Beijing’s Donghuamen Market
WHAT IS IT: One popular area to visit in Beijing is a modern business and shopping district known as Wangfujing Street. At first glance, the area is like many other Asian and American cities with international hotels, malls, and dozens of luxury stores. But close by on crowded side streets, some traditional markets survive with vendors selling every kind of goods and foods. One of these is the Donghuamen Market in which locals and tourists line up to gawk and sometimes partake of supposed delicacies like live cricket on a stick, silkworms, and scorpions. While most of the food booths sell both cooked and uncooked prepared samples, it is not organized like a traditional wet market with livestock or butchers. While adventurous in my travel plans and local conversations, I stuck to the Peking Duck at the Hilton.
INTERESTING FACTS: There are numerous historical sites to behold in central Beijing including the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Tiananmen Square, the Temple of Heaven, and the National Museum. I was also able to fit in several afternoon walks on my own around the City, watching people enjoy their daily routines in the parks and the stores, and engaging in conversation with expats and many friendly Chinese.
GUIDE SERVICES: During a six day visit to Beijing, we saw all these attractions with our wonderful guide Vivie Pan. A guide is not needed to visit the market as it is located less than a mile from major hotels and attractions in the central city.
WHEN TO GO: Beijing can have oppressive heat in the summer which is why the emperor moved his family and court to the lakeside palace or the Tibetan style compound in the cool mountains of Chengde during the summer. For visitors, the months from late November to mid- March can be dry and chilly with occasional snow and fog that seem to make the pollution more noticeable also. So overall, late March to June, and September to November are usually the best months to visit Beijing.
HOW TO GET HERE: Beijing can be reached by direct flights from many U.S. cities and from all international hubs. Leading airlines with direct flights include United, American, Delta and Air China.