This is an 80,000-capacity Olympic stadium in Beijing called the "Bird's Nest". It was used in the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics and again in the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. It became so famous internationally that by 2011, it was one of those places that the tour guides will bring you to see if... Continue Reading →
This trip to Beijing was an idea from my family to bring me to the Great Wall of China on my birthday. We had booked a half day private tour in English to bring us to the Great Wall of China on the 1st Feb afternoon. We arrived from Shanghai to Beijing in the morning... Continue Reading →
Beijing. Feb 2011 This was the first time I saw a donkey cart in my life. Thereafter there were numerous other occasions I continued to see donkey carts in China. One such time much later was in Shenyang in 2018. Today the farmer was selling small mandarin oranges from his farm. A lady, possibly his... Continue Reading →
Beijing. Feb 2011 It absolutely baffles me when I look at this photo now. Why in the world would there be 2 room numbers on the same room door in Holiday Inn? My family of four was staying in the same room and not in two different rooms as the kids were small. I can... Continue Reading →
Beijing. Feb 2011 Holiday Inn was our family hotel. We stayed there whenever we travelled in Malaysia or China. I would call it a middle class hotel. For RMB 400-600 (USD60-90), it offered an unbeatable level of service, safety and security. That all familiar green colour brand offered my family and myself a home away... Continue Reading →
I arrived at the Beijing Capital International Airport and immediately felt that it was quite small and old for a capital city, compared to say the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport in Shanghai. We took a cab to the hotel. The roads were wide and clean. The buildings were new and impressive. I have always heard... Continue Reading →
Beijing. Nov 2016 Moving from Beijing to Shenyang via high speed train. This is the Beijing Railway Station. They had a KFC, McDonald's, Dicos etc and normal restaurants and convenience stores in and around the station. There was a well organised ticket queuing system as well as a taxi queuing system and police was also... Continue Reading →
Beijing. Nov 2016 After 6 weeks in Home Inn, it was time for me to relocate back to Shenyang. I got a local forwarder called "SF" to help me with the packing and forwarding. I had used them many times before and they always did a great job. This was the 8th time I am... Continue Reading →
Beijing, Nov 2016 This is small convenience store across the road from my apartment's back gate. A young man and his wife ran the business. Sometimes when they are busy, their two kids will be at the counter doing homework and at there same time attending to customers. If I forget something, this is the... Continue Reading →
One day I saw a massive State event in my hotel TV. It was the 150 years' anniversary of Sun Yat-sen. For those of us who don't know who Sun Yat-sen is, according to Wikipedia: "He is called the "Father of the Nation" in the Republic of China, and the "Forerunner of the Revolution" in... Continue Reading →