Peking Duck in Beijing

I've just returned from two great weeks exploring China. I was attending the Australian Travel Writers Conference in Shanghai and also managed to make it to Beijing and Sanya - China's tropical island.

The touring was organised by Helen Wong and was excellent with guides who were well versed in local knowledge.

Chinese ingenuity came to fore at one dinner in Beijing at Bei Jing Quan Ja De He Ping Men Roast Duck Restaurant, where the speciality was Peking Duck. Our guide told us this was a very special restaurant which had hosted many important visitors. Judging by the standard of the lavatories I would have to say it was well set up for western tastes.

We had a number of courses before the duck actually arrived which included a dish with scorpions (pronounced very tasty by the more adventurous members of the group) and other parts of the duck including the stomach, wings and heart.

This was the end of a long and busy day where we had climbed the Great Wall of China, explored the Summer Palace, and done some serious shopping, so the fact that everyone enjoyed the dinner says a lot for the food.

Photos
Top: The duck was brought in and expertly carved alongside the tables.
Middle: This fish was almost too pretty to eat but was delicious.
Bottom: Scorpions were an extra element in this dish.