Holidays in Beijing

Christmas in Beijing is quite unlike Christmas anywhere else. Granted, Christmas trees and lights decorate most buildings (a surprise to us) and Santa also make passes through the shopping malls. But that's about where the traditional similarities end. On Christmas eve, many people in the city head out to one of the hundreds of lavish dinner parties hosted by hotels, halls and fine restaurants. It's not cheap. We dined at a lower cost event at a cost of about $100USD/head. In a city where average take home is not much more than a few hundred/month - it's a lot to spend on one dinner. One of the premier events charged over $550/head just for dinner. Even considering the relative cost, it was a great dinner and a great way to celebrate in Beijing.

We were fortunate to have Christmas day off. In line with most western companies, Christmas day was designated a holiday. We met up with an American friend for a German brunch complete with pretzels and beer.
Later that night we meet up with our Hong Kong friends for a old Beijing Hot Pot dinner.











Then there was New Years. Not quite sure what to expect, we headed for the one place with lot's of expats and plenty of inexpensive celebratory beverages. To end the year, we had an exquisite french inspired, Beijing style, roast duck. This must have been our 5th or 6th duck since arrival and I'll tell you - each is better than the last.

We ended the year a bit cold yet totally inspired by all we had seen and all the places we visited. The best part of New Year in China is that we get two. Look for more details some time after January 26 - the mark of lunar New Year. We'll be escaping the Beijing cold in Hong Kong.