4. Enjoy local snacks

Beijing has a time-honored history of producing various kinds of snacks. With strong local flavors, Beijing's snacks fall into three varieties: Han, Hui and imperial snacks, which are generally prepared by steaming, deep frying, frying in shallow oil, and rapid boiling. Some people regard the snacks of Beijing as "social fossils." Snack restaurants such as the Longfusi and Huguosi snack counters can now be found all over Beijing.

Related: A pictorial of Beijing snacks and places to taste them.