Here’s the deal… I have sufficient frequent flyer miles with a particular airline to obtain a free ticket to go to either (1) Tokyo, (2) Shanghai, (3) Beijing or (4) Seoul. I want to take my boy with me… he’s 11 years old and never been to any of these places.
Personally, I think Beijing would be the best destination for him, as (1) it has cool sights, such as the Great Wall, and (2) he speaks fluent Mandarin and he’d be able to understand quite a lot.
Now, can anyone make a case for any of the other destinations, i.e., why I should take my boy to one of the other places rather than to Beijing?
Not having been to any of these places yet, but having talked to people who have and also those who live there, I think Beijing would be a good choice for an 11-year old boy. You mention the sights, such as the Great Wall and the Winter Palace. I think the cultural differences would also be fascinating, and being able to speak the language would be great because he could start conversations with people.
The night markets would also give him plenty of interesting yucky things to tell his friends about; my brother ate barbecued giant cockroach, and you can also eat crickets and other things.
