Time to get a bit of sight-seeing in before our mission to the North. We took a wander around the Forbidden City. This proved to be a very VERY crowded, hot and sticky affair. Take this advice- go early in the morning, before the crowds and before Beijing hots up too much, this reduces your chance of heat stroke, being barged around and poked with sun-umbrellas.
Having studied Mandarin for the past 12 months in my final year of uni, I had won a place at Harbin University to visit as a British Universities Ambassador, with 16 other students.
Flying via Helsinki we eventually arrived in Beijing, and with Swine Flu really gripping the world in fear, the Chinese were not taking any risks. Before we’d even disembarked, air crew paraded up and down the plane pointing thermometer guns at our foreheads to test our temperatures.
The Adventures of Elle Coco 