My husband is going to Beijing on a business trip and has one and a half days to do some sightseeing. He has never been to China before and doesn't speak a work of Madarin or Cantonese.

Any ideas of which places he shouldn't miss?

Any suggestions appreciated

Rather than the Forbidden City or Summer Palace which are huge and will take a whole day each, I can suggest the Lama Temple which is smaller and less crowded, lovely and has the largest sandalwood Buddha in the world (all carved from one piece).

He will also then have time to walk around Tiennanmen Sq and visit the street market in Dazlhan (sp?). Steer clear of Silk Street. Depending on the day he is there, he could visit Chairman Mao lying in state which is strange and extraordinary.

Have a look at my site for some restaurant recommendations as well. With just one night, I think the Red Capital Club gives him the most unique experience.

http://www.mcdougalladventures.com/category/china

Regarding language, I suggest he learns to say Hello, Please and Thank you in mandarin. He can carry a little card which his hotel can provide which has the names of the attractions printed in Mandarin to give to taxi drivers. I don't think Cantonese is widely spoken in Beijing, if at all?

With a day and a half in Beijing, I'd devote a half day to seeing the Great Wall. The closest point to Beijing, Badaling, shouldn't be too crowded in winter. I would also spend several hours wandering around the Forbidden City. No need to spend the whole day. The Lama Temple is certainly interesting, as are the hutongs which are rapidly disappearing.

We thought visiting Mao's mausoleum was extremely interesting, and it's on Tienammen Square very close to the Forbidden City. If there are short lines I would recommend that. Don't skip the Forbidden City--there are headphones that walk you around. It's a must-see. No Chinese is not a problem--the government has mandated that everyone learn English for the upcoming Olympics!

Thanks everyone!

Going to put together a list of things for him.

I am so jealous I can't go along too. It's one country I'd love to visit.

"No Chinese is not a problem--the government has mandated that everyone learn English for the upcoming Olympics!"

I hope that was written with tongue firmly planted in cheek, travelscripts!

Just in case it wasn't ... annav, tell your husband that the extent of a Beijing cabbie's (or almost anyone's) English is "hello", "OK" and "bye-bye". Very few Beijingers speak English and this won't have changed appreciably by 2008, whatever the government says.

This isn't a great obstacle to enjoying the city, though. Many signs are written in Roman letters (pinyin) as well as Chinese characters, and you don't need to speak Mandarin to buy entry tickets, pay a cabdriver etc. Beijing cabbies are excellent and fares are very cheap - just get the hotel staff to write your destination in Chinese to show the driver.

If you run a search on this forum you'll find a lot of helpful info about Beijing.

I'd suggest taxi to Tienanmen Square first, which is basically a large public ground, then cross the street (use underground passes) to the Forbidden city. Admission price to FC is only US $5, and one can easily walk thru in 1-2 hr depending on how much you stop and read everything. But FC is a must-see sight to me.

The mausoleum isn't that impressive for me (You basically walk straight through a display hall for Mao's body lying on a table preserved under glass). It's certainly not worth waiting in long lines for unless you're a real fan of Mao. (It opens only during certain hrs and lots of patriotic Chinese Nationals do stand in line for this).

If you start early to do TS, FC, you may even be able to see Temple of Heaven all in one long morning. That still leaves you a day left for other things.

I can't imagine going to Beijing without seeing the Great Wall and the Forbidden City!

Great Wall - We passed on Badaling and went about 20 minutes further to Mutianyu - less crowded. We hired a private taxi from our hotel. Just make sure to insist that he does NOT want to stop at any cloisonee, etc. factories.

FC - We just used written guides I brought with me and read the various placards throughout the city. DIdn't get the headsets. You can go as quickly or as slowly as you want. Don't forget to stop by Starbucks - in the back on the right, before you go into the garden area.

Tiannanmen Sq. - We didn't spend much time here, just enough to look around and explain to our kids (ages 11, 12) the importance. We skipped Mao's tomb.

If time permits - the Temple of Heaven was lovely.

I second the idea of dinner at the Red Capital Club. THat was our favorite dinner. Word of caution - the place is dark and the menu is difficult to read. The dishes have funny names - not stuff you'd recognize - like "Chairman Mao's Favorite Pork." Each dish has a detailed paragraph describing what it is and it's significance. The writing is small. So - if you need reading glasses - make sure you take them! We went through most of a bottle of wine just trying to pick out dishes for everyone! ALso, ask one of the staff to show you the wine cellar.....it's actually the old bomb shelter. My boys had a blast opening the metal "door" in the floor of the patio and going down the steep stairs.