My parents are returning to Beijing for a visit and it made me start thinking about how much I love my old hometown. This is the place where my dreams always started and landed – Beijing! There are so many memories there on every corner, every street and every sunset! So I thought I would share some of the wonderful memories from growing up there with a tour using your imagination!

Long Corridor Photo Courtesy of (c)Tomo.Yun (www.yunphoto.net/en/)

I want to start our tour with my favorite garden here –the Summer Palace. Even though it is called the *Summer* Palace, it is truly a Palace for all year round. In the spring time, it’s always so refreshing to see the first signs of green and the first blossoms, which is really nature’s wake up call from the long winter hibernation! In summer it is truly a beautiful paradise! You will be overwhelmed by the deep green of the trees; the grass and picture perfect Kunming Lake. Stroll down the Long Corridor at dusk to enter the feeling of this ancient imperial palace that is eight hundred years old. Fall is the season of colorful kaleidoscopes. The explosive yellow leaves of the Gingko trees appear almost magical. Climb to the top of Longevity Hill and get a birds-eye view of the northwest corner of Beijing. Or even more dramatically, enjoy a sunset moment and watch the sun slowly sinking into the Yan mountain range, with the silhouette of a classical pagoda standing on top of the Jade Spring Hill. What an unforgettable picture! In winter, see all the colors of the ancient buildings covered in the blanket of white snow. A white dream that has repeated for hundreds of years! When the sun comes out, you can see those colors slowly emerging and asserting their beauty, contrasting with the snowy world!

Summer Palace has always been my family’s special paradise! We have our fondest family moments there. Memories flood my mind, like standing by the Kunming Lake, soaking in the dramatic color of the sunset accentuated by the silhouette of Western Hill, perhaps even a group of geese flying on their way home through the curls of smoke from early dinner cooking. Each year on the Full Moon Day Festival, we would take our moon cakes with us to feast in the reflection of the most beautiful and flawless full moon of the year on the water of Kunming Lake. We often would stroll in the Long Corridor on the summer nights. It is all lit up and so quiet and peaceful.

Marble Boat Photo Courtesy of (c)Tomo.Yun (www.yunphoto.net/en/)

You can also see the lit up dragon boats floating on the lake and imagine every character from Imperial Chinese history who has lived here before. They might have experienced the same moment in the same atmosphere hundreds years ago, who knows?

Of course you will be starving after the wonderful day of exploring the park and the Imperial Restaurant in the Summer Palace is the perfect stop to end your day. It is located right in the middle of the Long Corridor. It was a palace for Concubine Pearl, one of the most beautiful concubines in the Qing dynasty. You can’t even tell it is a restaurant from its appearance until you smell the delectable aromas coming from it. Just walk into the old building and enjoy the ancient classical Chinese decorations while being served by elegant waitresses dressed in beautiful Qing Dynasty-styled robes. You will once again be surprised by the good taste that emperors had hundreds years ago! What a treat!

All the Best!

Jia

Okay, enough blogs about the history and philosophy of China, let’s answer the question that is most on your minds; where can I get some great Chinese food?

Cooking in China is an artistic culture. Chinese chefs are extremely particular about their choice of ingredients and subtle about the use of fire, with due attention paid to the savories and nutritious balance of the dishes.The presentation is just as important as the taste. The dish must look as exquisite as it tastes! To judge a good dish, we have very tough standards: the color, the shape, the taste, the smell and the aesthetics are all critical to make a perfect dish.

There are four main styles of Chinese cuisine.  (Actually one theory actually puts the number of Chinese cuisine at eight, with the addition of Fujianese cooking, which attaches utmost importance to freshness of ingredients and delicate taste of dishes; Zhejiang cooking, distinguished by an obsession with the purity of flavor; Hunan cooking, producing dishes which are pungent in a numbing way and Anhui cooking, known for its richness of flavors.) However for this blog we will focus on the universally acknowledged four main styles.

Cantonese, which is famous for the seafood, fresh water food and exotic dishes. The fact that some of them are made with exotic fowl and snakes makes Cantonese cuisine very special and exotic!  There is a saying in China that the Cantonese will eat anything with wings except an airplane, and anything with legs except a table!

Cantonese cuisine is the most predominant style here in the U.S., by far. That is due mainly to the fact that in the early days of Chinese immigration to the U.S., the overwhelming majority of the Chinese immigrants were Cantonese. These were the brave, hard-working souls that came to America to work the gold fields of California and to build the first trans-continental railroad. It was the Chinese laborers from Guandong Provence (called Canton by the western countries) that laid the Central Pacific tracks across the mighty Sierras and all the way to Utah, where it connected with the Central Pacific driving westward from the east.

Sichuan cuisine is famous for spicy and hot. Spicy to the degree of numbness, is a salient feature of  Sichuan dishes. A good Sichuan dish will leave you with your tummy full and your ears on fire! Some standard, authentic Sichuan dishes are Dan-Dan Noodles, Chongqing (a.k.a. Chungking) Chicken and Spicy Boiled Beef will leave you thinking that your hair must be on fire!

Sichuan restaurants are hard to find in the U.S. outside of major metropolitan areas, however I will hook you up with great Sichuan food on your tour! There are a lot of great things to see and do in Sichuan, which is also home of the Giant Pandas. Don’t worry if really spicy food is not your thing, they can dial down the heat to suit any taste!

Huaiyang cuisine is famous for its tenderness, freshness of materials, delicate tastes and the fastidious way of presentation. It is less greasy and very healthy. Huaiyang stands for the Huai’an-Yangzhou area of those riverside cities in Jiangsu province.

Huaiyang cooking contrasts the more common style of Chinese cooking, which entails cooking very fast over high heat. Huaiyang style is more along the lines of braising, stewing and steaming over low heat for a long time.  And for the folks who were scared off by the spicy claims of the Sichuan section above, Huaiyang food is almost never spicy.

Fun tidbit: Huaiyang is famous for its Chingkiang vinegar, which is a black vinegar that really kicks up the flavor of many dishes. the next time you are in your local Chinese restaurant and order pot stickers, dumplings or Chinese buns or pancakes, ask them for some black vinegar. They will bring you a a little bowl that you can use to dip your food. Try it!

Shandong cuisine is often known as “Northern Style” cooking. Shandong chefs are especially skilled in producing high-calorie and high protein dishes. The imperial banquets in Beijing are considered Shandong style. These dishes originated in the kitchen of the imperial palace for the exclusive enjoyment of the emperor and empress in the old days. The serving of imperial dishes follows highly stylized procedures.

Speaking of Beijing, one of the most famous Chinese dishes is Beijing Duck, which has the reputation as “the most delicious food on earth”. Even Beijing Duck has over 100 years of history, beginning in the Qing dynasty.

The Dumpling Banquet in Xi’an is another masterpiece in the northern style. Dumplings are considered the most traditional Chinese food, and are served as a must in every family celebration during the Chinese New Year’s Eve. The Dumpling Banquet is a feast of dumpling collections that is definitely a one-of-a-kind experience and should not be missed!  The dumplings are as artistic as they are delicious! They come in all sizes and shapes. Some of the shapes are kittens, bunnies, peaches, fish and many more. And of course the ingredients vary as well from various vegetables and meats to fried walnuts. Just remember to pace yourself because there are 30 courses!

Naturally Beijing Duck and the Xi’an Dumpling Banquet and standard events on any tour we arrange that includes Beijing and Xi’an, respectively.

Wow, for some reason I am suddenly very hungry! I think I will go enjoy some delicious Chinese food!

All the Best!

Jia

People go to China to experience something very Chinese, not something they can get anywhere else or at home. Who doesn’t? That’s normally what I think when giving suggestions and choosing places to stay or visit.

Without exception, every one of my clients who have stayed there all love Bamboo Garden Hotel in Beijing. First it’s a very traditional courtyard complex with beautiful Chinese garden style. Second it’s located right in the heart of old town Beijing, the Hutong area> The Hutong area is the only place where you will find the old Beijing atmosphere to immerse in while you are enjoying all the fascinating history and culture of Beijing during your day tours.

Many of my clients love this peaceful and charming hotel so much that they called this their highlight of the tour! The Bamboo Garden Hotel is a classical Chinese courtyard-style structure in a quiet lane west of the Drum Tower in Beijing. The halls and pavilions in the building are linked by unique, long corridors, with a tranquil and elegant surrounding of bamboo groves, rockeries, and fountains.

There is a very interesting history behind this hotel. It was the private residence of Sheng Xuanhuai, the postal department minister during the late Qing Dynasty, and it was also said to be the garden of Andehai, the imperial eunuch. Since the late Qing Dynasty, a succession of celebrities such as Wang Yintai, Mahansan, Dong Biwu and Kangsheng (famous people from different political periods) have lived here.

Have a sip of tea while you are emailing your friends from your elegant Chinese room (free wireless in each room) and tell them how much you are enjoying the real Beijing!

You can check out their website and see some pictures of the interior: http://www.bbgh.com.cn/index.html

You can also check out what some of our clients had to say about the hotel on our Testimonials page: http://www.jiasdreamtours.com/testimonial.html

All the best!

Jia

Located at the foothill of Yan Mountain, on the western side of Beijing, Fragrant Hill enjoys the reputation as the best place in Beijing to see the autumn colors! Of course due to its naturally higher elevation, Fragrant Hill area also enjoys the fresher air of Beijing. Combined with densely populated trees and plant life, Fragrant Hill well deserves the reputation of Summer Retreat!

Even though Fragrant Hill is more famous for its fall colors, in my opinion, it’s beautiful during all four seasons. There are four attractions in Fragrant Hill area: Fragrant Hill Park, Beijing Botanical Garden, Cherry Blossom Valley and Reclining Buddha Temple.

Fragrant Hill Park is a large park of hills and forest covering 160 hectares (395.4 acres). The park was first built in 1186 in the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) and later extended to a large scale in the Yuan and Ming dynasties. The most spectacular natural scenery in the Fragrant Hills Park is the red smoke tree leaves over the mountains in autumn! When autumn arrives, fiery red leaves blanket the entire mountain. It becomes one of the top attractions for the locals to look forward to in the autumn!

Beijing Botanical Garden is a large 400 Hectare ( ~988 acres) park close to XiangShan at the foot of the Western Fragrant Hills. It presents magical, peaceful surroundings just 15 km from central Beijing. There are many local and exotic flora and fauna, including the Perennial Garden, Peony Garden, Ornamental Peach Garden, a magnificent 10,000 square meter Conservatory housing Rain Forest House, Orchid House, Desert Garden House, Exhibition Flower House and numerous other gardens featuring camellias, bamboo, tree peonies, ornamental cherries and many others.

Cherry Blossom Valley, (Yingtaogou) also commonly known as the Zhou’s Family Garden, is situated at the foot of Shou’an Mountain near Fragrant Hill Park. Walking west from the Botanical Garden, one comes to a narrow, winding path, which leads to Cherry Blossom Valley; a quiet, secluded valley ideal for a getaway from the city life. During the Ming Dynasty, the Temple of Wisdom (Guanghuisi) was built here. In front of and behind the temple were orchards in which cherry trees were especially abundant, which is how the valley obtained its name. It is so quiet and peaceful here, that you can hear the sound of a bubbling spring, the wind blowing through the pine trees and birds chirping!

My favorite is actually Cherry Blossom Valley. From the name you can tell this valley is full of cherry trees which are consider rare in Beijing. And you can imagine the best time for this part of Fragrant Hill is spring: during cherry blossom time. The whole valley is full of blooming cherry and all the other flowers: peach, magnolia, peony… it’s truly a fresh picture of spring! My favorite time is sunset time at Cherry Blossom Valley, after it has quieted down from a whole day of visitors. Since it’s next to Reclining Buddha Temple, you can basically walk in between the two places. With the solemn and peaceful atmosphere of the temple, you can even appreciate more of this quiet moment by yourself.

Another reason I love Cherry Blossom Valley is that the author of my favorite Chinese book: Dream of Red Mansion – Mr. Cao Xue Qin used to live here and supposedly was inspired here. If you want to read one of the true classics of Chinese literature, Dream of Red Mansion is an incredible, haunting love story that you will never forget! If you walk all the way to the end of Cherry Blossom Valley, you will see there is a famous site called: Pine Growing Out of a Giant Rock. This was one of the most memorable symbols in his book (Dream of Red Mansion) of the love and relationship between a girl and the boy. What a touching and inspiring story!

I highly recommend if you get chance to go to Beijing, spend some time in Fragrant Hill. Even though it’s not on top of the tourist’s list, its beauty and charm will be really win you over, especially if you are into the traditional Chinese culture. Try to spend at least one night there, slow down and wander around the old temple, breathe in the fresh air from the fragrant valley, immerse yourself into mother nature, read a couple of chapters of Dream of Red Mansion… That’s an enchanting moment of your life!