temple of heaven

Get up at the crack of dawn and head straight for the Temple of Heaven , starting at the south gate, where as well as seeing the 500-year-old temple itself, you’ll get to watch local old folk doing tai chi, singing traditional songs and writing calligraphy on the ground in the Temple’s parks and pavilions.

Exit the temple’s north gate and head first west, then north up Qianmen Dajie until you hit the clusters of hutongs around Qianmen and Dazhalan, taking the time to explore and check out the shops still selling the same Chinese medicines they were touting in the Qing Dynasty. Grab some noodles from one of the local stalls before continuing north to Tiananmen Square, passing through the middle and towards Chairman Mao’s Portrait. It was from this rostrum that the Communist leader declared the People’s Republic in 1949.

Pass underneath the portrait and into the Forbidden City , the magnificent Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing Emperors. At the north end, hop in a cab to the beautiful Beihai Park , or walk if you’re legs are still up for it. Stroll around this imperial playground for a while before heading north again via Gulou Dajie for a pre-dinner drink on Houhai Lake. Try the No Name bar, one of the first in the area, for pleasant views and a wonderful atmosphere. Rested? Then jump in a cab to Guijie – the 24 hour food street laced with red lanterns – and pick one of the hundreds of restaurants serving hot pot or typical Beijing dishes (such as Huajia Yiyuan at no 235) before settling down to eat and drink your way into the night.

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