postcards from: beijing, china

a photo diary filled with views from the captial of china + micro recommendations

day one—forbidden city, 9:33am

jetlag had me awake earlier than usual on trips, but because of it, I watched the imperial palace slowly come to life alongside the wintry, morning light. the sun bathed the oriential archiecture with a soft golden hue, tinting the usual ochre yellow roofs into shades of persimmon orange.

eventually an early-bird crowd emerged from the entrance, creating a rhythmic flow of people rising and falling to the curved, marble bridges within the imperial courtyards. the palace is larger than it looked on the map, home to nearly a thousand buildings from the ming and qing dynasties. yet most of it was a vast empty space, barren of trees, leaving to one’s imagination on what may have occupied this area centuries ago besides the royal family. guards? festivals?

the only consistent item among the courtyards were large bronze vats meant for fire safety. I overheard a group of friends wondering how it remained filled when it rarely rains in the city beyond the summer season. I photographed them later on at another vast [middle photo], and it had me wondering how many people were stationed at one if the building truly caught fire back then.

my favorite moment was actually right outside the palace walls, watching women stroll around the moat in traditional clothing. their silk garments were gorgeous against the vibrant colors of the palace, and often accompanied with accessories—crowns and fans—that twinkled under the sunlight.

the moat water turned to ice from the low temperature of the night before. I stopped to watch birds carefully waddle to the edge once they realized there was no opening for a morning swim.

extra landmarks:

• summer palace

• beihai park

• jingshan park

• tiananmen square

day two—street musings; does everyone own a moped?

they’re everywhere, neatly placed rows upon rows on the pavement, and not a protection lock in sight.

from: the road (must-have navigation apps)

• didi

• amap

• wechat

day three—a day trip to port city (tianjin, china)

thirty minutes southeast of beijing, by high-speed rail, sat the port city of tianjin. my partner chose it mostly out of curiosity—a chance to see a neighboring city during our short vacation—but a few posts from the Fisher-Zhang family had also appeared on his feed as a recommendation.

so we welcomed the spontaneity.

we wandered along the haihe river. overnight, temperatures had dropped enough for the river to freeze, leaving a thin sheet of ice across the surface. every so often, special-purpose boats called icebreakers [left photo] would pass through, cracking the frozen layer into scattered pieces, so they could drift away or thaw easier under the warming sun.

through the narrow cracks, steel-grey fish swam steadily against the current. children leaned over the edge, excitedly pointing them out to their parents. their joyful voices carried along the riverbank, turning an otherwise quiet winter afternoon into a shared experience with strangers. many people paused, as we did, to take pictures of the gorgeous light bouncing off the ice in front of us.

we left before sunset, not knowing whether the ice thawed the next day, but we left content on how we spent the day.

from: the city

• porcleain house

• tianjin eye

• haihe river

• italian style street (little italy) + venezia club restaurant and winery

day four—thoughts while climbing the great wall of china

read the first four lines in tune to the beginning of The Climb by Miley Cyrus.

I can almost see it…

that dream of completing…(the great wall of china)

but there’s an insane80degreeinclineofstairs saying…

I may not reach it…(because I’m two hours into this trek and exhausted)

I did reach it in the end, and it became one of the best memories of this trip. a more detailed description will be in my next letter.

from: the guide

• tripadvisor

day five—happy lunar new year!

or as they said in mandarin, 新年快乐 (xīnnián kuàilè).

we wandered down qianmen street to finally see the decorations after dark. it was the most lively street we experienced in beijing with a large crowd overflowing the pedestrian road. people strolled shoulder to shoulder, some stopping every few steps to photograph the glowing displays and lanterns, and others trying to go around them to not disrupt the flow of traffic.

both sides of the street were lined with food vendors that served dumplings, longevity noodles, and sweet rice balls—symbolic dishes of good fortune, family unity, and a long, happy life. the road stretched for 845 meters, nearing the temple of heaven where people could experience an extension of the celebrations with reenactments of imperial sacrifice ceremonies, vibrant lion dances, and cultural activities.

while we didn’t walk quite that far, it was still incredible to witness such a thunderous, joyful atmosphere on the first night of the new year in the small section we explored.

the only note for future travelers is if you are hoping to see elaborate drone shows or large-scale lantern festivals during lunar new year, those celebrations are often more prominent in cities like shanghai or chongqing.

from: the festival (best places for decorations, performances, and traditions)

• qianmen street + temple of heaven

• lama temple

• ditan park

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and like any good postcard, they always serve as small reminders of places I hope to return to one day.

until next time, china.

thank you for the memories.

Yours Truly,

Iris

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Letters from the Window Seat is a photo journal filled with fujifilm photographs, travel adventures, and slow living between destinations. if this sounds like your kind of corner of the internet, press subscribe, and we’ll become worldly correspondents 💌

from my window seat to yours.

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