Hi Dyuti, I hope the smog is not bad when you are there - I went to China in Sept 2014 with JY and there was no smog in Beijing or anywhere else!
Best wishes,
Bob
Bob, you & I appear to have been lucky. Visiting dignitaries part, it does appear to be a bit random. I was in Beijing for four days in October last year: three days were completely smog-free (including our trip to the Great Wall) and the fourth suffered from some smog - but we were still able to see the Bird's Nest stadium, although photographing it was difficult because of the lack of contrast.
I experienced no smog anywhere else on my journey in China (Xi'An, Guilin, Chengdu, Shanghai).
> if you have to go to Badaling, turn left instead of right when you go up onto the Wall. It's steeper but, as a result, much less crowded
Yes, it's certainly less crowded, and the better option, although the Wall - and everywhere else in and near Beijing - was packed with Chinese tourists (who all seemed to want to include us in their photographs 🙂.
> don't forget to take loo paper as the 'facilities' away from the hotels are.....varied......
Yes, they are a real "cultural" experience! And the new(ish) communal ones in the Hu Tong area bring a whole new meaning to the expression "lack of privacy" . . . . .
Antibacterial hand wash would also be a good idea.
Jim