Beijing's Food

yummy meals in Beijing:

Okay, im so excited now!! Lols. Foods is one of my passionate, beside reading, drawing and knitting. :P there are many various foods in China, you can find any kind of restaurants for the big meal, from Chinese food to Indian food, and you can find snacks. Snacks that I mean isn’t potato chip that you can find at supermarket, but snack like dim sum etc. But because I love eating any kind of snacks, so I will talk about potato chips and friends too here! ;)

Okay, now I’ll talk about the big meal first. In Beijing, like I told you before there are many kinds of restaurant. If you want go to Chinese Restaurant, its very easy! Even there’s one near my school which is very famous, named Hong Deng. They serve many variety of Chinese foods, and all of them are delicious! But in there, you must order Shou Si Ji (it’s a big fried chicken with the spicy and the onion) and also there are many kind of meat that really yummy, like meat ball, beef with enoki etc. The price is depend on what food that you order. It can be 15ish or 20ish, but mostly we spent 15 yuan/person.

          And, also there’s another. Its called ’10 kuai’ is exactly across the Hong Deng. You can find many kind of meal with the big portion for only 10 yuan, so don’t miss it!

Near the Ganjiakou, theres ‘Kao Rou’, which is very famous too! They serve chicken, pork, beef and lamb that you can grilled by yourself! Its very fun, right? ;) the price is around 20-30/portion.

          In front of our school, you can find jiaozi (dumpling) places. There are 2 places. One is bigger than other, if you go to the smaller one they only give you the menu with the hanzi words and theres no pictures on it, but if you go to the bigger restaurant..you will get the dumpling’s menu with the pictures. There are many kinds inside the dumpling. There are meats( like lamb, pork etc) and there are many variety of veggies, and with different taste. Its nice!

          Then, there is one Chinese food restaurant beside the hotel, which is really good too! The restaurant is a bit more expensive than Hong Deng, but the foods re really yummy with the cozy environment. The restaurant called ‘Jiao Miao’. And also, there are 2 pizza place near my school. First, Origus. The place is exactly across our school. The pizza is quite nice, but the snacks like chicken wing and others re really good. You can spent 50 yuan/person there, ALL YOU CAN EAT! :D And the second is Big Pizza. Big Pizza actually isn’t really closed with our school, so you must go by bus first to Fuchengmen. Big Pizza’s Pizza is a bit yummier than Origus. Its also ALL YOU CAN EAT, and you only have to spent 55yuan/person. J

          In Ganjiakou, you can also find many kind of restaurants like Korean restaurant, sushi, but usually when I and my friends went there, we go to ShabuShabu(Hot Pot) or Yoshinoya. ;) I recommend those places because they give the big portion with yummy foods.  And theres also Korean BBQ ALL YOU CAN EAT at near Fuwaixikou Terminal. They served fresh ingredients with the affordable price. 45 yuan/person.

Well, unless you forget. My school is Beijing Language and Culture College (BLCC) that based at Fuchengmen, Fuwaixikou, beside Tian Yi. (The house’s equipment shopping place).

          And, again..you also can try many kinds of restaurants in Xidan and Wang Fu Jing. There are xiao long bao(shanghai’s dish), sushi bar, Japanese restaurants and steak house. So, you can choose by yourself. ;)

          Hmm, if you want to try the yummy food with the luxury places but not with the high price, you must go to The Place and Sanlitun. I really recommend that. In Sanlitun, you can find the biggest pizza ever at Tube Station. They serve small, medium, and super large. Haha. The large price is 138 yuan, and there are many variety of pizzas, like Hawaiian, mushroom lover, meatlover, even pecking duck, and there are 15 other taste. But because I love cheese and mushroom I will pick pizza with the rich cheese and mushroom on it. Lols. And also, there are many delicious appetizer. But my favourite are cheese stick, chicken wings, and French fries with the melted cheese. Umm, yummy!! :D

The drinks re quite expensive. So, watch out!

          Beside Tube Station, theres the famous restaurant name Outback Steak. I don’t need to talk much about this rest, I guess most of you taste it already. I like the steaks, and also the ribs. And the price is around 50-100 yuan depends on what you order.

          In the sanlitun area, there are also many cafes and restaurant, like Thairio. It’s a Japanese Restaurant ALL YOU CAN EAT, that you can order all the foods and the drinks on the menu. There are many kinds of fish, unagi, squid, shrimp, octopus, sushi and many others. And there are also dessert, like Banana Ice Cream Caramel(love it! ), pudding etc, and the drinks are variety of juices and also yoghurt. The price is 238/person, or maybe you can get discount in some others day.

          And there are also Blue Frog. They serve many kind of burgers, steak and ribs with the cozy and romantic ambience. The portion is really big, and the french fries also really nice. ;) You can find Flame also. Flame serve steak, pasta and kind of that. The steak is juicy and tender, so you must try it! And there is Restaurant who serve Italian food with the sexy waiters. But don’t ask about the price, it can be so expensive guys! :P

          Out the sanlitun mall area, you can find many cafes and bars, and there are also Indian, Mexican, Indonesian food there. They all  have the unique and cozy ambience and serve delicious foods, and the price is around 60-80 yuan/person.

          Talk about Beijing, you must know that Peking Duck is the most famous dish in Beijing. Yes, that’s right. But you must know that many of restaurants that sell Peking Duck and you won’t know which restaurant that serve the most delicious peking duck in Beijing. So, I give you the list, so you can try and decide by yourself which restaurant that serve the most yummy peking duck ever! :P

1.      Quanjude(全聚德烤鸭店)

Specialties: Mustard duck web, boiled duck liver, seasoned duck gizzard, hot and spicy shredded duck wing, crystal duck delicacy, quick-fried duck heart, dry-fried four delicacies

Whole duck price: 288 yuan (includes condiments)

Official Website: www.quanjude.com.cn

Founded in 1864 during the reign of Emperor Tongzhi during the Qing Dynasty, Quanjude is the most well-established Peking roast duck restaurant brand in China. It has now gained worldwide recognition for its gourmet roast duck, as well as its unique all-duck banquet and more than 400 special dishes. Quanjude has been visited by government leaders and officials from nearly 200 countries and regions. The name Quanjude means "perfection, union and benevolence". Founder Yang Quanren invented the hung-oven duck roasting method. In such a culinary technique, ducks are roasted inside an open oven with non-smoky fruitwood fuel, such as Chinese date or pear trees, to create a fruit fragrance.

Flagship Restaurant and Major Branches:

1. Quanjude Qianmen Restaurant (Flagship Restaurant)

Address: 32 Qianmen Street, Chongwen District

Telephone: +86-10-65112418

Getting there: Subway Line 2 to Qianmen Station, or Buses 5, 17, 20, 22, 66, 120, 126, 690 or 692 to Qianmen

2. Quanjude Hepingmen Roast Duck Restaurant

Address: 14, Qianmen West Street, Xuanwu District

Telephone: +86-10-63023062

Getting there: Subway Line 2 to Hepingmen Station, or Buses Te 4, 67 or 301 to Hepingmen Dong

3 Quanjude Wangfujing Roast Duck Restaurant

Address: 9, Shuaifuyuan Hutong, Wangfujing Street, Dongcheng District

Telephone: +86-10-65253310

Getting there: Subway Line 1 to Wangfujing Station, or Bus 420, 803 to Xindongan Shichang

4. Quanjude Olympic Village Roast Duck Restaurant

Address: Floors1-3, Bldg A, Tianchuang Shiyuan Building,
309 Huizhong Beili, Chaoyang District

Telephone: +86-10-64801686

Getting there: Subway Line 5 to Datun East Road Station, or
Buses 466, 630 or 653 to Huizhong Beili

5. Quanjude Qinghuayuan Roast Duck Restaurant

Address: F/1, Tower A, Technology Building, Tsinghua Science Park,
1 Zhongguancun East Road, Haidian District

Telephone: +86-10-82150018

Getting there: Subway Line 13 to Wudaokou Station, or Buses
307, 319, 331, 355, 375, 438, 562, 656 or 963 to Qinghuayuan

6. Quanjude Sanyuanqiao Roast Duck Restaurant

Address: F/1, Jinxin Building, A2 East 3rd Ring Road (N), Chaoyang District

Telephone: +86-10-84492760

Getting there: Subway Line 10 to Liangmaqiao Station, or Buses
300, 302, 419, 718, 730, 825 or 957 to Sanyuanqiao

2.      Bianyifang (便宜坊烤鸭店)

Specialties: Closed-oven roast duck, mustard duck web, salted duck liver, duck heart cooked in wine, and dry-fried four delicacies

Whole duck price: 188 yuan (includes condiments)

Official Website: www.bianyifang.com

Originally founded in 1416 during the Ming Dynasty, Bianyifang is the oldest Peking roast duck restaurant in Beijing. The time-honored brand specializes in roast duck, duck delicacies and Shandong-style cuisine. The name itself means "to greatly facilitate customers". Different from Quanjude's open-oven roasting style, ducks here are roasted in a closed oven, making the skin crispier and juicier. Bianyifang has still retained this roasting technique, though most roast duck restaurants now prepare ducks in an open oven. Bianyifang presents trademark ducks in different flavors, such as flower scent (tea, lotus and date flavors), garlic scent and vegetable scent, which are de-greased and worthy of a try.

 Flagship Restaurant and Major Branches:

1. Bianyifang Hademen Restaurant (Flagship Restaurant)

Address: 18 Chongwenmen Outer Street, Glory Plaza 4/F, Chongwen District

Telephone: +86-10-67112244

Getting there: Subway Line 2 or Line 5 to Chongwenmen Station

2. Bianyifang Roast Duck Xianyukou Branch

Address: Xianyukou, East Side of Qianmen Street, Chongwen District

Telephone: +86-10-67132536

Getting there: Subway Line 2 to Qianmen Station, or Bus 22, 626 to Qianmen

3. Bianyifang Roast Duck New World Center Branch

Address: 5 Chongwenmen Outer Street, Beijing New World Shopping Center 3/F,
Chongwen District

Telephone: +86-10-67088680

Getting there: Subway Lines 2, 5 to Chongwenmen Station, or
Buses 8, 9, 41, 59, 110 or 729 to Chongwenmen Xi

4. Bianyifang Roast Duck Anhua Branch

Address: 6-6, North 3rd Ring Road (M), Chaoyang District

Telephone: +86-10-82081019

Getting there: Buses 300, 302, 387 or 718 to Anhuaqiao Xi

5. Bianyifang Roast Duck Xingfu Dajie Branch

Address: 36, Xingfu Street, Chongwen District

Telephone: +86-10-67116545

Getting there: Bus 8 to Xingfu Street, or Bus 41, 60 to Beijing Gymnasium 

3.      Made in China (长安壹号)

 Specialties: Northern Chinese cuisine, desserts

Whole duck price: 268 yuan (includes condiments), 
plus 15 percent service charge

Made in China is a new-concept restaurant located at the Grand Hyatt Beijing on Chang'an Avenue. The restaurant features the fantastic Peking roast duck, authentic northern Chinese cuisine and an excellent wine cellar. Diners can enjoy the whole process of duck roasting in the stylish open kitchen. The whole duck is thinly sliced into a precise number of 100 pieces on the scene, and the delicate pancakes here are softer than at other restaurants, better offsetting the tenderness of the duck meat.

Address: 1 East Chang'an Avenue, 
Grand Hyatt Beijing 1/F, Dongcheng District

Telephone: +86-10-85181234-3608

Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Getting there: Subway Line 1 to Wangfujing Station or 
Line 5 to Dongdan Station

4.      King Roast Duck(鸭王烤鸭店) 
     Specialties: Open-oven roast duck eaten in three ways (duck skin and meat accompanied with pancakes and baked sesame cakes respectively, sliced duck leg fried with pine nuts, and duck bone soup), mustard duck web, duck tongue aspic, duck wings with mushroom, duck meat with chili oil, duck meat with bamboo shoots

Whole duck price: 198 yuan, plus 3-4 yuan per person for pancakes, cucumbers and sauce

Official Website: www.bjywky.com
 Founded in 1997, King Roast Duck, or Ya Wang, specializes in roast duck, related dishes and    the traditional all-duck banquet. It offers a rich choice of more than 300 dishes, and each month, new dishes will be introduced to replace the 10 least ordered dishes in the previous month. Roast duck here is relatively lean, but still delicious and melts in the mouth instantly.

Flagship Restaurant and Major Branches:

1. King Roast Duck Minzuyuan Branch (Flagship Restaurant)

Address: 1 Minzuyuan Road, Chaoyang District

Telephone: +86-10-62049932/62042648

Getting there: Bus 113 to Minzuyuan

2. King Roast Duck Jianguomen Branch

Address: No.24 Jianguomen Outer Street, Chaoyang District

Telephone: +86-10-65156909

Getting there: Subway Line 1, 2 to Jianguomen Station

3. King Roast Duck Zuojiazhuang Branch

Address: 4 Xibahe South Road, Chaoyang District

Telephone: +86-10-84498671/84498673

Getting there: Subway Line 13 to Liufang Station or Bus 116 to Chengtie Liufang

5.      Jiuhuashan Roast Duck Restaurant (九花山烤鸭店)

Specialties: Dumpling with duck meat and Chinese chive, fried duck heart, stewed and seasoned duck slices, duck feet and duck liver

Whole duck price: 188 yuan, plus 5 yuan per person for condiments

Established in the 1990s, Jiuhuashan Roast Duck Restaurant is a fancy eatery located in Haidian District. The restaurant is most famous for its high-quality ducks, which are supplied at a maximum quantity of only 200 per day.

Flagship Restaurant and Major Branches:

1. Jiuhuashan Roast Duck Ziyu Branch (Flagship Restaurant)

Address: 55 Zengguang Road, Zihu Hotel F1-2, Hiadian District

Telephone: +86-10-68414518 /68483481

Getting there: Bus 489 to Zengguanglu Xikou or buses 27, 86 or 
967 to Huayuanqiao Nan

2. Jiuhuashan Roast Duck Gongti Branch

Address: East Gate of Beijing Workers' Stadium, Worker's Stadium North Road, 
Shanlitun, Chaoyang District

Telephone: +86-10-65085830

Getting there: Subway Line 10 to Tuanjiehu Station or Bus 110 to Chanyang Hospital

6.      Da Dong Roast Duck (大董烤鸭店)

Specialties: Da Dong "super lean" roast duck, duck hearts with lily buds, salted duck liver, Chef Dong's braised sea cucumber, sautéed four delicacies, goose liver aspic

Whole duck price: 198 yuan, plus 8 yuan per person for condiments

Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant, named after its chef and owner, Dong Zhenxiang, is popular among tourists and expats. Reputed as one of the best Peking roast duck restaurants in Beijing, it's surely another not-to-miss option for roast duck and a full range of Beijing cuisine. Taking health perspective into consideration, Da Dong has made great innovations in its cooking technique. As a result, ducks here are crispy outside and juicy inside, yet less fatty or greasy than those of their rivals. The sugar provided to dip the duck skin is also much less sweet. On each table, there is an instruction on eating the duck, and the waitresses will also show diners different ways to consume the delicacy.

Flagship Restaurant and Major Branches:

1. Da Dong Peking Duck Tuanjiehu Branch (Old Branch)

Address: Southeast corner of Changhong Bridge on East 3rd Ring Road, 
Bldg 3 Tuanjiehu Beikou, Chaoyang District

Telephone: +86-01-65822892/65824003

Getting there: Subway Line 10 to Tuanjiehu Station, or Buses 302,
406 to Changhong Qiao Dong

2. Da Dong Peking Duck Dong Sishitiao Branch

Address: F1-2, Nanxincang International Mansion, A 22 Dongsishitiao, 
Dongcheng District

Telephone: +86-10-51690329

Getting there: Subway Line 2 to Dongsishitiao Station, or Buses 42, 
701 to Dongsishitiao Qiao Bei

7.      Dayali Roast Duck Restaurant (大鸭梨烤鸭店)

            Specialties: Pumpkin with salted egg yolk, Fish filets in hot chili oil

Whole duck price: 98 yuan (includes condiments)

Official Website: www.dayalihome.com

Established in 1997, Dayali Roast Duck Restaurant is noted for its Peking roast duck and stylish fine food that draws from Sichuan, Guangdong, Hunan and Hangzhou cuisines. Ducks served here are accompanied with the time-honored Liubiju sweet soy sauce stewed with sesame oil and crystal sugar. The milky-white duck soup is simmered over a slow fire for 4 to 5 hours with various nutritious herbs.

Major Branches:

1.Dayali Roast Duck Shangdi Branch

Address: North Side of Shucun Dongkou, Nongda South Road,
Shangdi, Haidian District

Telephone: +86-10-62973182

Getting there: Bus 393 or Yuntong 118 to Shucun Dongkou

2. Dayali Roast Duck Jinsong Branch

Address: Tiankelong Mansion, Building 34, Mofang Road, Chaoyang District

Telephone: +86-10-67347158

Getting there: Subway Line 10 to Jinsong Station

3. Dayali Roast Duck Datun Branch

Address: A2 Datun Road, Chaoyang District

Telephone: +86-10-64861646

Getting there: Buses 328, 518 or 628 to Nannigouhe

4. Dayali Roast Duck Huayuancun Branch

Address: 18 Chegongzhuang West Road, Haidian District

Telephone: +86-10-68473054

Getting there: Subway Line 4 to the National Library Station or Bus 717 to Sidaokou Dong

8.      Jinbaiwan Roast Duck Restaurant (金百万烤鸭店)

Specialties: Sichuan-style boiled fish, stewed pork meatballs, Mongolian-style roast lamb

Whole duck price: 88 yuan (includes condiments)

Official Website: www.jinbaiwan.com

Founded in 1992, Jinbaiwan features authentic Peking roast duck, home-style dishes and other specialties. The restaurant has received deep trust from the customers with its elegant dining environment, excellent food at low cost and attentive services. For diners who are seeking the most cost-effective destination to enjoy Peking roast duck in Beijing, Jinbaiwan is unquestionably a top option at hand.

Flagship Restaurant and Major Branches:

1. Jinbaiwan Roast Duck Shunyi Branch(Flagship Restaurant)

Address: 10 Fuqian West Street, Shunyi District

Telephone: +86-10-51160000

Getting there: Bus 915 to Shunyi No.2 Middle School

2. Jinbaiwan Roast Duck Madian Branch

Address: 3 Yumin Road, Madian Bridge, Chaoyang District

Telephone: +86-10-67389661

Getting there: Subway Line 10 to Beitucheng Station, or
Buses 409, 694 to Anzhen Xili

3. Jinbaiwan Roast Duck Wenhuiyuan Branch

Address: 9 Wenhuiyuan North Road, Xicheng District

Telephone: +86-10-62257676

Getting there: Buses 387, 398,438, 632 or 691 to Wenhuiqiaobei

4. Jinbaiwan Roast Duck Zhongguancun Branch

Address: 35 Haidian Street, Haidian District

Telephone: +86-10-82620008/82620009

Getting there: Buses 982, 967 to Haidianqiao Xi, or Yuntong 110, Yuntong 114, 302 to Beijing Earthquake Administration

9.      Huajia Yiyuan Restaurant (花家怡园)

 Specialties: Pan-fried duck rolls, Yiyuan famous chicken, ribs with plum, braised sea cucumber with venison tendon, Buddha jumps over the wall, signature lamb chop

Whole duck price: 168 yuan (includes condiments)

Website: www.huajiacai.com

Established in 1998, Hua's Restaurant specializes in fine Beijing cuisine in a beautiful courtyard setting. The food here follows traditions but also integrates the essence of different culinary schools. The most inviting delicacy at Hua's Restaurant may be its Yongzheng Dynasty Roast Duck. Far more than a stunt, the duck dish is based on the recipe in the "Notes of Imperial Court Food" written during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The duck is roasted to perfection with little grease, and there are more varieties of side dishes, including pineapple, Hami melon and lettuce, in addition to the traditional cucumber.

Flagship Restaurant and Major Branches:

1. Hua's Courtyard Restaurant at Guijie Street (Flagship Restaurant)

Address: 235 Dongzhimen Inner Street, Dongcheng District

Telephone: +86-10-51283315

Getting there: Subway Line 2 to Dongzhimen Station, or Buses 106, 117 to Dongzhimen Inner Street

2. Hua's Restaurant at Guijie Street

Address: 5 Dongzhimen Inner Street, Dongcheng District

Telephone: +86-10-51283316

Getting there: Subway Line 2 to Dongzhimen Station, or Buses 106, 117 to Dongzhimen Inner Street

3. Hua's Courtyard Fine Dining Restaurant

Address: 55 Beixinqiao Toutiao, Dongcheng District

Telephone: +86-10-64058440

Getting there: Subway Line 5 to Beixinqiao Station

4. Hua's Restaurant at Shimao Mansion

Address: 92A Jianguo Road, Shimao Mansion 3\F, Chaoyang District

Telephone: +86-10-51283329

Getting there: Subway Line 1 to Dawanglu Station

10.  Liqun Roast duck Restaurant(利群烤鸭店)

Specialties: Crispy duck bone with salt and pepper, mustard duck web, salted duck liver, soft-fried duck liver, dry-fried four delicacies

Whole duck price: 190 yuan (includes condiments)

Opened in 1902, Liqun Roast Duck Restaurant is a small courtyard eatery hidden deep in an old Beijing hutong. The restaurant is named after its owner, Zhang Liqun, a former chef at the Quanjude roast duck restaurant chain. This family-run restaurant is somewhat run-down but deserves a visit for its aromatic classic roast duck that is roasted to perfection. It also has more than 30 duck dishes, as well as the old courtyard experience. Liqun is well-known among locals and frequented by foreigners. It attracts customers mainly through the word of mouth instead of through advertisements. Reservations are recommended to avoid a long wait time.

Address: 11 Beixiangfeng Hutong, Qianmen Dongdajie,
Chongwen District

Telephone: +86-10-67055578

Hours: 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Getting there: Subway Line 2 to Qianmen Station, or buses 9, 
59 to Zhengyi Lu

If you ask my opinion, i will recommend you to Quanjude, because the price is not really expensive compare to others, but the duck is amazingly delicious and the place is really fancy and convenience. Or, you can try the duck place at Houhai or if you want the cheap one, you can try Peking Duck Place near Dong wu yuan, is also nice and not really expensive. ;)

           

Beijing Life ^0^ -the places and transportation-

Beijing Life

24 February 2011-present

Hiii, im back!!!! :D

After long time not blogging, I feel weird. Like theres something missing. Lols. Sorry to not posting for a while, because I must review, review and review, so I can catch the lessons. :P (50% true,50% just the reason) Honestly the main reason is because I must finished the books that I brought from Indonesia, so I can give to my cousin, to bring it latter when he nack to Indonesia. Im staying here, because im planning to stay 1 year only here, so its better for me to stay. I can improve my Chinese, and travelling around China. This 14 July, I will be travelling to Shanghai, Suzhou, etc with some friends who stay here. They are Felicia-Aling, Novi, Ade, Andi, Ani, and Cc Silvana. Okay, back to the main topic then. :P

So, I was going to Beijing, China based on the plan before. My dad really want me to study Chinese, and because learning languages is one of my passion, I agreed with his plan. So, after I graduate..i backpack to Australia, then I teach art and basic lessons for elementary school students. And on December 2011, I was taking Chinese course at Cerdas Bangsa. Cerdas Bangsa is an agent who help people study abroad to China and also they have courses too. The general and the incentive one. I took the incentive one. There are 4 basics, I took Basic one and two. :p for sure!!! :P I never learn Chinese before.  The incentive class have the tight schedule, more hours than the normal, and also more additional lesson. 9 hours/week.

After I finished the class and enlisted for the Winter Class, I arrange all of documents, like visa, and the important documents that I must bring. On 22 February 2010, I depart with Garuda Indonesia. I and my classmates in Cerdas Bangsa have different destination. Some are the same, like Martin(my cousin), Felicia(Martin’s girlfriend), Shelly, David, Evan, Adolf and Nori. And some others were going To GuangZhou and Shanghai. The maximum weight of baggage is only 30 kg. It sounds much, but actually its not. I just brought something important, but the fact I have 3 kg overweight. Haha. And be aware with the airport’s scale! They added the weight around 5 kgs. Its crazy!

Okay then..when we arrived, we felt so cold. Freezing, I revised. Because its still winter, and the temperature was around -5 degrees. When we’re speak, we can see vapor out from our mouth that indicate how cold the weather is. Everytime I go, I always wore complete suits. Sweaters, scarf, long coat, socks, long john, cappucons, gloves, even masker and ears cover. Lols.

First time I arrived at Beijing, I feel dazzled with the environments and the city’s situation. I must admitted that China’s improvement is speedy. I thought China is dirty, a bit vile and still ancient. I thought that because of the China’s movie and heard from people who went to China. But in fact, China is incredibly modern! Seriously! There are many malls here, and there is the most sophisticated place in Beijing, called ‘Sanlitun’. The area consists of stores with the outdoor concepts, like Adidas, Mango, Uniqlo, etc. And there is the biggest Apple store that I ever seen, and also bars, cafes, and there are restaurants where have great ambience, yummy foods and nice service! Some are in Sanlitun shopping area, some are in Stadium Area. I will talk about the foods later, specific in the culinary tour. :P (I always excited talk about food :p) Most people who hang out at Sanlitun are tourists. American or European tourists (Caucasian) and some other asian like Indonesian, Korean, and Japanese. I do love Sanlitun. ^^

Near Sanlitun, theres a great place too named ‘The Place’. Its really a fantastic place to hang out! J if you go from my place (fuwaixikou, fuchengmen) by MRT(ditie), you just have to follow the line. The end of line 2, because we’re in line 2. J or if you want go by taxi, you can stop the taxi in front of Tian yi. The price approximately 30 yuan.

I will talk about the great place to hang out later. ;) Sanlitun is one of the examples. :P

Beijing itself is a big city(just like Jakarta, or even bigger). China is a certain of the communist, and it still communist til now. But the different between China and North Korea(for example), China is welcome to any aspect development, like technology, culture and everything. We all know that China have the strong history, culture, heritage and tradition, and China try to be open minded, so China grows so fast in every aspect, especially in business. Nowadays, most every country in the world using China’s product. They’re import the China’s product because of the cheap cost, so no wonder they do the manufactures in China. So, no wonder China become one of the rich country in the world. China’s income don’t need to be question anymore.  Actually, China itself doesn’t really need the income from the inhabitant. The communist country just sell their own product and never let their people buy the import product, so they never import products from other countries. But nowadays, China already import many products, like branded products. But the price is so unbelievable high. Like, so so high. Its even 3 times more expensive than in my country. But, I think it still can be called advancement. J

You must be so happy about the transportation in Beijing! Beijing have the cheapest transportation fee among the other cities. You only have spend 0,4 yuan for the bus, anywhere you gou. And 2 yuan for MRT (ditie) anywhere you go. Sounds nice, right? ;) I feel so happy too about this! But, remember.. everything HERE have deposit. So, you must buy the transportation card first, it cost 80 yuan. 50 yuan for the fill, and 30 yuan for the deposit. So don’t lost it! If you don’t use your card when you’re going by bus you must pay one yuan or up to two yuan depends on the bus and how far you go, so pls note that you ALWAYS bring your card anywhere you go! ;) And if you have another card that you often use, like room card for example, you can just bring it together and put into the cute pocket. Hehe. The cute pocket have many variation of model and pictures, like hello kitty and anime or even actress. Anything that you like. And you can put sticker on it. Cute, right? ;) The price is 1 yuan each sticker. You can buy that in Tian Yi( near my school, I will explain it later) or just along the street. BLCC (Beijing Language the and Culture College) my school is based in the middle, which is really convenience because its strategic. J well, BLCC or you can call Beijing Hua Wen Xue Yuan is the language school for tourists, and subsidized by government. There are good thing and bad thing about BLCC. I will tell the good one first. The good things are: like I told you before, the place is strategic and its easy for us to go anywhere. Plus, near here there is market, traditional market, many kinds of malathang, the nearest mall call Ganjiakou and beside us there is the famous Tian Yi where you can but all the house furnishing, equipment and amenities there. Even many stores I the mall buy their accecories from here, because Tian Yi itself sell both individual and wholesale. And the other benefit is you can go travelling around Beijing every 2 weeks FREE and the end of mid smester we can choose one of many destination that they offer, like me before(JiangXi, Shanghai or Xi An) with the best tour and we just have to pay half of the price or even less. We pay 1500 yuan before for every destination. Really a great deal! And for language, its known already that BLCC is the best school for language, and they have longer class hours.

And I will tell you what the bad things from BLCC: there’re too many Indonesian and Thailand, which is really bad for me, Indonesian. I must speak Chinese oftenly or every day if I want to improve my Chinese, but in fact is because Indonesian everywhere I always talk Indonesian here everyday, except in the class. How horrible is it! So, in every chance I always insist my friends to talk Chinese. That’s why I choose roommate from other countries beside Indonesia, but she’s from Mauritius, and she speak French and English, so I speak English with her. Aaaaa…. But now, I like really really must speak Chinese. Seriously!!!!

BLCC is placed at Fuwaixikou, Fuchengmen, near Dong Wu Yuan. J

Placed that must be visited in Beijing!! :

I have several recommendation for the place in Beijing, whether ancient or modern. J

Well, lets talk about the ancient place first:

Sure, if you go to Beijing, you want to look the ancient place, things, heritage of China. Because we all know that China is known of their’s ancient things.

1.      Great Wall  ( Chang Cheng )

I think I don’t have to explain much about great wall, because Great Wall is one of the 7 wonders in the world. ;) I went to Great Wall with school by bus, 2 hours voyage from school. Its quite far, because Great Wall isn’t really based in the middle of the city, but its outer of the city. But, still based in Beijing. Great Wall itself is so incredible! I still can’t imagine million of people build that from one dynasty til the last dynasty. Because if you look there, the bridge is soooooooooo longgggggg. You obviously can’t finish it. Lols. The Great Wall stretches from Shanhaiguan in the east, to Lop Lake in the west, along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia. Great Wall is first built by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang between 220- 206 BC from Qin Dynasty, and it still rebuild and maintain through 16^th century. Imagine! How many decades it is! You must know there are thousands of people dead during build this great wall and they buried inside the wall… huff.. may they rest in peace. I admitted that I felt weird when I wak on that, because it remind me eith the dead peoples. You can read the complete history of Greatwall in Wikipedia. ;)

2.      1. Tian An Men

Tian An Men Square is the second largest square in the world. And like the other China’s ancient place or any place that you can named it, it also huge and there are many of gates and surround by wall and a kind of lake. Tian An men Gate was built during the Ming Dynasty in 1415. You can also go by bus 103 from Fuchengmen or other number of bus depends from place where you from. 

3.      2. Summer Palace (Yi He Yuan)

Is also a palace that based in Beijing, and mainly dominated by Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake. The ticket price is 30 yuan/person, and if you want to enter all the rooms there you must pay 60 yuan/person. But if you’re study in China, you just need to show your student card and just pay 18 yuan/person. J In here you can find a variety of pavilions, palace, garden, and other ancient architectural style.

4.     3.  Old Summer Palace (Yuan Ming Yuan)

Yuan Ming Yuan originally called The Imperial Gardens, built in the 18^th century, and known for its extensive collection of garden and building architectures and other work of arts. The construction beganin 1707. The imperial garden were made up of 3 gardens: The Garden of Perfect Brightness Proper, The Garden of Eternal Spring, and The Elegant Spring Garden. And in here there is European style palace that made by stone.

5.      Temples

There are many of temples in China. Definitely! Its China, and temple is everywhere. Lols. So, if you are interest visit the temple, you can go to these recommendation temples: Temple of Earth ( Ditan) located in the North, Temple of The Sun (Ritan) in the Eastern, Temple of The Moon (Yuetan) in the western of the city, Dong Yue temple, Tan Zhi temple, Miao Ying Temple, White Cloud Temple, Big Bell Temple and Confucius temple.

T    4. Temple of Heaven

Is the most well known temple among them. Personally, I know Temple of Heaven from the cover of my Hanyu(Chinese grammar) book. :P Its located at southeastern part of central Beijing. Its constructed from 1406 to 1420 during the reign of Yongle Emperor. You can see the huge and pretty of garden surround the Temple. Because the temple itself is located in the central. Temple of Heaven was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998. ;)

7.      Bird’s Nest (Olympic Stadium)

Is known as the National Stadium, the yard in front of this is soooo huge! The most unique from this stadium is it’s architecture. And theres McD in front of the stadium area and there are many snacks there, you must be like it! ^^ This stadium is used for 2008 Summer Olympics. The stadium cost USD 423 Million. Amazingly expensive! The talented architects are Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron.

8.     5.  Forbidden City ( Gu Gong)

Was the imperial palace from Ming Dynasty to Qing Dynasty. You can go by ‘103’ to there. Like the other place in China, Gugong is also HUGE!! Like there are many walls, gates, and rooms. Obviously, because its palace. :P That’s why emperor always using litter to go anywhere inside of the palace. But Gu Gong ia ancient and gorgeous at the same time, you can see how majestic it is by the architecture and the decoration. Gu Gong itself always full of the people everyday, or even EVERYTIME I through it. Seriously!! Since 1925, Gugong has been under the charge of the Palace Museum. It built between 1406-1420, consist of 980 buidings and 8707 bays of rooms.

9.      6. Beijing Botanical Garden

Is located at the northwestern of Beijing, and was established at 1955. Personally, I love this botanical Garden!! It sooo beautiful! Its riveting!! XD

10.  Museum

There are hundreds of museum in China, there are museum in the Forbidden City, Tian An Men and others places like Capital Museum, Beijing Art Museum, The Military Museum of The Chinese’s people, Geological Museum of China, and The Beijing Museum of Natural History.

Okay, now I will talk about the modern place, like shopping malls:

1.      Wang Fu Jing Snack Street

Wang Fu Jing is also called ‘little New York’ in Beijing. Wang Fu Jing is one of my favourite destination in Beijing. ;) Because Wang Fu Jing is a big are where there are malls, church(chatedral), many kind of departments stores, book stores and also the Snack street. You can find almost anything here, from the basic to the high class brand. Like from Zara to Burberry. Sounds great, right? ;) and there are many variety of restaurants here, from the muslim restaurant to Japanese restaurant. And I love the snaks and the environtment there. Its like an European and Chinese style at the same time, but most of the architecture design is European. I love it! And you must go at night, because it looks really nice and fantastic at night! There are many variety of snacks there, like tanghulu(big fresh fruits that coated with sugar),, Chinese yoghurt, many kind of roast like chicken, beef, lamb, pork or even the weird animal or insects like scorpion and its friends. Euhh.. and there are also variety of noodle, kinds of tempura(prawan,crab,shark,etc), banana rice cracker, and other interesting snacks. The price is affordable, but you must bargain at some place, they can give you expensive price, so watch out! And there are many kind of nai cha (milk tea) there. But my favourite is ‘Coco’. It taste really good, with the big glass and with the affordable price. Another great nai cha brand is ‘Happy Lemon’. Most of my friends like it, and they really like the pudding. So, try it! ;)

2.      Xi Dan

In Xi Dan you can found 2 malls (Joycity and the another mall across the street) that design simple and modern, its cozy and nice. And like other mall you can find Zara, Etam, Ochirly, Season Wind, Prich, Eland and any other brand like that. And in Xidan, there is shopping market too! Girls must be like it! Pretty dress with pretty price! ;)

Add: 131 Xidan Beidajie, Xicheng District, Beijing
Web: http://www.xidanjoycity.com/

Transport: Subway Line 1 at Xidan; Bus Lines: 808,105, 109, 22、47,102, 204,603,604,690

3.      Raffles Mall (Dongzimen)

Raffles Mall is one of the biggest mall in Beijing. Its really complete here, so I don’t need to describe what stores inside it. :P

4.      Sanlitun

I love sanlitun!!!!! Sanlitun is really fabulous! It looks great, with the great restaurants, great store, and the great peoples. You can see many tourists around the world visit here. And in here there is cinema too! The price is 80 yuan/ person. But if you can show your student card, you can get half price. I love the architecture and the design, and there are Mexican, Indonesian, Italian, Indian, European restaurants here! It so complete! Even theres Outback Steak here. Hehe. Near Sanlitun mall area there are night clubs too, Fix and Mix. And near that, there is the giant pizza that you must try! ^^ and I heard from other people that apple stire that is one of the biggest apple store in the world. But I dunno exactly. :P

Add: Courtyard 19, Sanlitun Road, Sanlitun

Tel: 6417-6110(The Village Sorth), 6417-7110(The Village North)

Web: http://www.sanlitunvillage.com/eng/Pages/index.aspx

Opening Hours: 10am-10pm

5.      Glory Mall

Its located near the Indonesian Embassy, you can goggling if you want. Gloria have 2 malls too, and there is the yummiest takoyaki that I ever taste. The store’s name is Tama o Yaki, and its dominated with the black colour! :D

6.      The Gate City Mall

You can find FCUK, Miss Sixty, b+ab and other brands here. Its located at Zhongguancun area.

Add: 19 Zhongguancun Dajie, Haidian District, Beijing

Tel:8248-6688
Web: www.thegate.cn

Opening Hours: 10am-10pm

7.      JiaoMao Shopping Mall

You must be love the architecture of the building, because personally I love too! It so unique and cool! It consists of three office towers and mega shopping mall. There are 40 public bus that pass by, so its really easy to go here! ;) In here, you can found supermarkets, international brand stores, recreational, and even kindergarten, and also KTV.

Add: No.1, Xizhimenwai Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100044,

Tel: 86 10 5830 1008 Fax: 86 10 5830 1599=

Opening Hours: Daily 10am-10pm

Web: http://www.thebeijinger.com/directory/Jiamao-Shopping-Mall

8.      Oriental Plaza

Its located at the east of Tian An Men square and known as the one of the largest commercial complexes in Asia. You can find Apple, Bally, Burberry, Valentino and more here!

Add: No.1 East Chang An Avenue, strategically located along Wangfujing Street, Beijing

Tel: (8610) 8518 6688, 8518 4466

Web: http://www.orientalplaza.com/eng/corporate/

Opening Hours: 9:30am-10:00pm

9.      Jinyuan Yansha

It also called ‘The Great Mall of China’. This mall is made for the middle consumer class. J there are skating ring and restaurant space the size 2 football fields!

Add: 1 Yuanda Lu, Haidian District, Beijing

Tel:8887-4601
Web: http://www.newyanshamall.com/en/

10.  The Place

The place is mainly composed of the huge screen in the middle and two luxury buidldings on its both side. The Place is also a place for luxury shopping and gourmet experience. The place is designed by Jeremy Railton. He is also the designer for the world largest electric screen in Las Vegas. There are D&G, Ferrari and Chaterhouse.

Add: 9 Guanghua Lu, Beijing

Tel:6587-1188
Web: www.theplace.cn

11.  Solana

Solana is mostly design by europeaqn architecture. Actually, I like Solana, and you must be love the lighting at night. But you must walk so far from the terminal, like really really far so my friends and I not often go here.

Add: 6 Chaoyang Park Road

Tel: 5905-6565
Web: http://www.solana.com.cn/english/web/index.asp

12.  Beijing Yintai Center

Beijing Yintai center is composed by 3 main buildings: Park Hyatt Beijing, Park Hyatt Penthouse, and Park Hyatt Residences. Its architects is John Portman and associates. In here, there are Giorgio Armani, D&G, Hermes and other brands.

Add: 2 Jianguomenwaidajie, Chaoyang District,Beijing China

Tel: 86 10 85666060

Web: http://www.yintai-centre.com/en/index2.htm

13.  Shin Kong Place

There are Anna Sui, Bread Shops, Flourists and other luxury cafes here.

Add: No.27, Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100025

Tel: +86 10 6530 5888
Web: www.shinkong-place.com

Opening Hours:
Mon – Sun: 10:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.

Subway: Line 1, 2, Batong and get off at Dawan Lu