Beijing Tourist Season
When is the best time to visit Beijing,
the capital city of China?
I would say October. This is because there are many celebrations to
commemorate the founding of the People’s Republic on Oct 1st
to watch and participate in till the end of the month. Adding to that, the
climate is just fabulous for any visiting tourist because the post monsoon
high pressure system keeps the skies clear, the days slightly warm and the
nights crisp and cool.
Although summer is high travel tourist season, in some ways, it could get a
little unpleasant as the normally dry air of Beijing gives way to heavy
humidity and there is little shelter from the blazing summer heat because most
of Beijing's tourist attractions are found outdoors such as Tian Ann Men
Square, The
Forbidden Palace and The
Great Wall of China. This when combined with poor air quality because of
high number of vehicles clogging Beijing's
busy roads can cast a dampener on your vacation holiday excitement.
When to visit Beijing
If you are going for an extended stay in Beijing,
then the winter and spring months from November to April are the best time to
visit the city.
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You may have noticed that most traditional and historical
buildings are built facing south. This is because thought of "bad things come
from the north" is deeply ingrained in the people’s psyche. The reasons for
this phenomenon is that historically, invading barbarian armies come from the
north and till this day, bitter cold winters as well as summer sandstorms are
also swept in from the north.
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Since the winter months are tourism off season period, you will get lower
prices from food, hotel
accommodation and even when you go shopping in the city's many shopping
malls such as 77th
Street Plaza in the Xidan district. 77th
Street Plaza is actually a foreign investment from Singapore
headed by a woman entrepreneur Elim Chew.
I will write about this vibrant youth themed underground shopping mall in
another article soon.
Furthermore you need not have to jostle with local and foreign tourists
in usually very crowded attractions such as The Forbidden City, The Ming Tombs
or The Great Wall of China. However, if you are traversing the Great Wall from
the Badaling access, with the cold winter wind blowing, walking to the top of
the wall, you may find yourself feeling like a lone sentry scanning the hills
for invaders.
Beijing night entertainment
Being forced to stay indoors because the winter chills and the long dark
nights have created an underground music and art scene that
thrive in the winter months. Since the Chinese authorities discourage outdoor
gatherings, smoky clubs and cafes become hotbeds for live entertainment and
other indoor activities.
Another reason why the best time to visit Beijing in the winter months is that
because seeing the city's top outdoor tourist attractions bathed in white
powdery are indeed stunning sights to behold.