Get Cultured With These Holiday Talks, Walks & Activities
With Mid-Autumn Festival coinciding with the weeklong National Day Holiday on the lunar calendar this year, the October “Golden Week” is getting one extra day tacked on to it. This means a sort of extra-long holiday with a little more time off before year’s end.
If you plan to stay in Beijing or have family or friends coming to visit the capital over the break – or you’re coming to visit from another city – there’s no better time to explore and get to know the city a bit more. It’s also great if you’ve got a guide, and to that end, Beijing’s walking tour groups and cultural collectives have answered with a handful of activities.
Food Tours and Cooking Classes with The Hutong
Operating out of a converted courtyard house near Beixinqiao, The Hutong is one of the best places to go in Beijing to learn how to cook local and regional dishes or learn about Chinese culture at one of their history talks or dinners. The Hutong has recently added a few new additions to their regular activity lineup, including a breakfast food tour, a food market tour – dubbed “Chi le ma?” – as well as a snack tour of Niu Jie on the city’s west side.
These two tours will be happening on various days over the break, along with cooking classes on the spice of Sichuan and specialties of Yunnan, as well as tea brewing and history talks hosted by Dr. Jeremiah Jenne of Beijing by Foot and our Weekend Walk series. Scan the QR code in the poster below to see the calendar and register.
The Hutong
1 Jiudaowan Zhongxiang Hutong, Dongcheng District
东城区九道弯中巷胡同1号
Contact: 010 6404 3355; 159 0104 6127
A Slice of Beijing History with Beijing Postcards
If you want to learn Beijing’s history while out and about, there’s no better tour guide to go along with than Beijing Postcards’ Lars Ulrich Thom. The Danish expat has called the capital home for quite some time, and all the tours he leads – be they through the old Foreign Legation chasing Boxers or nighttime jaunts through the Temple of Heaven – are filled with enthusiasm for the stories of Beijing and the people who once lived here.
Check here for their Golden Week tours and beyond. Also, be sure to check out their shop near Dashilar for cool Beijing-themed souvenirs.
Beijing Postcards 北京长片
97 Yangmeizhu Byway, Xicheng District
西城区杨梅竹斜街 97号
Hours: Wed-Sun, noon-6pm
Contact: 130 1107 8680
Beijing Breakfast and Dinner with UnTour Food Tours
After a long hiatus due to Covid, UnTour Food Tours is back running regular tours in China. In Beijing, they’ll be hosting two distinct events – the Old Beijing Breakfast Tour and Old Beijing Dinner Tour. As the names suggest, one tour focuses on traditional Beijing breakfasts, while the other focuses on dinners. The former is big on youtiao and jianbing, the latter is all about Beijing-style hot pot, among other goodies. Find out more via the link here and contact UnTour via the QR code below for details and registration.
Private Tour and Course Options with OurBeijing
Looking for something to do with just you and your friends? OurBeijing is offering private bookings for a variety of stuff over the holiday. Along with food tours, bicycle tours and e-bike tours in the hutongs, they also offer courses in jianbing making, mahjong, SUP boarding, and even jianbing golf. Check out their new website at our-beijing.com or via WeChat (ID: ourbeijing) to inquire about availability and registration.
READ: Getting to Know Your Beijing Neighbors: Sengge Rinchen
Images: Unsplash, courtesy of the venues and organizers
