Beijing Features

Beijing Features

• Top Reasons to Go to Beijing
  

  The Forbidden City has been home to a long line of emperors, beginning with Yongle, in 1420, and ending with Puyi (made famous by Bernardo Bertolucci's... read more

• Beijing Today
  

  The air is dirty, the traffic is horrendous, and almost nobody speaks more than a word or two of English—so what makes Beijing one of the... read more

• Museums & Monuments
  

  With its historic sites as the major attractions, Beijing has a variety of museums and monuments that often get overlooked. Our favorites, listed... read more

• Getting Outside: Parks & Lakes
  

  Thanks to Beijing's former imperial families, who had a proclivity for lush green playgrounds, the Chinese capital is dotted with beautiful parks... read more

• Discover the Hutong
  

  Beijing's hutong areas are ancient, twisting alley neighborhoods that simply beg to be explored—whether on foot, by bicycle, or by pedicab... read more

• Beijing Then & Now
  

  Since the birth of Chinese civilization, different towns of varying size and import have stood at or near the site where Beijing is now. For... read more

• 2008: Olympic Change
  

  The 2008 Summer Olympics changed the face of Beijing: just about everywhere you look you'll find signs of the feverish development boom that... read more

• Beijing With Kids
  

  Military Museum. A toy soldier-lover's dream come true—endless collections of AK-47s, captured tanks, missile launchers, and other war... read more

• Free (or Almost Free)
  

  While Beijing isn't as inexpensive as it once was, it's still a fabulous bargain compared to travel in Europe, North America, and more developed... read more

• Fast Food: Beijing's Best Street Snacks
  

  Part of the fun of exploring Beijing's lively hutongs is the chance to munch on the city's traditional snacks, served up by itinerant food sellers... read more

• Fringe Art: The Dashanzi 798 Art District
  

  If you are keen to see what the city's art scene has to offer beyond calligraphy, the Dashanzi 798 Art District boasts a thriving contemporary... read more

• Legendary Eats in the Xiaoyou Hutong
  

  A dozen well-known restaurants, some dating back more than a century and threatened by the urban renewal of the old Qianmen business district... read more

• Kid-Friendly Hotels in Beijing
  

  Many Beijing hotels have special programs and facilities that appeal to children. Holiday Inn Lido, in the Chaoyang District, has an ice-cream... read more

• The Art of Beijing Opera
  

  For hundreds of years, Beijing opera troupes have delighted audiences—from members of the royal court to marketplace crowds at makeshift... read more

• You Can Judge a Pearl by Its Luster
  

  All the baubles of Beijing could be strung together and wrapped around the earth 10 times over—or so it seems with Beijing's abundance... read more

• 7 Nights in Beijing: The Best in Culture, Cocktails & Clubs
  

  Beijing's blossoming nightlife means there's something new every night of the week.... read more