11th – 17th September 2026
It had been about eight years since l packed up my things and moved back to the UK after a stint of several years living in China, the majority of which were in Beijing. l have (mostly) very fond memories of Beijing but was a little apprehensive about whether it would still hold the same appeal and if Holly would like it. I’d tried to put together a plan for the week that showcased some of the things l thought made Beijing special, as well as hitting some of the tourist spots. Things were looking good when we arrived to glorious sunshine without the humidity that had been torturing us further south. We headed to Mr. Shi’s, a Chinese restaurant catering more or less exclusively to the international crowd. Very inauthentic but delicious cheese, tomato and basil dumplings were consumed and we strolled through the hutongs, Beijings old (although “renovated” since I was last in Beijing as part of the “Great Brickening”) alleyways, back to our somewhat decrepit but peaceful ibis hotel.
