A Day in Beijing

In just about 2 weeks I'll be off to Cambodia with a 9 hour layover in Beijing - where I hope to visit the Great Wall and the Forbidden City (at least from the outside).

photo by Matt Barber

Practical Information

I've been checking the weather there sporadically since last week (-5C/ 23F at the moment!!). I've heard that you really, really do feel the cold. Furthermore, I keep hearing news about the levels of pollution in Beijing being literally off the charts..... But nothing can quell the excitement of seeing such amazing sights, well, almost nothing... (Chinese visa horror story coming soon).

Packing Inspiration

• the weather
• traditional ethnic Chinese costumes
• Communist history   

Packing Ideas
 
So to deal with the cold, I'll be wearing a whole under layer of heat tech (courtesy of Uniqlo): shirt, leggings and socks. Granted, perhaps not the most stylish things out there but useful. 

On top of that, I want to reference ethnic Chinese costumes which are so detailed and colorful by going with richly embroidered pants and an ethnic-looking scarf - to which I'm adding a cute trim and potentially some fur. Then, I'm hoping to contrast them with a big (hopefully warm) red cable-knit sweater and a military green, fur-lined jacket (channeling the communist vibe embodied in Tiananmen Square). And, warm snow boots. 

What do you think? What would you wear? And if you've been, what did you wear?

Take a look at pictures of Beijing here. 

一路順風!
(yī lù shùn fēng)