On Labour Day, I went to Beijing Zoo with a friend. Everyone was out enjoying the glorious weather: blue skies and sunshine that ran to almost 27C.
The adventure began on the metro. We waited for 2 trains to depart and go on the third, packed in like sardines. So many people! We joked that we were all going to the Zoo…and when we got to the Zoo station, yes, it appeared we all were heading in the same direction. Dongwuyuan is the official name for the Beijing Zoo metro station stop, on Line 4. Over 100,000 people transit that station daily (i.e. the whole population of Grenada), but on Monday, it seemed we were part of that whole number exiting from our train alone!
The great outdoors at Beijing Zoo. Photo: SLCT
It was wonderful to see families out: elders with grandchildren; fathers carrying babies and young ones; young ones wanting to walk by themselves, but the crush meant they could only see a lot of knees. I was smiling at every baby and toddler: they are sooooo cute! I was also so cute at that age, sigh.
Beijing Zoo ticket. Photo: SLCT
The multiple lines were long but orderly and moved swiftly. Gate attendants scanned tickets, IDs and phones. We joined a line, but realised that we would need to have the official app on our phones to buy tickets. Technology at the fore! Everyone lives through their phones…that’s for another post. A line attendant graciously helped, but without us remembering details like passport number, and no bank card to connect to the app, she eventually directed us to the ticket counter—which we somehow missed—to pay cash. Cost for 2 was CNY38 or EC$15.
Colonial architecture with Chinese characteristics, and bronze sculpture at Beijing Zoo. Photo: SLCT
The entrance to the zoo compound was a traditional courtyard with sculpture. Actually, bronze sculptures and sculptural bridges dotted the whole zoo—combining art and nature. Beijing Zoo is the largest in China, with the greatest number of animal species, set in a Chinese garden setting. Once in, we followed the crowd, wanting to see the Giant Pandas. During feeding time, between 8:30 and 10 am is the best time to see the pandas, and I think that is general knowledge because by the time we got into that section, the line was way long.
The Panda line, Beijing Zoo. Photo: SLCT
The wait time for that hall was 5 hours, so we wandered around the rest of the zoo, taking photos of alpacas, a polar bear, Asiatic bears, monkeys, giraffes—you name it.
Giraffes at Beijing Zoo. Photo: SLCT
Gorillas at Beijing Zoo. Photo: SLCT
Asiatic bears at Beijing Zoo. Photo: SLCT
We enjoyed just being outdoors. There is a small botanical garden within the zoo—surrounded by nature and loads of people, and we did more people-watching-animals than taking photos to be honest. Back at the panda line, it never got smaller, so we decided to try another day after the Labour Day holiday. The zoo is well worth a second visit!