N. Forbes Matheis
- Feb 21, 2020
- 2 min read

Flavors of Beijing, China

Updated: Feb 28, 2020

Bronze Lion — Lion statue, Imperial Palace

If you are looking to vacation in a place with a well-documented past and a wide variety of foods, Beijing, China is the place to go. Beijing is China's capital and has a history stretching back over 3 millennia. The foods prepared and eaten here reflect the complexity of a modern era preserving the soul of yesteryears.

We spent an entire day touring the Forbidden City and the adjacent Tiananmen Square. The Forbidden City is also known as the Imperial Palace and housed the emperors from the Ming to Qing dynasties between the period of 1420-1912. The property is approximately 72 hectares and comprise of 980 buildings. Not all of these buildings are open to the public but the interior of some of the chief buildings can be viewed from the entrances. We noted the importance of religion as there were several temples located on the compound. Visitors can get a close-up view of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony, the Hall of Union, the Palace of Heavenly Purity, and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. The names of these temples are indicative of times of war and of the emperors' desire for peace and unification.

People gathered at base of the Hall of Supreme Harmony — Imperial Palace Entrance

Just outside the Imperial Palace is the Tiananmen Square. This is a open lot of land capable of accommodating the millions of people who for whatever reason might have wanted to visit the palace or seek the Emperor's face.

Once in Beijing, you will also want to visit the Great Wall of China. We hopped on a public bus and after one and a half hours, we reached one of the many entrances to the wall. The wall is estimated to be over 21,000 KM long and was built between the Hans and Qing dynasties.

Prior to setting foot on the wall, I saw many pictures of the structure but nothing prepared me for the awe I experienced as I stood on the wall and looked around at its architecture and vastness. Some parts of the wall are relatively steep and unless you are physically fit you may find yourself out of breath trying to make it from one lookout point to the next.

After learning about the history of the Palace and the Great wall, we went in search of the best place to eat near us. Wangfujing Snack street is one of the busiest commercial areas in Beijing and of course, wherever there are people there is a need for food. This food strip has some of the most exciting dishes that you will find on this planet. We saw fried frogs, snakes, seahorses, scorpions and other delights. Most foods are served on skewers making them a convenient eat-as-you-go snack and bubble teas seemed to be the drink of choice.