji Ming Fu is one of the most popular Peking duck spots in Beijing so we had to go and check it out. They use some of the highest quality duck here with techniques like air drying and roasting in their own special ovens to render off the perfect amount of fat and get the insanely crispy skin. They do a set menu with the duck and it was really nice to try some of the other dishes like this crispy eggplant that was savory and garlicky. I also loved how you get so many different toppings with that jajangmyeon and you get to mix the sauce and vegetables together to create the perfect bite. The noodles themselves were nice and springy and they clung on to all the different sauces and toppings. The crispy shrimp had a nice crunch and was really tender and it was time for the star of the show which was Peking duck. Each duck is roasted fresh with fruit wood and then carved table side right in front of you. There's a ton of technique that goes into carving with each duck being cut into over a hundred pieces while being perfectly uniform and retaining the natural structure of the meat. And doing a table side ensures you get the maximum crispiness of the skin. Each piece of duck has the skin puff up a bit and there's so much work done in the roasting process to give you that extra crunch on top. And of course the best way to have it is wrapping it up in the freshly steamed pancakes with scallions, cucumber, and hoisin sauce. And in each bite you get so many layers of flavors and textures that make it so good. And I really liked how they rendered out a lot of the fat so the meat itself isn't too heavy. After you're done eating the meat they also prepare your duck bones in a fried form. And we're getting so full but still had a few other dishes to go through. The cumin lamb comes on a hot grill and is so tender and packed with spices. And these fried meatballs had a really nice crunch on the outside and were so tender inside. Their chive pancake was also super nostalgic for me and they had a golden crispy bottom. After all the food they have these wechies on the table and we got this blueberry yogurt ice that was so refreshing. I really liked how it wasn't just a duck but every single dish was so good and it's one of our best meals on the trip. And after the food we walked around a few more malls and couldn't resist some of these plushies to bring back for friends. And after resting for a bit we took a DD to the Bird's Nest National Stadium and it was super cool to see what I watched on TV during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The stadium itself is still super active with a ton of games and concerts as well. A lot of the things to see were closed at night but you get to walk a little bit and take a peek inside at some of the setup that's going on. Outside of the stadium is a really nice park area that also has the National Aquatic Center and it was really fun to just walk around. And we finished off the night checking out Hey Tea and they had a ton of China only drinks that we wanted to try. The apple smoothie was really refreshing and we got the kale drink for health as well. On our last day we headed over to Beijing Capital Airport and after checking in of course we had to go get some food. This claypot rice spot really caught our eye so we had to go and check it out. They have these different sets and we got one with half smoked pork and half sausage and the best part was mixing it all together to get that crispy bottom. The cucumber salad it came with had a nice refreshing crunch and it also came with this broth that was super comforting. The shrimp spring rolls didn't have that much filling but we also got the barbecued pork platter which had a ton of meats to try. My favorite here was a roast goose which you don't really get in a lot of Cantonese barbecued meat restaurants in the U.S. And soon after it was time for our flight and we were flying Air China Economy to Tokyo. It was my first time flying Air China since I was a kid and the seats were actually surprisingly spacious. Right after takeoff they served us food and this beef and rice wasn't actually too bad with caramelized onions and tender meat. Overall we had an amazing time experiencing all the different culture, food, and people across the thousands of years of Beijing's history. Tune in next time to see our Japan trip as well.