Beijing 2024 - Exploring Buildings and Shops

 

I've selected to stay near the QianMen area, and also near Dashilan Shopping Street as it was a more budget friendly area as compared to other more touristy and centric area. Also, I though it would be nice to be near a bustling shopping street to soak up the Chinatown vibe. I think I made an excellent choice, cause we walked through the shopping streets almost daily, either just to see the excitement of the tourist around, or just looking for snacks to eat, or just to feel that we were really in China. 

The shopping street itself did not disappoint. It took me a while to realised that some of the grand looking buildings were actually department stores, or tea merchant etc. Mainly because everything was just so elaborately decorated that I felt intimidated to even step into any stores. But after a few days there, we were more comfortable wandering into alleys and shops just to see what was sold there.

I also found a book store nearby which also sold tea. And above was the sign board that first drew me to it. Unfortunately the book selection wasn't that interesting, and the tea even less so. 

There were a few food court or food eating area at Dashilan which we wandered in a few times just to look around. I found the food prices rather expensive to be honest, and we never did end up dining in any of the food court there. We dine at other rather interesting places instead. Will slowly show you as I document out our daily adventures in Beijing. Oh, by the way, above is a giant hot pot in the main entrance of a restaurant. On my list of things to eat, Mutton Slice Hotpot was on it. So I took note whenever I came across such store.

I also forgot that pigs were allowed to be displayed everywhere! After spending most of my life in a muslim country growing up, I wasn't used to such blatant displayed of pork products for sale! Hence a few photos of these pocky everywhere. China does have a huge population of muslim, and visiting the muslim street was also part of my itinerary of this trip! And you might have guest it, it has more to do with the food than the culture or religion aspect of it. 

Pork jerkies for sale at the food court. I'm not a fan, but my husband is. I don't really get bak kwa at all unless they came soaking in sweet sauce and sandwiched between a bun outside a cinema, lol.

White Rabbit store was also a thing here. It was a sweet practically every chinese kids in the world has grown up with. There was a giant White Rabbit shop at the QianMen area. We did browse from the outside, but I'm actually not a fan of white rabbits with blood shot eyes. I do like the sweets growing up, mainly because of the rice paper wrapping that came with it which I though was so cool.

Lastly, I saw these super elaborated ice creams for sale, showing famous tourist sites in China. Wow. This was the first time I saw such thing. I didn't try any on my trip there as they were quite pricey and cheesy. I realised that even these days, you could find these ice creams selling at Singapore tourist attractions, showing Uniquely Singapore sites instead. To be frank, the ice cream looked cool, but not exactly appetising.