Beijing: Busiest City in China

Upon arrival, it was obvious from the crowds in the subway that Beijing was different. While every subway in China has security checkpoints, this one also had an ID scanner for the Chinese, not for foreigners. Eventually after being pushed and shoved around for half an hour, I made it onto the train and made it with ease to my stop. Unfortunately, my hostel’s directions drop you at the subway exit with no further directions. I had noticed this and had done further location research on Hostelworld.com. Unfortunately, it turns out it’s actually labeled wrong so I ended up in the wrong spot, a very wrong spot.

I started asking around pointing to the Chinese address on my phone and kept getting further and further away until my phone died. At that point I plugged it into my backup charger, and it wouldn’t charge. I spotted a McDonalds and went in thinking there might be an outlet or at least wifi for me to look up the address on my iPad. Of course there were no outlets and the wifi needed a Chinese phone number for security purposes – wifi is impossible to find in China as they all are secured networks in some way by law.

At this point, my problem solving got creative and I walked back to the subway to look at their map. They had accommodations labeled, but in Chinese, so I decided to walk to the closest one and ask to use their wifi. As I rounded the corner, I found out it was my hostel. After two hours of trying to find it, there it was. When I explained their directions were terrible, they literally acted like they didn’t hear me, waited a moment and went on with their business.

It turns out the two other girls in my room took two and three hours to find it as well. Let’s talk about a negative experience. Anyway, at that point, I plugged in my dead phone as I waited for check-in, and twenty minutes later my phone still had not turned on – perfect. Since it had been working fine, I decided to go find a new cord to try to charge it again. Out I went, and by the time I got back it was check in time. I plugged in my phone, showered, and tada! My phone came back to life. Thank goodness.

By this time I had little to no motivation to do anything as the morning had been less than pleasant, but knowing I had a lot of ground to cover, I made my way to the Temple of Heaven. Having paid for my room, the key deposit, and my Great Wall trip the next day, I had very little money left, so I tried a Bank of Beijing ATM which declined my card. At the Temple of Heaven I paid the ¥15 entrance fee for the park and the ¥20 admission fee for the Temple of Heaven, Wall of Echoes, and Sacrificial Altar and had a grand total of ¥3 left, enough for the metro home should I not find another ATM. The temple was absolutely stunning and well worth the trip. It probably took an hour and a half to explore the whole park.

Throughout the park there are lots of locals playing cards and milling around. As soon as I had exited the temple area, a Chinese girl of about 15 ran up and asked if she could take a picture with me. Then she asked about where I was from, how tall I was, where I was going, etc. and eventually ran out of questions and just followed me to the next area, the Wall of Echoes.

Outside of here, a group of five school kids, probably also around 15 asked if they could interview me for a school project. They filmed the whole thing while they practiced their English by introducing themselves and each asking me a question like where are you from, how long will you be in Beijing, what made you want to come to Beijing, etc. they were pretty cute and awkward about it all. I suppose my being obviously foreign, young(ish), and walking alone makes me easier to approach than many people around there. In any case, I continued on my way with my young Chinese shadow who then waited outside while I went into the Wall of Echoes. Seeing that she was still waiting, I admittedly took longer than necessary inside so I could explore the rest of the park in peace…

Once I had finished, I took a different route to the subway in hopes of finding a Bank of China or ICBC since I knew their ATMs accept foreign cards – success! Armed with money again, I found some food and made my way back to my hostel for an early night to recover before my Great Wall excursion the next day. Afterwards I wandered out to the night markets to explore the culinary delights of Beijing. There are all kinds of bugs, insects, and sea creatures for sale on sticks, sometimes still alive and squirming around. It was fascinating, and the giant dumpling/perogi things I had that were filled with mystery meat were delicious, as was my bubble tea. Unfortunately I also think the night market has foreigner vs. local prices, but what can you do?

The following day I woke up early as I had a lot of ground to cover: Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Bell and Drum towers, the Olympic Park, and the Summer Palace. By 7:45am I was off to Tiananmen Square – big mistake.  It was swarmed with people, or maybe mobbed is a better word for it. From getting off the subway to making my way up to street level, being pushed and shoved for thirty minutes in the security line, and then dodging tour groups while being body checked out of the way, the whole experience was truly awful. By the time I got to the front of the Forbidden City it was 9:30am. Once I had entered the front gate with thousands of my favorite people, I was then repeatedly asked for photos and it took about half an hour more to get to the ticket office.

The ticket lines and entrance lines are surprisingly fast and smooth, I think because almost everyone is with a tour group. Tickets are ¥60. Upon entry it was back to being pushed and shoved and stepped on. Within half an hour I developed a killer headache as I continued to attempt to explore in the sea of people. Honestly, the Forbidden City is awesome and I suppose in most ways a must visit, but the visit made me really dislike Beijing and made me ready to leave China. Everything I dislike about China and touristy cities in general was thriving in there. As such, I rushed my way through, posing for more pictures, only one of which I didn’t mind because it was too tiny old women who came up to my waist and they were just beaming with smiles – how could you not like them?! In any case, worst experience in China goes to Beijing, specifically the Forbidden City.

Once I managed to exit I decided to walk the next mile and a half to my destination to get some fresh air and avoid being in crowds. It might very well have been the best part of the day as it took me through non-touristy areas. The bell tower and drum tower were pretty underwhelming, but they also weren’t written up as things you must see. From there I hopped on the subway and went to the Olympic Park to see the Bird’s Nest Stadium and Water Cube Aquatic Center. They were neat to see but not too exciting and distances are huge! There is the option to take a tour of them, but I’m not really that curious what a stadium or pool look like inside having seen many in my lifetime.

With that I set off to the Summer Palace. I had hopes that it would be less crowded as it is about nine miles from the city center, but alas, it was also jam-packed with tour groups pushing and shoving. The only redeeming part is that you are surrounded by nature and as such there are some paths that aren’t as crowded. My head was still pounding, there were still photos, dozens of people asking if I need a tour guide or taxi, and all in all, despite the beauty of the place, I didn’t enjoy it much. In fact, all of Beijing during the day was pretty awful due to the crowds and how crowds are handled in China, just push and shove stronger than everyone else to get where you want to go. By the time I had completed my tour of the city I was beyond ready to leave Beijing and head to Shanghai which should be less touristy.

To be clear, the first two weeks in China were amazing, but I think I hit a wall.

Things I Will Not Miss about China

• Constant pushing and shoving/lack of queues and the sport of line jumping. At first I chalked it up to impatience but I have realized that they must all be saints because being pushed and shoved all day everyday makes me want to punch someone, but I have not seen anyone get into a fight over it… Surprisingly.
• Constantly being stared at, asked for pictures, followed by cameras, or seen as a walking dollar sign for simply looking different. At first it’s funny, then it creeps into annoying. I have things I’m doing, places I’m going, and I’d like to do it without someone’s selfie stick in my face or being harassed for rides or luggage help that I don’t need.
• Not being able to hold a conversation with 99% of people I meet. While it’s been no problem to get around, there are times it would be nice to communicate with people to learn more, to simply be able to say no, or even to ask for a bag at the grocery store.
• The threat of being roadkill anytime you cross the street or walk on the sidewalk. Red light, green light – does it matter? The sidewalks double as parking lots and bikes/motorbikes rule the roads and sidewalks. Fortunately they honk all of the time, so you know when they’re coming.
• Crowds and noise: Tranquility is hard to find because there’s always sooooo many people around.
• Squat toilets and the lack of toilet paper. Who knew my best friend could be the toilet paper and hand sanitizer I packed? While on the subject, kids going to the bathroom literally anywhere in public and sometimes adults too. I don’t want to guess what the puddles on the street are made of.
• The sound and sight of people hocking up spit and spitting all over. It’s gross.

Things I Will Miss about China

• The transportation systems: They are amazing and so cheap!
• The sights and history: There is so much to see and do in China. I would highly recommend visiting, but pack your patience!
• The prices: Overall China has not been as cheap as expected, but being able to find meals at just a couple of dollars is hard to beat! Of course expenses are offset by the cost of tourist things as literally everything has entrance fees and sometimes entrance fees and “through fees”. Oh you didn’t just want to see the outside of the building? More money please.
• Some of the people: Without being able to communicate through words, it’s amazing what a smile can say. Unfortunately, most people are too busy pushing and shoving to smile, but when they smile, truly smile, it’s incredible.
• The food: Eating is always an adventure and most of the food has been pretty delicious as long as you don’t mind eating mystery meals. That being said, being able to order food to fit my cravings will be exciting. I will miss the prices of food though!