In the winter of 2011 Beijing gave me smog-free sunshine, clear blue skies and temperatures so cold that they chilled me to the bone and almost froze the marrow within. This time I came prepared with layer upon layer of Marino wool and possum fur, so my bones were warm and snug, but Beijing forgot to turn on the sun. Although the smog rating was relatively low due to a cold front clearing it somewhat, the skies remained grey and some rain and snow fell. Not to w...

Impressions of Beijing Beijing is a modern bustling city with many of its old traditions still surviving along with changing ways. People are mostly very stern faced and serious looking - rarely does anyone smile, particularly noticeable with service staff. The few who do smile catch you by surprise and they look so lovely. Our Chinese guide was delightful, one of the smilers. She accompanied us for our whole stay and showed great warmth and humour. She told us...

UNESCO has declared the Summer Palace "a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design." I can't argue with this, now that I have floated in the harmony of its gardens, bridges and palaces. Perhaps I should say "shivered" in its harmony. We are buried deep in several layers of clothing to ward off the cold, but it still seeps through some how. The palace gardens must be spectacular in the other seasons, but winter has its own beauty, even in the starkness of ic...

First stop, Silk Market, a large modern shopping centre that opened in 2005, replacing the old alley-based Xiushui Market. Not for the feint hearted, over 1,700 vendors test your bargaining skills to the max. From shopping heaven (or hell, depending on your point of view) to the Forbidden City. Our afternoon was spent exploring this wonderfully preserved imperial palace which was forbidden to ordinary people when it was home to emperors of the Ming and Qing Dyna...