最美北京－－京城四日游 Best of Beijing

何航

何航

There are many ways to tour the Chinese capital. A better approach is to savor it like a stick of candied haws, one haw at a time and with long intervals to relish the flavor, rather than like a big apple that you bite off simply because it's good for you and will keep the doctor away.

Like any great city in the world, a four-day tour is possible to cover the greatest sites, enough to make you fall in love with it, but not enough to turn you into an expert. You can adjust your pace by having meal or coffee breaks of variable lengths so that you don't feel rushed and will enjoy the moments at a tempo you find comfortable.

何航

到中国首都北京旅游有许多种方式。其中，较好的一种是把它当作吃冰糖葫芦，一口一颗山楂，慢慢地品味，而不像你吃大苹果，仅仅是因为对你有好处，有益健康。

同世界上任何一个大城市一样，北京四日游也是可以覆盖那些最出名的景点，足够让你爱上这座城市，但想成为行家恐怕还不够。吃顿饭，喝杯咖啡，休息休息，放慢你的脚步，不急不忙，才能舒舒服服地享受那些美好时光。

何航

Day 1

Given the unpredictability of the weather, you should be ready to swap the days on this calendar. Unless visibility is very low, this detour out of town should be placed early in the schedule because there's a lot of climbing to do.

Any visit to Beijing is incomplete without a hike on the Great Wall. However, the Wall is thousands of miles long and the Beijing section constitutes only a small part, albeit the most touristy part. The default choice is Badaling, but I recommend Juyong Pass, which is less crowded but no less spectacular. Depending on your health and preference, you can climb very steep steps or have a ramble on the relatively flat areas. There are numerous locations for great photo opportunities. (Did I say you should pick a clear day to go when your eyes can reach the most remote beacon tower?)

A side trip to the Ming Tombs will take you into the underground palaces where 13 of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) emperors were laid to rest. Of course, you don't need to see them all. (Only two of them are open to the public anyway.) A sampling of Dingling, which is the mausoleum of the 10th emperor and his two empresses, should be enough.

In case you wonder about the strenuous work undertaken to construct these mammoth edifices, you may want to take in a show of acrobatics upon your return to downtown Beijing. It is a demonstration of making the impossible possible in terms of the capability of the human body.

何航

第一天

天公难测，所以你要做好调整这张日程安排的准备。除了能见度非常低的情况外，这条出城的线路可以早些安排，因为需要大量的攀登。

没有登上长城就等于没有到过北京。长城绵延万里，虽然北京段长城最受游客青睐，但只是其中的一小部分。大家都想去八达岭，但我建议居庸关，没那么挤，景色也不比八达岭差。根据你的身体状况及个人喜好，你可以去爬陡峭的台阶，也可以在相对平坦的地方漫步。在那里，有许多拍照的绝佳地点。（我应该说过你要挑个晴朗的日子，这样你就可以看到最远处的烽火台了。）

十三陵埋葬着13位明朝皇帝（明朝：1368-1644）。当然，你不必要全部都游览一遍，（现在也只有其中的两处对外开放。）参观定陵就足够了。定陵是明代第十位皇帝的陵墓，这里还埋葬着他的两位皇后。

如果你想要了解铸就这些雄伟建筑背后的艰辛，你可以在回市区的路上，看一场杂技表演。杂技很好地诠释了人们是如何将不可能转化为可能。

何航

Day 2

You can call this the axis tour as all sites designed for this day are located along the invisible line that runs vertically through the center of Beijing. If possible, do this on a weekend and mingle with other tourists. It's a small price to pay for the experience of being among Chinese, many of whom are not tourists.

Start at the Temple of Heaven at the southern point of the axis. Where emperors used to hold ceremonies to pray to heaven, from which their power was presumably derived, ordinary Chinese derive their enjoyment from group singing, dancing, tai chi and all kinds of recreation on a weekend morning. Against the backdrop of imperial grandeur is a slice of Chinese life at its most heartfelt and spirited.

Stop at the Echo Wall and discover the wonder of voices bouncing back and forth, somewhat like an echoing chamber where opinions with strong similarity form an impression of diversity.

A short taxi ride north will take you to Qianmen Street. This retail hub, renovated for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, recreates the hustle and bustle of the early 20th century when traditional elements and Western influence converged. Here are some of the oldest businesses of the city, including the famed Peking Duck. (Peking is the old spelling of Beijing and is now preserved for a few brand names only.)

Saunter north and cross the main street - you may have to take the underpass - you'll find yourself inside Tian'anmen Square, the political heart of China. There's the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall at the center, the Great Hall of the People to the west and the Chinese National Museum to the east, but not all of them may be open on any given day. But no matter, the outdoor part is where the awe is, being the largest square in the whole world and carrying all the political and historical gravitas associated with it.

Where the square ends, the Forbidden City begins, at least as it stands now. Pass through the guard-protected Golden Water Bridge and the thick walls of Tian'anmen Rostrum, and - viola - you're inside the palace proper, now officially known as the Palace Museum. You have to plan carefully because you can sprint across it in one hour or take a full day and still won't finish a portion of it. A reasonable plan is to have lunch at Qianmen and spend a whole afternoon in the square and the palace. That involves miles of walking.

You may want to skip the small hill where the last Ming emperor killed himself and ended a dynasty, but you should probably have dinner in the Drum Tower area where traditional food is in abundance. When dusk sets in, it's time to travel further north and discover new Beijing.

The Olympic Green is a strip lying north of the Fourth Ring Road. The Forest Park to its north is twice the size of New York's Central Park. But as you are on a tight schedule, the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube offer the best concentration of must-see sights. Or you may want to spread out activities for this day into two more leisurely days.

何航

第二天

你可以把它称为轴线游，因为今天所有的目的地都位于这条隐形的中轴线上，它横贯北京市中心。可能的话，与其他游客一起在周末出行。很多人其实不是游客，这仅仅是体验身处人潮的小小的代价。

轴线游始于轴线的南段――天坛。历代皇帝常在天坛举行祭天仪式，他们认为自己是真命天子。周末早晨，普通百姓就从集体歌唱、跳舞、打太极以及各式各样休闲娱乐活动中获得乐趣。帝王城下的中国式生活是最真心诚意、最生机勃勃的。

在回音壁停下来，你可以听到声音的来回传动，有点儿像在一个有回音的会议室，人们高度相似的观点形成一种多样的印象。

乘的士向北一小段，你就会到达前门大街。这里是购物中心，2008年因奥运会而修缮，重现了20世纪早期的繁忙景象，那时中国传统与西方元素都汇聚于此。同时，这里还有一些老字号商店，比如著名的北京烤鸭。（Peking是北京的旧称，现在多用于一些商标名称。）

向北漫步，穿过主街大道，地下通道，你就来到了天安门广场--中国的政治中心。正中心是毛主席纪念堂，西面人民大会堂，东侧是中国国家博物馆，但这些景点并不是全年都对外开放。但不管怎样，室外露天部分才是敬畏所在，全世界最大的广场并且富有庄严的政治和历史气息。

紫禁城位于广场尽头，走过金水桥，穿过天安门主席台厚厚的城墙，你就到了紫禁城内部，现在官方称为故宫博物院。你要认真计划，因为你既可以选择一小时冲刺跑完它，也可以花上一整天时间但是还走不完它。一个合理的计划是在前门吃午饭，然后下午逛广场和宫殿，这需要你走上几英里的路。

你也许想绕过景山，明朝末代皇帝在此自缢，结束一个王朝，但你尽量得在鼓楼吃晚餐，那里有各式各样的传统美食。黄昏时分宜继续北行，探索新北京。

奥林匹克森林公园位于北四环以北，北面为森林公园，面积是纽约中央公园的两倍。但是因为你的时间不多，你的最佳选择是鸟巢和水立方，浓缩了必看景点的精华所在。或者，你可以安排两天时间悠闲地完成这些活动。

何航

Day 3

If your feet ache miserably from the previous days' sightseeing, you may want to slow down. Skipped the National Museum? No problem, you can make it up with a trip to the Capital Museum where the exhibits have more surprises. Take a stroll along Wangfujing, the modern shopping street. The walking is much less intensive and the budgeted time much more flexible.

In case you are wondering how Beijingers used to live, you'll need to veer from the grand architecture and into the residential alleys, known as hutong. The South Gong and Drum Lane (Nanluoguxiang) is a good choice because it also functions as a bohemian enclave frequented by arty types. There is even a tiny theater where expats put on English-language plays.

A short walk northwest takes you to Shichahai, a lake surrounded by more bars and hutong. The traditional and the modern blend seamlessly into each other.

You may want to finish the day off by catching a performance of Peking Opera. I'd recommend one of those easy-to-digest shows customized for international travelers, but if you're more adventurous, there's more variety at the National Center for the Performing Arts - less touristy, more authentic and of a much higher caliber. The venue itself is worth the price of admission.

何航

第三天

在几天的观光游览后，如果你觉得脚很痛，或许你可以放慢脚步。跳过国家博物馆?完全没问题，你可以去参观首都博物馆，在那里有更多展品及惊喜等着你。在现代购物街――王府井闲逛，人要轻松得多，时间灵活得多。

如果你想知道北京人过去的生活方式，你就得走出高楼大厦，进入住宅区小巷――通常称作“胡同”。南锣鼓巷是其中很好的选择，因为那里有波西米亚飞地，汇集各种艺术风格。那里甚至有一个小型剧院，上演老外的英语戏剧。

往西北再走一小段，你就会看到什刹海，周围环绕着众多酒吧和胡同，是传统与现代的完美融合。

你或许想以一场京剧结尾，我建议的是一些大家比较容易接受的为国际游客量身打造的剧目，但是如果你具有冒险精神，在国家大剧院还有许多艺术表演，虽然没有那么多游客，但表演更正宗，更具水准。单是参观场地就值了入场费。

何航

Day 4

This day is designed for those with boundless energy and who have finished all stops on the previous portion of the schedule.

The Summer Palace in a northwestern suburb of the city is a sprawl of exquisite corridors and a huge lake. Before it was built, there was the Old Summer Palace, or Yuanmingyuan, which was looted and burned down in 1860 during the Second Opium War. The ruins are a stark reminder of imperialist invasion and feudal impotence.

Buddhism is a major religion in China, with millions of temples dotting the nation's landscape. You cannot possibly avoid them when you venture deep into the country. But inside Beijing, the Lama Temple, though not a typical site of worship for most Chinese, has a unique fascination. It is a symbol of Tibetan Buddhism.

If people watching at Shichahai is tantalizing, you may want to spend the last night in Beijing in Sanlitun, the serious nightlife area and a favorite with the hip crowd, local and foreign. Here, bartenders may be able to speak English and the favorite drink of your homeland could be available.

Beijing has many charms, which it reconciles in a vibrant mix of rhythm and imagery. It may not represent all of China, but it is a pretty good place to start exploring the wonders of the whole country.