Visiting Beijing Soon

Hello all,

I’m interested in finding out what some must see sight are in BJ for art & design. I’m interested in finding great places to find inspiration and shoot photography. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I depart this Sunday, so any list would be great. Thanks in advance!

The Forbidden City is definitely a must-see. You should also check out their street markets–they have so much stuff that you can’t possibly see even a half of it in one day. Just beware of spitting people though! The CCTV tower too, perhaps? The Sheraton Great Wall has an amazing interior and excellent service. Definitely check out all of the different structures by Hertzog and de Meuron.

Oddly enough, the place that struck me the most while I was in Beijing was this particular neighborhood that was covered in foliage and extended into the glass walls of a convenience store. I don’t know why but that’s what I would love to see again if I ever go to Beijing again haha. I guess point being, is that sometimes its not in those well-known places that you can find inspiration or something that struck a chord within you. Get lost in the city. My mom and I did (albeit because of our airheadedness), and I must say, it is one of the most memorable days of my life.

Also, you absolutely have to have hainan chicken. It’s usually found in rustic restaurants but may be served in the “finer” restaurants today.

@Stesani - Thanks so much for this! Will keep this in mind. I love street markets. Can’t wait to see what I’ll find.

No problem! My dad worked there for 1.5 years and is actually going to Beijing next week too so I asked him for some more places:

  • Temple of Heaven,
  • Temple of Moon,
  • Summer Palace,
  • Mao Zedong’s Tomb (probably more for the cultural aspect of the place than anything else, my dad says this is a must lol)
  • And if you can go out of Beijing, the thousand rivers.

Oh, another thing that I really enjoyed were their trains that went out to the province. Though these tend to be the less cared for trains, you really see the real Chinese in these train cabs.

Thank you all. I’ve visited some of the places mentioned above! It’s been amazing so far!