Tianjin Style Fish Stew, Beijing
Originally uploaded by JoeDuck
This dish really presented well. Sort of a chicken and dumplings with Fish instead of chicken. The fish tasted sort of like sardines in gravy.
Beijing Tea Scam: Avoid the Si Zhu Xiang Tea House near Forbidden City / Tiananmen Square
Originally uploaded by JoeDuck
Update: Generally, if you are approached by a good English speaker there is a *very good chance* he or she is trying to scam you or sell you something rather than “practice English”. In Tea houses confirm pricing *before you sit down* or you’ll probably be in for a surprising bill.
Beware the SI ZHU XIANG Tea House in Beijing!
I fell for the Beijing Tea Scam (also common in Shanghai) where you are approached by a person claiming to want to practice english, then subtly lured to a Tea House for a “Tea Ceremony” that is hugely overpriced.
The scam is so good I have learned that many other travelers have also been duped by this because it preys on the fact that you don’t want to insult anybody and generally are unfamiliar enough with the landscape, money, etc. that you just pay the bill. My bill was $85 for a few tea samples. I’m guessing some who fall for this never even realize that they have been scammed – rather just think they paid “a lot” for Tea as I did untili I realized this was a very clever con game common in Beijing and Shanghai. I have challenged the charge and cancelled my card and will post follow ups on this later.
The China Tourism groups and guidebooks are guilty of NOT warning people enough about the fact that generally if you are approached in popular tourism areas by people who can speak english they are usually working some sort of sale or scam. Several sources suggested to me that it is common in China for people to come up and ask to take pictures and “practice” their English. Although I’m sure there are exceptions to the rule, the notion that people are looking to practice their english is only true in that that they are improving on these very clever short cons. I think I was approached at least ten times – mostly in Beijing – sometimes it was obvious they were working to sell me something but sometimes not at all apparent.
I can only hope that law enforcement does something to prevent this during the Olympics because a lot of this may overshadow the experience of meeting some of the wonderful people of China, only a tiny number of whom are perpetrating the scams.
Beware the SI ZHU XIANG Tea House in Beijing!
Looking for legitimate tea? Try Beijing Tea Street but still make sure you understand pricing. China really takes tea seriously and some are very expensive.
Pangu Plaza Construction, Beijing 389
Originally uploaded by JoeDuck
Dragon Shaped Pangu Plaza will feature prominently in the Olympic Ceremonies.
Update: Not prominently at all! Pangu Plaza is directly across from the Birds Nest but you’d hardly know it from NBC coverage. I’m wondering if they are deliberately downplaying Pangu Plaza to avoid giving them free advertising for the apartment sales?
Extremely powerful light beams will shoot up from the base, synchronized to music during the opening ceremony. Apartments here run about $5 million US, and the last building – the “tail” of the dragon – will be one of only two seven star hotels in the world, the other is Dubai’s Burj Al Arab.
Forbidden City Gate at Night 814
Originally uploaded by JoeDuck
This imposing gate leads to a huge courtyard and then through another gate you make your way deeper into the Forbidden City (I think this first gate defines the “Forbidden City” but not positive since you don’t pay until you go through the second one. There is an excellent view from the top of this Gate into Tiananmen Square though you have to pay about $2 to go up and tour this structure. Handbags must be checked as well, so if you are short on time you may want to skip this and head right into the inner parts of Forbidden City which take about one full day to in much detail – perhaps two days for a really thorough visit.
Forbidden City – Hill of Accumulated Elegance. 855
Originally uploaded by JoeDuck
The Hill of Accumulated Elegance was my favorite part of the Forbidden City in the heart of Beijing, China. Home to many emperors and their concubines (which could number in the thousands), Beijing’s Forbidden City is the largest palace grounds in the world complete with hundreds of buildings and a beautiful gardens in which the Hill of Accumulated Elegance stands.
Wow, I’m back home from an amazing trip to China over the past 2 weeks. Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing with 30 hours on the train between these cities so I could see more of the countryside. I have a ton to write about the trip and with my travel pal Charley Aebersold have over 1500 photos to post and caption over at Flickr. In Shanghai and Beijing we were really lucky to be with Kevin Wu, our Table Tennis friend and the best dentist in Medford, and his son as we navigated China’s massive urban landscapes and the fantastic Great Wall of China at Simitai, hosted by Kevin’s Cousin from Beijing. Kevin is originally from Beijing where he went through medical school before heading to the USA, so he was right at home and we enjoyed his unique western+eastern perspectives.
Charley stayed in China to train for Table Tennis, more about that when he returns from Hebei and the National Training Center.
I’d have to say everything on the trip paled next to the Great Wall of China, which was a simply staggering site to behold as well as an amazing historical hands-on adventure. On my next trip to China I want to hike along the wall with backpacks for several days, soaking up the 2000 years of history since this wall guarded the southern Ming dynasty from the Northerners who eventually prevailed, ushering in China’s final dynastic empire which was in turn overthrown by Sun Yat Sen around 1911, bringing modern China into being and setting the stage for the conflicts that led to the Communist and current era in China’s sweeping historical journey of many, many centuries.
Pangu Plaza Apartment? 5 million dollars. This is the building you will see in the Olympic coverage a lot – shaped like a dragon
Originally uploaded by JoeDuck
Pangu Plaza is a spectacular dragon-shaped building that stands near the Olympic Stadium and Aquatic Center. The building is surrounded by super powerful lighting that will be featured in the Olympic Opening Ceremony.
If we did the conversion math correctly, the apartments in the higher floors of Pangu Plaza will cost about 5 million US. Lower ones and commercial space appear to be about 3-4 million.
Pangu Plaza is one of three key buildings that will be very prominent during the Olympics, and I’ll have several postings about this real estate project which we toured during my stay in Beijing.
Pangu Plaza’s buildings are shaped like a dragon with a huge gravity defying overhang in the front building. Surrounded by powerful lighting the building will be featured in the Olympic Opening Ceremony.
Update: NOT prominent. It is almost as if NBC is editing out pictures of the amazing buildings that make up Pangu Plaza and the Pangu Plaza Hotel. These buildings right next to the Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium, but I don’t think I have seen a single video clip where they showed the whole structure.
Olympic Village Gym, Beijing
Originally uploaded by JoeDuck
Yu Gardens
Originally uploaded by JoeDuck
We are in Beijing as I write this, but Yu Gardens of Shanghai was a feast of beauty and history in the heart of the city. The quiet and peaceful gardens are surrounded by a hugely crowded and bustling market area with restaurants and shops.
Joe Duck 