Most travellers only see airports as places to pass through. We see them differently. When planning our 18-day China journey, we deliberately scheduled our final day so we could spend several hours exploring Beijing Daxing International Airport (北京大兴国际机场) before our midnight flight home. That might sound unusual at first. After all, why would anyone voluntarily spend extra time at an airport? The answer became obvious the moment we entered the departure hall. Rather than...
When planning a trip to Beijing, China, choosing an airport is usually one of the easiest decisions. Find the most convenient flight. Compare ticket prices. Book the airline. Land wherever the flight takes you. For Elaine and me, it was different. Long before our 18-day China trip began, I had already decided that I wanted our journey to start at Beijing Daxing International Airport (北京大兴国际机场) instead of the older Beijing Capital International Airport (北京首都国际机场). Not because it was...
When most people imagine Beijing, China, they think of the Forbidden City (故宫), Temple of Heaven (天坛), Tiananmen Square (天安门广场) or the Great Wall of China. Those are certainly must-see attractions during any Beijing trip. But after several visits to Beijing, Elaine and I discovered that some of our favourite travel memories happened away from the tourist crowds. This time, we stayed at Motel 168 (Beijing Lishuiqiao Metro Station), a budget hotel that turned out to be one of the best...
Like many first-time visitors to Beijing, I initially assumed we should stay somewhere close to the Forbidden City, Wangfujing or Qianmen. After all, that seemed to be where most tourists stayed. Then I started comparing hotel prices. The reality surprised me. Compared with many other Chinese cities such as Xi’an, hotel rooms in Beijing are noticeably more expensive, especially those inside or near the city centre. Budget hotels often came with compromises—small...
Finding a hotel in Beijing can be surprisingly intimidating for first-time visitors. Unlike many European cities where the historic centre is relatively compact, Beijing is enormous. It is one of the world’s largest capital cities, with an extensive Metro network, multiple high-speed railway stations, several ring roads, and attractions spread across different districts. Choosing the wrong hotel may not ruin your trip—but it could easily mean spending an extra one or two...
Planning your first trip to Beijing, China can feel exciting… and slightly scary. After all, Beijing is not just another city. It is China’s capital, a city with more than 20 million people, thousands of years of history, ancient imperial palaces, modern skyscrapers, huge roads and one of the busiest subway systems in the world. Many first-time visitors planning their Beijing itinerary probably have the same questions: “Is Beijing easy to travel...
Discovering the Colourful Side of Ancient China After spending hours inside the National Museum of China (中国国家博物馆) in Beijing, Elaine and I slowly travelled through thousands of years of Chinese civilisation. Of course, we were not actually travelling with a time machine. We were walking through museum halls. Although sometimes… A great museum feels exactly like a time machine. From ancient pottery, mysterious jade objects, massive bronze vessels and early Chinese writing,...
Some journeys begin with a plane ticket. Some begin with a map. Our journey into 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation began with something much simpler: Breakfast. Because before Elaine and I attempted to travel from ancient China to modern China inside one of the largest museums in the world, Dad had one very practical thought: “Better fill up our stomachs first.” 😄 The National Museum of China (中国国家博物馆, Zhōngguó Guójiā Bówùguǎn) is...
Most people have seen photographs of the Great Wall of China (长城). A stone dragon stretching across mountains. Ancient watchtowers standing proudly on the ridges. A symbol recognised around the world. But there is something photographs cannot fully explain. The Great Wall is not only something you look at. It is something you walk. Step by step. Stone by stone. And only when your feet touch the ancient path do you begin...
Few places represent China more than the Great Wall of China (长城). For many travellers visiting Beijing, standing on the Great Wall is one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences — a moment when something you have seen in photographs, documentaries, and history books finally becomes real. It was also one of the first places where our China journey began. In 2013, I brought Elaine to Beijing for the first time. She was only...
.. with my special need and self-learning (homeschooling) daughter, Elaine. We are China-focused travelers and have visited more than 20 interesting historical places/cities in China. And we enjoy bringing you useful & practical travel stories to help you enhance your experience traveling in China.. do follow us for more interesting travel stories..
