The obvious place to start any Beijing holiday is the Forbidden City. Unforgettably made famous by Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor, it was closed to commoners for half a millennium and those that snuck in before the Chinese revolution of 1911 did so on pain of death. Today the 9,000-room complex welcomes eight million visitors each year, many local Beijingers who pose for wedding photographs against its imposing facades.
You could spend several days exploring all the 800 buildings that housed the Ming and Qing dynasties, but even to just do the highlights, to take in only a few of the elaborately decorated roofs and carved ceilings, you'd need to set aside at least three hours.
Top of the list is the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the palace's biggest structure and the site of some of the imperial court's grandest events. Take in its golden dragon chair and then look upwards to the spherical pearl hanging from the ceiling – legend has it that the pearl was able to distinguish right from wrong, so if a pretender ascended the throne, it would break free of its fastenings onto the head of the usurper, killing him instantly.
Check out, too, the royal apartments, particularly the Hall of Mental Cultivation, where the Ming emperors lived and where China's fearsome Dragon Lady, the Dowager Empress CiXi, held court in the nineteenth century, and if you've got time, head to the Imperial Treasure Gallery and the Clocks and Watches Gallery.
Despite being built by some one million workers in the fifteenth century, many of the Forbidden City's wooden buildings were destroyed by fire over the years (the large water vats everywhere once worked as the city's fire-fighting equipment), so much of what you see now really only dates to the 18th century.
Vast Tiananmen Square is a short walk away, through the Tiananmen Gate (the Gate of Heavenly Peace), so find the time to take in the vast portrait of Chairman Mao and pause for a minute to remember those ill-fated students rallying for democratic change in an eventful year for governments around the world (Climb up the massive Tiananmen Gate for a stunning overview of the square).
Perhaps in light of the incident, about which you'll find almost no mention in Chinese mainland literature or media, or perhaps in view of the square's location at the heart of the city, this historic meeting place is often closed off and access controlled when the National People's Congress is in session at the Great Hall or when foreign dignitaries are visiting.
The National Theatre, which locals appropriately call the Bird's Egg, is close by – its smooth titanium and glass dome making for a radical change from the historic buildings in the area. Surrounded entirely by water with an underground entrance, it's reportedly a good place to take in some ear-piercing Chinese opera, an experience that is as memorable as it is forgettable.
Pedestrianised Wangfujing Dajie is on the edge of this central district, so head to this 700-year-old Asian Champs-Elysées for your fix of designer malls and expensive fashion brands. While these are out of the reach of most locals – who prefer to shop at bargain-friendly venues such as the multi-storey Yashow Clothing Market (yashowmarket.com) – but the area's snack streets and their famous flat breads and dumplings are a big draw for tourists and residents alike.
Its night market is one of the best places for the exotic Chinese food so commonly associated with the Far East in the foreign mind: deep fried insects, scorpions and all manner of animal offal is easily available here.
"We Chinese people don't eat these things, they are for tourists," insists our guide, Tintin Chen, who is squiring us around the city. It seems increasing numbers of young people in the Chinese capital now patronise the international fast food chains that are everywhere. "That's why all our boys are getting fat," she moans.
For the foreigner, there are plenty of chances to gorge on the wide variety of quality Chinese food on offer (China is so massive that there are at least a dozen distinct traditions and cultural approaches to food), but one unmissable dish is the fabled delight that is Peking Duck.
Beijingers can discuss the merits and demerits of various duck eateries for hours, but we went with Bianyifang Roast Duck Restaurant in the Chongwen area, chosen by our Air China hosts. Surely named after the first restaurant to specialise in the dish back in 1416, this latter-day eatery certainly impresses with its ceremonial approach. Hostesses dressed in bright red ball gowns and faux fur jackets welcome you in halting English, but once get your hands on the famous picture menu and you'll be all right.
The Qing-era duck, when it comes, is wheeled in on a trolley and carved tableside, the chef wielding his cleaver through the crisp skin with delicate, masterful strokes. A hostess then proceeds to demonstrate the perfect way to roll your pancakes – with chopsticks, yet! It's far too difficult for us to master spreading the sauce with a piece of meat before laying on the spring onions and cucumber, so we concentrate on the eating instead, savouring every bite of crunchy, juicy perfection.
What we do master later is the art of making the perfect Chinese dumplings. At author Jen Lin-Liu's Black Sesame Kitchen (blacksesamekitchen.com), tucked away in picturesque Nanluoguxiang hutong, a native Beijinger who not improbably goes by the name of Chairman Wang lets us in on the secret to these little parcels of deliciousness.
A keen focus and a little patience will work wonders, she explains – and sure enough, when we taste the fruits of our labours later, we're pleasantly impressed with ourselves.
The 700-year-old alley that is Nanluoguxiang is worth spending an afternoon in, both for well-known tourist haunts as the Pass By and Here bars, but also for its arty shops. "Obamao" scream witty T-shirts casting the leader of the free world as a comrade, perfectly encapsulating modern communism, while you can spend hours observing paper cutters at work on "window flowers".
And to work off all the eating you're going to be doing here, head for the Wall. No visit to China – for first-timers, at least, is complete without taking in what the natives refer to as the long fortress, already the world's most awesome military barrier by 214BC.
"You are not a real man if you have not climbed the Great Wall of China," Tintin says, echoing the immortal Mao Zedong, so of course we want to immediately prove our manhood that very day.
We took a cable car to the top at Mutianyu, one of the oldest and best-preserved sections – albeit with the inevitable souvenir stalls at its foot. Relatively easy to navigate yet not as touristy as other parts such as Badaling, we're able to huff along across several watch towers, but what you take away from it, beyond the awesome views, is the inescapable connection with history.
The Great Wall has literally stood the test of time, and clambering along it, however inelegantly, is a soberingly spiritual experience.
Quite like Beijing itself.
Travel essentials
GETTING THERE
Air China flies non-stop from Dubai to Beijing five times weekly. The airline has just rolled out a series of package deals to the Chinese capital, with a lead-in price for three nights and four days of Dh2,999+, including airfare, four-star hotel accommodation with breakfast and two days' sightseeing.
WHERE TO STAY
The Ritz-Carlton (www.ritzcarlton.com) runs two hotels in central Beijing. The Ritz-Carlton Beijing, Central Place is sited in the heart of the city's commercial Chaoyang District and its well-appointed rooms are walking distance from a slew of luxury brand boutiques at the Shin Kong Place mall.
Its Yu Chinese restaurant gives Cantonese classics a modern twist but visitors looking for the authentic Chinese experience must ask its Tea Master to match meals with the right blends.
Hard-core finance types might want to check into stylish The Ritz-Carlton Financial Street in the centre of the city's business district.
Club guests are welcomed at the contemporary lounge (pictured) by a calligraphy artist who paints their names in Chinese. Restaurant options include the "flexitarian" Greenfish, which specialises in seafood and vegetarian options but the best place to unwind at the hotel is its massive Oriental-themed spa.
It features Asian delights such as Thai and Balinese massages, though our pick is the Imperial Treasures massage, a blend of Chinese acupressure, aromatherapy and the application of Oriental herb poultices on the meridian points to ease tension and soothe the nerves.