Living life LARGE
JOE RIMMER has big fun in not-so-little China
EVERYTHING in China is big. Like really, really big. Whether it be the cities that swallow you whole with their skyscrapers extending into the sky, each one bigger than the last, or a certain Wall, it’s so easy to feel so tiny within a country now jostling to be the world’s foremost superpower.
But in the land of the large it’s the small things that make the world of difference.
That could be a bit of extra leg room on the 10-hour journey to the Far East, or a glass of champagne to make you feel like a VIP.
Or it could be a hotel that caters for all your needs, whether you are a beer drinker or a Thai boxer.
Most importantly, it could be a guide who can lead you off of the beaten track to try a local speciality or to eat with a farmer and his wife in the shadow of the Great Wall of China.
When I travelled to Beijing with Air France and Hotel Jen, I was lucky enough to experience all of the above and a whole lot more.
I flew from Manchester, connecting in Paris CDG onto a 10-hour flight to Beijing. Air France fly 10 times a week from Paris to Beijing.
Arriving in China’s capital, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. After all, this is a city with 22 million people residing in it – and you can tell. The cars are bumper to bumper on the seven ring roads that surround each part of the city, their horns a soundtrack to the traffic and thousands of bicycles weaving their way through it.
Then there are the neon lights flashing, the smog and the skyscrapers. A colleague remarked that it reminded him of the future portrayed in the movie Blade Runner. It was hard to disagree.
Moving about in a city that big is tough, but that is where our hotel really came into its own.
We stayed with Hotel Jen by Shangri-La, right in the heart of the city’s business district.
Whether you’re travelling for work or fun, it’s a pretty cool place to stay. There are a whopping 450 rooms, a massive gym with a pool, martial arts studio and plenty of classes to get involved in, a restaurant selling some of the best local food and even a gastropub with an on-site brewery.
But Hotel Jen’s greatest strength is being able to set you up with knowledgeable guides to help customise your experience in Beijing.
Our first day, for example, was spent cycling around the back alleys of Beijing, exploring the Hutong area and Houhai Lake with our guide, Chris.
He later took us for lunch at a traditional Beijing hot pot restaurant. This involves cooking a collection of different meats and vegetables yourself in a boiling broth – good fun, but I’d recommend sharpening up on your chopsticks skills before you travel!
We then headed to the Forbidden City – a stunning place in itself, but an experience made so much better by a guide able to explain the history of murder and mystery of the Ming and Qing dynasties who resided there for thousands of years.
The next day was a chance to visit the jewel in China’s crown, the wondrous Great Wall.
Once again, doing it with a guide allowed us to dodge the crowds of tourists at other parts of the wall and head out to Mutianyu, about one and a half hour’s drive from Beijing city centre.
There was plenty of time to explore the Wall learn more about its history – and work up an appetite in the process.
So our guides, Bespoke Beijing, took us off of the beaten track and to a farmer’s small restaurant.
It was about as authentic an experience as you could hope for, as the farmer excitedly served course after course to us – all delicious – before explaining, translated from Chinese by our guide, what we were eating.
He did wait until afterwards to tell us that one of the courses we had just consumed was fish brains. But nobody seemed to mind.
That evening it was back to the hotel for a tour of the on site brewery and tasting of their beer. Boots were well and truly filled by this journalist.
The next day started with a
One of the courses we had just consumed was fish brains. But nobody seemed to mind... Joe enjoys authentic Chinese cuisine
relaxing swim in the hotel and then we were off to the historic Tiananmen Square, a must for any Beijing visitors.
But it was the second half of our final day, a mooch around the 798 Art District, that impressed most. If you like your coffee, craft beer and culture, this is for you.
The contemporary feel of the area and its Western influences are at odds with a lot of other places we saw in Beijing.
There was still time to try a real Peking Duck pancake – nothing like what you get at your local takeaway – before we made for the airport and the 10-hour flight home.
Luckily, Air France saw to another excellent meal and a wonderful night’s sleep, so the overnight flight allowed me to return home refreshed, if a little sad it had all gone so quickly.
As I lay on the journey home thinking about the whirlwind few days that had just been, I felt thankful to those who helped lift the shroud of a country that somehow remains so mysterious and helped create memories that will last a lifetime.