Welcome to China

THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA is the third largest country in the world in terms of area. It is situated in eastern Asia on the western shore of the Pacific Ocean, with an area of 9.6 million square kilometers. China's continental coastline extends for about 18,000 kilometers, and its vast sea surface is studded with more than 5,000 islands, of which Taiwan and Hainan are the largest. China has shared borders for centuries with Korea, the formerly Soviet Union, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Burma, Laos and Vietnam. Currency using is CHINESE YUAN RENMINBI (CNY).

China is characterized by a continental climate. The latitudes span nearly 50 degrees, its southern part is in the tropical and subtropical zones, and its northern part near the frigid zones. The northern part of Heilongjiang province has long winters but no summers; while Hainan Island has long summers but no winters. The Huaihe River valley is marked by distinctive seasonal changes, but it is spring all year round in the south of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. China's high tundra zone is situated in Qinghai-Tibet, where the temperature is low in all four seasons.

Below are the attractive cities of China:

Introduction of Beijing (Capital China)

Beijing is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The metropolis, located in northern China, is governed as a direct-controlled municipality under the national government, with 14 urban and suburban districts and two rural counties. Beijing Municipality is surrounded by Hebei Province with the exception of neighboring Tianjin Municipality to the southeast.

Beijing is China's second largest city by urban population after Shanghai and is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's largest state-owned companies. Beijing is a major transportation hub in the national highway, expressway, railway and high-speed rail network. Beijing's Capital International Airport is the second busiest in the world by passenger traffic.

Few cities in the world have been the political and cultural centre of an area as immense for so long. Beijing is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China, and it has been the political centre of China for centuries. The city is renowned for its opulent palaces, temples, and huge stone walls and gates, and its art treasures and universities have made it a centre of culture and art in China.

Below are the attractive places in Beijing:

National Stadium (Bird's Nest)

The National Stadium, affectionately known as Bird's Nest, is situated in Olympic Green Village, Chaoyang District, Beijing. It was designed as the main stadium of 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The Olympic events of track and field, football, gavelock, weight throw and discus were held there. Since October, 2008, after the Olympics ended, the National Stadium has been opened as a tourist attraction. Now, it's the center of international or domestic sports competition and recreation activities.

In the National Stadium, the designs of everything are humanistic. The bowl-like stands zone surrounds the court. The stands can be changed in many ways, which can satisfy the needs of different numbers of spectators in different periods. During the Olympics, the temporary seats were set at the top of the stands zone. Rows of the stands distribute scientifically. No matter where the spectator is seated, the whole game can be seen without any visual obstruction. The stadium adopted the electro-acoustic public-address system. It makes the index of voice definition reaches 0.6. This number assures that all the audience can hear the broadcast very clearly. What's more, there are more than 200 wheelchair seats intended for the disabled. Many architectural experts think that Beijing National Stadium not only is a symbol building of the 2008 Olympics but also set a very good example to the world's architectural history.

The Bird's Nest boasts the largest ski resort in urban Beijing now. Tourists can not only visit the Olympic venue, but also go skiing.

Admission Fee:

CNY50 for a visit to the National Stadium
CNY80 for skiing on weekdays
CNY140 for skiing on weekends and public holidays
CNY120 for a visit to the National stadium and the skiing on weekdays
CNY180 for a visit to the National Stadium and the skiing on weekends and public holidays
* CNY140 for Through Tickets of Beijing Landmark Tour, including the National Stadium, the National Aquatics Center, the National Centre for Performing Arts and the CCTV Tower; the ticket is valid for one month.

Operate:

9am to 6pm on weekdays
9am to 9:30pm on weekends and public holidays.

Access:

Buses: Take bus 82, 538 or 611 and get off at Guo Jia Ti Yu Chang Dong (National Stadium East) Station; Take bus 18, 108, 124, 207, 328, 380, 387, 409, 426, 558, 653, 694, 758, 803, 849, 985 or 2 and get off at Ao Ti Dong Men (Olympic Sports Center East Gate) Station; Take bus 84 or 407 and get off at Ao Ti Xi Men (Olympic Sports Center West Gate) Station.

Subway: Take Subway Line 10 to Beitucheng then switch to Subway Line 8 (Olympic Special Line): get off at Olympic Sports Center Station, get out of the station from Exit B1 (northwest exit) or Exit B2 (northeast exit), and walk north to Bird's Nest.

Forbidden City

The Forbidden City is a giant complex. With more than 180 acres of land (almost 78 hectares), it can take several days to visit. If you do not have much time in Beijing, spend at least half a day here. If you are going to stay in Beijing for several days, you should visit the place more than once.

The Forbidden City is divided into two parts. The southern section, or the Outer Court was where the emperor exercised his supreme power over the nation. The northern section, or the Inner Court was where he lived with his royal family. Until 1924 when the last emperor of China was driven from the Inner Court, fourteen emperors of the Ming dynasty and ten emperors of the Qing dynasty had reigned here. Having been the imperial palace for some five centuries, it houses numerous rare treasures and curiosities. Listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1987, the Palace Museum is now one of the most popular tourist attractions world-wide.

There is an entry fee which gives you access to the main courtyards and palaces, but if you want to visit the site in detail, you will have to buy the optional tickets. You can buy them at the main ticket office (next to the Forbidden City Gates), or inside the complex. If you are going to visit the City only once, buy the complete ticket at the main ticket office and get a discount.

The main Gate to the Forbidden City is on Tian an Men Square, where you can buy the audio guides and/or hire a local guide. I absolutely recommend taking one of the guides. If you do not want to rent a guide, at least bring a good travel guidebook.

Admission Fee:

CNY 40 (Nov. 1 to the next Mar. 31); CNY 60 (Apr. 1 to Oct. 31); CNY 10 for the Treasure Gallery; CNY 10 for the Clock and Watch Gallery

Operate:

8:30am to 4:30pm (Nov. 1 - the next Mar. 31); tickets not available after 3:30pm and last entry at 3:40pm.
8:30am to 5pm (Apr. 1- Oct.31); tickets not available after 4pm and last entry at 4:10pm.

Access:

Buses:  Take bus 101, 103, 109, 124, 202, 685 or 814 and get off at Gugong Station; Take bus 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 52, 120 or 802 and get off at Tiananmen Xi or Tiananmen Dong Station, walk north through the Tiananmen Tower (Gate of Heavenly Peace), and then you'll find the Meridian Gate (south gate); Take bus 9, 17, 44, 48, 59, 66, 803, 808, 4, 7 or Tuanjiehu Special Line and get off at Qianmen, Qianmen Xi, or Qianmen Dong Station, and walk north through Tiananmen Square and you'll find the Forbidden City in front of you.

Subway: Subway Line 1: get off at Tiananmen West or Tiananmen East Station, walk north through the Tiananmen Tower (Gate of Heavenly Peace), and then you'll find the Meridian Gate (south gate); Subway Line 2: get off at Qianmen Station and walk north through the Tiananmen Tower.

Tian an Men Square

Located at the center of Beijing City is Tiananmen Square, where you can visit Tiananmen Tower, Monument to the People's Heroes, Great Hall of the People, Mao Zedong Memorial Hall and see the national flag raising ceremony. Thousands of people come to the Square every day. It is the must place to visit in Beijing City.

Tiananmen is one of the sights a tourist should not miss in Beijing, and just because of this, the place is also filled with tourist hustlers. They will try to sell you souvenirs or take you to one of their art shops. Places to visit are Tiananmen Tower, Monument to People's Heroes, Great Hall of the People, Memorial Hall of Chairman Mao, National Museum of China.

Interesting activity is ‘Flag-Raising Ceremony’
Five Star Red Flag-the Chinese national flag, flies high in the sky above the Square. To see the guard of honor raise the Flag is a must for the tourist visiting Beijing City. You have to get up very early and arrive at the Square before sunrise. Only by doing so can you see the ceremony clearly as there are crowds of people attending the ceremony every day. The reviewing stands flanking Tiananmen Tower on the west and east sides were opened up free on the first day of 2012 to the public to watch the flag rising ceremony. It is now available to group reservations for the opening day on the first day of each month.

Admission Fee:

Free for visiting the square; CNY 15 for ascending the Tiananmen Tower

Operate:

Flag-Raising Time - Flag-Lowering Time (Please refer to 2012 Timetable for Flag-Raising Ceremony for the schedule)

Access:

Buses: Take bus 1, 5, 10, 22, 37, 52, 205, 728 or 802 and get off at Tiananmen Xi.
Take bus 1, 2, 10, 20, 37, 52, 59, 82, 120, 126, 203, 205, 210, 728 or 802 and get off at Tiananmen Dong; Take bus 2, 5, 8, 20, 22, 120, 126, 203, or 210 and get off at Tiananmen Guangchang Dong (Tiananmen Square East); Take bus 2, 5, 20, 120, 126 or 210 and get off at Tiananmen Guangchang Xi (Tiananmen Square West).

Subway: Subway Line 1: get off at Tiananmen Dong or Tiananmen Xi Station; Subway Line 2: get off at Qianmen Station. Get out from Exit A or B and walk north.

Temple of Heaven

South east of Qianmen and Tiananmen Square is the Temple of Heaven, which is not only another of the tourist attractions in Beijing, but also a Feng Shui masterpiece. The temple sits in a park, where first thing in the morning and late in the afternoon locals go to practice Tai Chi, dance and work out. The park, with its Chinese cypress and Chinese juniper trees, some of which are more than 500 years old, is a perfect place to chill out and enjoy some relaxation.

The buildings in the complex were built based on a celestial north-south axis around the 15th century. The temples were visited during the solstices by the Ming and Qing emperors to pray for a good harvest and to offer sacrifices to the Gods. The Son of Heaven, as the emperor was known, was greeted by enthusiastic crowds on his way here form the Forbidden City.

The Temple is divided by two enclosed walls into inner part and outer part. The main buildings of the Temple lie at the south and north ends of the middle axis line of the inner part. The most magnificent buildings are The Circular Mound Altar (Yuanqiutan), Imperial Vault of Heaven (Huangqiongyu) and Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest (Qiniandian) from south to north. Also, there are some additional buildings like Three Echo Stones and Echo Wall.Almost all of the buildings are connected by a wide bridge called Vermilion Steps Bridge (Danbiqiao) or called Sacred Way.

Access:

Buses: Take bus 6, 34, 35, 36, 39, 41, 43, 60, 116, 610, 707, 723, 743, 957, or 958 and get off at Tiantan Dongmen (East Gate) Station; Take bus 36 , 53, 120, 122, 525, 610, 800, 803 or 958 and get off at Tiantan Nanmen (South Gate) Station; Take bus 2, 7, 15, 17, 20, 69, 105, 707, 729, or 826 and get off at Tiantan Ximen (West Gate) Station; Take bus 6, 34, 35, 36, 106, 110, 687, 707, or 743 and get off at Tiantan Beimen (North Gate) Station.

Subway: Subway Line 5, get off at Tiantan Dongmen Station, Leave from Exit A and you'll find the East Gate of the Park of Temple of Heaven.

Qianmen Street

Located at the central axis of Beijing City, Qianmen Street is a famous pedestrian street. It runs from Jianlou (the Archery Tower) of Zhengyangmen in the north to the turning of Tiantan Park in the south. Qianmen Street is 840 meters (about 919 yards) in length and 21 meters (about 23 yards) in width.

Qianmen Street is a famous commercial street and it is very popular among local people and tourists. Qianmen Street is located in the axis of Beijing city, the location is very good and the transportation is very convenient to travel, the tourists can by No.9 bus or the subway line 2 get to the street easily. Qianmen Street has a long history and the constructions are very classical and traditional with many kinds of stores.

Qianmen Street is a symbol of genuine Beijing local culture. Qianmen Street has many of China's time-honored names. Visitors can enjoy a traditional Chinese way of life. Moreover, Qianmen Street has many international brands, such as H&M, Haagen-Dazs, Sephora, ZARA, Qggle, COSTS CAFÉ, and SK Jewelry. The most famous of China own names are as follows: Quanjude, Yitiaolong, and Douyichu, and Changchuntang.

Access:

Buses: BRT Line 1, 特4, 特7, 5, 17, 22, 48, 59, 66, 69, 71, 120, 126, 301, 646, 690, 723, 729, 803, 826, getting off at Qianmen Station; 3. 2, 8, 9, 44, 67, 337, 673, 808, Night bus 209 and 212, getting off at Qianmen Xi or Qianmen Dong Station and then walk a few meters to Qianmen Street.

Subway: Subway Line 2 to Qianmen Station and get out from southwest or southeast exit.