Beijing – “The Best Laid Plans…”
The morning air was crisp and clear as we headed to breakfast on our final full day in Beijing. Hotel Cote Cour, we are definitely going to miss you! Once again, the breakfast was amazing and just check out how cute their restaurant was! Absolutely perfect!
With so much of Beijing left to see (and only one day left to see it), breakfast turned into a debate – the Drum and Bell Towers, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, 798 Art Zone, Santulin, Olympic Park? – the options were endless. 4 days was definitely not enough! Weighing the pros and cons and since we were still pretty palaced-out from visiting the Forbidden City yesterday, we nixed the Summer Palace (blasphemous, I know), and opted for the 798 Art Zone and Temple of Heaven. But first, the Drum and Bell Towers.
Originally built for musical purposes, the Gulou (Drum Tower) and Zhonglou (Bell Tower) are located along the central axis of Beijing and until 1924 were the official timekeeping devices for the city. Before modern construction, the Drum and Bell Towers dominated the Beijing skyline, and even today you can still get some excellent panoramic views from the top. Totally worth a visit!
We arrived just as the sun was coming up and climbed an incredibly steep staircase to the top of the Drum Tower. With a small museum housing other ancient time-keeping devices, the main draw of the Drum Tower is the ceremonial drum demonstration that occurs several times a day. Although only one original drum remains, the others have been recreated, and I highly recommend stopping by for a performance if you are in the area.
We wandered around the outer rim of the Drum Tower, taking in the quiet of a city that was just waking up, before crossing the small square to the Bell Tower. Oh yay. More stairs! Slightly taller than the Drum Tower, the Bell Tower houses a single gigantic bronze bell, which is the largest and heaviest in China. Although it remains silent, wooden murals detail the design and construction of the bell and the Bell Tower to house it; weighing 63 tons, it’s amazing they were able to hang the bell in the first place!
Unlike the Drum Tower, the Bell Tower offers superb 360° views of the hutong surrounding it and the city and mountains beyond. Wow!
A subway ride, a couple cups of coffee, and what felt like a hundred blocks later, and we had arrived at the 798 Art Zone. David thought we were lost for a minute there, but I knew where I was going…kinda. The Beijing 798 Art Zone is a collection of art galleries and studios, street art, pubs and cafes, all within a complex of decommissioned military factory buildings. It has a strictly industrial feel with its metal pipes and chimneys rising above the manufactured structures below, but in a chic, artistic way. Within the vaulted ceilings of the buildings, prominent Maoist slogans have been preserved to provide contrast to the avant-garde art.
Unfortunately for us, several of the galleries were closed for the New Year; however, the outdoor art installations and spectacular graffiti murals alone were worth the trip. These were a few of our favorites:
Between the funky sculptures and fabulous street art, original socialist-realist sculptures including a headless Chairman Mao and statues of Communist factory workers celebrate the area’s proletarian roots.
We popped into a few of the open galleries to appreciate some very beautiful and thought-provoking art installations. I definitely received a surprise when I went to open the door to one of the galleries only to find my hand covered in petroleum jelly. Upon entering, I was handed some monogrammed paper napkins to wipe it off which I added to the growing pile in the corner. I was now part of the art! However, I will be having David open all doors for me from now on….
Running out of daylight, we left the 798 Art Zone (with the full intention to return someday!) and hopped on the subway to the Temple of Heaven. If we planned this right, we would have just enough time to take a tour before it closed for the evening. Located to the south of Tiananmen Square and Qianmen Street, the Temple of Heaven Park is a complex of imperial gardens and religious structures that is actually larger (holy moly!) than the Forbidden City.
But alas, what’s that saying? “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” We arrived with what we thought was 15 minutes to spare, but apparently they stop selling entrance tickets 30 minutes before it closes. Fortunately, we could still wander around the park itself, so ‘when life gives you lemons’, you spend an hour trying to find the best possible vantage point to snap a picture of the iconic three-eaved Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.
The Temple of Heaven Park itself was quite peaceful, and we thoroughly enjoyed our relaxing stroll through the lantern-filled trees. Several of the smaller religious structures were still open for exploration, but after missing out on touring the Temple of Heaven, our Beijing bucket list was growing by the second – a return trip is definitely in order!
Nothing says Valentine’s Day (did I forget to mention that?) like Peking Roast Duck and Kung Fu. So we headed down the street to Bianyifang for dinner before the Legend of Kung Fu performance at the Red Theater.
After having already tried the quintessential Peking roast duck from Quanjude, David and I were both surprised when we enjoyed Bianyifang more! Carved table side and served with an accompaniment of vegetables, sauces, buns, and wraps, the Peking roast duck was moist and tender with a delicious crispy skin! Absolutely scrumptious! More please!
After one of the best dinners we had eaten so far, we walked next door to the Red Theater for their nightly performance of the Legend of Kung Fu. Filled with high-flying acrobatics, energetic martial arts, and beautiful dancing, the show tells the story of a young boy and his journey to becoming a Kung Fu master and attaining ultimate enlightenment. Although I don’t think there is a bad seat in the house, we paid a few extra yuan for the center row near the front, and with beverages in hand prepared for a Valentine’s Day date to remember. The show was a stunning spectacle of precision and coordination with fantastic music and a compelling storyline. All in all, definitely worth the price of admission and a wonderful ending to our last day in Beijing! But don’t worry, we will be back!
