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...
FOLLOW OUR STORIES → WHAT WE ATE Our flight out of Beijing wasn’t until midnight. That gave Dad & Elaine almost another full day in the city. But by lunchtime, we didn’t feel like hunting for another famous Beijing restaurant. We didn’t need to. We simply walked outside our hotel. And this is one reason Dad came to appreciate where we were staying. 🏨 What Was Outside Our Budget Hotel? We were...
FOLLOW OUR STORIES · WHERE WE STAYED Some hotels become part of a journey because they’re extraordinary. A beautiful view. A historic building. A rooftop swimming pool. A five-star breakfast. Our Motel 168 near Lishuiqiao (立水桥, Lìshuǐqiáo) wasn’t any of those things. 😂 It was simply a clean, inexpensive hotel outside central Beijing where Dad & Elaine could sleep, wash our clothes, eat breakfast and catch the Metro into the city. But...
Our Shandong journey was coming to an end. Dad & Elaine had reached Dezhou (德州, Dézhōu), and that evening we were heading back to Beijing. The journey sounded straightforward: DiDi → Dezhou East Railway Station → high-speed train → Beijing South → Beijing Metro → hotel. By this stage of our China travels, that combination was beginning to feel almost normal. What Dad didn’t know was that Elaine had plans for the...
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