Our First Taste of Beijing: Where the Ancient Empire Meets Future Tech

By: Jack (and my travel partner, Jen)

"We're actually in China!"

As the plane touched down at Beijing Daxing International Airport, Jen and I just looked at each other, our eyes wide with that "I can't believe this is happening" kind of excitement. The exhaustion from a dozen-plus hours of flying instantly vanished, replaced by a powerful wave of curiosity. Everything—the air, the written characters, the sound of people talking—was telling us: Welcome to a whole new world.

To be honest, we were a little nervous before we came. Different language, different culture... we felt like two level-one players in a brand new video game. Luckily, we had gotten a super-detailed guide from your website before we left, which even thoughtfully suggested we download an app called Alipay and link our credit cards beforehand.

At the time, we thought, Is that really necessary? We brought plenty of cash.

Oh man, were we naive.

From grabbing a taxi to our hotel in Wangfujing (the driver just gave a cool, knowing nod after we showed him the address on our phone!) to buying a bottle of water at the corner store, we realized that everyone around us, from teenagers to older aunties, was just paying for things with a quick "beep" of their phone. Jen and I, holding our yuan bills, felt like we had time-traveled from the last century.

That discovery became our first big "culture shock" moment, and also our first surprise. It made us realize instantly that we were standing in a magical country that was both steeped in ancient history and fully embracing the future.

Our hotel was in a killer location, right near the Wangfujing shopping street. The next day, we walked to the first main event of our trip: The Forbidden City (or the Palace Museum, as it's officially known).

How do you even describe it? The word "huge" doesn't even begin to cover it. It’s only when you physically walk through gate after gate, crossing one massive courtyard after another, that you can truly feel the sheer imperial power and the weight of history. Jen and I spent the entire time with our jaws on the floor, just constantly saying, "Wow." We kept imagining the lives of the emperors and empresses, the countless stories that unfolded behind these red walls and under these golden roofs. It felt like we were literally touching the pulse of history.

Hot tip: After you finish exploring the Forbidden City, you HAVE to go to Jingshan Park right across the street. Climb to the top of the Wan Chun Ting pavilion, and you get a panoramic view of the entire palace complex. The golden-tiled roofs stretch out below you like a shimmering, golden ocean. That view will absolutely be one of the proudest shots in your camera roll.

Of course, you can't come to Beijing and not have Peking Duck, right? Our guide recommended a place called Quanjude, not far from our hotel. The whole experience was a full-on ritual, with the chef wheeling a cart to our table and carving the duck right in front of us into these impossibly thin slices of crispy skin and tender meat. You wrap it all up in a thin pancake with cucumber, scallions, and sweet bean sauce... I swear, it was the best duck I've ever had in my life.

Our journey has only just begun, and we're already completely in love with this place. Next up is the one Jen has been waiting for—the Great Wall! I'm getting pumped just thinking about it!