China Tourism » China Travel

CHINA - BEIJING

Bird’s Nest Stadium
The Beijing National Stadium also known as the Bird’s Nest because of its architecture, has been completed at a cost of $423 million. It is hosting the main track and field events for the 2008 Summer Olympics and will also be the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies. In 2002 government officials engaged architects worldwide in a design competition. Pritzker Prize winners Herzog & de Meuron collaborated with Arup Sport and China architecture Design & Research roup to win the contract. Contemporary Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was the artistic consultant. The stadium can seat 10,00 spectators during the Olympics, but this will be reduced to 80,000 after the Games. It has replaced the now misnamed Guangdong Olympic Stadium, which opened to the public for the ninth National Games of the People’s Republic of China in 2001. and was originally intended to be the venue of the summer Games.

GREAT WALL OF CHINA
What is a visit to Beijing without a trip to the Great Wall? Many tourists—brave, young and adventurous—set out to climb the Great Wall, first heading away from Badaling, the upgraded widened touristy section of the wall. You can hop into a mini-bus that will take you there in about an hour and a half (75 km north-west of Beijing). The first sight of the wall stretching along the mountains like a gigantic snake is breathtaking. The thought that comes to mind is what amazingly grandiose structures have come up with seemingly limitless manpower. The guide will tell you how it came about; how the kingdoms of the 5th century BC built the earliest sections of the wall; how in the 3rd century BC the qin dynasty’s first emperor linked the walls to create the Great Wall. For thousands of years, the wall protected China from barbarian attacks.

The purpose of the Great Wall was not only to keep out the Huns from the north, but also their horses, as the Huns were ineffective as warriors without their horses. There is a plaque that reads, ‘Once intended to ward off enemies, today it brings peoples of the world together’. Only the portion of it that remains intact is for visitors. The government is cashing in on what is undeniably one of the greatest achievements of civilisation. The adventurous dare to climb up the steep steps, which become dangerously slippery when it rains, and come down with a big grin and a certificate that says, ‘I made it!’

SUMMER PALACE - CHINA
As its name implies, the Summer Palace was used as a summer residence by China’s imperial rulers as a retreat from the main imperial palace now known as the Palace Museum (or ‘Forbidden City’)—a pleasure ground in the countryside, yet near to the city. Located 15km from Beijing, it is a UNESCO world cultural heritage site. Its major attractions are the Tower of Buddhist Incense, the 17-Span Bridge, the Long Gallery, the Cloud Dispelling Hall, the Marble Boat, the Beamless Hall, the Garden of Harmonious Delights, the theatre in the Garden of Moral Harmony and Suzhou Street.

First built in 1750, largely destroyed in the war of 1860 and restored on its original foundations in 1886, the entire place is a de facto museum of China’s classical arcriftecture. Its halls, pavilions, bridges and temples, Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill, all blend together harmoniously in spite of their individual styles. The Summer Palace has the largest and best-preserved imperial garden in China. Its Chinese name, Yi He Yuan, translates to ‘Garden of Nurtured Harmony’ or ‘Garden for Maintaining Health and Harmony’. It is virtually a showcase of traditional Chinese gardening that uses rocks, plants, pavilions, ponds, cobble paths and other garden styles to create a poetic effect between different scenes.

SHOPPING - CHINA
Shopping is a delight if you have a knack for bargaining. As a foreigner never, ever offer more than 25 per cent of the originally stated amount. Don’t be afraid to state your price! Chinese merchants expect you to bargain but they don’t think that you know how much you can reduce the price. Vendors at Beijing’s markets hawk everything—tea pots, Buddhas, pearl necklaces, scarves, jade bracelets, cheap watches, ‘designer’ bags, silk shawls and more. But you need to know where to look and how to shop. There are no fixed prices and therefore even in the so-called government-run shops that sell ceramics, silks and pearls, one needs to bargain.

There are local markets where you get everything that China is famous for, not excluding Chinese tea with a wider range of aromas than you ever imagined. In Beijing, stores are open daily from 8 am to 6 pm and sometimes even 7 pm. Markets tend to open the same time but have more flexible closing hours. Some people say the Silk Market (Xiu Shui) is for foreigners and Xidan is for Beijingers. The China World Shopping Mall brings together high-end boutiques in which you will find the latest fashions from around the world. Shoes, qipaos, evening dresses, casual wear... it is all here, along with plenty of eating options. With its location next to a subway and offices, it is a firm favourite in town.

EXOTIC CUISINE
0ver thousands of years, Beijing’s cuisine has been shaped by people from other regions of China as well as other nations. The city supports a dynamic culinary environment where any delicacy from any part of the world is readily available. However, local cuisine still reigns supreme and the signature dish is Beijing Roast Duck. For the gourmet, there is no dearth of mouth-watering dishes ranging from varieties of noodles, hot soups (stirred in giant cauldrons in front of your eyes), seafood to vegetarian steamed rice dumplings in restaurants that are clean and hotels that maintain western standards. Another food you must taste is the Beijing Snack.

These dishes emanate from different cuisines, but the Chinese Muslim influence is apparent. There are probably 200 varieties of snacks in Beijing including Quick-Fried Tripe (Bao Du); Pot-stewed Tripe (Luzhu); Bean Soup (Dou Zhi) and Sweet Cake (Tang Huo Shao). Most of these can be found throughout the city, but a prime location is in the Qianmen Gate area. A dazzling array of food from every corner of the country is available here. Longfusi, Wangfujing, Donghuamen and Gui Jie (Ghost Street) streets are other premier locations. There are also quite a few Indian restaurants in Beijing and Shanghai.

TIANANMEN SQUARE
The largest and perhaps the most famous public meeting space in the world, the square looks festive as if unaware of its turbulent history, with tourists and Chinese couples crowding it. Right at the heart of Beijing, the square has been the political epicentre of modern China. It witnessed the May 4 anti-imperialist demonstrations, anti-Japanese protests, Mao Zedong’s proclamation of the People’s Republic of China, Red Guard rallies of the Cultural Revolution and, of course, the 1989 pro-democracy protests. Across the square is the giant Olympic 2008 clock dramatising the countdown to the mega event.

The Olympic fever is visually palpable, with flowers everywhere. You can also see, absorb and photograph: the Tiananmen Gate Tower located to the north, the Five-Star Red Flag flying high on the square, the Monument to the People’s Heroes dominating the centre. The Great Hall of the People and the Museum of the Chinese Revolution and the Museum of Chinese History lie to the east and west of it. In the south of the square is The Chairman Mao Memorial Hall and the Qianmen gate. With so many people milling around, it also gives the visitor the feeling of being at the centre of things.

MING DYNASTY’S
It is a common sight when you are on a city tour to bump into a bunch of happy schoolchildren in bright yellow dresses rushing in disciplined rows for a sight-seeing tour to the Forbidden City. The city was the imperial residence from the time of the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qin dynasty. During the palace’s 500-year history, all of its 24 emperors, their wives, concubines and attendants alone were privy to the area, with its 800 buildings and 9,000 chambers.

Today it is open to the common man. It is guarded by a moat and a 30-foot high wall. The imposing buildings look very well-preserved but they are just a pale version of the burnt-down wonder (in a major accidental fire that broke during the 19th century) made of marble, jade, bronze, porcelain and silk. Still it is the biggest of its kind on earth. The temples and palaces that have had their makeovers look stunning. This is one of Beijing’s premier tourist attractions and you will have to wade through a river of sight-seers flowing in through the main gate. There is a row of red boards, prominently placed, with pictures of the revolution to remind you that all the past glory was at the cost of poor men’s exploited labour and that the hour of redemption came with the proclamation of the People’s Republic of China.

HUTONGS THE OLD CITY : CHINA
A hutong is an ancient city alley or lane typical in Beijing, where hutongs run into several thousands. Surrounding the Forbidden City, many were built during the Yuan (1206-1341), Ming (1368-1628) and Qin (16441908) dynasties. In the prime of these dynasties, the emperors, in order to establish supreme power for themselves, planned the city and arranged the residential areas according to the etiquette systems of the Zhou dynasty.

The centre of the city of Beijing was the royal palace the Forbidden City. One kind of hutongs, usually referred to as the regular hutong, was near the palace to the east and west and arranged in orderly fashion along the streets. Most of the residents of these hutongs were imperial kinsmen and aristocrats. Another kind, the simple and crude hutong, was mostly located far to the north and south of the palace. The residents were merchants and other ordinary people. In the urban district of Beijing, many hutongs have survived and houses along hutongs still occupy one-third of the total area, providing housing for half the population. Take a rickshaw ride through the hutongs to see how tradition survives in this modem city.

NIGHTLIFE AT AN OPERA OR A DISCO
For those looking for refined culture, Beijing Opera is the quintessence of China, and Liyuan Theatre is the best place to experience it. The largest Chinese opera form, it is extolled as ‘Oriental Opera’. Having a history of 160 years, it has created many ‘firsts’ in Chinese dramas: the abundance of repertoires, the number of artists, opera troupes and spectators. Beijing Opera is developed from absorbing many other dramatic forms, mostly from the local drama ‘Huiban’, which was popular in South China during the 18th century. It is a scenic art integrating music, performance, literature, aria and face-painting.

The city has many bars, most open till 4 am or later. They are all frequented by foreign customers, so you will not feel out of place. The Hou Hai Bar area seems to be taking over from Sanlitun as the major bar area of Beijing. It is situated around a man-made lake at the north of Beihai Park. Boating is available on the lake till 11 pm or midnight in summer. Club Banana is where you can get a beautifully decked out typical Asian disco experience with tremendous fun and atmosphere. With sounds loud enough to make you deaf and good security, it’s specially happening on Friday and Saturday nights. If you want the Korean disco experience at a not-so-good location, visit the Kiss Super club. The laser show two or three times a night makes the visit worthwhile.

MING TOMB
In the northern suburbs of Beijing lie 13 tombs of the emperors of the Ming dynasty. Now only two tombs are open to visitors: Chang Ling, where Emperor Yongle and his Empress Xu were buried, and Ding Ling, the underground mausoleum of Emperor Wan Li. The palace in which the former tomb is placed is worth a visit because it is said that it is the only palace made of camphor wood.

The colourful painting on the ceiling is breathtakingly beautiful and the floor beneath the camphor pillars is decorated with gold bricks! During the Ming dynasty, the tombs were off limits to commoners but in 1644, a rebel army led by Li Zicheng ransacked and set many of the tombs on fire before advancing and capturing Beijing. It’s interesting to read why Li Zicheng was on the path of revenge. According to folklore, he was punished in 1630 by being put on public display in an iron collar and shackles for his failure to repay loans to an usurious magistrate, Ai. Ai struck a guard who offered shade and water to Li, whence a group of peasants tore apart Li’s shackles, spirited him to a nearby hill and proclaimed him their leader. Despite having only wooden sticks, Li and his band ambushed police sent against them and obtained their first real weapons.

BEIJING ZOO
Beijing Zoo was built in 1906 and opened to the public in 1908 with an area of about 10 hectares and a few humble pavilions to house the animals. In June this year, a major panda habitat was damaged after the earthquake in the Sichuan province; only 1,000 of this endangered species survive around the world. Eight pandas were brought to the zoo from Sichuan. and they have become a major tourist attraction. In fact, they have been dubbed ‘Olympic pandas’ as a fallout of an unsuccessful online campaign to make the panda the official mascot.

The pandas are housed in three huge glass enclosures, with toy trees, a mural and a pool. Within the precincts of the zoo is the world’s largest inland aquarium on the north bank of the Chang River. It covers 120,000 sq m with a construction area of 42,000 sq m and integrates watching of marine animals, scientific education and entertainment into a whole body. Shaped like a huge conch shell embraced by green trees and clusters of beautiful flowers, it has an advanced life support system that uses as much as 18,000 tons of artificial salt water. There are dolphin shows every day at 11 am and 3 pm.