The Zhengyangmen Picnic Tables
A dining table smack bang in the middle of Tiananmen Square? Surely not. Well you better believe it, kiddo. We’re not going to lie, we were pretty excited when we discovered this one. Ok, so there may be a 20RMB entrance fee, but it’s a small price to pay for the views and total calm you’ll find atop the Zhengyanmen Gate.
That’s right, climb the steps to the (usually empty) battlements on this archery tower’s east side and you’ll discover several picnic benches perfect for a feast, with a vista stretching from Qianmen to Tiananmen. A word of warning though, there’s no cover up there so in summer you’ll need a hat and sunglasses at the very least.
One of our favorite things about China is having our minds broadened by having so many of our core beliefs brought into question. We can’t tell you how many times our notion that some things are ‘just universal’ has been completely shattered. 
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.