Day 1 in Beijing (1/4)
So in September 2024 I went to China to attend a conference. Before going to Changchun, where the conference took place, I spent four days in Beijing. This is my account of those four days, divided into four parts. This post is day 1 of my way too short trip to Beijing.
Travelling to China
So first things first. Before you can go to China, you have to get to China, and that’s not as easy as it is elsewhere. A few weeks ago I had to get a visa, although this year there were free tourist visas available. However, as I was attending a conference, I needed a working visa. As my nearest embassy in Düsseldorf was closed for the summer, I had to get it in Frankfurt. On the day of my departure, I returned to Frankfurt because that was where my flight was leaving from. Of course I flew economy class, which is really small, and sleeping during the 11 hour flight was impossible.
When I arrived in China, it was about 8 o’clock in the morning. When I stepped off the plane, the air felt like a wall because of the humidity. Totally jet-lagged, I scanned my fingerprints, filled out an entry form and went through a lot of security and passport checks. Finally free, the first thing I did was find a coffee at the airport, which was really good and relatively cheap for such a high quality coffee (ar. 2.50 euros). It took me 20 minutes to finish it, as I was naturally slow due to the weather and lack of sleep.
Finding my hotel on day 1 in Beijing
I then decided to take the Beijing subway to find my hotel. I have never used a better organised subway in my life! Everything was very clear, all the signs were in English and it was super easy to find my way to the subway station. It costs about 3 euros to take the metro from the airport, but it is a special train. Later, when I wanted to use the metro, I just used the NFC chip on my phone and my Visa. It’s really easy: you scan your phone when you get on the tube. The company then charges you for a whole day (about 1.50 euros). When you leave the tube, you scan your phone again, the day ticket is cancelled and you are charged a single fare (ar. 40 cents). Super cheap, super easy.
After leaving the subway, I entered the city of Beijing for the first time. It is busy. VERY busy. Bicycles, motorbikes, cars, buses, people. So many people. All going somewhere and all at the same time. It looks like human Tetris, but it works. I have not seen a single incident in my time here. For Europeans it can be quite difficult to cross the street, but after a while you just go with the flow. I then went to look for my hotel. I used an eSim and GoogleMaps, but it was not very accurate. I finally found the hotel and was greeted very nicely. I took off my shoes and had a really good nap.
The Temple of Heaven
After a while I decided I couldn’t waste my time and got up. I had planned to visit the Temple of Heaven that day. And you have to plan, because for most monuments you have to buy tickets in advance. You can try to go spontaneously, but you will have to wait a long time. So I took the underground again and arrived at the Temple of Heaven. The temple was used by the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties to pray for a good harvest. It is a circular building with three roofs, surrounded by a platform. Many people come here to take pictures, so I did. It really is an architectural masterpiece, beautifully preserved and restored.
I also liked the park around the temple. After visiting the busy temple, I wandered around the park for a while. There are lampposts playing Chinese music, birds were chirping and the wind was blowing. It was just wonderful. I was still jet-lagged, I’m sure, but I sat on a bench for at least an hour, just watching people walk by, looking into the amazed faces of children who had probably never seen a foreigner before, and enjoying some peace. It was really wonderful. On the way back, I grabbed something to eat (beef soup and a beer for 6 euros) and returned to my hotel room to get some much-needed sleep. The first day alone was so full of impressions that I had to write them down.
