I was 6 years old when 还珠格格 (My Fair Princess) first aired. This was one TV series that got me glued to the screen everyday without fail. The vibrant colors of the Qing Dynasty, the unique Chinese mannerisms, and the stark personality differences between Xiao Yan Zi (an orphaned and illiterate young lady) crossing paths with the demure and sweet natured Zi Wei (the illegitimate daughter of the emperor).

This was how I got sucked into period dramas, and started taking an interest in Chinese history. Of those scenes, there was one bit that particularly intrigued me: The mysterious land of eternal blue sky – Mongolia.

I loved seeing the vast pastures that the series showed, and often wondered what it’d be like to live in those times – to be horse-riding in a land of green field, living in the Forbidden Palace for your entire life, and more.

The opportunity to visit this childhood dream of mine came to mind this February, when a friend asked if it was time to visit Mongolia.

Researching on flights, I noticed the stopover was in Peking, the capital city of China. It’s almost as if the Universe was listening. With these coincidences, there was simply no reason not to do a stopover in Beijing.

Prior to arriving in Beijing, my impression of the city was that it consisted of polluted air, was filled with impolite people, and is heavily monitored by the Government. I’m glad only one out of the three was spot-on.

There was definitely a smell of pollutants hanging in the air when we first stepped out of the airport. Nothing deadly, but it was certainly different from the air we’re used to in Singapore. And as we cruised to the hotel in the city in our taxi, we were impressed by just how clean it was. There was no rubbish anywhere, there were people washing the roads on the highway(!), and people were extremely patient with us whenever we struggled with our card payments. If it was in Singapore, I’d have been given dagger eyes a million times over by the cashier and the people waiting behind me.

Given that we only had two short days in Beijing, the itinerary was simple: Visit the Palace Museum, check out Tian’anmen Square, eat Peking Duck & hotpot, and climb the Great Wall of China.

First stop after leaving our luggage was a hearty brekkie at a mall near our hotel. We tried Rou Jia Mou (the Chinese version of a burger, except with crispy patty), Pork Intestines La Mian, & Vlad got us some yellow cherries to share.

We then made our way to Forbidden City/ The Palace Museum, and one of our first observations were the number of ladies dressed in traditional Chinese hanfu attire.

Seeing the Forbidden City right before my eyes were a surreal feeling. Afterall, I’ve been watching period dramas for most three decades! This was a huge compound, and our audio guide taught us the purpose of each palace and how each structure and component was designed.

Unfortunately, all the palaces were closed, so we could only take a peep from a far distance outside. I didn’t think it lived up to expectations, but it’s a rather interesting experience at the end of the day.

After a short recharge at our hotel, we ventured back to Tian’anmen Square and was very lucky to be early in time for the flag-lowering ceremony.

Dinner at Siji Minfu, one of three famous Peking Duck restaurants in Beijing.

IT WAS SO GOOD! The staff showed us three ways of enjoying the duck:

1. Dipping it in sugar;
2. The traditional method – Paired with Tian Mian Jiang/甜面酱, two thin slices of scallion and some kimchi (imo, the best way to eat it!); and
3. The innovative way – Paired with a sweet, citrusy sauce & two thin slices of honeydew.

Day 2: The Great Wall of China

We’d started the day bright and early, only to arrive at the train station and realising that the morning tickets to the Great Wall of Badaling was sold out. We opted for Didi after a quick breakfast stop, hoping to arrive before the mid-day sun hits.

Halfway through the journey, I realised that I’d booked the Didi to another part of the Great Wall: Mutianyu. But it seems this turned out to be a better decision, as I’d overheard a local saying that Mutianyu offered better photo spots and was less busy.

We took the cable car up and hiked down after.

For dinner, our Didi driver in the afternoon had recommended South Gate Hotpot 南门涮肉, for its Lao Beijing vibes. Interestingly, this never popped up in my research and often showed the big outlets like Haidilao or 小龙坎 which we’d already tried in Singapore.

We found an outlet of South Gate Hotpot near our hotel, arriving at the location to find that it is packed to the brim with many hungry locals! No reservations are allowed btw. By a stroke of luck, I was able to get our group of three to skip the queue instead of waiting 1.5 hours for our turn.

When we got into the room, we were surprised to see a mini copper pot, with water as the stock base. The menu also serves only lamb and beef. This was completely different from what we were used to – where we’d have our choice of soup options (like chicken, mushroom or tomato) and a wide assortment of meats.

I don’t eat lamb frequently, usually just for once or twice a year. But since this place was famous for its fresh lamb cuts, we ordered some of their most popular items. This turned out to be a real solid meal!

In my next post, I’ll be sharing about Mongolia, the Land of Eternal Blue Sky. Stay tuned.

P.S. It’s been two & a half years since this blog was last updated. It feels good to be back and writing for myself and reliving these memories. I hope I find the determination to finish updating the entire Mongolia trip too. And I might even revisit last Summer’s trip in Greece, my diving adventures, and pen down some of my thoughts during my 1-year experience living in Australia.

Leave me a comment if you’re particularly keen in any of the stories above.

Love,

Olly’25