And that website is ridiculous anyway! There is one restaurant mentioned in Shanghai and it is a Brazilian steak house!

Please........

Gaobidan is a district on the eastern outskirts of Beijing just off the highway to the airport. The drive from central Beijing takes about 30 minutes. On both sides of the railroad tracks cutting through the area are streets and lanes jammed with furniture workshops and showrooms. Many of the shops sell smaller items as well, from lacquered boxes to embroidered shoes, paintings and textiles.

The most famous outlet in the area is Lu Ban, where my friend had purchased furnishings for her new house in the city. After driving around for a few minutes, looking in vain for Lu Ban, we decided to visit Lily's Antiques, a large complex of hangar-like rooms stuffed with furniture (mostly reproduction), ancestor paintings (old), pottery, bronzes, and all kinds of odds and ends. If it were not for the restrictions about baggage, and the exhorbitant price of shipping, this and the other nearby showrooms would constitute a shopper's paradise.

We spent about an hour or so wandering through the rooms at Lily's. At last I settled on two contemporary paintings that cost, after some good-natured bargaining, a total of 400 RMB. I am very happy with the way the pair looks in my house,, so no buyer's remorse here!

Next door to Lily's a small shop sells hand-made shoes with both cloth and leather soles in very cool styles for men and women, along with an array of textiles and embroidery from various regions of China.

If you plan to visit Gaobeidan, hire a taxi and have the driver wait for you , as it might be problematic finding one for the drive back. (The shop staff might be able to phone for one; check this before you let your driver go).

On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a row of carpet and antique shops near the San Li Tun area; one of these, filled with Tibetan and NW Chinese carpets and artifacts, is:

Zhang Yong Zhi
tel: 646-31669 (shop)

The shop is located on a lane off San Yuan Dong Qiao; have the taxi driver call from his mobile (I did this often during my stay in China) for exact directions as there is a lot of construction and demolition in the area, as throughout the city.

After returning to the hotel and swimming in the wonderful indoor pool, I was ready to venture out for dinner at the Night Markets off Wanfujing Dajie.

ekscrunchy: WELCOME BACK! It's good to have you back!

What a wonderful way to give back to this forum! It's great to read your report and to know that you had a good time in Korea and China! Enjoying every minute along with you!

Napolean wrasse: it's a coral reef fish and is an endangered species because it is a large fish and breeds very slowly. You'll find a number of articles on this fish online, including one on nakedscientists.

DTF (Din Tai Fung) - so they have spread to Korea now. Glad you had a good experience with this chain restaurant in Seoul. Mine was less than stellar in Los Angeles (posted a report at SF GTG 5/23 on the US board).

Keep going! Can't wait for your next segment! ><

I'm enjoying your report very much. Can't wait till you get to Shanghai. I'll be there for a month this summer and would appreciate any and all recommendations. Thanks in advance!

Really enjoying your report. My family and I will be in Beijing in mid-May and also staying at the Peninsula. Glad to hear feedback about the hotel and really appreciate your recommendation of Beijing Dadong Kaoya Dian for Peking duck dinner...hope to check it out!

Since I had eaten a huge dim sum lunch at Summer Palace earlier in the day, I was not hungry at dinnertime on Wednesday night. I had wanted to try the Muslim lamb hotpot but when I peeked into the the restaurant recommended by the Peninsula concierge (walk out of Peninsula, west to Wanfujing, turn right; restaurant is across from the Catholic church, which looks beautiful lit at night) I could see that this was not the right place for a single diner with a feeble appetite. Next time, hotpot will be on my list; the place was crowded with what appeared to be locals and it looked interesting.

So I backtracked a block or so to one of the two Night Markets in the area, which stretches west a couple of blocks from the Wanfujing intersection. This place is one great photo opportunity! The tightly packed line of stalls, lit by scarlet lanterns and strung with red banners, offers everything from the truly unusual (to me) starfish, centipede, cricket, and stomach of pig, to the delightful, such as frozen strawberries and pineapple encased in sugar syrup, grilled skewered seafood and meats, stir-fried noodles, and many varieties of boiled and fried dumplings. Most of the patrons were locals, with a good sprinkling of tourists in the mix. Some vendors speak enough English to explain what they are offering.

I have to admit I was a bit leery at first, (wondering if one bite would put me out of commission for 3 days...) but the return of my appetite overruled this fear and I sampled a plate of fried vegetable-stuffed dumplings. The prices here seem to run from about 5 to 15 RMB if I am remembering correctly. So you can stuff yourself for the equivalent of a few dollars. Sadly, around the fringes of the market hover people who obviously cannot afford to buy anything and wait to dive into the trash cans in search of diners cast-offs. (I saw very few beggars in China; most of the ones I did see were in the vicinity of Wanfujing and quite a few were minority-looking men with children.)

My verdict on the dumplings I sampled: They were filling and cheap but not nearly as good as others I tried in more established eating spots. A local guide or friend would come in handy in guiding a visitor to the best eats here.

After wandering around a bit more and taking far too many photos, I headed back to the hotel and turned in early, in preparation for tomorrow's outing to the Great Wall at Mutianyu with Guide Kong Lin.

more soon.....

I forgot to add that, after returning from the Night Market, I had a massage in my room at The Penunsula. I had booked this the day before and it was a wonderful experience to have Anita bring the massage table and all of the fixings to my room and to shower and tumble into bed afterwards. There is no extra charge for coming to the room and I recommend it highly. I believe the cost was about 50 USD for 60 minutes. (Half of what Le Royal Meridien charges in Shanghai; many hotel services (including internet use for e-mail) were much less expensive in Beijing than in my Shanghai hotel).

During our phone call the day before, Kong Lin and I agreed that he would pick me up early the next morning for the trip to Mutianyu. I was to have 10 hours with Kong Lin and the driver, so I wanted to get an early start. I recommend leaving the hotel no later than 8am in order to arrive at the Wall before the hordes of other tourists. (Next time I would depart at 7am.)

Kong Lin met me in the Penunsula lobby at the appointed time. He is a very personable young man who I had learned about from this website. I was very pleased with his services; he was easy to be with and had a good sense of humor. The driver chosen by Kong Lin spoke almost no English but he was very congenial and, most important, was willing to take it rather slowly on the highway, as per my request.

There is a new road to Mutianyu which Kong Lin was familiar with, and the drive took us about 90 minutes more or less.

The Mutianyu Wall is reached either by a long hike or by a chair lift reached by walking through the gauntlet of souvenir stands that stretches from the parking lot up the hill to the entrance gate. Before I had time to think, Kong Lin had purchased the tickets, steered me through the gate, and deposited me by his side in the chair lift. The ride up to the Wall itself takes about 5 minutes as you glide over gullies and hills to the top. I was scared out of my wits! I shut my eyes and jabbered on and on to allay my fear of dangling high above the hilly ground on a slatted seat. I have no real fear of heights but all I kept thinking was "I hope they maintain these things...!"
Looking back, there is nothing to fear and I would do it again. There is always the option to walk up so allow time if you really cannot abide the chair lift.

Any shaking and shivering from fear quickly diminished as we arrived at the top and gazed around at the view of this amazing structure stretching off to the horizon in both directions. There were very few tourists around and that heightened the spectacle. Truly incredible to think of all of the energy and all of the labor involved in building and maintaining this barrier that stretches for so many thousands of kilometers.

Kong Lin and I spent about an hour on the top; he guided me to the left towards what he thought was the best vantage point. We climbed one of the watchtowers and I took scads of photos; this was the cloudiest day I had in Beijing but that did not take away much from the experience of being there. Again, make sure to get there early!

The descent can be made by walking, by chair lift (not again for me on this day) or by a toboggan which sounds scary but is anything but. In fact, I was so frightened of going too fast that I neglected to push the speed control and, as a result, I kept getting stuck along the slide. I am sure the worker who came to my rescue with a good push (several times) was muttering under his breath! It was really quite funny and I was laughing and laughing during the stop-and-start descent. (You need to release the brake hard at the beginning in order to gain sufficient momentum; even at top speed it is not very fast!)

When we or rather, I, finally made it to the bottom Kong Lin was waiting for me and we strolled along to the parking lot after pausing for me to buy a Great Wall t-shirt for my at-home partner.
Along with lots of tourist detritus, there is a good selection of dried nuts and fruits for sale as well as snacks and drinks.

By now it was lunch time. At Kong Lin's direction, we bypassed the string of eateries on the road leading to the Wall and drove about 20 minutes to the district of Huai Rou where, at a major intersection but indicated by no English signage, we found one of Kong Lin's (and now my own) favorite Beijing eateries, The Family Reunion Restaurant.

This is a great place! Packed with locals, this casual restaurant specializes in dumplings and feast we did, on fried dumplings, steamed dumplings, dumplings fused together and browned in one sheet..stuffed with combinations of leeks, meshrooms, pork and assorted other fillings. All of this, along with a delicious order of stir-fried pork (the menu has English translations but I like to walk around and check the plates on other nearby tables, which I did here before ordering the pork) cost a total of 120 RMB, less than 20 USD. An excellent lunch! Note: Toilets upstairs are very clean Chinese style; take paper with you when you go.

The Family Reunion Restaurant
Huai Rou district (near Mutianyu Wall)

After lunch my outing with Kong Lin continued as we returned to Beijing and headed for our next stop, the Lama Temple.

more soon......

Here is Kong Lin's e-mail:

[email protected]

His cell phone number is:

131-46901596

He continues to work on his ever-improving English.

Re Beijing night market food - I don't like dumplings, so haven't eaten them there, but can recommend fried things on sticks (especially shrimp and mushrooms). Further south on the west side there's a cul-de-sac with much more interesting looking food, at least in day time.

Ekscrunchy, I am enjoying reading your excellent report as I shared many of your experiences ( Peninsula & Le Meridian hotels, many of the sights you visited, etc). I don't quite have the energy to write an extensive report as you are, but I will continue enjoying yours.

Thanks, Paul. Your tip for the Meridien led me to one of the best hotels I've stayed at in a long time!

Yes, there is the other night market further south. I checked that out, too. At that one there are also sit-down restaurants with tables indoors and out. So much food, so little time!

hi EK:

Thank you for describing your experience with Kong Lin.
I wrote about him in another thread and also received some e-mails from other folks needing a reliable BJ guide.

We also had very good service with JadeLeo in Guilin.

I don't care at all if some posters feel we are advertising for Kong Lin..many people are seeking unbiased information for good guides in China, and I feel we who have recently traveled there should share this information. Great report...I'm not ging to write an extensive one but may just write something quick and simple. Pix came back yesterday, loaded the CD today..great. The shots at the Ruijin came out very good....
hello from Roz
Stu

EK: Sounds like you had loads of fun sightseeing, eating and shopping, and thanks for all the details, I like your style. So nice you and tower gtg'd in Shanghai, I'm patiently waiting for you to continue.

BTW, some of us xiao long bao addicted Fodorites are going to gtg in SF on 5/23 at Shanghai House, probably can't compare to Jia Jia Tang Bao!

Shanghainese:

And you were one of those who helped me so patiently with my barrage of questions (most about food!!)! I bet the xlb's you will have at the GTG will be a lot better than the ones we have here in NYC!!! I wish I could join you! DTF has a branch in LA, I think..none in Bay area?

I will get to Shanghai very soon so stay tuned!

Thank you, EK. No DTF in SF yet, easytraveler went to the one in LA last week (non shanghainese owner) and gave the xiao long bao a "C". I liked the XLB in NYC at Tang Pavilion on West 55th Ave, at least the owners are shanghainese.

Do let us know when you plan to visit SF, we'll do XLB!

Stu - will you be writing a trip report? I am so anxious to hear all about your trip, as you had such awesome comments on ours last summer. Travelgirl

ekscrunchy - I'm so enjoying this report. Can't wait for more!

Ekscrunchy, we are really enjoying these reports. They are fantastic and very detail oriented.

Keep em coming!!

Shanghainese: Tang Pavillion in New York is a few blocks from my house so I will check it out. There are 2 I know of in Chinatown that are decent: New Green Bo and Yeah Shanghai. But, oh those xlb at DTF (and at Jia Jia Tang Bao, which will come in the section on Shanghai, where I also visit DTF) One of these days I will get out to Bay Area and chow down over a few baskets with you!!

After our visit to the Wall, I had several hours remaining with Kong Lin. The Lama Temple, Yonghe Gong, was our next stop en route to the center of Beijing. This Tibetan Buddhist Temple built in the 17th Century is a must-see, in my opinion. Nearing the entrance, we passed streets jammed with small shops overflowing with incense, Buddha images, and all manner of accoutrements used by the faithful. The shops alone would be worth a visit for the atmosphere and great photo opportunities!

The Temple is a collection of courtyards dotted with tremendous bronze incense burners and prayer wheels that lead to various halls housing buddha images. Monks in their saffron colored robes add to the atmosphere and the place was thronged with worshippers bowing and lighting insence. It seemed less of a tourist attraction than an actual place of worship (of course it is both) and for this reason the experience was very moving to me in a way that I did not expect.

Of course I could not resist doing a little shopping; stalls similar to those on the surrounding streets also pack inside the Temple and at one of these and after some good-natured bargaining I bought a handsome bronze fish for about 100 RMB that is now resting out of water but in my bathroom on the window ledge. Kong Lin told me it would bring good fortune and MONEY!!

After about an hour and a half, we were back in the car for the drive to the Back Lakes and our visit to the hutong there.

I had read an article while in Beijing that listed the favorite hutongs of the author, a resident of the city, and I wanted to visit one of the less touristed ones (if I find this article I will post the names of these other hutongs here but some are in danger of being torn down in the modernization frenzy that is accelerating with the advent of the Olympics). But Kong Lin advised a visit to the Back Lakes hutong district, where we would engage the services of:

www.hutongtour.com.cn

For a price that I think was 150 RMB, we would be driven through the hutong in a pedicab and allowed entry into one of the courtyard homes in the hutong where we would peek into the rooms and chat with the occupants over tea. The Peninsula was offering a hutong tour, which included transfers, for about $30 USD which was not only far too much money but would mean walking around with a large group at an appointed time and this was not for me. It turned out that they used the services of this same company which must have a monopoly on this particular hutong!

So Kong Lin and I piled into the pedicab and took off on our tour, beginning with a circle of Qian Hai Lake; I kept an eye out for the Hakka restaurant that I planned to dine one night, hoping that I would be able to return and find it with no trouble. The ride around the Lake was beautiful. Men were swimming in the (what I imagine to be frigid) water and people were playing games and riding bikes. this is a lovely area of the city and feels far removed from the bustle and traffic of the center. The driver was pedaling furiously the entire time, so I made sure to tip him at the end, at Kong LIn's suggestion.



After the drive around the Qian Hai Lake we rode deep into the adjacent hutong. It was a delight to see the old houses and even if this area has been cleaned up somewhat for tourists it was very atmospheric.

We were ushered into one house and given a brief overview of the place and its elderly occupants who included the uncle of the on-site guide,
Ling Ling, or Jasmine as she is called, who pointed out the rooms surrounding the courtyard; some were "show rooms" decorated with antiques from the last two centuries, two were lived in today by the family, and one or two were set up to house tourists. So if you have any interest in renting a room here for a couple of nights (they looked tidy and clean and it would be quite an experience) you can contact Ling Ling at:

[email protected]

A hutong visit is another must for a visitor to the city. After about an hour and a half, it was time to drive to the Da Zhalan area south of Tianamen Square for a fitting of my black silk blouse with colored silk frog closures! It was really handy here having the services of a car and driver and the company of Kong Lin who could expound on things we saw and make a valiant attempt to answer my incessant questions about life in Beijing.

Did you visit the Qing Tombs, Ekscrunchy, or am I jumping ahead?

How does Kong Lin price his services? Is it by the hour, by the day/trip, on retainer, etc.? How far in advance did you make a reservation with him?

Bob