Isaac Tang – Poet, Author, Composer

By Isaac Tang

When I visited Beijing for the first time, I wanted to see as many famous sites as possible and tick them off my long checklist. Unfortunately, everyone else planned to do so too, and the huge crowds at many top tourist destinations really detracted from the experience.

On hindsight, Beijing is an enormous place with an inexhaustible quantity of historical sights, so it would be more than fine to skip some popular places in favour of lesser known and lesser visited areas.

I have here compiled a list of the places I visited which I would skip in the future, the places I visited which gave much needed respite from crowds (with photos) and the places which I would consider in my next trip to Beijing.

Places to avoid

1. The Central Axis of the Forbidden City

This should come as no surprise. Please note that I am not saying that the Forbidden City (also known as the Palace Museum) should be skipped; in fact, it is the quintessence of Imperial splendour. But there are areas within the Forbidden City that are much nicer to tour (see below) compared to the extremely popular central axis which includes the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony. They are beautiful even when peeking from afar; I do not think there was much utility or benefit in jostling with the immense number of tour groups who travel in one, unswerving line from the Meridian Gate in the south to the Gate of Divine Prowess in the north.

The central axis also does not offer much shade and the bright sunlight can be quite oppressive on a hot day. I visited on an October day and the sun was still very bright. I shudder to imagine how hot it would be during the peak of summer.

2. The National Museum of China

This was honestly the worst experience of my Beijing trip and I would not recommend foreign tourists to visit this place. As a history enthusiast, I was anxious to visit this repository of ancient artefacts. I experienced high levels of stress attempting to secure a ticket to enter the museum, even enlisting a third party to assist for a fee. However, the sheer volume of people at the museum is unfathomable to the foreigner who is used to slowly wandering quiet museum corridors (e.g. Melbourne Museum). In contrast, long lines of people in Beijing waited outside the museum for their timeslot to arrive, with many of them smoking. There were security officers checking ID everywhere and the security check was long, intense and conducted completely in Mandarin. The exhibits could hardly be seen, engulfed by the sea of humans, and eventually, we gave up and just sat on the steps outside the museum overlooking Tiananmen Square where patriotic music blared passionately from loudspeakers. I only lasted about 30 minutes in the museum, which was a great disappointment as I never got to view the calligraphies and landscape paintings that I had been dreaming to see.

3. Some Sections of the Badaling Great Wall

While Badaling Great Wall is often besmirched by many tour groups for being too touristy, it remains the most accessible section of the Great Wall (accessible by high-speed train, scenic train, bus etc.) and remains an incredible sight to behold. Like the Forbidden City, I do not think the Badaling Great Wall should be totally skipped but that it should be visited strategically. Many tourists clamber up the main steps of the Great Wall, but the steep trek means that many of them end up sitting on them, becoming one hot, sweaty and fatigued mess. The highest section of Great Wall next to the cable car station is even more crowded. Thus, I would not recommend the taking the cable car. Please see below for other places on the Badaling Great Wall that are less crowded and yet still offer a great view.

4. The Hall of Prayers for Good Harvests (at the Temple of Heaven)

Again, the Temple of Heaven is not something to be completely skipped but there is hardly any need to spend much time in the Hall of Prayers for Good Harvests or the Echo Wall where 90% of the tourists go to. It is impossible to photograph the Hall of Prayers for Good Harvests without more than 20 people appearing in it. The Echo Wall has so many people that it is hard to ascertain if the echo function is true – because everyone else is enthusiastically attempting to verify it for themselves. Please see below for other sections of the Temple of Heaven that offer more tranquillity.

5. The Eastern Halls of the Summer Palace

The eastern gate is apparently where most tourists enter the Summer Palace. I did not have the chance to verify this, but definitely the crowds were greatest around the eastern halls of the Palace, including the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity. The eastern shore of Kunming Lake was also covered with people. As a result, I hardly spent much time in the eastern part of the Summer Palace although I had marked out many spots of interest. Although the Long Corridor is quite crowded, it is difficult to say that it should be skipped because of its artistic merit and pleasant views of Kunming Lake. Again, please see below for other sections of the Summer Palace that are less crowded.

6. Prince Gong’s Mansion

Perhaps it was my mistake for visiting Prince Gong’s Mansion on a Saturday, but I did not expect it to be as popular as other sites. My primary aim was to browse through the Jiangnan-inspired garden at its back but there were just too many people to see anything. There were numerous tour groups with loudspeakers which made the place unpleasant to linger for long. The only quietness I remember finding was in a small side courtyard where there were large bronze pots filled with water, lilies and lovely goldfish swimming up and down in their blissful oblivion.

Places to visit

1. Beihai Park

Beihai Park is currently my favourite place in Beijing. Vast, picturesque and relatively uncrowded, there are many winding trails and hidden gardens to explore.

I especially loved the Painted Boat Studio, Haopu Creek and the Quiet Heart Studio with their quaint rockeries, pavilions, ponds, sheltered corridors and gardens.

There were pleasure boats floating serenely on the lake.

The park was so large that I only covered less than a quarter of it in my two hours there. I did not have time to visit the Five Dragon Pavilion or Jade Islet. Even so, I strongly recommend everyone visiting Beijing to explore this gorgeous park.

2. National Centre for the Performing Arts

The loop around the National Centre for the Performing Arts is easy and rewarding with great views of the modern architectural marvel known affectionately as ‘The Egg.’ The semi-oval structure mirrors itself perfectly in its surrounding moat, creating the shape of an egg. The park and walkway around the building is truly an oasis of peace, considering how busy and crowded everything else is on Tiananmen Avenue.

3. Peripheral sections of the Forbidden City

Back to a discussion on the prime destination of Beijing, the Forbidden City. Did you know that you could also climb the wall of the Forbidden City? It is a hidden gem and provides great panoramic views of Beijing as well as the crowds that you have successfully avoided. It also provides closeup views of the intricate architectural decorations on the walls, roofs and eaves.

There are also so many more halls and buildings to explore other than the central halls, including the Hall for Martial Valour in the southwestern corner of the palace complex. It has a nicely catalogued display of porcelain throughout the history of China.

There are also shady gardens in that area with cypresses, blue-feathered birds and marble tables and chairs to rest on.

The Treasure Museum was also glorious with marvellous displays of the most intricate handicrafts, including majestic golden crowns and trees completely made of enamel.

If I had more time, I would have, in addition, explored the Hall of Literary Brilliance on the southeastern corner.

4. The Fasting Palace and the Cypress Forest (Temple of Heaven)

There is indeed tranquillity to be discovered in the Temple of Heaven. However, it would require one to abandon the popular eastern half of the huge park. The Fasting Palace near the west heaven gate is a hypocritical display of humility by emperors past. However, it is also a display of beautiful imperial structures, crimson walls, a wide moat (now dried up), marble bridges and tall persimmon trees swaying in the wind.

If you visit in autumn, the orange persimmons pressed against the red walls are magical.

The cypress forest that surrounds the Fasting Palace is deep, quiet and peaceful, with occasional rustling from the trees where squirrels scamper up and down.

5. The Imperial Academy

The Imperial Academy is definitely a hidden gem in Beijing, often passed over in favour of the Lama Temple that stands a few metres away. However, the Imperial Academy was the symbol of one of the most important institutions in China. It also encapsulates the culture of academia that East Asian nations still value and cherish. I enjoyed my visit to the Imperial Academy so much that I even wrote a whole blog post about it here.

6. Badaling Great Wall

There are actually modern steps that have been built right along the Great Wall itself, and these steps are hardly used by the hordes of tourists. It is shaded by numerous trees, less steep and offers a pleasant walk with great views.

7. The Summer Palace

I entered the Summer Palace via the north gate, mostly because it was conveniently located next to a subway station. The north gate was not very crowded. There was a bridge near the north gate that provided tantalising views of Suzhou Street below.

The northern hills of the Summer Palace are forested and quiet, with the occasional cat slinking along the path.

Suzhou street itself is definitely worth visiting (for an additional cost), although the footpath along the banks is quite narrow; visitors should exercise caution if there are a few people trying to pass a point at the same time.

I regret not having visited the West Causeway of the Summer Palace, as photographs of this area look gorgeous and, importantly, less crowded! This would definitely be where I will be heading if I were to visit the Summer Palace again.