mandg

Our org tour will take us to all the main tourist sites + hutongs etc. Any other things not mentioned in guide books? eg particular art gallery/natural medicine/hospital/government-law buildings etc? Any places close by to day trip by train?
Tks - G

Bchen

Head to the Da Shan Zi neighborhood for the 798 Galleries. (Interesting contemporary art in old factories), or Red Gate Gallery in the dongbianmen watch tower.
Check www.chinesecultureclub.org for various events and lectures on TCM (traditional Chinese Medicine), trips to Peking Man site or tai chi classes. Consider a getaway to Pingyao.

Or return to some popular sites and enjoy the as locals do.... flying kites in the parks surrounding Temple of heaven (particularly early am), fishing on the lakes in hou hai, or grab a sketchbook or camera and just record your observations of the city from any park bench.

cwn

Bchen, your suggestion about the Temple of Heaven in the early am is great! You gave me the same one last Nov. We went with our guide at 7am and had a ball.

Is was great to watch the people dancing and exercising to their own music even! The best part was a man working his top. He put on a great show for us and then tried to teach my husband how to do it.

A little later my husbad wanted to see how heavy a sword was that several women were using in their work out. Our student guide ask if he could. The lady agreed and not only let him handle it, but spent the next 30 minutes teaching him several moves with the sword. The other ladies tried not to laugh (it was pretty funny to watch), but we were laughing at each other so everyone joined in. The people were wonderful and through our guide asked a few questions, a great experience, thanks to you.

Another big plus was we had the temple almost to ourselves. Except for a TV crew, a small group of children in traditional Tibetan costumes and their parents, no one was there yet. The kids were shy but all smiles looking at us around their parents. One girl ask to talk to us. She waned to try her little bit of English.

I can not say enough about doing things early before the tour groups arrive. It is a whole different view of beiging!

Spygirl

ah, but one must love to be the early riser in order to take advantage of such things-it just won't do for night owls!

cwn

Well, normally that would be to early for us too! But we were up before the chickens because our clocks hadn't reset yet! It was worth it though.

gard

Hi

My wife and I went to Cbina in March a couple of years back. I have posted a trip report with some pictures from our stay in Beijing on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com Maybe you can find some useful information there

Regards
Gard
Stavanger, Norway

mandg

Dr Bchen & ors: Thanks heaps re pointrs. I saw in '98 Read.Digest photo of group doing danc with swords but didn't say where. I've been o/ ridden on Pingyao but with yr suggstns will have plenty to see. Just bought a camera y/day after many yrs of reluctance (don't know why). Suggstn re capture of impressns ...Yes. Now I must buy a hand-held recorder as can't draw a stick person. Will report on return after April.
All the best - G