George Christy Talks About Great Wall, Forbidden City, and Brad Krevoy

Posted Thursday, April 18, 2019 - 5:51 pm

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“Spectacular … truly spectacular,” emphasized Brad Krevoy.

Apparently, a rare experience within a lifetime. 

After visiting the set of his anticipated Netflix hit, A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby, in Bucharest, Romania and later checking out one of his Hallmark holiday films, Christmas In Rome, Brad Krevoy, the prolific producer flew from Rome to Beijing.

Where he met wife Susie and their daughters Sophia, Olivia and Alexandra for a weeklong tour of Beijing and Shanghai.

After listening to Brad describe the thrill of exploring the China of now, we know that to miss such a visit in a lifetime would be remiss.

“Beijing, formerly Peking, is among the oldest cities in the world tracing back 3,000 years,” says Brad, adding that it’s the historical site of The Great Wall and The Forbidden City.” 

“The Great Wall, stretching 13,170 miles, protected the citizenry from the nomadic invaders but with the advent of aviation, everything changed.”

Today, The Great Wall attracts over ten million tourists yearly. 

Equally popular for visitors is The Forbidden City, attracting more than 15 million annually.  The city reached its height of tourism in 2017, a record of 16.7 million visitors.

If you’ve seen the 1987 Bernardo Bertolucci epic, The Last Emperor, you’ve had an insight into what this historical treasure is like.

The first movie filmed within the confines of The Forbidden City won seven Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. 

While myriad facts about The Great Wall and The Forbidden City are easily available, we prefer to focus on the personal experiences of the Krevoy family during their stay in Beijing, and, later, Shanghai.

Their luxurious Rosewood Hotel in Beijing included a favorite restaurant, Bistro B, famous for its authentic French cuisine and fine wines.

The Krevoys were excited to discover Nobu at the JW Marriott Hotel Bejing.

Another of the popular dining rooms that Nobu Matsuhisa launched from his initial Beverly Hills location on North La Cienega Boulevard in 1987.  The Krevoys indulged in the best sushi and Japanese favorites.

Next week:  We’ll return to the Krevoys second stop in Shanghai during their family trip.  The hot ticket is Shanghai Disneyland Park, The Bund, architecture and more.

“There is something very exciting and alive about the idea of a city with two different souls, one from today and another from a long time ago.  Amazing,” suggests Gucci fashion designer and creative director, Alessandro Michele. 

Agreed!