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Wangfujing: Beijing’s main shopping street

Obviously a metropolitan city such as Beijing has plenty of great places to shop, but there are always some locations that stand out. Take Wangfujing, for instance. As well as being the most famous shopping street in the city, it’s also the busiest. On an average weekday you’ll find hundreds of thousands of bargain hunters, while in the holiday season the number can reach to over a million.

Shopping

Street food

As night falls in Beijing, hungry locals and tourists gather in Snack Street after a long day of shopping. This area is part of the Donghuamen Night Market. Here you’ll be surrounded by the most enticing aromas from numerous street carts and restaurants. It is definitely worth a visit and the choice is overwhelming – from spicy noodle soup, lamb kebab and Chinese pancakes to fried crocodile and scorpions on sticks. Even if you are afraid to try the most unusual dishes, it is still an unforgettable sight to see what is available.

St. Josef Church

Peaceful church

There are also quiet spots in Wangfujing, some of which offer a peaceful oasis. The St. Joseph Church for example is one of the most interesting churches in Beijing. It is the perfect place to catch your breath, sitting on a shady bench watching teenagers speed by on skateboards. Inside the church, you may soon forget you’re in China due to its very European interior. The Sunday services are extremely popular among the Western residents of Beijing.

Arts & Culture

Tiananmen Square, also known as the Square of Heavenly Peace, in Beijing is filled with superlatives. This vast 880-metre-long and 500-metre-wide square can hold a million people and is the 4th largest square in the world. The Gate of Heavenly Peace, the Tiananmen Gate, provides access to the Forbidden City. Above the entrance hangs a portrait of Mao Zedong, the founder of modern China.

Arts & Culture

The Great Wall of China twists through deserts and plains, over mountains and plateaus like a Chinese dragon. The structure’s length is estimated at 8,852 kilometres. Not all parts of the Great Wall have been preserved in good condition and thousands of years of history have obviously left their mark. Beijing is a great starting point for a visit to both the restored and the more authentic segments of the Great Wall.

Arts & Culture

The Chinese used to view the Forbidden City as the centre of the universe, and with good reason! While Europe was still stuck in the Middle Ages, Beijing saw a huge palace complex arise with thousands of alcoves, rooms and halls. Not only was the Imperial City forbidden to commoners, it was also invisible, hidden behind walls that were 8 metres thick and 10 metres high.