Although Beijing has a similar sized population to Shanghai, the capital feels much more Chinese and, in some ways, much more liveable than its southern counterpart. It's also definitely a driving city, as we discovered when James attempted to navigate his own route to the Olympic Park, ignoring the alternative suggestions made by the hotel staff. An hour's walk later we arrived at the Bird's Nest, having batted off the unwanted attentions of a tuk-tuk driver for most of the way. He pursued us down the hard shoulder of a highway, so determined was he to ferry us to our destination. Fortunately the Park was worth the trek, although the Water Cube was a little disappointing – definitely looked better on TV!

The highlight of our stay here has undoubtedly been our trip to the Great Wall. Originally constructed to keep out the Mongols on the orders of the tyrannical Emperor Qin Shi Huang over 2000 years ago, the Wall has since been restored, in parts, almost to its former glory. And what a sight it is. The bricks and mortar snake over the hilly landscape like a serpent or a Chinese dragon, stretching as far into the distance as the eye can see in both directions (though it cannot be viewed from space, as the guides insist on reminding us). We enjoy a 10km hike on the Wall through the Jinshanling and Simatai sections, which involves me climbing using hands and feet to navigate the more precarious sections. Was slightly sobering to be passed by little old ladies lugging bags of water and beer to sell to willing tourists, but I figure they've had more practice at it than me.

We also spent a fascinating morning exploring the hutong (literally: narrow alleyways) of the city. Originally constructed to house Beijing's population after Genghis Khan reduced the place to rubble, the numbers of hutong swelled to some 6000 in the 1950s. Many have since been bulldozed in the name of modernisation (sometimes, apparently, with their residents still inside) but those that remain gave us a bit more of an insight into everyday life here. Through half-opened doors we glimpsed part-played checker games, families enjoying bowls of steaming noodles and children getting a head start on their gambling by playing card games. The children were the cutest, staring at us open-mouthed or trying to practise their English skills with a friendly 'hullow.' It was really refreshing to wander round and not feel like we were disturbing, or being disturbed by people keen to sell us something.

Yet the city retains a darker side. The dominant feature of the entrance to the Forbidden City is a huge portrait of Chairman Mao, and the man himself lies in state in an enormous mausoleum in the centre of Tienanmen Square, with Chinese queuing around the block to catch a glimpse (he remains hugely popular, despite managing to kill 5% of the entire population during his reign – 30 million during the Great Leap Forward alone). Some 20 years on, our guide is still not legally allowed to talk about the atrocities committed here by the government, and secret police patrol the area, on the lookout for trouble. The parliament building - the Great Hall of the People - remains closed to Joe Public. Amongst the vast changes sweeping the subcontinent, it will be interesting to see what alters politically in the next few decades – and perhaps more crucially, what remains the same.

This is Sarah Davies, reporting live from Beijing for James and Sarah's Grand Tour news.