Enchanting China (Beijing, Xian and Chengdu) : Day 1 - Beijing City (Tiananmen Square)

Early that morning we started our day a bit late around 10am (smpai hotel semalam pun dh lewat kan...). Had a light breakfast (3in1 nestum and biscuits), donned our trench coat, muffler scarf and boots, maps on hand... then we were ready to explore!

Out from the Hotel.....

The street from our Hotel heading to nearest Subway Station. Lets start to walk!!

Look at what we found... an electric car! So cute...

Quite typical here... tricycle.

Reaching the main road. Dengshikou.

Subway station nearby.

Lots of construction activity here.

Stopped by at entrance of this shop as the decoration was unique. Cat is a symbol of luck hence why these statues of cat were place infront of the shop; to bring fortune to the owner.

Bicycle is also one of the major transport here in Beijing.

Arrived at the nearest Subway station.

Our first destination that day was to i) Tiananmen Square.

It is said that if Beijing is the centre of the Chinese universe, then Tiananmen Square is it's heart!
Tiananmen Square is a Chinese national symbol representing a monumental gate of valor. It is dedicated to the martyrs who revolted against the country’s oppressors and depicted a revolutionary symbol of the Chinese heyday. Located at the heart of Beijing, the Chinese capital city, Tiananmen Square is within the top ten largest city squares in the world and has great cultural significance as it was the site of several important events in Chinese history. It is in this symbolic place, where the establishment of the People’s Republic of China was proclaimed to the world by the then Chairman Mao, way back in 1949.

Direction:
(i) The easiest way is by Subway Line 1 and get off at Tiananmen Dong (East) or Tiananmen Xi (West) Station. Both the stations are between the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. You can get off from either of them. Tiananmen West Station is nearer, but the queues for security check there would be longer.
ii) Other subway option is Subway Line 2 and get off at Qianmen Station, then come out from Exit A, the Tianmen Square is just in front of you.

Entrance Fee:
The entrance fee is free; however they may levy a minimal entrance fee for visiting other specific places inside the Square, as follows:
Tiananmen Square: Free
Tiananmen Tower (Gate of Heavenly Peace): RMB 15
The Great Hall of the People: RMB 30
Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum: Free
The National Museum of China: Free

Operating Hour:
The Tiananmen Square Opening hours are from 05:00 am to 10:00 pm.

Our route from hotel : Walk ==> Dengshikou Stn (Line 5) ==> Dongdan (Exchange Line 1) ==> Tiananmen East Stn (Line 1)

Arrived. We Just follow the correct exit to your destination.

As a must place to visit in Beijing City, Tiananmen Square is flocked by visitors throughout the year and especially on festive seasons when it will be too much crowded. Thousands of people come to the Square every day so the best times to visit here is early in the morning. We however reached here not so early... almost 11am. 😅😅 Huhuhuhhu.

Line of buses dropping and collecting passengers at Tiananmen Square.

This area was big... and a bit wet due to snow a day before. Temperature was 2deg... very cold!! Nevertheless without wasted any time, we started to stroll along the square. The view with the trees was beautifull. Surprisingly not much people at that time!

Major attraction here is the Tiananmen (Gate of Heaven Peace) located on the north part of Tiananment Square.

Hang on... we will reach there soon!

I was on the west part. The Tiananmen at North.

There are also other attractions and activities you can visit and watch here in Tiananmen Square as follows:

1. Flag-Raising Ceremony
Five Star Red Flag-the Chinese national flag, flies high in the sky above Tiananmen Square. One notable sight worth mentioning in the Tiananmen Square is the flag-hoisting ceremony, although it lasts only for a few minutes.If you are an early riser, try to get a glimpse of the ceremonial flag hoisting event as it draws the maximum crowd in the morning bliss. However since I reached here a bit late, I missed that one :(

2. The Great Hall of the People
The Great Hall of the People is situated on the western fringe of Tiananmen Square. As the name suggests, it serves as the congressional meeting place for the Chinese lawmakers. Built-in 1959, the central hall combines a scenic marble flooring design with crystal lamps being suspended from the ceiling. There is also an auditorium which can accommodate 10,000 people apart from a 5000-seater banquet hall. Also, take a look at the marvelously crafted twelve marble pillars at the front of this Hall.
Mind you there's an admission fee as mentioned above and operation hours average between 8.00am - 4.00pm (Winter 9.00am to 2.00pm).

We started our tour here. Just took photo in front of the building.

3. National Museum of China
Another important place for the tourist to visit is the China National Museum at the east side of Tiananmen Square. It just came into existence in 2003 and is a combination of Chinese History Museum and Chinese Revolutionary Museum. This National Museum faces the Great Hall of the People. Inside the Chinese Revolutionary Museum are a lot of material objects, pictures, books and models to present the development of modern China. The Chinese History Museum shows a large number of cultural relics illustrating the long history and glorious culture of China from 1,700,000 years ago to 1921 when the last emperor left the throne.
Operation hour is from 9:00am to 5.00pm, closed on Monday.

The Museum from West Side.

Had to cross the road to take photo in front of the museum.

4. The Monument to the People’s Heroes
The granite Monument to the People's Heroes is located in the mid-southern part of the Tiananmen Square. Built in 1952, it is the largest monument in China's history. "The People's Heroes are Immortal" written by Chairman Mao is engraved on the monument. Eight unusually large relief sculptures show to the people the development of Chinese modern history. Two rows of white marble railings enclose the monument, simple and beautiful.

From East, crossed the road again to Southern part... lenggang kangkung gituew :D

The monument area.

The monument at my back.

Closer.

Description.

5) Memorial Hall of Chairman Mao
Memorial Hall of Chairman Mao is at the south side of Tiananmen Square next to the monument. It is also known as Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, Mao Mausoleum and Maozhuxi Jinian Tang in Chinese, is the resting place of Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China from 1943 and the chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China from 1945 until his death in 1976. This Hall is divided into three halls and the Chairman Mao's body lies in a crystal coffin in one of the halls surrounded by fresh bouquets of various famous flowers and grasses.
Entrance fee is FREE and the operating hours average from 8:00am - 12:00pm daily; closed on Monday.

All the above attractions, due to limited time, we didn't went in and just took photos only. Our main focus was actually to visit the most famous attraction here but I will spill the bean later. Lets continue on another attraction here...


6) Tiananmen Tower
At the north end of the Square is Tiananmen Tower which is the major attraction in Tiananmen Square. Initially built in 1417 during the Ming Dynasty (1368 A.D.- 1644 A.D.), the tower was the front door of the Forbidden City which it served as the gatehouse of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Besides that, it was also a place to declare in a big ceremony to the common people who became the emperor and who became the empress.
Until 1911 when the last feudal kingdom was over, no one could enter the Tower except for the royal family and aristocrats.
There's an admission fee as mentioned above and operation hours is from 8:30am - 5.00pm.

Tiananmen Tower from far.

The building is 66 meters long, 37 meters wide and 32 meters high. It is made up of a platform and a tower. The tower sits on the platform with five arch gateways. As the largest of the five, the center archway is used as the specific passage for Ming and Qing emperors while the side ones are smaller and employed as the passages for ministers and officials.

Can you see the archways?. Got 5 of it and the centre/largest is just beneath the potrait of Chairman Mao.

From the South side, there's a pedestrian subway to the North side, where's the Tiananmen Tower located.

Finally, let's go to the tower. No need to cross the road anymore.

The western and eastern walls of the Gate have giant placards; the left one reads "Long Live the People's Republic of China" (中华人民共和国万岁; Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó wànsuì), while the right one reads "Long Live the Great Unity of the World's Peoples" (世界人民大团结万岁; Shìjiè rénmín dà tuánjié wànsuì). Both placards were changed to use simplified Chinese instead of traditional Chinese characters in 1964. The phrasing has significant symbolic meaning, as the phrase used for long live, like the Imperial City itself, was traditionally reserved for Emperors of China, but is now available to the common people.

Arrived in front of the Gate and you can see the placards on the right and left.

More closer photo. Security Guard standing in front of the Gate of Heavenly Place (Tiananmen), at the entrance of the Forbidden City.

Stone and bronze lions are popular as symbolic guardians. Carved in 1420, during Ming Dynasty, these lions stand on the north and south of the Golden Water Bridge. The lions are always in pairs, with the lions in the east playing with a ball are male and the ones in the west playing with a baby lion are female.

Can you see that this lion playing with a ball on his right feet? So definitely you can guess either it is male of female right? Yes, it's a male 😆

What draws the crowd’s attention is the famous portrait of Chairman Mao at the entrance of the Forbidden City. It is the perfect spot for sharing a frame with the most iconic figure in the history of the People’s Republic of China.

No wonder not so much people at other's attraction. All visitors already reached and packed here.

Did I told you that besides the Tiananmen Tower, another major plan here was to visit Forbidden City. This place definitely shouldn't be missed and very synonyms to China or to be exact Beijing.

And due to there is just one entrance to Forbidden City which is through Meridian / Southern Gate (Wumen) and the Southern Gate located at the Tiananmen Tower, therefore we have to join the crowds to enter the Tiananmen Tower first!

See I told ya.... ramainya umat manusia!

During the queue, we could see closer potrait of Chairman Mao.

You can see that only one entrance to get through the gate. It was a long line, however fast moving.

And finally we already inside the Tiananmen Tower area.....

Entrance from the Tiananmen Gate at my back.

Such a long post isn't it? I think I will stop now and continue on next post but before that I shared some guides for your info before visiting Tiananmen Square.

Some Important Guidelines
- Tiananmen Square is a strategic place of National significance and is often guarded by armed and undercover cops. All the visitors need to pass through the security clearance checkpoint while visiting this Square. Always make sure to keep your travel documents and passport ready at all times. Also, make sure not to carry any items that may be of any suspicious nature to the armed policemen while they are on a frisking drive. If you find something not worth carrying, you should deposit it somewhere else or should leave such items in the hotel room before you enter the Tiananmen Square.
- Make sure to avoid visiting Tiananmen Square in the first week of June as it will be a highly sensitive zone and will bring in extra security. Time your visit for another day in case you happen to visit around this time of the year.
- Also, make sure to avoid clothes that have a political message or ideology, or with religious themes, or pictures that depict death or otherwise. You may not want to get embroiled in an unwarranted situation at Tiananmen Square.
- Any iconic place which draws a lot of crowds has its fair share of pros and cons. Avoid strangers who might pose to be any less significant and offers you a hand on the photos or for an English lesson or two. Even though such encounters might be harmless, try to have minimal contact with them and rush to a nearby police officer if they violate your personal space. Always remain vigilant of your surroundings while being a friendly visitor to this iconic tourist hub.
- The tourists and visitors receive a lot of local attention and might end up being in a company or two. Also, avoid the hawkers which might take ‘no’ for an answer, so kindly put up a smile and walk away casually. Tiananmen Square is safe at night with proper street lightings, but it is closed by midnight.
- Bikes must be walked through Tiananmen Square.
- There are certain things one needs to pay heed to while visiting Tiananmen Square. This place bears a cultural and traditional significance in the lives of the Chinese populace and the Government alike. You should be avoiding provocative statements or gestures that might irk fellow travelers or local visitors. Also, do not over-rush things up, like running around in the public glaze, or attempting to trespass others private space unknowingly. Always bear in mind that this is a sacred place for the Chinese people and consider it the same to make the difference while you pay some respect to this historic place.

Thats all for now... Chiaow!!

Enchanting China (Beijing, Xian and Chengdu) : Day 0 - The Journey to Beijing, China

i) 06/01/2015 - KLIA2 to Beijing Capital International Airport

So it was the day, as ussual my travel partner, Nor and I started our journey from Serdang to airport by Taxi around 3pm. Arrived at KLiA2, checked in and had early dinner at McDonalds before went to departure gate and boarded into our flight.

Our flight.

Sharp at 7.10pm, the flight took off to Beijing. Still affected and concerned about the event oh MH370, we spent most of our times to pray all along our journey.

Sitting next to the aisle. Long journey senang nak gi toilet. 😅😅Amboi akak and abang belakang... tumpang senyum nampak.. Heheheh.

Alien dia panggil kita...😂😂.

Alhamdulillah, 1.15am on the next day we succesfully landed to Beijing Internation Airport (Terminal 2). Surprisingly even it was past midnight, the people were quite many so we felt safe. Next after immigration checked, we went to collect our luggage.

We waited for our luggage to arrive. Sambil2 tu, went to toilet to refresh ourselves.

After collected our luggage, we then searched for Taxi station signboard. We were the last to leave the hall as we were busy taking photos, jadi jakun 😂😂

Already deserted!

As we went to the elevator to F1 where the taxi station located, we'd been followed by one local man asking if we wanted a taxi service (obviously it was the only option of transportation at that moment of time since the Airport Express (train) operation already closed and I'm not sure about bus). We asked him how much is the charges, and when he showed us the pamphlet for Taxi Limo at RMB500 (around RM300!), we quickly declined and proceeded to the taxi station while he still trying his luck, persuaded us saying that it was hard to find taxi at that time, the taxi driver cannot speak english and so on... so on...).

Nevertheless, we made it to the taxi station located at Terminal 2, F1 (Gate 1 to Gate 9).
We exited from Gate 5, out from the airport and we saw a long line already formed at the taxi station. Very happening and I almost forgot that it was already 3am in the morning! Another thing I almost forgot that it was winter and I still in my sweat shirt... so I got into that long line and opened my luggage, just grabbed any winter jacket and donned it as fast as I could. The temperature that night was -1deg C, what do you expect.. HAHAHAH.

Outside of the terminal, Gate 1 to Gate 9.

Long queue in the Taxi Station.

Got into the line...

Despite the long queue, it was fast as the taxi was many... (unlike the one that limo taxi man told us earlier 😝). We managed to get into our taxi, showed the taxi diver our hotel location (remember my tips in earlier post, always had your hotel name, address written in Chinese) so off we went to our hotel.

This was when we had our first test either we could survive 8days in China or not 😅😅.  Ok it was like this…. even with address and direction in Chinese, the taxi driver still got lost! We saw the fare meter running quickly but still didn't reached the hotel. After few u-turns made, he tried to clarify the address back to us, but we didn't knew either. At that time, Waze, Googlemap, or other similar applications were not widely used yet so luckily I had my data roaming activated (just in case), so I made a phone call to the hotel and let them spoke with the taxi driver and gave direction. It was not far actually from our location so after that we finally reached our destination to the hotel.. So first test passed. 😂

The check-in process was smooth... we already alerted the hotel staff earlier that we reached early in the morning. And it was my first encountered with snow. I was in the taxi when saw it dropped, but at first I thought it was the rain. However when I focused more on it's texture then I recognized it was the snow!!

After checked in, we went outdoor a while to check the snow.. did I told ya it was my first experience with real snow.. ? So ya Jakun di situ.. 😂😂

Light snow that night.

Mischief managed!!.

As we were tired, and it was nearly 4am, some more we needed to start our day early in the morning.. we didn't spent much time outdoor. We then went back inside the hotel and directed to our room to rest. We could catch the snow later..

Room sweet room!

To summarize all, few lesson learns we could take from all experiences we encountered this day as follows:

- Remember to take taxi at taxi station (proper taxi with fare meter so you dont have to hassle bargain for price, got into scam or etc).
- Make sure to prepare all address, places, direction you wanted to visit written in Chinese.
- Always standby emergency/back up (Data roaming activated, Credit Card/Debit Card activated for oversea usage). We hope that we don't have to use it but just in case…..

So I think thats all for now. Continue on my 1st activity in Beijing in next post ya.

Enchanting China (Beijing, Xian and Chengdu) - Travel Visa Application & Tips

vi) VISA APPLICATION

So we settled on all the major preparations, but not yet finished. There is another one major preparation you need to get ready before travel to China, infact this is very important that if you don’t settled it beforehand, you won’t be able to enter China.

What is it…. No, not your passport… but it is VISA!

Tourist Visa is REQUIRED for Malaysians traveling in Mainland China excluding Hong Kong & Macau. The easiest but more expensive way is to ask any Travel Agent to apply on your behalf especially if you are staying outside Kuala Lumpur & Penang. However do allow 10 working days to apply via travel agent.

Herewith, I will guide you on how to self-apply the Chinese Travel Visa.

You need to walk-in to Chinese Embassy located as per below address:
Kuala Lumpur – Level 5 & 6, Hampshire Place Office, Jalan Mayang Sari, 50450 Kuala Lumpur.
Penang – Ground Floor,17 Lebuh Bishop,10200 Georgetown,Pulau Pinang.
Business Hours: Monday-Friday. Closed on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays.
Submission of applications: 9:00 to 15:00. Payment and collection: 9:00 to 16:00.
Visa Fee : RM85 for Single Entry (As per 2015)


Before visiting the Chinese Embassy

i. Complete the Online Visa Application Form HERE and print.
ii) Prepare this documents to bring along :
- Make a copy of your passport ID pages and make sure you have at least Two Empty Pages and Six Months validity.
- 2 China Visa Passport Photo (Colour Photo with White Background and with forehead shown. Size: 48mm x 33mm)
- Flight Ticket Copy or Proof of hotel reservation.
- Bring your original passport along with all the above documents.

If you are not able to make copies of stuff prior to visiting the embassy, they do have a copy machine you can use for RM0.20 per copy. They can also take passport photos for you. PLEASE NOTE: They will not print anything for you from email or a USB drive. Copies only. Now that you have all your stuff together, you are ready to journey to the embassy to apply for your visa.

Step by Step to apply Visa

i) So next lets menapak to Chinese Embassy (KL Branch). The easiest way is take Putra LRT to Jalan Ampang Station and walk from there towards the Bank of China Building.
ii) Once reached the Chinese Embassy, enter the building and just head 5th floor KL office. The receptionist will check your documents and provide you a waiting number. Waiting depends on season. During my visit there, it was not that long.
iii) Once your number called, go to the dedicated counter and submit all the documents prepared earlier together with your original passport as they will stamp the Visa on the blank page of your passport.
iv) IF everything ok, they will then give you a collection receipt, usually around 4 working days your Visa will be ready.
v) Settled… but definitely you’ll need to come back here again to collect your Passport/Visa and make payment.

Step to Collect Visa

i. Menapak again to Chinese Embassy. But this time head to Level 6 where is the place to collect your passport and make payment.
ii) Take number and wait. Once called, head to the counter and collect your Passport/Visa.
iii) Payment is made when you collect your passport. You can pay by cash or credit card.
iv) Yeay settled! As simple as that.

Yes, Visa ready...!!

Additional Info :

i) Do not lose your visa collection form. Not only do you need this to collect your passport, but it also acts as a proof document in case someone asks for your passport during the time you are in the city and your visa is being processed.
ii) The application can be presented by someone else, such as your friends, relatives, or a travel agency, but the application form should be completed and signed by yourself. Someone else can pick up it on your behalf as well as long as he can show the "Pick-up Form". So not to worry OK.

So that’s it about Visa application. But before I start with my post on China trip, here I shared some of usefull tips that might be usefull based on my experiences in China.


vii) Tips

1) Advisable to print the Hotel name, address or anywhere you wanted to go in Chinese (i.e Mandarin). Most of the locals cannot read English. Even the address, they cannot read if in alphabet especially when you take taxi or ask them for direction. That’s why u need to prepare the address in Chinese and show to them. Certain places like Forbidden City, Great Wall of China, or even the Hotel name (like our hotel Jade Hostel) have Chinese name for it. So if you mention these names in English, local didn’t know. This come handy also when you want to buy subway tickets as sometimes even you pronounce it in Chinese, they seems didn’t understand it. Maybe because our accent. So to make things fast, just show them the route map where it has the places written in Chinese.

2) Bring lotion and drinks a lot of water during winter. You will tend to get your skin dry out and shrink, which can lead to cracking especially near fingernails area. Medicine like ubat gamat helps once you get that cracking as it helps to heal fast. Not even that, minyak gamat also the best remedy for blisters (this usually happened if you had a lot of walk), wounds and bruises. So ya, even the smell is a bit unpleasant, I recommended you to bring minyak gamat anytime when you travel. For travel during cold season, better bring hot massage oil, balm or muscle cream like Yoko-Yoko, Counterpain which helps to prevent from muscle spasm due to cold.

3) At the airport or train station, take taxi outside the building. There is a taxi station available, just get in line. So far even you reached there odd times, there are plenty of taxis available. Remember, you will be approached by locals once you settled your immigration check at the airport or everytime you came out from train station, offering the taxi service. DO NOT take it. As it will be expansive (in our case they offered Limo taxi which cost almost RMB500++ at the airport)!

4) Always stick to your itinerary. Don't trust if anyone approach you and give offer, ask you to take their package or transport. That's why I said, you need to collect sufficient information on the place you wanted to visit (how to go, how much the fee, etc) before you start your journey from reliable sources like from blog or ask hotel staff. Scams are very common in China.. They can know by your appearence that you're not local, expecially when you look hesitate or lost. We’ve experienced scam when we wanted to go to Great Wall of China. I will tell this story later when we come to this topic ok.

4) Print Beijing Subway beforehand and study the routes before you want to start your journey. As a big city, there are 16lines in Beijing Subway however not very complicated. Study earlier just to smooth your journey so that you won’t be “terkial2” when at the station as mind you, China is the most populous country in the world so expected each places will be crowded with people and busy living their daily live especially in Beijing. As the major transport there, the subway will be packed with people so there is no time for lingering, wandering without direction.

5) There are security scans of bag done by the same type of machines they use in airports at all subway entrances. So get ready to take off your bags everytime you enter the subway.

6) Learn basic Mandarin at least numbers. It make easy especially when buying things and when we took public transport like bus and taxi. The most basic mandarin I found usefull besides the numbers are “how much”, “thank you” “excuse me” and “Where”. Trust me, you will use “how much” more than any word there :D

7) Bring instant foods and drinks (Maggie in cup, biscuits, etc) during long haul journey like in the train. We didn’t bring any ended up drooling when we saw locals heated up their instant noodles, ate sandwich or their tapau foods and nice smells of coffee. Inside train menu were available but due to it’s not Halal so we didn’t buy any. Bring also cup to make drinks and small thermos to keep hot water. Hot water dispenser is available at every corner/exit of the train.

8) Halal foods is abundance near the mosque area as most of Muslim community dwelling nearby. So if you want to find Muslim restaurants, just search for the mosque (especially the grand mosque).


So I think that’s all about preparation. Now fasten your seat belt.. I will take you to my amazing journey to China in next post. Till then.