Well, my friends in the Curious Nation… today we’re heading east (or west, depending on where in the world you live). Get ready to listen to a podcast about Beijing, China! ► Have you ever been to Beijing? Anywhere in China? I haven’t yet but it is on my list. But now when the time comes to visit China, I will be more prepared and will have my guide already – this episode! I got in touch with Julia – a girl from Argentina but who has spent quite a few years across China. Learn curious things about Chinese culture, The Great Wall, The Forbidden City, Beijing, and things to do around the city, as Julia gives us her picks for a four-day itinerary. All this and some extra curiosities about tea on Episode 12 of the Curious Pavel Podcast Sessions.
Fan of Listening? Here is the whole podcast episode:
Mentions in the Podcast:
Day 1:
- Beijing 北京 (Northern Capital, compare with 南京 Nanjing, Southern Capital, where the empire resided also for centuries)
- Hutongs 胡同 (old traditional alleyways commonly found in Beijing) – 南锣鼓巷 Nanluoguxiang now trendy young area built around some of Beijing’s most well-conserved hutongs, offers a great starting point for a day walk or bike tour to see some of the remaining ones.
- Tiananmen Square 天安门广场, the most famous square in Beijing, right across from Imperial Palace aka Forbidden Palace.
- Gugong – Forbidden Palace 故宫 – one of the most imposing and amazing palaces in the world, the residence of Emperors for centuries
- Jingshan Park 景山公园: park off the northern gate of the Forbidden City, on a clear day allows for one of, if not the best, sunset view in Beijing. A small hill, made with the soil that was dug out to build the Forbidden City.
Day 2:
- Yingheyuan Summer Palace 颐和园 – Must see in Beijing.
Day 3:
- The Great Wall长城 There are many ways to enjoy it, with sections scattered across different provinces in China. In Beijing:
- Badaling 八达岭 mostly Chinese tourists
- Mutianyu 慕田峪 fully-restored, shockingly beautiful and easily accessible, with not too many tourists
- Jinshanling 金山岭 half-wild wall, perfect place to feel like an explorer.
Other parts of China:
- Hangzhou 杭州 – Julia’s second home, capital of Zhejiang province, and less than 1h away from Shanghai (上海), the most populated city in China
- Yunnan 云南 located in the South of China, it’s the most diverse province. About half of all ethnic minorities in China can be found in Yunnan.
Prefer watching? You can also find this podcast about Beijing on YouTube:
About Julia:
Julia is an Argentine traveller who spent the last 7 years in China, where she fell in love with its history, cultural diversity… and everything else Asian! As she shares in this podcast, after finishing her Legal Translation degree in Argentina, she moved to China to advance her studies in Mandarin Chinese. She did her Master’s in International Relations in the Northeast of China and relocated later on to Hangzhou, in the east of China. She has travelled extensively both within China and Asia. Currently working remotely during the COVID pandemic. As Julia says… if you only get to experience one country in Asia… why not choose China?
We really hope you enjoyed listening to this podcast about Beijing. If you’ve been to China, is there anything you would add? Any questions you have, we’ll do our best to answer them. We love your comments and suggestions.
In 2020, when it’s not so easy to travel to places yourself, it’s great to be able to visit virtually, and that’s why we really love bringing you these sessions. Any parts of the world you would like to introduce us to? Contact us, and help create an episode with us for our curious listeners and viewers.
