What We Experienced in Beijing: At Tianleyuan Grand Theatre near Qianmen, Elaine went from seeing Beijing Opera in books and videos to wearing the headdress, learning the gestures and experiencing one of China’s great performing traditions for herself. Some travel stories actually begin years before the trip. This one began in Shenzhen in 2018. Dad and Elaine were at Shenzhen Book City (深圳书城, Shēnzhèn Shūchéng) — a place Elaine would grow particularly...
Daily Life in Old Beijing: Dad went for a morning walk and found cats on rooftops, a little dog, a caged songbird, potted plants — and a reminder that Beijing’s hutongs are still people’s homes. Not every travel story needs a famous attraction. Sometimes you just need a fat cat. 😂 Dad was walking through a Beijing hutong (胡同, hútòng) one morning when a fluffy white cat wandered past. Nothing unusual about...
Where We Stayed in Beijing: Dad chose a traditional Chinese-style lodging near Qianmen so Elaine could experience Old Beijing beyond the famous sights. There are plenty of modern hotels in Beijing. We could have stayed in one. Instead, Dad chose something rather different for Elaine. A traditional Chinese-themed lodging tucked into the hutong (胡同, hútòng) area near Qianmen (前门, Qiánmén), right in the historic center of Beijing. Why? Because this Beijing trip...
In the City: Standing near Yinding Bridge in Shichahai, Dad found one of those places where historic Beijing and the modern city seem to occupy the same streets. When we say Old Beijing, it’s easy to imagine somewhere quiet. Gray hutong walls. Traditional courtyard houses. An old bicycle. Perhaps an elderly resident sitting outside his front door. But then Dad walked into this part of Beijing. And it wasn’t quiet at all....
Daily Life in a Beijing Hutong: We walked beyond the postcard image and found public toilets, neighborhood services, shops, scooters, construction — and an ordinary weekday morning unfolding around us. Before visiting Beijing, it’s easy to imagine a hutong (胡同, hútòng) as something from old China. Gray walls. Narrow lanes. Red doors. Traditional courtyard houses (四合院, sìhéyuàn). Perhaps a bicycle passing by at exactly the right moment for your photograph. 😂 But...
Traditional Beijing hutong doors: A repairman working outside a courtyard house made Dad stop and look more closely at the stone carvings, door knockers and lucky symbols around these old entrances. We were walking through one of Beijing’s hutongs (胡同, hútòng) when something very ordinary made Dad stop. A repairman was working at the front of a house. There was no famous attraction here. No entrance ticket. No tour guide explaining what...
What We Found in Beijing: Heping Guoju (和平菓局) Dad went wandering around Wangfujing while Elaine visited the National Museum — and discovered an entire version of 1980s Beijing hiding underneath a department store. 🚶 Dad Went Downstairs… and Found Old Beijing This was another discovery from the afternoon when Elaine managed to get a free ticket to the National Museum of China — and Dad didn’t. 😂 Instead of waiting around, I...
What We Ate in Beijing: Old Beijing Zhajiangmian (老北京炸酱面, Lǎo Běijīng Zhájiàngmiàn) Elaine got a ticket to the National Museum of China. Dad didn’t. So while she explored the museum, Dad walked to Wangfujing — and ended up eating one of Beijing’s signature noodle dishes. Elaine Got In. Dad Didn’t. 😂 This wasn’t supposed to be a food story. Elaine and I wanted to visit the National Museum of China (中国国家博物馆, Zhōngguó...
FOLLOW OUR STORIES → WHERE CURIOSITY TOOK US Sometimes you don’t know which travel souvenir will matter until many years later. When Elaine was eight years old, Dad took her to China for the first time. It was 2013. Beijing (北京, Běijīng) was our family’s starting point. Like many family trips, we came home with souvenirs. Some were probably forgotten. One wasn’t. It was a little set of cards: 中国历代帝王 (Zhōngguó Lìdài...
ON THE MOVE · DAD & ELAINE TRAVEL CHINA There was one final job before Dad & Elaine could leave Beijing. Get to the airport. Simple? Not quite. Because Beijing has more than one major airport. And ours was: Beijing Daxing International Airport (北京大兴国际机场, Běijīng Dàxīng Guójì Jīchǎng) — PKX. NOT Beijing Capital International Airport (北京首都国际机场, Běijīng Shǒudū Guójì Jīchǎng) — PEK. 😬 Mix those two up and you have a considerably...
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