Beijing

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We spent seven nights in Beijing. On our first day, we arrived in town in late afternoon. After taking an Airport Express Bus to the nearby Holiday Inn Express Shandi, we took a taxi to our hotel, the Holiday Inn Haidian. We settled into our room and then enjoyed the evening at the Executive Club lounge. The next day we took the MTR to reach Beijing South Railway Station to pick up train tickets for our subsequent travel to Shanghai. Our trip there took four transfers. However, after picking up our tickets, we discovered a newly-opened route (MTR Line 14) which got us back to the hotel with only one transfer. Obviously, this is a better way to get back to the train station when we leave for Shanghai. We spent the next several days exploring the area near the hotel. The pollution was terrible so we didn’t venture too far. We did wear an N95 respirator but we both still had difficulty breathing and our eyes really stung.

While watching the evening news on Friday, 29 January, the announcer said: “If you’re in Beijing, you are watching the beginning of the biggest human migration in the world.” We learned that many factories in Beijing were closing early for the Lunar New Year holiday due to weak product demand. So the masses were heading back to their home towns. We were so glad we had gone to the train station earlier in the week as the television broadcast photographs of hordes of people lining up for tickets, queuing for access to the trains, etc.

People, lots of luggage and lines forming in the rear
(the entry into the railway station)

Interestingly, on Saturday morning (30 January) the skies in Beijing began to clear. We could actually see the distant mountains! So on Sunday (31 January) we decided it was time for some touring since we could actually go outside without our N95 respirators. We took the metro to see the Temple of Heaven. Although we’ve visited the complex before, it always remains an amazing spot. It was very cold so we were pretty well zapped by the end of our day.

Wow, clear skies in Beijing; you can see the nearby mountains!

The entry gate into The Temple of Heaven

Looking through the gate at The Temple of Heaven

The impressive Temple of Heaven

The ornate interior of The Temple of Heaven

[ T O P ]

Then, we had one day of rest (Monday, 1 February) before traveling to Shanghai. On Tuesday, 2 February, we became part of the “mass migration.” We left the hotel at 7:00AM and walked to the metro. We arrived at the Shanghai South Railway Station at about 8:30AM for our 10:00AM train to Shanghai.