Exploring Beijing With My Son

In September 2018, my wife travelled to Beijing for work, and our son and I decided to accompany her. We flew from Singapore on 24 September and spent six days in the Chinese capital, staying at the InterContinental Beijing Sanlitun.

I particularly remember the three of us going out together for Peking duck that first evening. We found a restaurant by searching on Google and ordered Peking duck along with other dishes. I’ve always loved Peking duck, so having it in Beijing was something I thoroughly enjoyed. I can no longer remember the restaurant’s name, but I certainly remember the meal.

Our first evening in Beijing also coincided with the Mid-Autumn Festival. The photographs from 24 September show mooncakes alongside our dinner, something I hadn’t paid much attention to when thinking back on the trip.

A dinner table with a large plate of dry-fried green beans with minced meat, a bowl of noodles and a small plate of noodles, and two wrapped mooncakes on a plate at the edge. — Dinner on 24 September, with mooncakes on the table.

A large silver Asahi beer keg-can and a bottle of Hite beer on a table at night, with lights and a dark window behind. — Beer on our first evening, 24 September.

My wife had work commitments during the day, which meant I would be looking after our son. We weren’t planning to explore the entire city on our own. I couldn’t speak much Chinese, and with a young child to look after, I preferred to stay somewhere familiar.

Fortunately, there was plenty to see around our hotel.

Exploring Sanlitun Together

On 25 September, our first full day, my wife was at work. With my limited Chinese and the area still unfamiliar, I chose to have lunch with my son at the hotel. Afterwards, we set off to explore Sanlitun, walking around the shops and streets near the hotel.

Flat rice noodles stir-fried with beef, bean sprouts and spring onions on a square white plate, with a fork, a glass of beer and a used plate beside it. — Lunch at the hotel, 25 September.

Two plates of stir-fried green peppers, one with dark slices of meat and one with diced meat, red chillies and spring onions. — Stir-fried dishes at the hotel, 25 September.

Most days, my son and I would head out for a walk around Sanlitun.

There were shops, restaurants and plenty of things to look at. We didn’t have any particular destination in mind. We simply wandered around, taking in the surroundings and enjoying our time together.

One of my favourite memories from the trip was asking my son what different things meant in Chinese.

He had started learning to speak a little Chinese, certainly more than I could manage. As we walked around, I would ask him about words and things we saw.

It was quite amusing to find myself relying on my young son for help with the language.

I was supposed to be the one looking after him, but in a small way, he was helping me navigate a city where I couldn’t understand much of what people were saying.

Those walks were nothing extraordinary, but looking back, they’re among the things I remember most fondly about Beijing.

A Small Problem Paying for Lunch

On 26 September, while my wife was working, I felt a little bolder and decided to take my son to a grilled-meat restaurant near the hotel for lunch.

The meal itself wasn’t the problem. Paying for it was.

I can’t remember exactly what payment methods the restaurant accepted, but I had some difficulty when it came time to settle the bill. I had cash and a credit card, but neither worked quite the way I expected.

I didn’t have WeChat Pay or any of the local mobile payment options set up.

Eventually, I managed to pay in cash, but the restaurant couldn’t give me the change. I ended up leaving the remaining money behind.

It was a small incident, but one that stuck with me.

A restaurant interior with a large mural of a blue-skinned, red-haired figure holding a roast drumstick, a wooden wall of red and white neon signs and cartoon faces, and empty tables with leather chairs. — The grilled-meat restaurant where I had trouble paying, 26 September.

Two round plates of grilled meat strips on a wooden table, one glazed and dark, the other pale and seasoned. — Grilled meat, 26 September.

The InterContinental Beijing Sanlitun at night, its tall facade covered in a lattice of white hexagonal lights, seen from below against a black sky. — Grilled meat, 26 September.

The next day, 27 September, I went back to the familiar option of having lunch at the hotel with my son. We could still go out for our walks without worrying about finding somewhere to eat.

Pieces of glazed roast poultry on a long white plate, with a small bowl of dark sauce, a mint sprig with a yellow flower and a nest of crisp fried noodles. — Lunch at the hotel, 27 September.

Evenings Around Beijing

When my wife finished work, we had time to go out together as a family.

Food was naturally a big part of those evenings.

We also tried other dishes during the trip, from stir-fried food to grilled meat. Looking through the photographs now, there are meals I remember eating even if the restaurant names have long disappeared from memory.

The Quieter Side of the Journey

We weren’t doing much sightseeing during those first few days.

My wife was working, and my son and I spent our time exploring the area around the hotel. In the evenings, we went out together, enjoyed different meals and experienced a little more of Beijing.

It was a simple routine, but an enjoyable one.

Of course, we had more ambitious sightseeing planned before returning to Singapore, including the Forbidden City and the Great Wall.

But when I think back to this trip, I don’t just remember those famous places. I remember walking around Beijing with my son, listening to him explain bits of Chinese to me while I tried to make sense of the city around us.

It was a different way of experiencing Beijing, and one I’m glad we had together.