How to Spend a Day in Beijing

Go according to this particular itinerary to make the most of a day in Beijing. It presents a list of places to go and things to do in the renowned capital city of China.

For breakfast, indulge in deep-fried dough sticks aka. Youtiao along with a bowl of Congee from any food stalls around Tiananmen Square. As both are common staple breakfast items in Beijing, there is no need to be concerned about its unavailability.

Tiananmen Square

After a heartwarming breakfast, zoom off to the very first attraction site of the day: the famous Tiananmen Square aka. The Eye Of China, an epitome of the ever growing mighty forces of China’s Communism. Upon entering the monumental Tiananmen Square, one can immediately feel the sweeping immensity of the site, which is a similar feeling as one can obtain within the Red Square in Moscow. Go ahead and explore landmarks like the Mao Zedong Memorial Hall and the National Museum of China. Tourists mainly come here to take a look at Chairman Mao’s preserved body, which is stored within the Memorial Hall. During China’s National holidays, the installation site will be decorated with flowers, which paves the way for insta-worthy pictures. It should be pretty well-known that the square has its own history of bloodshed and violence during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, whereby the iconic image of a man confronting a tank went absolutely viral. Anyway, try not to spend any more than an hour in Tiananmen Square as there are other attractions to cover.

Jingshan Park

Situated in the middle of Beijing, Jingshan Park is a beautifully landscaped royal garden. Once an imperial garden during ancient times, it has already evolved into a serene public park open to the public. Within the park itself, there is the Qiwang Pavilion, the place where ancient emperors worshiped the god known as Confucius. The peak of Jingshan park is also a great place to enjoy a complete, unblocked view of the majestic Forbidden City. Every year in the month of May, the Peony Festival will be held in Jingshan Park, whereby the garden will be covered with almost 20,000 or more peonies of all varieties and species. Flower lovers will definitely be entertained at this festival.

Yonghe Lama Temple

After an hour or two, it is time to move on to Yonghe Lama Temple. Deemed as the most well-preserved lamasery in China with 300 years of history, it was where Prince Yong Zheng of the Qing Dynasty used to live in. In terms of layout, the temple is made up of five halls featuring different themes. Step through the Gate of Harmony to admire the Buddha of the Future and Guard of the World. Afterwards, walk past the studying area to arrive at the Hall of Harmony and Peace. The Hall of Everlasting Protection, where Prince Yongzheng stayed before he became the emperor, is within the third court’s basement. Subsequently, check out the Hall of the Wheel of the Law, the place used to carry out religious services. Lastly, enter the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Happiness aka. Tower of the Great Buddha and admire the 26 metre high wooden statue of Buddha Maitreya, the largest ever built in the world. Carved out from Sandalwood costing 2,500 kg of silver, the statue was even recorded in the Guinness World Records.

Beijing Zoo

After a sumptuous lunch, head on to Beijing Zoo, the current biggest zoo in China with a wide variety of animals to see. The zoo resembles a huge garden with many trees, grasslands, lotus pools, and hills covered with pavilions and halls. The layout of the zoo is split into 3 different zones: north, west and east. In the West Zone, there are mainly animals such as giraffes, apes, Golden monkeys, cranes, deer and even penguins. The East and North zones are usually more packed due to their accommodation of Beijing Zoo’s two main highlights: the Panda House and Beijing Aquarium respectively.

Aside from seeing big cats and nocturnal animals among many others in the East Zone, the main thrill will always be the Panda House. It should be common knowledge that giant pandas are regarded as one of China’s native treasures and they symbolize the country. Unbeknownst to most, the method of artificial breeding was actually utilized to successfully bring up giant panda cubs in the zoo. Because of the nation’s undying love for their national treasure plus the frightening possibility of it becoming endangered, giant pandas will always be pampered with special treatment. 

Be aware that the Panda House is split into two sections: the Asian Games Panda House and the Olympic Games Panda House respectively. In the Asian Games Panda House, the giant panda named Pan Pan - chosen as the mascot of the 11th Asian Games in Beijing- can be seen. During the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the giant panda named Jing Jing was chosen to be a mascot. This ultimately inspired Beijing Zoo to construct the Olympic Games Panda House, which shelters Jing Jing.

In the North zone, visitors can marvel at majestic-looking eagles, adorable elephants, nonchalant hippos, and gazing rhinos. But of course, the key attraction of the North Zone still lies in the Beijing Aquarium, which showcases various aquatic species such as the critically endangered Chinese sturgeons, huge elephant seals, and menacing sharks among many others. When inside the aquarium, a unique experience to enjoy is that while gazing into the dynamic ocean bottom, an unexplainable feeling of bonding with the aquatic life out there will inevitably arise. After all, within such a close vicinity to aquamarine life, it is only natural to feel like one with the ocean. 

After spending around 4 to 5 hours in China’s largest zoo, go grab a decent dinner before proceeding to the Olympic Park: the final attraction of the day to spend the rest of the night in Beijing.

Olympic Park

The Olympic park was designed to host the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Paralympics. As of today, the park is a multi-purpose centre open to the public. Upon arriving at the park, commence exploring the Central section first as it is the main section. All gorgeous night views can be seen there. Within the section itself, keep a lookout for two main landmarks: the Bird’s Nest(National Stadium) and Water Cube(Aquatics Center). It is not difficult to spot the National Stadium as the LingLong Tower -the tallest building in the Olympic Park- is just nearby. The tower will be dazzling with colored lights after dark, making it more obvious to spot.

The National Stadium is the focal point of this park as it covers a huge land area and can hold up to a maximum of 91,000 spectators. From its exterior shape, it looks exactly like a bird's nest. Also, not far from the Bird's Nest, is the Aquatics Center aka. Water Cube. The design concept of the Water Cube is rather unusual as it gained inspiration from cell patterns and bubbles. After dark, the Water Cube’s see-through bubbles will be glowing with blueish dreamy lights, a view to truly marvel at.

If there is still extra time to spare or perhaps there is an urge to explore beyond the main central section, go ahead and check out the Northern section, where the Olympic forest park can be discovered. The forest park is split into two gardens: the Northern and Southern Gardens. The Southern Garden is distinguished by a majestic artificial landscape built with a classical touch, while the Northern Garden is much more nature-inspired.

To venture even further, head outside the south gate of Olympic Forest Park to view the Sightseeing Tower. Visitors can enjoy a wonderful bird's eye view of the entire park when standing at the peak of the tower.

Return To Hotel

Overall, the Olympic Park is a success in fusing sports with nature. After soaking in the night views for a final time, it will be ideal to return to the hotel for a good forty winks, thus concluding the day.