Beijing Things to Do

During late March and throughout April, spring usually pays a visit to Beijing, bringing with it a colorful display of cherry blossoms. If you’re in China’s capital city during this lovely time of year, make sure to visit Yuyuantan Park to see the trees in full bloom.

A perfect tour for young and old and especially those traveling with children, a Panda tour to Beijing Zoo is simply a must during your stay in this fabulous Chinese city.  For a low-stress, low-cost day out, look into a day Panda Tour that will usually take you to the famous Lama Temple, which was once the resident of a royal court in Beijing. It is one of the largest and most significant operating Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the world.

Located in the area within Beijing’s 2^nd Ring Road, the ancient networks of alleyways known as hutongs are home to classic examples of Chinese architecture that date back to the 13^th century. Once home to generations of aristocrats, bureaucrats, and royals, the demographic playing field in these historic neighborhoods was very violently leveled or even upturned after the Communist takeover in 1949, resulting in a massive influx of poor and working class residents. This class inversion has been reversed somewhat since then, and many celebrities and government officials now call the hutongs home (not least among these being the controversial reformer Zhao Ziyang, who spent 15 years under house arrest following the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989).