Weekend in Beijing

This weekend we took a quick trip to Beijing. After all, how could we spend a month in China, and not see the sights in the country's capital. Two and a half days is not nearly enough time to see even the highlights of this country's rich history, especially since it takes well over an hour to travel between some of the sights. Nonetheless, we scheduled a tour, and saw as much as we could -- we will rest when we return to Shanghai. The itinerary for our trip is below. We ha Visit our other Blog postings with details on some of the sights.

Friday: (1:15PM) Fly to Beijing from Shanghi Hongqiao Airport. Arrive Beijing. Stop at a tea house enroute to the hotel -- sample several traditional teas. Check in at hotel. Find a place for dinner. (10:00PM) Sleep.

Saturday: (7:00AM) Breakfast in hotel. Visit Ming Tombs. Visit Jade factory and gift shop (apparently frequented by tour groups) enroute to lunch. Stop for lunch at a restaurant and gift shop apparently frequented by tour groups. Visit the Mutianyu Great Wall. Have a Peking Duck Dinner at a restaurant apparently frequented by tour groups. Return to hotel. (10:00PM) Sleep.

Sunday: (8:00AM) Breakfast in hotel. Visit Temple of Heaven. Visit silk "factory" (apparently frequented by tour groups). Lunch. Visit pearl shop (apparently frequented by tour groups). Visit Tian'anmen Square. Visit Temple of Heaven. Shop in local mall-type flea-market shopping area. Travel to airport. (6:00PM) Fly to Shanghai.