In June 2016, we had a 3 day business trip to Beijing, China. It was my first trip to China so I was quite excited. I bought a Beijing travel book and did some reading on the city prior to my departure.
Monday, 20 June 2016
We arrived in Beijing in the wee hours of 20 June 2016. Some of us wanted to go for sahur (eating a meal before a fasting day, in the Muslim month of Ramadhan), so our host took us to A Thousand and One Nights Restaurant . It was the only Halal restaurant still open at 3AM!
Later in the morning, we attended the opening ceremony of the Modern Railway exhibition. The Malaysian Minister of Transport gave one of the keynote speeches. There were various other presentations from railway operators from around the world.
In the afternoon, we visited the China Academy of Railway Sciences (CARS). They presented their research on the rail catenary (overhead lines) and the various testing equipment being used. It’s interesting to note that their initial research started by reverse engineering existing products from european brands. From there, they modified those products and created their own.
After that, they took us for a ride on their test train within the academy complex.
In the evening, our host took us for iftar (break fast) at Hongbinlou Restaurant, a well known halal restaurant in the city.
Hongbinlou is proud to have served many international VIPs and dignitaries. This is evident from the photos of the VIPs that have previously dined at the restaurant. Even the SPAD Chairman is displayed there too. (top right photo, when he was serving as Malaysian Foreign Minister in 1999)
Later that night, we went for coffee at a nearby café called Maan Coffee. Apparently it’s a well known local coffee chain. They serve tasty waffles and the drinks are good too!
Imran Jaafar 