Beijing is Amazing and We don't Know Yet S8 EP.63 | Pakistan to Japan Motorcycle Tour
Assalam-o-Alaikum everyone and welcome back to the channel from Beijing, capital of China. You can see the excitement on my face. This is my first time here. I hope I can explore it well and share it with you guys. My plan for today is to visit some cultural sites and explore their architecture. Like the Summer Palace and Forbidden City, which we have already booked.
Because it is one of the major tourist attractions here. And Tianmen Square. And to see the city life, we will go to the walking street. As for food, I am planning to explore the famous Muslim street food in Beijing at night.
So this vlog will include culture, city life and food. I will try. Let's see how successful I get. We are going to the Summer Palace, where our hotel is located.
The total distance is 12.2 km. I have ordered a taxi. You can directly order a taxi from AMAP, which I am using for navigation.
The second option is from Alipay. I have paid 47 yuan for this 12.2 km. I think it is around 6.5 USD. So you can say that the taxis here are quite reasonable.
And within a few minutes, they reach you. This is my 3rd or 4th experience. Whenever I don't feel like going out on a motorcycle, I call a taxi. Very comfortable.
All the taxis I have taken are electric. We have reached the entrance of the Summer Palace. We have to buy a ticket somewhere in front. It is very crowded early in the morning here. This is the main tourist site here. Almost everyone who comes to Beijing wants to visit this place.
We have taken the tickets. We're in now. Paid 30 yuan here. I think it is around 4 USD. What I have seen in China is that the entrance of most places is the same for locals and foreigners. That's not the case in most of the tourist places worldwide. But I haven't experienced this here yet.
There is a lot of rush here. And I am told that this is the off-season here. If we had come in the main season, I don't think there would have been a place to set foot here. As the name suggests, this was the summer resort for the royal family.
When it would be very hot in the main city of Beijing. Because there are a lot of gardens, lakes and an artificial hill here. Because of this, the temperature here is very cool. Let's see what all places are in front of us. First of all, there is a small bridge here and there are some shops on its side. Let me show you this.
If we look down from this bridge, you can see a walking street along this canal. You can see very small shops on the sides. These shops were built so that when the family of the king goes out, they can feel that they are walking here like ordinary people. If they want to buy something in between, they can buy it. If they want to sit somewhere and eat something, they can eat it.
These shops were built to give them a feeling of walking like a common man. Let me show you a very beautiful gate. Look at the beautiful colors on it. As soon as you cross the entrance, you can see the hill that I was talking about.
It is about 60 meters high and has very beautiful structures on it. The road is closed from here, but I can see people up there. Maybe we can go from the other side. It is very interesting for me especially as I have never visited China before. To see Chinese architecture like this, especially when you are experiencing one of the finest buildings in China.
I have noticed something in China. They believe some symbols or signs or words bring them good luck. So mostly when buildings are designed, those words or symbols are used in its decoration. Many of such symbols have been used here for decoration on the roof or walls. There are four palaces here. As the dynasties changed with time, they would build something of their choice.
As one goes up this hill, the view from below gets very beautiful. And one can't help but praise this architecture. It has been built in an amazing manner. It is a huge area, and it would take at least a whole day to see it. Because there are a lot of terraces, gardens, and there is architecture everywhere.
There are parts of different palaces. And if you look behind, there is a very beautiful temple built on the hilltop. It is decorated with 1,800 Buddha statues. This was built to be the place of worship for the royal family. There is a palace on its backside, and behind it is the artificial Kunming Lake.
When you hike all the way to this top, you feel that going back the same way is difficult. Because everyone is coming from this side, and going from the other side. Because there is a different entrance here. Most people enter from one side, and walk their way out the other side. So we do the same. And I think, all the places I have visited so far, have been built in a way that requires fitness of the tourists to visit all these places properly.
This summer palace is a UNESCO World Heritage site. In 1860 British and French troops attacked this palace and within 1.5 to 2 days they looted a lot of stuff from here. They took almost 1.5 million pieces of art
from here and went back to Britain and UK. And set the palace on fire on their way back. So many gardens and parts of the palace were burnt which were later renovated here. I am not sure what was the name of the dynasty who renovated this palace. But it was so expensive that it resulted in the downfall of that dynasty.
Because they had spent a lot of money on the renovations. Look at the rush and this is the off-season. Just imagine the situation in the peak season. After visiting the summer palace, we have come to a cafe for a small coffee break . I didn't see many cafes before Beijing. But there is a strong cafe culture here.
Almost all the American, British and Australian coffee chains you will find here. Mr. John has joined us with coffee. He is from Munich, Germany. He is only 22 years old. Turned 22 a couple of weeks back.
And he is traveling on his motorcycle. I'm telling my viewers that you are just 22 years old. Because it's particularly unusual for Pakistanis to meet someone so young traveling around the world. You just finished your...
No I did an apprenticeship for two years. As an IT specialist for System Integration. Then I worked for 3 years in process automation. And now I quit and travel.
He left his job 3 years ago and now he is travelling. You can see that the coffee here is very good. This is a cranberry bagel. He is drinking tea and has also ordered cake. So finally we have reached the Forbidden City.
To see this place you have to make a reservation 5 days in advance. Otherwise there is no chance to see this place. We made a reservation through a tour guide. Now we are going to buy a ticket.
After entering we will show you the inside. I will also share some history. Because I have already shown you the Summer Palace, the Forbidden City was the Imperial Palace.
This is the main palace. Let's see how it looks from inside. You can say that this is one of the biggest palaces in the world. Or maybe this is the biggest in the world. At the entrance of Forbidden City, you see a beautiful walking path. There is a small canal right next to it.
This is the entrance of Forbidden City. You can see a lot of Chinese traditional clothes. They are doing photo shoots.
In almost every province, the locals try to wear the cultural dress of that province. Look at this. What a wonderful place. It's really crowded. There are long lines at the entrance.
Finally we have entered the Forbidden City. We have got our ticket checked. And this massive structure at the entrance... This is the biggest wooden structure in the world And to be honest...
When you see it from a distance It gives an amazing impression. And you can't just go ahead without praising. So this is the entrance.
Let's go ahead and see what else we get to see. I am, sort of, lost in the Forbidden City. But I want to share some of its history. During the Ming Dynasty, Nanjing was their capital. Construction started in 1406 Completed in 1420.
It took 14 years of construction. And materials were brought from different parts of China. Like wood, I just told you about the biggest wooden structure in the world. That wood was brought from the forests in southwest of China.
And apart from that, according to Wikipedia, Some stones used on the floors of this hall. Those stones were so big that it was really difficult to bring them here. In winters, they would dig a well on the roadside, and throw the water on the road. So that the water becomes ice.
And then the stones were dragged on that ice. Approximately 100,000 skilled workers worked here. And apart from that 1 million people took part in its construction.
There were 14 emperors of the Ming Dynasty and 10 emperors of the last dynasty Qing. It lasted until the revolution in 1912. But after that, people were very angry against the king. So the system ended here. And even today no one lives here. Now it has been turned into a museum.
So let's go and see. If we can explore the main building a little. This is called the Hall of Supreme Harmony. All the names of these places here...
They have used words like earthly, heavenly, tranquility And just like I visited the Summer Palace in the morning There are such symbols or numbers used in the decoration Which bring good luck. That's why you can see the same kind of decoration here . We can't go inside. But from outside, I can see a huge chair inside. On which the king would most likely sit. And this hall is at a little height. So you get a good view of the whole area from here. The architecture is very similar.
In all the buildings I see here. So let's go a little behind it. Because this is a very big area. Maybe we will see something more interesting here.
These look like two big bowls at the entrance. And people are touching it too, maybe for good luck There are two pictures of animals on it This is the structure behind the Hall of Supreme Harmony You get to keep walking from one hall to another: from one area to another. Doesn't seem like it's gonna end soon. There is a lot to see here.
But all the buildings and structures are almost closed from inside. Except for a few, which have been renovated and opened for souvenir shops and tourists. Almost all the important monuments and buildings are closed. You can visit it from outside. After a while, it feels like it's getting more and more similar. Let's get out of here and try to go to Tianmen Square.
We'll have to ask for directions though. You will also see that people are doing TikTok live sessions everywhere. I think the name of TikTok is a little different here. Seen that at many places here; here's another one. Someone was standing behind him. And if you go ahead, you will see more people doing this.
No one cares. Everyone minds their own business. And people are coming and going. These people are completing their live session. This is the entrance to Tiananmen Square. I am not sure if they are checking the pedestrians here.
Don't know if we can go through here. Let's try and see if they let us go. Finally, we have entered Tiananmen Square. They have checked everything I had in my bag. Even the airport guys don't check you like that.
So it seems that this is a sensitive place. I will tell you the history of this place later. So, here they let me in after checking my passport and visa. Otherwise, without my passport, they wouldn't have let me go ahead. I do have a digital copy with me. Just
in case I forget my passport. But you should always have a passport here. Even at tourist places, they might ask to see your passport to enter.
The last dynasty of China was the Qing Dynasty. After that, China's control remained with the Nationalist Party of China. Which was defeated by the Communist Party of China. On 1st October 1949, the People's Republic of China was founded here. The picture behind me is Mao Zedong, who was the head of this party back then. Since then, China's full control is with this party.
You can say that this square is a very sensitive place. People gather here for protest against the government. There have been a lot of big protests.
Something happened in 1989. But that's why you can see that the security here is very tight. The road is passing through the middle. Some parts of the square are on this side, while some on the other. And I have come to the side with the Forbidden City behind it. I'll try to go to the other side if I can find a way.
Because all the roads are blocked here. This is the only place where I am having a little difficulty. But overall, there was no problem. This is a very big square. Some people are standing in the middle. I am not sure why they are standing.
But many locals are waiting there. Maybe there is a ceremony here. I have no idea about that. There is a big bouquet of flowers in the middle of the square. I don't know the reason for that. I have just reached Beijing's Walking Street.
It's been 3 or 4 days since we entered China. Earlier we saw that Mongolia was empty. The infrastructure was not good in the cities. The population of Ulaanbaatar was 1.7 million.
Despite that, there were traffic jams everywhere. There are 22 million people here. The infrastructure is amazing. Therefore, when you cross the border to come to another country, at times, it feels like you are in a new world. And the world has really changed since I came here from Mongolia.
I have seen such a big change in very few countries . In some countries, there are security issues. When you go from one country to another. And suddenly you feel like you have to take care of yourself. But here, the infrastructure is amazing. This street is very beautiful. Let's walk a little and see what we can see.
There are many shopping malls here. But I thought I would visit this kind of street. Where I can easily walk comfortably and enjoy. This is Wangfujing Street. This is the main commercial street here.
You can see all the brands of the world on the sides. Some people call it Golden Street. Because its history is very old.
Its total length is about 2 km. So it's a very long street. On the sides, there are other markets. I was a little hungry, so I thought I would eat something if only I ate this...
These are scorpions. No, I don't want to eat this. Let's wait a little and walk around. And then we will go to Muslim Street Food. We will get good food there.
There are many restaurants in this area though. Finally, we have reached Niujie street; the Muslim food street I told you about. It's a Muslim majority area and we will get Halal food here.
So we came to a restaurant and two people came to meet us . Here's Zohaib. Haven't met him before. Here is Aizaz. I met him last year. Right? Yes. Met him on the Haramosh track. And today we meet in Beijing.
He messaged me after seeing my Instagram story. Thank you very much. He told me that I have to try the duck here.
Because their Peking duck is very famous. So here it is... the Peking duck. Beijing is called Peking in German and that's also its old name. We have some other dishes as well. Including Pulao. One more food item is coming up. They just told me that there is a particular way to eat this.
So I asked him to go ahead and start and teach me as well. Our next dish has been served. Lamb meat with naan. Isn't it a bit too much. I don't think we can't finish it.
Let's start with the wrap. Start with the Peking duck. The wrap is very thin. Take a big piece of duck. Looks like Zohaib is feeling nervous in front of camera. Is it soy sauce or some other sauce? No, it's some other sauce.
Okay. Let me make something like this as well. The duck is very delicious. I have already eaten it in Germany. You can get it in many Chinese restaurants. But this one tastes very good.
Today we saw most of the places in Beijing. But I haven't tried one thing here. That is public transportation; underground metro system. So I requested them to use metro on the way back to my hotel.
Because this time most likely we won't get any traffic jam. So maybe the taxi will be a little fast. But during rush hours when there is a lot of traffic, public transportation is the best option. They mostly use this system.
They told me that it is a very good system. Very neat and clean. Let's see how the train looks like.
The station looks really nice and shiny; even at this time of the evening. Must appreciate the cleanliness. We are not taking a metro card.
but they are generating a code from Ali Pay. So they asked me to verify my passport. Let's see if it works. We have got the metro code of Beijing now. That means all you need here is a mobile phone. And passport.
They told me this about foreigners. I was asked to show my passport at many places today. But if you have a mobile phone, it's good for all kinds of payments. And if you don't have a mobile phone then it can be a problem. Let's get going.
The good thing is that everything is also written in English underneath Chinese. Our metro experience was very good. We paid only 5 yuan.
Even less than a dollar. Now we are just 2 km away from my hotel. Now we can either take a bus.
Or there are bicycles in front of the metro station. One can easily get the bicycle using Alipay app. How much do they charge for half and hour? 1.5 yuan.
That means 15 - 20 cents which is nothing compared to... If you are going on foot. Or take a taxi. So let's take a bicycle. Let's see Beijing, for last 2 km to our hotel.
Why don't you open the app and show everyone how it works. Just scan the barcode and it will unlock the bicycle. It's unlocked now. We are now back in our hotel. Thanks to these two guys for helping us. To enjoy the last evening in Beijing.
Thanks very much. Because otherwise I won't have used public transportation. That happened because of you. Thank you very much. Both of them are students. Learning Chinese language.
So many prayers for you. Learn Chinese with all your heart. It's a good thing that Pakistani students are coming here to learn Chinese.
They are on scholarship and they are living a good life. Remember me in your prayers. Thank you very much. Don't forget to Like, Subscribe and Share. Allah Hafiz
2025-02-11 07:33
