Billy's Cities

Explore the great cities of the world!

  • Blog
  • Destinations
  • Travel Planning
  • How I Travel
  • All About
  • Contact Me

Billy September 15, 2016 Leave a Comment

Must-See Beijing

One of the dragons on the Forbidden City's Nine Dragon-Wall. Forbidden City, Beijing, China, Asia.
One of the dragons on the Forbidden City’s Nine Dragon-Wall.

Make no mistake.  Beijing is not the cosmopolitan city that Shanghai is.  (Unlike in Shanghai, I was often the only white person in sight on the subway in Beijing.  I got stared at in Beijing at times.  This never happened in Shanghai.)  Regardless, imperial Beijing is where the history is.  This is why the most spectacular sights I saw on my 2015 trip to China were for the most part in Beijing. [Read more…]

Filed Under: East Asia Tagged With: Asia, Beijing, Best Of, China, East Asia, Entertainment, Forbidden City, Great Wall, Summer Palace, Tiananmen Square, UNESCO

Billy September 8, 2016 1 Comment

7 Ways China Exceeded My Expectations

Zhuanlunzang Pavilion at the Summer Palace, Beijing. China, Asia.
Zhuanlunzang Pavilion at the Summer Palace, Beijing.

The language issue was a challenge during my trip to China.  And I did have some culinary frustrations.  But China exceeded my expectations in so many ways.  Perhaps my expectations were needlessly low.  It didn’t help that my phrasebook had some helpful expressions such as, “What time does the hot water come on?” and “There is a rat in my room.”  I read so many warnings about China before my trip.  I was sort of expecting the worst.  But those [Read more…]

Filed Under: East Asia Tagged With: Asia, Beijing, Best Of, Challenges, China, Communism, East Asia, Food, Forbidden City, Shanghai, Tiananmen Square

Billy September 3, 2016 Leave a Comment

China, A Little History, Part 12

Red China

The one and only Chairman Mao watches over Tiananmen Square for eternity. Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China, Asia.
The one and only Chairman Mao watches over Tiananmen Square for eternity.

Civil War, World War II, and Back to Civil War

Back in 1934, the Chinese Civil War between the Nationalists of the KMT and the Communists of the CPC was in full bloom.  In October, the KMT overwhelmed CPC forces in southern China.  The CPC began a long, slow retreat of over 5,500 miles to northwestern China.  This “Long March” (actually a series of retreats) took over a year and cost many lives.  As many as 90% of those who initially escaped the KMT didn’t make it.  But the CPC grew in isolation [Read more…]

Filed Under: East Asia Tagged With: Asia, Beijing, China, Communism, East Asia, Forbidden City, Hong Kong, Macau, Nanjing, Taipei, Taiwan, Tiananmen Square, WWII

Billy August 25, 2016 2 Comments

China 2015, Day 10: Beijing, Day 4

Western and Northern Beijing

After a day in Tianjin, I was on the homestretch of my trip with 2 final days in Beijing.  On these 2 days, the weather warmed up enough that I felt comfortable unzipping my jacket and leaving off the hat and [Read more…]

Filed Under: East Asia Tagged With: Asia, Beijing, Buddhism, China, Communism, Confucianism, East Asia, Food, Forbidden City, Islam

Billy August 4, 2016 2 Comments

China 2015, Day 7: Beijing, Day 2

Southern and Eastern Beijing

Welcome to Day 7, the day I fell and hurt my back.  I was afraid the rest of my trip could be in jeopardy.  It was also the day I paid an emperor’s ransom for some goofy pictures of me.  Despite some mishaps, it [Read more…]

Filed Under: East Asia Tagged With: Asia, Beijing, Challenges, China, East Asia, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, UNESCO

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • Next Page »

Recent Comments

  • Billy on Introduction to the California Delta 2022
  • BRIAN A QUIGLEY on Introduction to the California Delta 2022
  • Billy on Northern California 2019, Day 5: Sacramento, Day 3
  • Will R. on Northern California 2019, Day 5: Sacramento, Day 3
  • Billy on Crosstown Trail

Categories

  • Asia
    • East Asia
    • South Asia
  • Europe
    • Iberia
  • Media
  • North America
    • United States
  • Uncategorized

(function(d,s,id) { var js; var fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "https://forms.aweber.com/form/10/502146910.js"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, "script", "aweber-wjs-1185224129"));

Copyright © 2025 · Streamline Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

 

Loading Comments...