Walking into Beijing

As the capital city of China, Beijing, like a gentlewoman effused with oriental glamour and absorbing substantial modern advanced elements, walks along the river of history to coming to you. You walk close to her, you gravitate towards her, then fall in love with her.

You can never be able to use just one word or two to describe the whole characteristics of this amazing city. Ancient, traditional, prosperous, splendid, compatible, multiple, convenient, fashionable, etc. That’s why Beijing is always dazzling people from all over the world. If you can’t give the name of a city in the East who combines nature, culture, and modernization so perfectly, that’s because you haven’t be here in Beijing. You will be awed by the majesty of the mountains located northwestern of the city while enchanted by the classical ambiance accompanied with metro vigor. With three thousand years of history, Beijing is the city with the most World Heritage Sites (seven sites) and the first capital city possessing global geological parks in the world.

Official Web Sites and Guide

The people’s government of Beijing municipality and Beijing tourism web sites consist of abounding information and recommendations, such as routes, entertainment, even lots of hidden places.

http://www.ebeijing.gov.cn/

http://english.visitbeijing.com.cn/

Savor in Beijing

If you want to visit all the tourist attractions of Beijing during a short time, that’s simply impossible. But if you relish the places where you go with your heart and mind, you will always be feeling her. Or have you already been in Beijing many times unfortunately no time to visit there or just going to the same places every time? Don’t worry, here are some worthwhile sites among which some are classic that you shouldn’t miss no matter how many times you have been to and some are special even unknown.

The Grandest Palace-Forbidden City

All buildings in Forbidden City are arranged in a symmetrical pattern distributed by the central axis which is also the life line of Beijing city.

Forbidden City had been the living and reigning realm of 24 emperors from Ming dynasty to Qing. In different seasons, this “city” shows different sensations.

Tired after a long tour in the city? Nothing can be better than taking a rest in the Turret café with a cold brew in the cup with the city’s symbolic cartoons on it.

All tickets must be reserved beforehand on line by clicking here. ( https://gugong.ktmtech.cn/ )

The Astonishing Fortification-Great wall

One well-known Chinese saying says, “He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man”. The major essence of this enormous fortification used to defend borders against enemy arracks consists in the human’s hard-fought efforts facing so much hardships and dangers.

Now the Great Wall has lost its defense function, this construction regarded as the fruit of Chinese nation’s wisdom attracts tens of thousands of tourists every day.

Ticket price: 40 yuan per person.

Bus to go: No.919, 877, 879

Anthropogenesis-Zhoukoudian Site

Zhoukoudian site is located in Fangshan district, 50 km from Beijing downtown，which is the place where the fossils of Peking ape-man (500,000 years ago) and Caveman (10,000 years ago ) were found. These skulls and bones are extremely precious materials for studying the development history of human beings and the primitive social history of China. It has in fact been added to the list of World Heritage Sites in 1987.

The Olympic Spirit-Bird’s nest

As the main stadiums of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the Bird’s nest and the Aquatic Cube are glowing in the north of Beijing city and surrounded by shopping mall, Olympic Green, etc.

The stupefying out-looking of the giant steel structure attracting concentration from all over the world in 2008.

The Olympic square was just situated south of the China National Convention Center, you can go for a leisure stroll after an all-day symposiums.

Open: 9:00am-21:00pm

The Bustling Alley–South Luogu Lane

If the Forbidden City was the mansion for royalties, then the South Luogu lane was the paradise for common dwellers. As one of the oldest blocks in Beijing, checkerboard pattern derived from Yuan dynasty is preserved completely to date there.

There are many former residences of Qing officials, contemporary writers and painters. Quadrangle courtyard is its typical building style.

Now, more and more boutiques, cafes, bars settle down here, making South Luogu Lane become the third bar street after Sanlitun and Shichahai.

Station: Nan Luoguxiang by subway line 8 or bus 635

An Utopia Conception-798 ArtDist

The 798 Art District was recreated on the base of the obsolete 798 nationalized electronic factory. What lofts separate are not pipes or bricks, but originality, vogue, and freedom infilled with various exhibitions, shows and studios.

A new name is introduced from this area-Loft Conversion, and gradually evolved into 798 life style, being accepted by more and more young people.

Location: East Five Ring, Chaoyang District, Jiuxianqiao No.4

Hours: 9:00 am-17:00 pm

Coolness Replenishing-Hongluo Temple

You have been to the first Buddhist temple-Tanzhe Temple? Or have you ever held a burning incense to prey in Xiangshan Temple? This time, in this high temperature summer, we invite you to Hongluo Temple, an ideal place to acquire comfortable coolness.

The famous bamboo grove and pine forest bring large area of shadow to the monastery. When the winding streams flowing through the bamboos along with the dancing pine trees to breeze you, you know that’s the nature whispering to you.

Hongluo Temple is also reputed as the first Buddhist Temple in south Beijing.

Location: Huairou district, south foot of Hongluo mountain

Open time: 8:00am-17:00pm

Ticket Price: 54 yuan

The Natural Barrier-Western Mountains

Located west in Beijing, the Western Mountains are the remnant of Taihang Mountains whose most famous mounts are Fragrant Hills, Cuiwei Mountain, etc.

Poet Chen zhisui once wrote, “ Secluded from the mundane world to this quiet mountain. Here is a brook trickling passing away the withered roots, the newborn butterflies perching on the tender flowers. I feel sleepy listening the echoes of the cicadas during the forest. If the clouds are sensible, they must come across the bamboos to my side singing with me together.”

The western mountain national forest park is the nearest forest park in downtown Beijing.

The Water Carnival-Shidu Resort

If the Western Mountains are the spectacle of rocks, the Shidu Resort is the pliability of river. Drifting and Rafting are the special projects.

Sitting in Fangshan district, Shidu owns the only karst landscape in North China and was granted the Fangshan World Geopark by UNESCO in 2006.

Staying there 2 days+1 night is a perfect opotion.

Hours: 8:00am-17:00pm 

A Bite of Local Cuisine-Niujie Snack Street

Been tired of Wangfujing Street whose fame has overwhelmed its contents and expect to taste the most authentic Beijing snacks? Niujie Street will satisfy you. The tasty snacks include Douzhir (fermented soya-bean milk), fired ring, fired cake, bean paste cake, Luzhu(boiled pork giblets with baked wheaten paste), etc.

Niujie is not only famous for its special snacks, but also for the largest and oldest mosque in Beijing. Niujie mosque was completely renovated during the 35th year (1696) of Qing Kangxi period. Many buildings were overhauled with Islamic domes.

Bus Stations: Niujie Station by Bus 10, 48, 88, 717;

Niujie Lukou Station by Bus 5, 38, 6, 109, 381 or Special line 5, 13

Amazing Library-the National Library of China

Beijing has the third largest library in the world and the first in Asia: the National Library of China, formerly known as the Beijing Library, was founded in 1909. The national library of China has a total construction area of 280,000 square meters. The library is divided into the south section, the north section and the ancient books section. It has a collection of 37,686,200 volumes of literature, including nearly 2 million volumes of ancient books, with a total digital resource of over 1,000 TB.

Don’t forget to take your ID card/national library reader card or passport when you enter this building.

Location: Zhongguancun South Street, no. 33

The Highest Institution of Higher Learning-Peking University & Tsinghua University

Initially called the Imperial University of Peking, the first national university in modern China, founded as the highest institution of higher learning. The university totally has 81 national key disciplines, which is far ahead of other universities (32 more than the second place).According to the state key disciplines, Peking University ranks first in science, arts and medical strength. Peking University not only has abundant cultural ambiance, but also has charming sceneries.

Tsinghua University is a famous institution of higher learning in China. It is located in the scenic Qinghua garden in the northwest of Beijing. It is an important base for the cultivation of high-level talents and scientific and technological research in China. The university was once a part of the old Summer Palace, Shuimu (water and wood) tsinghua, lotus pond moonlight, showing the supreme university’s exquisite.