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Beijing

Mon, 12/01/2008 - 17:46
Beijing is the political, economic and political center of China. More than any other Chinese city, Beijing offers a wide range of attractions to its visitors, be it history, architecture, vacational resorts, or shopping opportunities.

Attractions

  • Chang'an Avenue

    Chang'an Avenue (Chang'an Dajie) is a thorougfafe that extends east and west from the Tian'anmen Square in the heart of Beijing. The avenue is lined with landmarks such as the Forbidden City, the Great Hall of People, the Historical Museum, the National Centre for Performing Arts, Beijing Hotel, and more. Strictly speaking Chang'an Ave. is the avenue that lies between the Eastern Second Beltway and the Western Second Beltway, but the avenue actually extends in both directions for tens of kilometers, under different names, making the street one of the mnost important in Beijing. Chang'an literally means "Eternal Peace."

  • Fobbiden City

    The Imperial Forbbiden City (Zijincheng) is located in central Beijing. Built in the early 15th century, this was the palace where twenty-four emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties ruled China. The complex occupies 178 acres (72 hectares) of land. There are closet to 1,000 buildings in the palace, which were living quarters for the emperor, his women and his servants/enuchs as well as audiences with government officials. The palace complex is a rectangle in shape, enclosed with a wall that 19 meters hight and a moat that is 52 meters in width. After the Qing dynasty, the last of China's imperial dynasties was overthrown in 1911, the Forbidden City was turned into a museum, which is open for public today.

  • Grand National Opera House

    The Grand National Opera House - guojia da juyuan - is officially known as the "National Centre for Performing Arts." It is located next to the Great Hall of the People, which in turn sits on the western edge of the Tiananmen Square. Completed in 2007, the half-dome shaped titinium-class building houses several theaters and makes a sharp contrast with the traditional architecture that surrounds it.

  • Great Wall

    The Great Wall is the largest human-made structure on the planet. Built and rebuilt over two thousand years, the wall formed a defense system along the northern border of the Chinese empire. Outside Beijing, there are three sections of the Great Wall that travelers most commonly visit - Badaling, Mutianyu, and Simatai. Of the three, Badaling is the closest to Beijing but is also the most crowded.

  • Houhai (Back Lake)

    Houhai is one of the interconnected lakes of Beijing. This particular lake is located in the northwestern part of the city, "behind" the Forbidden City, hence its name Houhai - Back Lake. Surrounding the lake are some old neighborhoods of Beijing, with its narrow and winding lanes and some traditional quatrangle-shaped residential houses that the locals call "Siheyuan." On the banks of the lake there are now many bars and restaurants, which have made Houhai one of the popular nightlife spots in Beijing.

  • Lama Temple (Yonghe Gong)

    In Chinese, "Yonghe Gong" - "The Palace of Happiness and Harmony." Originally built at the end of the 17th century, this was the residence of a prince in the Qing Dynasty. In the mide of the 18th century the palace was used as living quarters for Tibetan Buddhist lamas who visited Beijing. Since then the complex has survived as the largest Buddhist temple in Beijing

  • Ming Tombs (Shisanling)

    The Chinese name "Shisanling" means "Thirteen Mauseleums." These are the burial places for emperors of the Ming Dynasty. The imperial tombs, along with auxiliary buildings, are located northwest of Beijing. The oldest of the tombs was constructed at the beginning of the 15th century and the latest was completed in the middel of the 17th century. Altogether, thirteen emperors and 23 empresses were buried here.

  • Olymplic Park

    This is the main site of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Among the major sports facilities are the National Stadium (more popularly known as "Bird Nest"), the National Aquatics Center ("Water Cube"). North of the sports complex is a large park with greens.

  • Panjiayuan Antique Market

    Panjiayuan Antique Market is located in the southeastern part of Beijing. Everyday hundreds of vendors sell antigues, handicrafts, souvenir and artworks, some of which are authentic, with the rest being fakes.

  • Qinghua University and Beijing University

    Two of China's leading universities. Located in northwestern Beijing. For visitors who are interested in education and academics.

  • Sanlitun Street

    Sanlitun is a ppoular nighlife spot in Beijing. Located in the esstern part of the city, the area first gained its popularity for the large number of bars that lined Sanlitun Street, which catered to tourists and foreign expatriots in Beijng. In recent years the neighborhood has gone through renovations, which saw the arrival of some fancy stores that appeal to the young crowd - Apple, Adidas, and some brand name shops that sell fashionable apparels.

  • Summer Palace (Yiheyuan)

    Yiheyuan is located in the northwestern suburbs of Beijing. Formerly an imperial garden with residential quarters and entertainment facilities, the park comprises 290 hectares (716 acres) land and water surface. Built in the 18th century, the park came to be known as the Summer Palace in the West because in the old days this served as a summer retreat for the Chinese court. This is not be confused with the Imperial Summer Palace at Chengde, which is 200 km north of Beijing.

  • Temple of Heaven (Tiantan)

    Located in the southern part of Beijing, this was where traditionally Chinese emperors made their offerings to Heaven, wishing for blessings and good harvests. Constructed in the early 15 century, the temple occupies 27.2 hectares (67.2 acres) of land. The main building is the Altar for Heaven.

  • Tian'anmen Square (Tian'anmen Guangchang)

    Believed to be the largest city square in the world, Tian'anmen Square is situated in the heart of Beijing. North of the square is the Palace Museum (the odl Forbidden City). The Great Hall of People, which hosues China's National Congress, forms the western side of the square. In the east, the Chinese Historical Museum stands. In the south, it is the Front Gate, which used to be the main gate of Beijing. In the square itself one find's Mao's Memorial Hall, the Monument for People's Horoes, and, plenty of open space.

  • Wangfujing Street

    This is one of the prime shopping streets in Beijing, located east of the Forbidden City and north of Chang'an Avenue.

Beijing Transportation


Airports:

Beijing Capital International Airport is located 30 km northeast of the city center. This is the main airport for Beijing Transportation: shuttle buses, Airport Express (train), taxies.

Nanyuan Airport is located 18 km south of the city center.

Railway Stations:

Beijing Railway Station (Beijing Zhan)

Beijing Railway Station West (Beijing Xi Zhan)

Beijing Railway Station South (Beijing Nan Zhan)

Beijing Railway Station North (Beijing Bei Zhan)

Subway:

Line 1, Line 2, Line 5, Line 8, Line 10, Line 13, Line Batong, Airport Express

Taxi:

¥10 for the first 3 km; ¥2 for every additional km.

Bus:

There are several hundred bus service routes. Generally, buses with numbers starting with 1, 3, 4 or 5 are electric buses, bus fare ¥1. Bus with numbers starting with 6 or 7 are special line buses. Buses with numbers starting with 8 are air-conditioned buses. Buses with nubmers starting with 9 are suburb-county-bound buses. There are also sight-seeing buses - Line 1 and Line 2.

Beijing Map



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