Some cities inspire immediate devotion. You arrive, take one look, and you’re done. Beijing is not one of those cities.
That’s the contention of Jane Yang, the Chinese journalist and entrepreneur who helped us bring the League of Travelers to China and leads our journeys in Yunnan and Anhui provinces. “At the very beginning, you’ll probably dislike the city,” says Jane. “Because it’s chaos. There are a lot of people, and they aren’t elegant like in Shanghai. It’s more rock and roll, very authentic, traditional people of the ancient capital.”
Settled for over 3,000 years, Beijing is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth. It’s also the world’s most populous capital, with around 22 million residents. It’s a sensory onslaught, immense in scale, intimidating upon first encounter in a way Shanghai just isn’t.
