The Urban Edit
1. PANJIAYUAN MARKET
The Chinese market of your dreams. Open air, noisy and chaotic, you can bargain till your heart’s content. From genuinely old propaganda posters and ‘antique’ buddhas, to beautiful Miao minority embroidery and hand-crafted shadow puppets. Panjiayuan Lu, Chaoyang district. Nearest Subway: Panjiayuan Station, Exit B (walk west along Panjiayuan Lu until you see the busy entrance to the market). Open Saturdays and Sundays before 3pm only.
We love helping visitors to China (heck, it’s our whole job), but sometimes when we impart well-meaning words of wisdom to visiting acquaintances, we spot that look of skepticism flicker across their faces. We can almost hear the voice in their heads saying “thanks for the advice n’all, but I’ll be fine.”
So we’ve decided to make this list for the China pros (you!) to share with your visiting friends and family. You know, the people who love you so much they actually take your opinion less seriously than a complete stranger’s (annoying eh?).
We love the Forbidden City, it truly is the jewel in Beijing’s crown. But its location is also a big ol’ pain in the butt: situated to the north of the ultra-sensitive Tiananmen Square and frequented by thousands of tourists streaming out of the nearby subway, the security lines to get inside (underneath Mao’s portrait) can take forever. Ain’t nobody got time for that.
TRB (aka Temple Restaurant Beijing) has been charming the hell out of people for years now over in Beijing’s hutongs. And while it’s hard to beat a dining room with views of the Forbidden City, the top-notch food and service has played just as big a role in its success.
Some things happen so rarely that when they do, they’re worth getting a little excited about. A blood moon for example. Or the Olympics coming to your city…or the chance to spend a whole evening with the author of your favorite book.
That’s why we’re very happy to announce that for the first time since 2013, Paul French – author of The New York Times bestselling murder mystery Midnight in Peking – will return to Beijing to personally lead three walking tours for us based on his book.
China’s train network really is a thing of wonder: the country boasts more high-speed rail than the rest of the world combined. And if zipping between megacities at 300 kilometers per hour wasn’t impressive enough, the fact they almost always arrive bang on time makes them an invaluable option for those that find themselves stressed out by seemingly endless delays on the country’s domestic flight routes. In fact, before you sit back and relax, you have just one decision to make. Which class? To help kick off your journey in the best possible way Bespoke presents a primer to picking the seat that is best for you!
