If you choose to visit Beijing city while you’re in China, you will see a city that mixes Western values with the Chinese traditions, which can be a real treat for most people. The city’s history can be traced back to 350 BC. The city of Beijing was the capital of China under four different dynasties, having different names, including Beiping, Dadu or Yanhing.

When you visit the city, you will probably see people that are very friendly, but they might stare at you a lot. It’s not something that should offend you. In many cases, people will want to shake your hand, though a bow accompanied by joined hands is the customary greeting here.

Some things you should remember is to never provide shame to anyone while you’re in public, never embarrass anyone, always be punctual, don’t give tips and learn how to use chop sticks, since you will not find forks or spoons in most restaurants.

If you want to visit the city, the best time is during autumn, since the weather will be mild. The problem is that this period is the time when most tourists come. Travelers avoid the city during Winter, since the colds here can be quite bad.

Though this isn’t the conservative city it once was, you should still have proper clothes for visiting temples and sacred sites.

If you’re alone, it can prove difficult to move around Beijing, but you can usually handle it if you have a map with you. Since there aren’t many people that will speak English, you will have to show them the map. You can use buses, the subway and taxis when you want to move around the city, though buses tend to be crowded.

Beijing is a great place to do shopping, like most other cities in China. It has many districts which offer you a wide variety of merchandise.