Archive for April, 2008
Sunday, April 6th, 2008
Yonghe Lamasery Introduction:
At the northeast corner of Beijing City, the traveler will find an elegant and ancient temple known as the Yonghe Lamasery, which is the largest and most perfectly preserved lamasery in present China. The total area of the compound calculated from the southernmost memorial archway to the lamasery’s northernmost point is 66,400 square meters.
The principal building in the rearmost courtyard and tallest building in the lamasery is the three-story Hall of Infinite Happiness (Wangfuge), also called the Hall of Great Buddha (Dafolou). Flanking it on both sides are two two-story pavilions-the Eternal Health Pavilion (Yongkangge) and the Perpetual Tranquility Pavilion (Yanningge), both connected to the central hall by overhead bridges. A huge statue of the Tathagata Buddha (Rulaifo) stands in the center of the hall. Made from the trunk of a single sandalwood tree, the standing statue is 26 meters in height (eight meters below the ground floor and 18 meters above) and eight meters in diameter. It is said that when this statue was first installed it was fitted with a yellow monk’s robe made of more than 1,800 meters of satin.
The lamaseries house a treasury of Buddhist art. To mention a few of the most interesting items: examples of the calligraphy of Qing emperors written on scrolls and inscribed on stelae, bronze lions and incense burners, sculptured images of gods, demons and Buddhas and Tibetan-style murals.
Address:
No. 12 Yonghegong Street, Dongcheng District
Opening Hours:
9:00 to 17:00
Admission Fee:
RMB 25
Posted in Beijing Sights | No Comments »
Sunday, April 6th, 2008
Beijing Hutong Introduction:
The Beijing Hutong has a very special and important position in the rich history and culture of Beijing. It is a “must see” part of Beijing for the tourists for they are a wonderful glimpse into the world of yesterday in Beijing. While visit the Beijing Hutongs, you can feel the dramatic changes of Beijing and experience its life style and traditional culture.
The word “hutong” originates from the word “hottog” which means “well” in Mongolian. Villagers dig out a well and inhabited there. Hutong means a lane or alley, in fact the passage formed by lines of siheyuan (a compound with houses around a courtyard) where old Beijing residents live. It was recorded that in the Yuan a 36-meter-wide road was called a standard street, an 18-meter-wide one was a small street and a 9-meter-wide lane was named a hutong. In fact, Beijing hutongs are ranging from 40 centimeter to 10 meter in wide. The longest has more than 20 turns. The gray-tiled houses and deep alleys crossing with each other in identical appearance like a maze.
The name of a hutong implicates its origin, location or history. It is in the gray-tiled deep lanes that families play, travel, buy goods, gossip and connect. In Beijingers’ eyes, hutong means a period of history, a cordial lifestyle and even an “encyclopedia of Beijing”.
Posted in Beijing | No Comments »
Sunday, April 6th, 2008
Introduction:
Beihai Park, located in central Beijing, is one of the oldest and most authentically perserved imperial gardens in China. It has a history of 1000 years.
Beihai has existed throughout the Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. Most of the buildings now were constructed during Emperor Qianlong’s reign in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 A.D.).
Beihai has been open to the public since 1925. The park occupies an area of 69 hectares including a 39-hectare lake. In the garden, pavilions and towers nestle amid the beautiful scenery of lakes and hills, grass and trees. Carrying on the traditions of garden landscaping of ancient China, Beihai Park is a gem of garden art.
Address:
No. 1 Wenjin Street, Xicheng District
Opening Hours:
6:00 to 22:00
Admission Fee:
RMB 10
Posted in Beijing Sights | No Comments »
Sunday, April 6th, 2008
Effect picture of Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Ground
Venue: Beach Volleyball Ground
Location: Chaoyang Park
Type: Temporary
Use for Olympic Games: Beach Volleyball
Use for Paralympic Games: None
Floor area (sq m): 14,150
Permanent seats: None
Temporary seats: 12,200
Groundbreaking date: December 28, 2005
Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Ground: A first look
The Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Ground is now ready to host the 2007 FIVB Beach Volleyball Women’s Challenger, from August 13-19, 2007.
Sunday morning, journalists covering the beach volleyball competitions arrived at the Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Ground for a first look at the venue. They arrived through the special media entrance and went through stringent security checks.One security guard, a volunteer from the Chinese People’s Public Security University, said it was his first day on the job after extensive training.The volleyball ground media village was designed according to standards set by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB).
Practicing the concept of “Green Olympics,” the beach volleyball event organizers had the previously existing workshops and industrial storerooms on the grounds converted into office space rather than having new offices built.
The volleyball ground contains 17,000 tons of fine sand imported from Hainan.
FIVB Supervisor Blair Harrison told reporters that he has been to all the well-known volleyball grounds around the world. Beijing’s Chaoyang Beach Volleyball Ground, however, is very special. Blair commented that to hold the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Beach Volleyball events in a park in the heart of Beijing is very original and unique.
Posted in Sports-Venues | 2 Comments »
