Memoirs of Beijing

This will be the start of my series during my travel to Shandong province.  My colleague and I visited Jinan, Tai Shan and Qingdao.

Going to Jinan

If you plan to travel to Jinan, you can opt for either plane or train.  The train leaves from Beijing South station which is much better compared to Beijing Main and Beijing West Station.

The CRH train which we took will get you to Jinan in 3 hours.  Since we left on Chinese New Year, the train was half empty.   When we exited the station to get a cab, there was a long queue on the taxi stand and taxis were scarce due to the holidays.  Luckily, a cab driver took pity on us or maybe was mesmerized by my colleague’s beauty that he stopped and took us to our hotel.

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I really hate renewing my visa around the time of Chinese New Year as my passport is stuck with the public security bureau for a stretch of time.  This year, I’m out of luck as they won’t release my passport until the day after the Chinese New Year holidays.  That means, I cannot travel by plane nor check-in in a hotel. 

As I was bemoaning about my predicament, my colleague took pity on me and asked if she could travel with me.  After contemplating on where to go which will only involve train travel, we decide to head to Shandong province for some sea and mountain air.

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After experiencing Chinese New Year in Beijing in 2006, I told myself that I don’t want to be stuck in the city with nothing to do and being bored.  Ever since then, I’m usually out of town and either head back home or to a different location.  This year, my friend and I will visit the elusive Harbin.  I’ve been trying to visit this place for the past 3 years and I don’t want to mess it up this year.

Harbin (哈尔滨)

Harbin is the capital of Heilongjiang, which is the northernmost province of China.  It is dubbed as “Ice City” for its long and cold winter.  It is also famous for it’s winter ice sculptures which happens every year in January and February. 

In the 1920s, it is recognized as China’s fashion capital as the newest fashion passed by this city before heading towards Shanghai.  The city borders Russia and a lot of their architecture are influenced by their neighbor.

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Last August 1, the Beijing South Station officially started operations and the first train out was the new C-trains to Tianjin.  These trains travel at a top speed of 350 kilometers per hours or 100 meters per second.  Travelling  between Beijing and Tianjin is further cut into half from the previous 1 hour to 30 mins.

One way ticket cost 69 yuan for first class and 58 yuan for second class.  The picture on the right is in the second class area.  Tickets can be purchased at the train stations (main, west and south)  3 days in advance.

According to my friend who travels to Tianjin regularly, there are a lot of people currently riding the C-trains because it’s new.   Travelling to the South station is not too convenient as you can either take the bus or taxi only.    The nearest subway stop is Xuanwumen in line 2 then ride a taxi bound south past 6 major roads.   It’s located in between the South 2nd ring road and third ring road.

Make sure you know where you’re getting off in Tianjin as they could either take you to Tianjin Main (天津站) or Tianjin West (天津西站) Station.

Pictures from xinhua

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In my previous blog, I already mentioned the ins and outs of travelling by train in China. Getting the train schedule on the other hand is a bit of a pain specially if you don’t read/write Chinese.

In this blog, I will teach you how to use huochepiao.com’s train schedule. It’s still in Chinese but I will put some English translation on the essentials here.

Step 1. Using Microsoft Explorer or Mozilla Firefox, type http://www.huochepiao.com on the url field.

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China has an extensive network of railroads which make travelling easy and cheap. It is the preferred mode of transport by students, migrant workers and backpackers. It can be your worse nightmare or a very relaxing and pleasant experience. Trains usually depart and arrive on time unless there’s an accident or repair works going on.

There are different types of train which differ by speed traversing throughout China. They are the “D”, “Z”, “T”, “K” and the normal number train. “D” and “Z” trains are faster trains and can be purchased 10 days in advance. You can also purchase roundtrip tickets for these trains but the advance purchase restriction still apply. The “T”, “K” and number only trains are slower with frequent stops and can be purchased 4 days in advance normally one way only. It is also common for train stations to sell tickets to individuals who don’t mind to stand throughout the journey. These normally happen during weekends or special holidays.

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Chengde (承德) – Summer Imperial Resort & Eight Outer Temples

Chengde is the site of the summer imperial resort where Emperor Qianlong takes time off to hunt in the old days. It’s approximately 4-1/2 hours north of Beijing by train from Beijing Station (北京站). It is located in Hebei province. The Summer Imperial Resort and the Eight Outer Temples are the main attractions of this place. They are also World Heritage Sites. From what I read, the average annual temperature is 8 degrees Celsius.

My travel buddy and I went there last December 30, 2007. We took the train which departed at 630am and arrived Chengde at 1048 am. When we arrived at the station, we were welcomed by strong chilly winds and colder temperatures. We headed straight to the ticket counter to purchase our return ticket for the next day. The line was so long and slightly chaotic. There were only 3 windows open and the hall is in dire need of cleaning.

After we purchased our ticket, we hopped on a taxi and headed to Puning Hotel.  This hotel is located on the west side of one of the outer temples. If you want a typical old Chinese ambiance, this would be the perfect place for you. I don’t know how I’ll rate it but it’s either a 2 or 3 star hotel. Once we’ve unpacked, we ate at the hotel restaurant named Shang Ke Tang. You can order a typical Buddhist monks fare or your regular Chinese fare. The utensils are unique as they’re made of wood and the staff are pretty attentive. We ordered a fake Lamb dish (it’s not lamb meat but tofu), Xinjiang lamb dish (full of sesame seeds on the outside) and broccoli. The fake lamb is quite tasty according to my friend, broccoli is ok, while the xinjiang lamb was not to my taste. The servings are big so two dishes is enough for two persons.

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