Beijing
Frans Vandenbosch 方腾波 16/09/2025
A short report of the first few days in Beijing
Hainan Airlines flight HU494 BRU – PEK
Last week, Hainan Airlines quickly swapped its scheduled Airbus A330-300 for a Boeing 787-9. 
Almost 10 hours in the air. Departed from Zaventem half an hour late. The plane was half full.
Chinese airlines fly unhindered directly over Russia, giving them a significant competitive advantage over Western carriers:
On the way, I saw a documentary about the global activities of Chinese state-owned enterprises. Impressive.
CAAC, the Chinese aviation regulator, recently introduced strict regulations for battery packs. They must now all have a CCC safety label, otherwise they won’t be allowed on a plane.
But SF-express courier service has found a solution: they’ll ship your old battery to your destination for next to nothing.
I anticipated the new regulations and managed to buy a CCC-approved battery just in time.
Very busy in the China Mobile shop. A flight from Tehran has just arrived. Everyone wants to buy a Chinese SIM card.
China Mobile managed to reactivate my SIM card and phone number from last year!
+86 13683168952
The DiDi (~taxi) was a true Hongqi!!! Luxurious.
A little over an hour from PEK Airport to the hotel in Beijing Sanlitum, near the recently restored Workers Stadium.
Besides the luxurious shopping centres, they also have a real popular (wet-)market here!
..and those tiny little shops where they have everything:
Tonight we went to dinner at Morel, the only Belgian restaurant in Beijing.
Renaat Morel. Restaurant owner and entrepreneur in Beijing. What a warm personality and a great storyteller.
The mussels were delicious.
and the dessert was exceptionally delicious.
During these first days in China, I thoroughly enjoyed the freedom here in this country.
…the freedom I miss so much in Western Europe.
Can you imagine?
Frans, Interesting to learn of the advantage if flying a Chinese airline from Europe to China. Convincing to see another European running a good restaurant in China and your comment on the food.
The flight time from Brussels to Beijing with a Chinese airline is a bit more than 9 hours. The regular european airlines are making a big detour to avoid Russia (and Mongolia) taking >11 hours flight time. Resulting in more than double the cost of the Chinese airlines.
Looks like good restaurant, nice owner. Better than many restaurants in USA. My son lives in Europe. He points out the custom of tipping in the USA make restaurant food in USA more expensive than in Europe. Good food in China, nicely served is probably better yet. Pleasant travels and meeting people.
Tipping in China is absolutely not-done. It is an insult for the fúwùyuán (waitress)
That sounds like an extremely nice tourist experience !
fs