The Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Summer Palace, the Olympic precinct, eye-popping temples around every corner, Beijing is home to a lengthy list of huge tourist drawcards that attract equally huge crowds. But if you are looking for attractions that you might not find in the guidebooks, try these unusual things to do around the Chinese capital.
Ride a tandem bike around Houhai Lake
Houhai Lake is one of the hippest spots in Beijing. It is also known as the “back lake” and is surrounded by restaurants, bars, coffee houses, and boutiques set along cobblestone lanes.
To save on rickshaw fees, hit up one of the bicycle rental stands, which rent by the hour and day, and pedal yourself around the lake. You can even pick up a three-person tandem.
Eat creepy crawlies at Wangfujing Snack Street
While the Wangfujing Snack Street might be touristy, there is no doubt that it is unusual. Scorpions on a stick, silkworms, rabbit heads, seahorses, donkey meat, boiled tripe, snake, wasp larvae, pig brains, lamb spine, the infamous fermented ‘stinky tofu’, these dishes certainly are not what Western visitors are used to seeing on the menu. You will find similar stalls at the Donghuamen Night Market near the Forbidden City, too.
Go karaoke
Karaoke is a staple of the social fabric in China, just like in other East
Asian nations. Do not miss out. Venues can be found in most hotels and seemingly along every major street. They are sometimes called KTV, so watch for that on signs.
Check in and pay for a specified amount of time at the front desk, after which you will be escorted to a private room with audio-visual equipment, microphones, a TV, and couches. You can order drinks and sometimes food.
Delve into an underground palace
Located 45 kilometres (28 miles) north of
Beijing, the Dingling Tomb is a subterranean mausoleum offering a glimpse into China’s imperial past. While Chairman Mao raided many of the other 13 famous Ming Dynasty Tombs during the Cultural Revolution, this one was opened as a museum in 1959, inviting visitors inside the haunting 400-year-old burial place of the Wanli emperor and his two empresses.
Try cupping therapy
Around
China, you will notice some people with giant purple polka-dots on their skin. It is not an exotic disease; it is evidence of cupping therapy, an ancient form of traditional medicine where heated cups are applied to the skin creating local suction.
Cupping therapy is believed to treat a wide range of medical conditions, from rheumatic diseases to blood disorders and skin problems, even though no evidence exists to support these claims.
See more:
Dishes you must try before leaving Beijing
Source Internet
