Beijing's don't-miss list

By Debbie Mason

updated 12:11 p.m. ET Aug. 12, 2008

The ancient city of Beijing has been the capital of China since 1421. It’s an old city, but one which has modernized dramatically since the “opening-up and reform” policies of late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping in the 1980s. Until then it had been more or less sealed off from the outside world. In just 30 years the changes have been staggering, and the consequent juxtaposition of old and new lends even more for the visitor to see, do and buy—for the moment, at least.

Old Beijing is disappearing fast. The hutong, the quiet old lanes, that still crisscross parts of the city are almost certainly an endangered species, acres and acres having already been cleared to make way for high-rise apartment buildings and shopping malls. Some will be preserved, such as the Nanxinfang and Nanluoguxiang hutongs, having been named official Olympic Lanes, but even their protection from the wrecking ball can’t be guaranteed forever.

Of course the old didn’t just mean how the ordinary people lived; it meant emperors, eunuchs and concubines and all the riches of the Forbidden City. To get a real sample of the Imperial China, it’s worth trying out the cuisine. The point of eating what the emperors ate is not necessarily the taste but rather the setting and the service. One of the best examples is Bai Jia Da Yuan, in the north of the city.

The restaurant is set around stone bridges and running waterways in the style of "Dream of Red Mansions," Cao Xueqin’s epic saga spanning several Chinese dynasties. The writer’s family once lived there, according to the staff (who are dressed in Manchu costume). The restaurant is on the west side of Suzhou Jie up in Haidian District—just look for a passageway lit by red lanterns and illuminated Chinese paintings. A word of warning: Some items on the menu will shock the more sensitive Western palate. But for a more royal experience, eat at the hidden restaurant inside the Forbidden City itself.

Tiananmen Square is at the heart of different periods of history. To its north, the emperors and the Forbidden City; the east the leafy Legation Quarter; to the west the brand new "Alien Egg" national theater; and right on it the Communist legacies of the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum, the Monument to the People’s Heroes and to the south, Dashilanr, once the emperor’s playground.

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Thanks to the Beijing Museum Ordinance that went into effect in January 2001, a decision was made to increase Beijing’s 118 museums by another 150, all by 2008. It is now possible to visit a host of weird and wonderful museums in and around the capital, such as the Museums of Tap Water, Honey Bees and Red Sandalwood, as well as the better-known Military, People’s and highly recommended Capital Museum. To avoid the crowds, check out the former home of Soong Qingling, in the quiet lakeside setting of Houhai.

Feng Jin / Imaginechina/AP Images In Houhai there are two central lakes ringed with restaurants, bars and cafes, although the northern lake is much quieter. This is where to come to see archetypal willow trees drooping over the water. On the northeastern bank of two central lakes stands the former home of Soong Qingling, the wife of the man regarded by many as the founder of modern China, Sun Yat-sen.

A city with so much history of course has a lot left to show for it in terms of art and culture. Art galleries and districts have mushroomed in Beijing and its suburbs, and for contemporary works the sprawling former Factory 798 at Dazhanzi is a must-see. But Cultural Revolution memorabilia, whether fake or not, is available all over the city, even at supermarkets, but most concentrated perhaps at the Ghost Market, Panjiayuan, a morning market just off the southwest third ring road. For any serious buyers of Chinese furniture, Gaobeidian Furniture Market is a jewel for choice and price, and a half-day away from the Olympics in a village environment. Famous for its fakes, shoppers should be aware of the possibility that what they’re buying isn’t the real thing—even in some department stores.

Ng Han Guan / AP Photo Find contemporary Chinese Art at Factory 798, Dashanzi. The entire complex is a former factory site unchanged from its former days except for the absence of production lines.

For a short visit to Beijing it’s vital to plan carefully according to what interests you most, because it's impossible to do little more than scratch the surface. Is it the ancient thoughts of Confucius or the Ming and Qing dynasty societies and their idyllic Summer Palace retreat that appeal? Is it the revolution of 1911 and Sun Yat-sen, and the era leading up to and following Mao Zedong’s announcement that Communist China had been launched in 1949? Or is it the parks, like Beihai and Ritan, or the dozens of temples, or teahouses and Peking Opera? Or maybe you simply want to head for the hills and the Great Wall. Perhaps it’s a smattering of it all.

Twenty-first century China is evident in all the towering malls and apartment buildings that have obliterated huge chunks of Beijing’s past. And while it seems likely that in the future most of Beijing’s past will be in photograph collections and antique shops, for Olympics visitors at least, it’s not quite too late.

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