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IF YOU HAPPEN to be in Beijing over the weekend, Pak Man Lee suggests skipping popular attractions such as the Summer Palace, Forbidden City and the Great Wall.
Lee, executive director of Nuovo Collections which distributes Fendi and Versace furniture, often visits the city to meet clients and see friends.
"The whole of China is out en masse, stuffing every crevice of Beijing full of people and noise. Imagine rush hour at Admiralty MTR station — everywhere."
To avoid getting stuck in the world's biggest car park, Lee recommends using Beijing's metro system. "Cover long distances underground then hop in a taxi to go from door to door. Beijing is vast, so plan your route around the latest exhibitions or concerts."

The 798
The first stop for 29-year-old Lee is 798 Art Zone in Chaoyang district. "I love how the art blends into a factory environment — electronics are still produced in the old factories, which are adjacent to some of the hippest galleries, eateries and design stores in Beijing. Oversized copper, steel and polymer sculptures line the streets, making it fun to wander aimlessly."
Lee likes the Ullens Centre for Contemporary Art (UCCA) for its brilliantly curated exhibitions and design store, and opposite there is a good café that looks like a glass tree house. A fashion design graduate and the founder of menswear label The Perfect Tangent, Lee recommends a vintage boutique located inside 798. "Bai market is reminiscent of Camden Town's second-hand stores. The shop is chock-a-block with floral shirts, leather jackets, '50s sunglasses and shoes of all shapes and sizes. It's got a lovely garden at the front and a concept studio at the back where deconstructed clothing from Beijing designer Bai Peng is exhibited and produced." Li-Pi Records is a cool little spot, too. The vinyl record store sells lots of first editions as well as vintage gramophones.

Old Beijing, new tastes
Shidu Noodles is always packed with eager customers queuing for suancai mian (pickled vegetable noodles) and pai huanggua (garlic cucumbers). For dinner, Temple Restaurant is Lee's go-to restaurant. Serving contemporary European cuisine, it is located in a renovated 600-year-old ancestral hall, which was briefly taken over during the Cultural Revolution and used as a factory. The facade of Temple is quintessential old Beijing, but its interior is as contemporary as its menu.
"Apothecary is a high-end South American bistro bar which serves some of the best cocktails in town, made using house-made infusions. Get there early, as the place fills up fast," Lee says. End the night at The World of Suzie Wong, where the ornate opium-den interiors attract a smart clientele on the prowl.

Sleep it off
The Opposite House is Lee's top hotel choice when he's on a business trip. But deeper in Dongcheng district, hidden behind an unmarked iron gate inside one of the last undeveloped hutong, is a four-room Muji-style boutique hotel called 3+1 Bedrooms. Each room has exposed concrete walls and a glass skylight so you can stare into the (albeit smoggy) Beijing night sky. "On those rainy, gloomy days when I simply cannot be bothered to explore, I read a paper in the open bath and play some jazz," says Lee.
The boutique hotel is surrounded by restaurants and bars. In the adjacent hutong, alfresco Malaysian restaurant Café Sambal serves Malaysian dishes made with local ingredients. "The best bit is that 3+1 is only a 10-minute stroll from Nanluoguxiang and Guloudajie," Lee says. Nanluoguxiang is a jazzed up hutong shopping street which has a similar setting to Taipei's night markets. Stop for a rest at Peking Café. The coffee bar is built like a greenhouse with a roof terrace and serves light snacks, cocktails and teas.

Two legs good, three wheels better
While Lee shuns tourist clichés, he recommends a two-hour hutong tricycle tour (HK$250) with Wang Jianlung. "This true Beijinger has an ancestry dating back to the Qing dynasty and has been roaming the hutongs since he was a toddler. He tells the most captivating stories about Beijing's hutongs, including the architecture [the centuries-old rules governing the design of front porches; the meaning behind decorative walls], the people ['Jet Li owns these hutongs'; 'this one belongs to a bastardised line of a Qing emperor'] and the language [the origins of some Chinese proverbs]. If you're lucky, Mr Wang may also invite you for a meal with his family."
Emerging from the north end of Nanluoguxiang you'll arrive at Guloudajie. This street is full of vintage shops, sneaker specialists, record stores and novelty boutiques, including +86 Design Store, which flogs award-winning international and Chinese products. Stop by Chictopia, a quirky womenswear store that recently relocated from Nanluoguxiang.

Sounds of the city
After a day of exploration, have a cold beer at Minibar (head west from Dongshisitiao Dajie towards Zhangzizhonglu subway station). The place is devoid of pretension, dress code or a fancy-pants drinks menu. It barely fits three people, but customers spill out onto the pavement clutching cheap imported beers.
"I always hit Yu Gong Yi Shan when I'm in town," Lee says. The indie rock venue has a capacity of 700 people and the intimate stage has hosted some of the coolest local and overseas bands who blast their tunes through a potent sound system nightly to an enthusiastic crowd.


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Asia travel

48 hours in Beijing

Liu Bolin's Iron Fist; a shop at 798 Art Zone. Photos: Zachary Bako 

Better red: a sculpture stands guard outside a gallery at 798 Art Zone in Chaoyang district.

Pak Man Lee. Photo: Jonathan Wong

751 D-Park; ceramics at a shop in Gulou Dongdajie district 

Plastered T-shirt shop

MAO Livehouse

Dongcheng district's Nanluoguxiang hutong

Dongcheng is home to Yu Gong Yi Shan; MAO Livehouse (above right).

; Chictopia boutique (top left); Plastered T-shirt shop (top right and below left).

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48 Hours

Frequent visitor Pak Man Lee gives his tips on getting the most out of the nation's capital


48 hours in Beijing

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Frequent visitor Pak Man Lee gives his tips on getting the most out of the nation's capital

Frequent visitor Pak Man Lee gives his tips on getting the most out of the nation's capital