Beijing is about much more than bicycles, the Olympics and Tiananmen Square. (Reuters file photo)

Magnitude is what China is all about.

Whether Shanghai (estimated population 18 million), Guangzhou (estimated population 15 million), or Beijing (the capital with an estimated population of 17 million), China is all at once fascinating and daunting.

For my travel tastes, I cannot get enough of China. I once lived in Hong Kong and have since visited many, many times. I was fortunate to experience Shanghai’s Expo 2010 this past August.

But to be truthful, Beijing was not high on my must-do list. I assumed Beijing was all about Tiananmen Square, the Beijing Summer Olympics, millions of bicycles, grid-lock traffic and polluted air. Certainly Beijing is all that. But it is so much more.

First of all, Beijing is very clean. Sure the air can be astonishingly polluted, but the streets are not littered with garbage thanks to small armies of sanitation workers.

I saw very few bicycles and was told as a result of the exponential growth in individual incomes, cars are the new status symbol and seemingly everyone has a car. Which of course leads to traffic congestion the likes of which most people have never seen.

Tiananmen Square was, to my eye, just a big, cold and rather unfriendly piece of concrete with surveillance cameras atop every lamp post.

To be fair, the world’s largest public plaza (at 44 hectares) is where Chairman Mao Zedong announced, on Oct. 1,1949, the founding of the People’s Republic of China, so the square is of enormous historical importance. But, it’s what is at the north end that will take your breath away.

The Forbidden City is unlike any other historical site you will ever see. The entrance to the Forbidden City is adorned with Beijing’s most enduring image — a massive portrait of Chairman Mao. Once inside, you’ll be transported into a cavernous labyrinth of palaces and courtyards that, through the centuries, formed the inner court for Chinese emperors and empresses.

At 72 hectares, plan on spending all day exploring the Forbidden City. It is magical.

One of the many things that astounded me about Beijing is the seamless juxtaposition between old and new. That the tallest building in Beijing — the 330 m/74-storey China World Trade Centre — is visible from the Forbidden City is remarkable. Or that the 51-story CCTV headquarters — nicknamed Big Shorts — is the second-largest office building in the world, after the Pentagon. Or that the Temple of Heaven, a 2.73-sq.km. UNESCO World Heritage Site, which has been described as “a masterpiece of architecture and landscape design which simply and graphically illustrates a cosmogony of great importance for the evolution of one of the world’s great civilizations,” is mere blocks away from the bustling Hong Qiao Pearl Market.

A trip to Beijing would not be complete without a visit to the Great Wall of China. And the Summer Palace. And the Ming Tombs. And the Olympic site with its stunning ‘Bird’s Nest’ National Stadium. And the Silk Market. And 798 Beijing Art District. You get the idea.

Much easier to decide than which sites to see is where to stay. For my money, there is only one choice: the Peninsula Beijing. Perfect location, impeccable service, superb restaurants and The Peninsula Spa by Espa is fantastic.

For the foodies in the crowd, a visit to the outdoor food fair, two blocks west of the Peninsula, is an experience to be sure. Blocks of food kiosks feature delectable delights as varied as fried scorpion to sheep penis.

This writer chose to dine at Huang Ting in the Peninsula, a beautiful restaurant offering exquisite Cantonese cuisine and Beijing specialties. And yes, the Peking Duck was to die for!

bill.brooks@sunmedia.ca