Livin' La Vida China: Travel Tips from an Expat in Beijing

I am an American citizen and have lived in Changping, a suburb of Beijing for 10 months as a foreign English teacher at a private elementary school.

Beijing is a city of over 12 million people, plus 2 million migrant workers. China as a whole is extremely rich in history, but is also a developing nation and is becoming more and more westernized. The Olympic Games are to be held in Beijing in 2008, and the government is improving the city on many levels in anticipation of showing it off to the world. There is a campaign to clean the air, a campaign for every Beijing resident to learn 100 words of English, and many more beautification campaigns.

There are a few historically important sites in Beijing that I would consider 'must-see' on a trip to the city.
Tian An Men Square is at the center of the city. Many westerners might remember the name from the student demonstrations of 1989. At Tian An Men Square you will find the Great Hall of the People, where the National People's Congress meets, and the Chairman Mao Zedong Memorial Hall, which contains the embalmed body in a mausoleum that is open to the public for viewing. Also on the square are two museums, and on the north side is the Gate of Heavenly Peace, which leads into the Forbidden City.

The Forbidden City was the home of China's emperors during Imperialism. Maybe you have seen the film, The Last Emperor, which was filmed in the Forbidden City. It contains 175 acres of palaces and gardens. A tour guide is not really necessary, as the main highlights of the Forbidden City have explanations in English and Mandarin. Or, if you prefer, you can purchase an audio tour. I have gone with a tour group and on my own, several (4) times. I found the tour group to be boring, as we were always waiting for 'the others' to catch up.

The Summer Palace (in a different part of the city) was a retreat for the imperial family and was built in the late 1800s. It is very beautiful, with pavilions, palaces, and landscapes. The biggest attraction is a large lake, Kunming Lake, on which you can take a boat ride in the summer months (in the winter, the lake was frozen. People were walking on it.)