I was an explorer today! My roommate, Rafannah, and I went to a section of Beijing called 前门 (Qianmen). It is directly across from Tienanmen Square and it’s a neat little shopping district. One of the people in the program suggested we go because they have high end shops but the facade of the buildings look ancient. Qianmen is located in the 1st ring so Rafannah and I hopped on the subway from the 4th ring.

Beijing’s subway system is awesome. There really is no other word to describe it. First of all, it cost 2 kuai to ride one-way including any and all transfers you wish to take.  2 kuai is a whopping $0.33! Then they have these awesome visual maps which ensure (or not ensure) that you got on the right train.

The green light tells you what stop you are at and a red blinking light shows the upcoming stop.  We were able to get on the right line, transfer, and get off the train in a breeze.

Qianmen! They had a beautiful gate and lots of flowers around. Although the shops were modern like Haagen Dazs and H&M, the whole street looked like it was preserved from the past.

Rafannah and I explored the street but we ended up walking down a little alley to see all the trinkets a local vendor was selling. I successfully asked how much some sandals were (victory 1). I don’t know why but we continued down this alley to a very pleasant surprise. This alley connected to a parallel street which was filled with only local vendors!

They sold traditional shoes, little Chinese toys, trinkets, and jewelry. We found whole shops where everything was 10 kuai (less than $2.00). Even though she didn’t buy the pair of shoes, I helped my roommate haggle the price down (victory 2). We saw lots of 旗袍 (qipao), which is the traditional Chinese dress. We explored shops that only sold silk and shops that only sold knockoffs.

Using my Chinese, I bought a much needed water bottle which has a built in tea strainer! (victory 3). I can now boil water in my dorm and drink it without having to buy plastic water bottles.

After walking for about 3 hours, Rafannah and I were worn out. We found a busy looking restaurant (a good sign that the food is not only good but safe to eat) and ordered lunch in Chinese (victory 4).  The Chinese eat family style.  Instead of everyone ordering their own meal and only eating their meal, the Chinese order 2-4 plates (depends on how many people are eating) and everyone shares the food.  You can try as much or as little as you please.  My favorite part is the fact that all Chinese restaurants I’ve been to so far have pictures of every single dish.  So although I haven’t mastered the names of all the foods I like, it is easy to tell what you are ordering! Neat, huh?

After eating, we made our way back to the main gate and I asked a Chinese woman to take our picture (victory 5). She was awesome. She made sure the background was well framed and even told people to move out of the way.

However, directly after our picture was taken, a man with a small child approached me. I didn’t understand what he was asking but the Chinese woman who took our photo said he wanted to take a picture with me!  He’s never seen a blonde before and wanted a picture of him and his son with me.  Well shortly after that two other people asked for pictures too! So I decided I may start charging a small fee, maybe 10 kuai for a picture 🙂

We made it back to the subway station and I was able to ask the subway attendant which line went to Wudaokou in Chinese (victory 6).  Overall, we have a wonderful day together in downtown Beijing. I will definitely be using my weekends to explore the city more!