Is it worth going to Beijing?

The city of Beijing is the capital of China and is densely populated. It has just opened its borders to tourists from abroad after a long period of closure due to the pandemic. However, it continues to enforce very harsh rules in a way that makes even its own citizens uncomfortable. 

The city has a very cosmopolitan structure. During your visit, you will immediately notice the image of a city where wealth and poverty continue their lives together. The first thing that catches your eye is the high number of very high skyscrapers and the incredible number of luxury cars on the roads. Another interesting feature is the large number of old buildings and temples intertwined with each other, especially on the side streets. 

Beijing airport has a very large capacity, long runways and very wide taxiways, with a high passenger and cargo capacity. The fact that the Olympics were held in China contributed positively to the increase in this capacity. However, the worldwide pandemic has negatively affected this region just like the rest of the world. However, cargo flights continued without slowing down or even increasing their intensity, landing at other airports without making a stay.

As a general characteristic of the Chinese country; people working everywhere with many different purposes and uniforms offer you a different atmosphere, unfortunately, they may not show a very respectful approach. Their high tone of voice and aggressive approach will attract your attention immediately. This is also the attitude you will often experience while shopping in the city.

Beijing does not have a large rail system and subway infrastructure. For this reason, you will often have to take a taxi from the airport to your hotel and the city center. Taxi fares are reasonable and not too high, but the most important problem is getting along with taxi drivers. Very few taxi drivers can communicate with you in English. For this reason, my recommendation is to print the names and addresses of the places you are going to in your hotel on a piece of paper in their language and give it to the driver. It will make it easier for you to return to the hotel if you have the hotel card with you. As in many big cities, it is very difficult to find a taxi, especially in rainy weather. 

In general, most of the hotels are on the outskirts of the city center. For this reason, shuttle-ring services of some hotels to the city center are another option. They usually reach the city center by stopping at the shopping centers they have an agreement with. Most of them are one way only and you will need to make an effort to return.

In Beijing, you will usually find special shops where tea rituals are held on the top floors of shopping malls. In the center of these shops, you can taste all kinds of tea (black, white, green) on large wooden tables and try them for free. They present the products they prepare in very small cups as if they are washing the tea. I especially recommend you to try this. Unlike the widespread use in our country, black tea is not in high demand here. For this reason, I strongly recommend White tea and Green tea, which are quite affordable compared to our country.

Bargaining is a very common method here, but the rates vary from place to place. In other words, it would be a logical approach to offer one fifth of the said figure. But what you should not forget is that during bargaining, never pronounce the last figure in your head to the other party until the end. Otherwise, if the result of the bargaining gets there and you offer an offer below the figure you pronounced, the environment may evolve into a situation like a verbal argument. 

When you come to this city, there are especially three points to visit. One of them is the "Forbidden City", which will impress you when you enter it. The area where important traces of Chinese history are exhibited; It is the place where the Chinese Kings resided, and it is known by this name because it was not allowed to enter except for certain people at the time. It has many wooden structures built for the use of the kings and it is an area where very strict controls were made to ensure the safety of the kings at the time. In general, dragon figures symbolizing their power are waiting for you intensely on the wooden structures and in front of them. 

Another important point is "Tiananmen Square" where the famous protests took place in 1989. This area, which is a very large square, is heavily visited by tourists. Except for the entrance roads at the corners, the square is closed to car traffic and pedestrians can walk freely. It is recommended to visit this square, which is the entrance to the Forbidden City at the northern entrance, during the summer season. Visiting this area in cold and rainy weather may be uncomfortable as it is spread over a very large area. 

Another important point to visit in this city is of course the famous "Great Wall". It is possible to reach this area with a 30-40 minute drive from the city center. Traveling here with sneakers and comfortable clothes will increase your enjoyment. Because a very intense activity awaits you. When you add photos and selfies to this, it will take you at least 3-4 hours of activity. I must admit that I felt a strange joy when I learned why they built these high walls in fear of the Turks. I recommend you the day tour options covering these three points I mentioned in most of the hotels you stay in. The prices of such tours include a private car, a guide, a full day of sightseeing, detailed information and lunch for about 20 dollars per person. Since lunch is usually Chinese style, it may not be suitable for our tastes from time to time. For this purpose, having snacks and water with you will prevent you from having trouble.

I wish you a pleasant trip in this geography with very different historical and cultural features.