It was up at 6.30 today, to do the only thing planned for the day: go and watch some early morning Tai-Chi.

We were told that Beihai Park would be a good place, so we took a taxi and paid the 80p admission fee, in the hope of seeing some local culture.

We made our way to the central (and only) island and, during the round tour, saw a myriad activities taking place. There was some kind of communal dance, a strange Tai-Chi/badminton hybrid, and calligraphy with water (painted with huge brushes on the stone-paved path). As we walked around the perimeter of the central temple (which stood prominently atop the island) we heard the strangled wails of early morning prayers/salutations, and the path would sometimes open up to reveal more small groups of people practicing Tai-Chi. It was almost like the Chinese Minister of Culture had ordered all these events to occur just then, because that is exactly what tourists expect. Hmm, come to think of it…

A better start to the morning I could never have hoped for, and it is without doubt one of the more prominent memories I have of our trip.

On exiting Beihai Park we found ourselves not far from The Forbidden City, so we took the chance and entered the northern gates. Apparently Beijing is built on the principle Feng Shui, which means important buildings have their main entrances on the south side, to protect them from evil spirits.

Despite its fame, there isn’t so much to say about it. It’s huge, Imperial, and a little bit boring after a while. The buildings are identical (as are the temples), though the wonderment came from thinking what it must have been like all those centuries ago. But then, isn’t that the case with a lot of monuments and ancient buildings. Stonehenge is nothing to write home about, aesthetically speaking.

As we exited the southern gate we realised we were only a minute’s walk from the restaurant we’d eatan at the previous evening. Even though it was only 10.30 we decided to go for a top up, and eat some dumplings and “beef”. The same situation arose as it had the night before, where we were surrounded by waiting staff, but we’d accustomed ourselves to the fierce service and enjoyed the crowd of employees posted nearby our table.

Fuelled up, we continued south and ended up at Tiananmen Square, which is the largest Square in the world. I have no idea if this statement is true, but on seeing it I can only concur this is a distinct possibility. We were recognised by a Chinese couple; recognised, of course, as being Westerners, which led to a group photo. We were thanked, we humbly returned the thanks, and parted ways, feeling a bit like film stars. Sort of.

From Tiananmen Square we continued southwards to The Temple of Heaven. We chose to walk, despite our tiredness, to see some of the back roads of Beijing, and were amazed by the contrast, and the proximity of the contrast of buildings. Right next to some super high-tech high school stood a shanti-town of diminutive shacks. This seems to be an ongoing theme in the city. Unlike most Western inner-cities, the difference in the standard of accommodation compared to the services offered in the high streets is elephantine.

Anyway, the Temple of Heaven was a serene park with suitably large temples and substructures dotted along its spine. We came away ready for a well-deserved nap, and astonished at how much we’d accomplished: all this sightseeing and it was only 14.30. After a short repose we’d be off to The Pearl Market, and our first shopping spree.

The Pearl Market is a huge department store, with different sections on each of the 7 floors. Pearls and jewelery, bags and purses, clothes, and electronic goods featured most prominently, and it was all a bit too much at first. It was like there were invisible triggers placed just before the innumerable stalls, which, when set off by walking over them, called forth an automatic response from the vendors, usually along the lines of “Lady, you wanna bag?” or “Come look at my shop!” It took time to get used to this aggressive sales technique, and prevented me from browsing as I’d liked to have done. The merest glance or the showing of interest in an item elicited a further offer of “good price” and personal attention that the waitresses in the restaurant we’d eaten at earlier would have been proud of. If one were actually interested in purchasing, a carefully initiated haggling process ensued, which normally came to a price where both parties had felt they had ripped off the other.

Jo ended up buying a Canada Goose jacket and 2 silk ties for 290 crowns (street value in Sweden? circa 3000 crowns) for a work colleague, which was okay considering she’d been given 500 crowns to barter with. She was even told to keep the change. CHA-CHING!

Ending the evening, we spent a lazy hour eating in the hotel’s Japanese restaurant. A vast selection of vegan food awaited us for a fairly good price. Time for a well-deserved sleep.