Beijing JJStyle 06: Streets of Style

It’s not a proper vacation to Beijing until you’ve experienced old and new world shopping unique only to this city. I’m talking about making time to visit the boutiques and cafes of Nanluoguxiang Hutong and the edgy and exciting retail experience found at Sanlitun Village.

Nanluoguxiang was built during the Yuan Dynasty in the 1700’s, and today is still home to many of Beijing’s residents. This hutong is also a popular venue for those who are looking for the quirky gift or unique fashion find that are design-oriented pieces original to the artists and craftsmen based in the city. Check out these cheeky porcelain figures.

… Or these funny postcards. Most of them are in “Engrish” (Chinese-English), but you get the general gist of the message.

Shops sell everything from authentic shoes worn by Beijing people for hundreds of years…

…To propaganda shirts which remix historic Chinese images to create new messages and designs that give their product that “contemporary art” edge.

Im speechless.

There were so many lanes which branched out of the main street. It would take a whole day to visit all of them.

With so much to see, it’s easy to get a bit tired. That’s why it’s always good to take a rest and to have a sip of some hot Chinese Tea or coffee at one of the many establishments in the Hutong made for visitors and tourists. These cafes have plenty of character and allows one to recharge before continuing their shopping journey.

For lunch we had some “Dan Dan Min (Hot and Spicy Noodles)” at another local eatery,  Red Ding Coffee.

They had a beautiful courtyard.

But for street food… you can opt for steamy yams.

Or Caramelized Fruits on a stick. This was divine.

This dessert is called Tanghulu and it’s a Beijing original. I had figs.

Other fashion finds for me include these original (read “real) Feiyue shoes for about 130RMB (18-20USD).

And this fashionable gentleman.

Across town it’s all about modern indoor-outdoor shopping experiences with Sanlitun Village.

Criss crossing glass planes, diagonal pathways, and a LED lights define this new shopping environment. 

Every corner is a different discovery.

From Home furnishings…

To current fashion trends… it’s all here.

Vying for your attention.

New or old…

… There’s something in Beijing for every stylish individual, like this gent I spotted at Sanlitun Village.

Or this gent at Nanluoxguxiang who was channeling a young Woody Allen.

Also spotted… Fashion Blogger, Vanessa Hong at Sanlitun Village. Love the quilted jacket and ripped jean denim.

We hung out with Vincent from VICE Magazine China.

I’ll miss all this. Thank you Hilton Hotels & Resorts for such a wonderful and memorable trip!

SHOP Nanluoguxiang Hutong / SHOP Sanlitun Village / EAT Red Ding Coffee 

This post was originally published on November 24, 2012 for CNN.com and Hilton Hotels and Resorts for the CNNGO Experience Asia Contest.

JJ.

Beijing JJStyle 02: The Perfect Peking Duck

Yes Beijing is mostly known as the center of China’s Political and Historical center… but another thing the city is known for is its cuisine… and most notably… the Peking Duck! The duck, originally named Shaoyazi, is the country’s National Dish, with roots going back to around the 1300’s and is a staple of Imperial Cuisine.

The duck for the perfect Peking, is bred especially for the dish. Hilton Beijing Wangfujing gave me and my friends the opportunity to help the Hotel Chef make one for our dinner at Chynna, one of the city’s premier Chinese cuisine destinations located in the hotel.

Of course as part of the deal, we would be filmed making the Duck. I was just afraid I’d mess it up! But of course with the help of the Chef and my friend, Denise, it turned out to be a messy, yet fun learning experience.

I couldn’t quite get the duck to open up the right way in order to put in the right herbs and spices. The Chef had to help me struggle with it, which was pretty funny.

After the setup, and boiling and glazing the duck in a special soup… we were able to check out the roasting area.

This is where the Chef would line up the ducks that were ready for roasting after hanging to dry for 24 hours. The duck cooks for less than an hour… then it’s ready to serve!

Before dinner, my friends and I were treated to some wine and cheese as an appetizer in the Wine Room, which was cool.

Then it was on to Chynna for dinner to finally taste the duck. 

The interiors were pretty cool… a nice update of Chinese themes in a very modern and contemporary fashion. It was very very “Beijing Style” NOW.

Of course the chef was ready for us to have our feast… and boy we DID have an amazing feast there.

Just some of my favorite dishes… Fresh egg rolls.

Marinated jellyfish with aged vinegar

Sautéed assorted mushrooms with spinach and tofu

Beef with sautéed porcini mushrooms and black pepper! SO yum!

My friends loved this stewed pork rib dish in sweet and sour sauce

We also had tons of dessert… like this mango yogurt dish… and the Tiramisu in a cocktail glass. So good.

I’m full just looking at the pictures again. Thanks Hilton Hotels and Resorts for the amazing dining experience!

EAT Chynna 

This post was originally published on November 15, 2012 for CNN.com and Hilton Hotels and Resorts for the CNNGO Experience Asia Contest.

JJ.

Beijing Bang!

All six of my Beijing Blog posts for CNN.com / CNN Travel are now up! Read them, take the quiz, and maybe you and a friend will get a chance to win a trip and stay in Beijing with Hilton Hotels & Resorts!

In the first post I write about my stay at Hilton Beijing Wangfujing.

In the second post I write about awkwardly making a Peking Duck.

In the third post we try street food in Wangfujing Markets and Commercial Shopping Street next to the hotel.

In the fourth post, we visit Tiananmen Square.

In the fifth post we check out Architecture in the city.

And the sixth post, the fun one titled “Streets of Style”, I take you shopping through Old…

and the New…

With the Hutong and the Village at Sanlitun. I even took some really cool street style photos!

Check out the video!

Good luck! Hope you can go to Beijing too!

READ JJ in Beijing via Hilton and CNN

JJ.

CNNGo x Hilton x Beijing x theWanderlister

Well here we are. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to go visit my favorite city in China, Beijing, with Brew&Post pals, Denise and Jason via Hilton Hotels and CNNGo (now called CNN Travel). Basically I turned in a video to Youtube, auditioning for a spot to go on a trip. I was picked from a handful of applicants and luckily I got to go to Beijing on Hilton as an assignment which was great. I’ve been to Beijing before the Olympics and haven’t really been back since. I was impressed by the city then, but I’m more impressed with it now.

In a nutshell, I think the city is very cool, full of culture and creativity, good architecture, nice people, and great food. It’s not aFinance oriented environment like Hong Kong is, which is a nice refreshing change from this corporate city. Anyway my first of six blog posts for CNNGo x Hilton are up. Check it out, Retweet it, like it, and if you follow my posts, you too will get a chance to win a trip to stay at Hilton Beijing Wangfujing like I did. Don’t wait, read it now!

READ THE CNNGo x Hilton Hotels Experience Asia Blog HERE.

JJ.