SCIS Grade 11 student Julia Moon discovers the ancient history and beauty of Beijing

For our first family trip in China, my family decided to go to Beijing—China’s cultural, historical and political center. It took almost five hours on a high-speed train from Shanghai to Beijing.

When we got there, a taxi driver took us to Houhai, one of the most famous lakes. We rented a boat and spent an hour exploring the lake. There was a small island in the middle, and some local people were swimming around it. I wondered why they would want to swim with all the ducks and boats around, but they seemed to be having fun.

The next day, we went to the Beijing National Stadium where the 2008 Olympics were held. I was amazed at its massive size and beautiful design. After that, we went to the Summer Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The entire place was built as a summer resort for the old Chinese emperors. We took a boat across Kunming Lake to see the Tower of Buddhist Incense. Its design was stunning. We returned on a beautiful bridge called the Seventeen Arch Bridge.

Our next destination was the Forbidden City. Although we spent nearly half the day there, we only saw one fourth of it. Emperors used to spend most of their lives in this place, which is plausible when you look at its magnificent size and beauty.

On our last day in Beijing, we had some time to kill before our train left so we went to a famous art gallery district called 798 Art Zone. The place was originally a factory, and later became a community for artists to exhibit their work.

Compared to Shanghai where massive buildings dominate most of the city, Beijing seemed to preserve its historical treasures and still be modern at the same time. For that reason, I feel that Beijing is a more balanced and unique place.

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