Five ways to do Beijing
Another comission for Mandarin Oriental to mark the 2019 opening of its flagship Beijing property. Five diverse itineraries to get visitors under the curtain of Beijing. Culinary capital, imperial treasure trove, contemporary art hub - like the painted faces of Peking opera, Beijing presents multiple personalities to the adventurous visitor.
MO Bar rooftop terrace at Mandarin Oriental Beijing
Home to multiple UNESCO treasures like the Forbidden City and the Great Wall, Beijing is city bound to its past. Equally, the showpiece capital of China is forging a new legacy for itself as a centre of innovation, art, and culture. A fascinating collision of antiquity and ambition, Beijing is more accessible than ever before.
The gourmand
Beijing is one of the most food-obsessed capital cities on Earth, where you can dine like an emperor on China’s lesser-known regional specialities. Sample Xinjiang-style barbecued lamb and flat breads at Crescent Moon; wild mushroom stir-fries and Bai-style goat cheese from Yunnan eatery In & Out; and mouth-watering ‘secret beef’ at modern Hunan restaurant Southern Fish. For gourmet pan-Asian fare including authentic Peking duck, Mandarin Oriental’s Café Zi is the hottest new ticket in town, especially if you can bag a terrace table with gorgeous views of the Forbidden City. And if you’ve still got a craving for Beijing’s signature, seek out Sheng Yong Xing, a luxe roast duck restaurant that serves the flame-licked duck skin together with tiny jewels of caviar.
The art lover
Beijing’s 798 Art District is ground zero for contemporary art in China, a former Communist factory turned gallery complex. UCCA is the district’s leading gallery, usually staging several global exhibitions at once, while next door the 798 Art Factory still has Maoist slogans emblazoned in red on the Bauhaus factory ceiling. Long March Space champions the rise of emerging Chinese painters, sculptors and video artists. For imperial art and architecture, the Forbidden City (officially called the Palace Museum) has one of the world’s richest collections, exhibiting scroll paintings, porcelain, bronzeware and much more among its hundreds of rooms. After dark, sample traditional Peking opera at the historic Huguang Guild Hall.
The business traveller
For busy executives with little time to spare, you’ll need strategy to get the best from Beijing. Eschew the vast and exhausting Forbidden City in favour of the much smaller but no less magnificent Lama Temple. The surrounding hutong alleyways are some of the most strollable in the city; grab an artisanal coffee to go at hip Metal Hands on Wudaoying Hutong, before an energy-boosting vegetarian lunch at King’s Joy serenaded by a live harpist. If you only have time for one sight, catch a cab to Jingshan Park in the heart of the city. Here you’ll spy locals singing, dancing and performing tai chi. Climb the park’s hill to the Ten Thousand Spring Pavilion to see the Forbidden City spread out below in all its imperial majesty.
The night owl
Your Beijing night out begins with innovative mixology at MO Bar, a tantalizing collaboration with Guangzhou’s Hope and Sesame crew renowned for their lab-based approach to cocktails. At Beijing’s historic Legation Quarter, the elegant former U.S. Embassy is home to Blue Note, the city’s finest jazz club. If you’re ready to take things up a gear, Mao’s iconic Worker’s Stadium is surrounded by glitzy nightclubs, where the champagne and Chivas flow nightly. Elements, with its spectacular laser show, regularly plays host to the world’s top EDM DJs, while Sir Teen dazzles with its flamboyant dance ensembles. For late night munchies, Jin Ding Xuan is a lantern-adorned dim sum palace that never closes. And if you’re still going, head to Tiananmen Square before sunrise to catch the dawn flag-raising ceremony.
The family traveller
Little ones needn’t be bored at Beijing’s imperial sights, especially when the magnificent Summer Palace has battery-powered pleasure boats for hire on Kunming Lake. The Great Wall at Mutianyu is kitted out with cable cars and a high octane taboggan ride, perfect for teens. Sichuan hotpot is hands-on culinary fun for all the family, and at the new AI-powered restaurant from celebrated chain Haidilao, the waitstaff are hi-tech robots. After dark, the capital takes a turn for the macabre with Newman Tours, whose interactive Beijing Ghost Tour unearths spooky stories in the hutongs around Houhai Lake. For toys and treats, the world’s biggest Hamley’s toy store, complete with merry-go-round and in-store train, is a few steps from the hotel.