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

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”.

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

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).

(Beijing, January 28) — The construction of the National Aquatics Center, or the “Water Cube,” topped off today. The “Water Cube” was built in accordance with a water-saving design concept to be a gigantic green architectural wonder.

The venue’s membrane structure, covered by ETFE (Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene) air cushions, is not only the first of its kind in China and the world’s largest and most complex ETFE project, but it is also an economical and water-saving creation.

The blue-colored “hubble-bubble” material is much lighter than conventional glazing structures with the same lighting effect. So the cost of its supporting steel structure was reduced considerably, said Zheng Fang, the top designer of the Chinese-side design company.

ETFE material made by a German company would have cost 400-500 Euros per square meter, but the same material manufactured through a joint venture was only 2,000 yuan per square meter. The conventional glass covering will cost about 500 to 600 Euro.

In addition, the “Water Cube” was designed with water-saving and environmental protection efforts. According to statistics, the outer surface and roof facade can “collect” 10,000 tons of rain water, 70,000 tons of clean water and 60,000 tons of swimming pool water annually. And the venue can also save 140,000 tons of recycled water a year.

Other environmental design efforts covered an air-conditioning system, surface water exploitation and ventilation system.

The interior look of the ‘Water Cube’

(Beijing, Jan. 28) — The National Aquatic Center has a beautiful nickname — the “Water Cube.” This is an architectural building that literally embodies the water theme. The blue “bubbles” made by the ETFE membrane fully showcase the grace and sensitivity of water.

The design feature of the “Water Cube” is the “bubbles.” The membrane structure of the “Water Cube,” which is composed of more than 3000 pneumatic die cushion with a coverage area of 110, 000 square meters, is the largest in the world. The “Water Cube” is also the only public building that is fully made of a membrane structure.

The advantages of the ETFE membrane are numerous:

Each of the 3000 bubbles can resist the weight of a car.

The outer wall of the “Water Cube” is composed of 3000 irregular “bubbles,” which make up the ETFE membrane structure. The ETFE membrane has good ductility and crushing resistance. After aeration, every piece of membrane can resist the weight of a car. It also has good resistance against fire and intense heat.

The “Water Cube” can breath

Eight fans which discharge the air naturally are set on the roof and the body of the “Water Cube.” After fresh air enters the building, it can be discharged through the cavum in the roof. This is how the heating within the building is released.

The “Water Cube” can “wash its face” by itself

The ETFE membrane is self-cleaning in nature. Since the friction coefficient of the material is small, dust does not easily attach onto the structure. Even if dust does collect on it, as long as it rains, the surface is washed by rain water.

Venue: National Stadium;

Location: Olympic Green;

Total land surface: 258,000 sq m;

Seats: 91,000;

Competitions: Athletics, Football;

Post-Games use: The Stadium is to stage sports events at national and international levels, as well as cultural and entertaining activities;

Groundbreaking date: Dec. 2003;

Designer: Herzog & DeMeuron (Swiss) and China Architecture Design Institute;

A night shot

The exterior

Seating bowl

The lobby

View from the plinth

The stadium in the sunset

The shopping center in the stadium

Entrance to the shopping center

The east corner

The green area

A bird’s eye view of the Olympic Green

The photos taken on January 21 show the National Aquatics Center, also known as the “Water Cube,” illuminated for adjustment of the nightscape lighting. The National Aquatics Center will be put into service on January 31 as the competition venue for the Good Luck Beijing 2008 Swimming China Open.

Night view of the “Water Cube” (Photo credit: China News)

If you are a tall person (6′ and up ) the Silk Market is the best place for you to buy clothes and shoes. Usually the shopping plazas and super-stores do not have really large sizes. If you are size 12 shoe size or larger, then the only place to really go is to the Silk Market.You will notice quite a few famous name-brand items there, and you may wonder how a Timberland down jacket can be sold for US$20 or $30. The answer is not clear. Sometimes the goods are counterfeit, but more often the merchant has a relative in a clothing factory who can get excess products or slightly imperfect products for super cheap prices. At least that is one theory. No matter what the case may be, it is a place for bargain shopping.

The silk and cashmere goods are also much cheaper than they would be in other stores or in other countries. These items make great gifts for friends back home, especially the silk Mickey Mouse boxer shorts which you can’t get away from. Most of the sellers speak a little English, at least they know how to say “you say how much!”, “I give you good price.” And of course numbers are their specialty. There is also a large selection of fake Rolex, Omega and other wristwatches, rivaled only by the street hawkers of New York City.

Note: it is very crowded in the alleyway, and people will be constantly brushing up against you. It is a good idea to keep a close eye on your bag or wallet while you are in there. If you are wearing a backpack, put it on backwards so the pack is in front of you. If you don’t, you may find that there is a slit in the bottom of your pack and all the good stuff is gone!

The Summer Palace, originally named Qingyi Yuan or the Garden of Clear Ripples, was first constructed in 1750. It was razed to the ground by the Anglo-French Allied Forces in 1860. The Government of the Qing Dynasty started to rebuild it in 1886 with funds that it had misappropriated from the Imperial Navy and other sources. Renamed two years later as Yihe Yuan or the Garden of Health and Harmony, it was supposed to serve as a summer resort for the Empress Dowager Cixi. Known also as the Summer Palace, it was ravaged by the Allied Forces of the Eight Powers that invaded China in 1900.

Ticket Price

Opening Time

Busy season: from April 1 to October 31;
Gate：6：30-18：00
Parks Inside the Summer Palace：8：30——17：00
the following scenic spots inside the Summer Palace：8：30——17：00
Close:  20：00

Slack season: from November 1 to March 31;
Gate： 7：00-17：00，
Parks Inside the Summer Palace：9：00——16：00
the following scenic spots inside the Summer Palace：9：00——16：00
Close:  19：00

Traffic LineBuses via the East Gate of the Summer Palace (Dong-gong-men Stop):
Bus 330、331、332、346、394、712、718、726、732、737、801、808、817、826、

Buses via the North Gate of the Summer Palace (Bei-gong-men Stop):
Bus 303、330、331、346、375、384、393、634、716、718、737、801、808、817、834、Express 5

Buses via the South Gate of the Summer Palace ( Xin-jian-gong-men Stop):
Bus 374、437、481、952、704、992

Buses via the West Gate of the Summer Palace ( Xin-jian-gong-men Stop):
Bus 469

This is an ancient shopping street outside Qianmen Gate. It is sided by shops and restaurants. Especially the Dashilar Tourist and Pedestrian Street have many old shops such as Tongrentang Pharmacy, Neiliansheng Shoe Shop, Ruifuxiang Silk and Cotton Fabrics Shop, Quanyechang, Zhang Yiyuan Tea Store and Majuyuan Hat Store.

Old Dream

Wang Shiren, a chief designer of the new Qianmen Street and a renowned architect, said the final plan was achieved through a series of studies, discussions and revisions.“The Ming and Qing Dynasties’ Qianmen Street was burnt down to ashes in 1900 when the Allied Forces of the Eight Powers ransacked Beijing. Physically, there is nothing left for us to retrieve. The final plan is based on historical photos, and we intend to form a new Qianmen Street in the mould of the 1920s to 1930s.”After redevelopment, the new Qianmen Street will stretch from the southern end of Tian’anmen Square to the Zhushikou Street, measuring 845m in length. A trolley car, familiar to Beijing’s senior citizens, will return to the street and become the only transportation vehicle on the pedestrian thoroughfare. An underground parking lot will also be built to tackle the problem of parking spaces in the Qianmen area. Time-honored shops in the area, Qianmen Street’s business card, will receive the greatest amount of protection.With its latticework of horizontal alleys, the north-south Qianmen Street prospered as a commercial strip as early as the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368). By the time of Emperor Jiajing, the 12th Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) emperor, the street was dotted with guild halls built by different localities, to provide housing to citizens intending to take the imperial exams.Qianmen Street became even more prosperous in the early years of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) with the development of activities such as lantern fairs, theaters and teahouses. Places like the Guanghe Theater — today threatened with demolition — and the Quanjude roast duck restaurant are part of Beijing’s history.

The massive redevelopment of Qianmen Street, which began in late 2002, is part of Beijing’s efforts to refurbish old city areas ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games.

 A walk from end to end would take you about 30 minutes, and that’s without looking at any shops. This is the largest and busiest market street in Beijing. Lining the street are many old stores, specialized stores, bookshops, and department stores. The number of customers reaches 100,000 every day.

St.Joseph’s Church (Dongtang Cathedral)

Located east of central Wangfujing Street, the Catholic East Church, or Wangfujing Catholic Church, is one of the best-preserved religious sites in the heart of Beijing.

The present building was rebuilt in 1904 on the ruins of the burned church.

The East Church was originally called Saint Joseph’s Church, and was built in the 12th year (1655) of Emperor Shunzhi during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

It was the second Catholic church built in Beijing after Italian preacher Matteo Ricci built the “South Church” in southern Beijing at the end of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

In the 1980s, large-scale repairs and maintenance were carried out by the government for East Church.

Occupying an area of 2,387 square metres, the church underwent its latest renovation in May of this year. Beside the church is a front square of 1.2 hectares. Trees and grass were planted and various lighting facilities were installed to show off the gorgeous building at night.

To get there: Take the line one subway to Wangfujing Station. The church is about 500 metres north of the northwest station exit.

Address: 74 Wangfujing Dajie

Beijing Capital International Airport is located in northeast of Beijing, capital of People’s Republic of China, and 25.35km from the Tiananmen Square, center of Beijing city. It is not only an aviation gateway of Beijing and a window for international communication, but also a radial center for China civil aviation network, featured in a large-scale international airport, with most important location, biggest scale, fullest facilities and busiest transportation in China.

Beijing Capital International Airport, under the administrative control of Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), officially opened on March 02nd 1958. With the development of civil aviation business and the increasing volume of passenger and cargo transportation, it was expanded in large scale. The Passenger Terminal 1, covering an area of 60,000m2, and auxiliary facilities, including parking apron and car parks, officially put into service on January 01st 1980. Terminal 1 was designed to serve 60 flights daily and 1,500 passengers at peak hours. The facilities at flight areas of the expanded Beijing Capital International Airport was meeting the 4E standards required by International Civil Aviation Organization.

With the continuous growth of quantity of international airlines to Beijing and the density of international flights, the Terminal was enlarged again from October 1995 to November 1999. The Terminal 2, covering an area of 336,000m2 and equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, officially went into operation on November 01st 1999. Terminal 2 is able to handle 26,500,000 passengers yearly and 9,210 passengers at peak hours.

Due to the excellent geographic location and service facilities at Beijing Capital International Airport, 66 domestic and foreign airline companies are participating in the operational business, including 11 domestic companies and 55 foreign companies. More than 5,000 scheduled flights are available to 88 cities in China and 69 cities abroad.

Address:Airport Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100621, China

Airport Code:PEK

Country Code:86

Telephone:(010) 6456 3220 or 4247 or 3604

Fax:(010) 6457 0487

E-mail:webmaster@bcia.com.cn

Website:www.bcia.com.cn

Flight info:  http://en.bcia.com.cn/flight/flightinfo.action

Number of Terminals:2

Time Zone:GMT + 8

Location:The airport is situated 25km (16 miles) northeast of Beijing.

Transfer Between Terminals:Regular shuttle buses run between the two terminals.

Driving Directions:A dedicated Airport Expressway links PEK with the city centre.

Car Parking

Extensive parking facilities are offered on six levels in a multi-storey car park. It is equipped with electronic guide screens to assist with locating a space, but it is generally recommended that spaces are reserved in advance, as it is very busy.

Car Hire

Driving in China requires a Chinese-issued driving licence, so car rental usually includes a driver. A number of local agencies offer this service, and there is a car rental booth within the airport terminal. Recent legislation enables non-nationals to obtain temporary licences, but the major international car rental agencies are only just beginning to establish a foothold in the country. More information can be obtained from Avis China (website: www.avischina.com).

Public Transport

Rail: A new metro link to the city centre is due to open early in 2008.
Road: Bus: The Airport-City Shuttle Bus departs from outside Arrivals and takes five routes into the city: Xidan, Gongzhufen, Fangzhuang, Beijing Railway Station and Zhongguancun. The most popular route is to Xidan in central Beijing, a short walk from the Forbidden City. The shuttle also stops at some major hotels.
Taxi: Metered taxis are available at the officially designated taxi ranks. Journey time to the city centre is between 45 and 60 minutes, dependent on traffic conditions. Passengers are advised to have the destination address either written in Chinese or marked clearly on a map.

Information and Help Desks

Tourist information (tel: (010) 6456 4227 or 6456 3220) is available in the Arrivals lounge from 0830 until the end of flight operations. Hotel booking assistance is available in the arrivals hall (tel: (010) 6459 8145).

Airport Facilities

Money and communications: Facilities include a bank, several bureaux de change, an ATM, telephones and a post office.
Eating and drinking: There are cafés and restaurants throughout the airport.
Shopping: There are shops in both terminals, including tax and duty-free.
Luggage: Left luggage facilities are available in both arrival and departure halls (tel: (010) 6459 8151)
Other facilities: There is a 24-hour medical centre at the airport, and a passenger changing room is available.

Conference and Business Facilities

The airport has a business centre (tel: (010) 6459 0339) with Internet access, fax and computer facilities. Business services, including fax, photocopying and computer facilities, are also available in the VIP lounges. Alternatively, there are hotels close to the airport which provide business services. These include the Airport Garden Hotel (tel: (010) 6456 3388) and the Capital Airport Hotel (tel: (010) 6456 4466).

Facilities for Disabled Travellers

The airport is accessible to disabled travellers. The Beijing Airport Ground Service Corporation can provide assistance for travellers with physical disabilities.

Hotels

The Airport Garden Hotel (tel: (010) 6456 3388), the Capital Airport Hotel (tel: (010) 6456 4562), the Jinglin Hotel Beijing (tel: (010) 6457 2626), the Sino-Swiss Hotel Beijing (tel: (010) 6456 5588; website: www.sino-swisshotel.com) and the Airport Lantian Mansion Hotel (tel: (010) 8048 9108) are located within easy reach of the airport.

Current weather report - Beijing Capital International Airport

 At present, the lines run by the Company include: Line 1, Line 2, Line 13 and Line Ba-Tong. The total length of all these lines is 114 kilometers and there are 70 stations in all. Line 1 is 31.04 kilometers long and has 23 stations; Line 2, 23.61 kilometers with 18 stations; Line 13, 40.85 kilometers with 16 stations; Line Ba-Tong, 18.9 kilometers and 13 stations.  The current daily passenger volume of Beijing’s subway system is around 1.5 million person-times. The operation of the subway involves the transportation with special vehicles, passenger transportation operation, electricity dispatching, power supply, information signals, electro-mechanics and lines. In addition, the Company also runs multi-angled business centering on the tapping of subway resources, including economic and technological trade, advertisement, underground telecommunication, real estate development, commerce and trade, vocational travel, educational training, building and installation, automobile manufacturing, engineering supervision, taxi, design research and consultation, and cultural industry, which has not only expanded the service scope of subway, but also satisfied the need of a vast number of passengers.

Time of first and last train on Line Ba-Tong

It is thought that Beijing roast duck, like the tradition of roast turkey in America, owes its origin to the roast goose that is still popular in Europe on festive occasions. Westerners like Marco Polo brought certain European customs to China and may have introduced the concept of roasting poultry to their Chinese hosts during the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368). Ducks had long been domesticated in China and the plump ducks proved to be an excellent substitute for goose in much the same way as the American colonizers found the native turkey to be. However, there is another school of thought based upon certain records that show roast duck has a much longer history dating back as far as the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420 - 589). Up until the Southern Song Dynasty (1127 - 1279), ducks were roasted in the area around Jinling, today’s Nanjing. However, the later Yuan Dynasty rulers moved their capital city to Beijing from Jinling and took with them their cuisine thus making roast duck popular in the city that was eventually to make it its very own specialty.

The ducks were originally roasted in a conventional convection oven until Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911) when roast ducks became a delicacy in the imperial menu and were highly regarded by emperors and other members of the ruling classes. The ducks used during this period were a special breed namely the White Beijing Duck and a new method of cooking was employed, by suspending the ducks over the flame in an open oven. These two traditional methods of cooking have resulted in the two major present day schools of roast duck preparation.

The initial method has been perpetuated by very few restaurants among which Bianyi Fang (Convenient and Comfortable) Restaurant, established in 1861, is the most famous. There serves roast duck with a well-preserved traditional flavor. The second method is relatively well-known and used with great success by the Quan Ju De Restaurant. Today, Quan Ju De means Beijing Roast Duck to many Chinese people as well as foreign visitors.

Over a long period of development exceeding some 140 years, a consummate and precise procedure for cooking Beijing Roast Duck has been firmly established:

First, a suitable White Beijing Duck will be chosen for preparation. After the bird has been plucked, air is pumped between its skin and flesh. A small incision is made for the removal of the entrails.

Secondly, and once the bird has been thoroughly cleaned, a wooden skewer is inserted through it to facilitate its hanging and ultimate heating; the body cavity is filled with water and the incision that had been made is closed.

Thirdly, the skin of the duck is air dried and brushed with a layer of sugar.

Fourthly, the duck is then put into a large oven, using a smokeless hardwood fuel and heating to about 270 degrees Centigrade for 30 to 40 minutes. The duck is turned frequently during the roasting process to ensure even cooking.

Then the delicious roast duck is ready! It will be a shining date-red in color and unique in flavor; Beijing Roast Duck is characterized by its crispy skin and tender texture. Besides the traditional roast duck, many restaurants offer an All Duck Banquet - various dishes cooked with the offal and juices of the duck, surrounding the main dish. It will be sure to give you satisfaction and enjoyment when dining.

In addition, there are some points to which you need to pay attention when having Beijing Roast Duck. The best seasons for eating it are spring, autumn and winter. The hot roast duck will be brought to the dining table by the chef where he will slice it into more than 100 thin flakes, each having its piece of crispy skin. The way to really enjoy the succulent meat is as follows: first take one of the small, thin pancakes provided and spread it with plum sauce, small slices of spring onions and then add some pieces of duck. Finally roll up the pancake and take a bite. You will be surprised by the terrific taste!

Mt. Yuelu is noted for its picturesque scenery. The towering trees that provide dense shade emerge through heavily planted foliage around the mountains and provide an instant sense of refreshment and vitality to the environment. The full-blown azaleas in spring, the tranquility and coolness in summer, the flamboyant maple leaves in autumn and the silver-colored trees covered with snow and frost in winter make it a delightful spot all year round.

Besides the natural scenery, Yuelu Mountain abounds with cultural landscape as well. Many literati, ideologists, and hierarchy once visited here and left their tracks. The coexistence of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism is the most unique culture in this mountain. The representative buildings are the Yuelu Academy, the Lushan Temple, the Sarira Tower, the Yunlu Palace, and the Aiwan Pavilion. Additionally, Mt. Yuelu is an excellent education base for patriotism. So many revolutionists, patriots and great people with high ideals like Huang Xing, Cai E and Jiang Yiwu, who were dedicated to the democratic revolution of the old type, were buried here. And the monuments, graves and cemeteries built for those martyrs make a solemn and stirring scene on the mountain.

With Lushan being the core, Mt. Yuelu is made up of other scenic areas like Juzizhoutou, Tianma, Taohualing and Shijialing and two separate sights (the Old Site of The New Citizen’s Academic Association and Tuchengtou Site). The most renowned attractions on Mt. Yuelu are the Yuelu Academy, the Lushan Temple and the Aiwan Pavilion, etc.

The Yuelu Academy is situated at the east foot of the mountain and was built in 976 during the Song Dynasty (960-1279). It used to be one of the ‘Four Academies’ at that time. Later it was changed into a college for higher learning and in 1926, it was named Hunan University. The history of the academy is considered to be the epitome of the development of Chinese higher education. Halfway up the mountain you will discover the Lushan temple, which was built in the Jin Dynasty (265-420) and is the earliest Buddhism temple in Hunan Province. The Aiwan Pavilion was built during the reign of Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It was first called the Hongye Pavilion and then was renamed the Aiwan Pavilion because of a poem written by a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). After several expansions and renovations, it appears as we see it today. It is also a place of revolutionary significance. When Mao Tse Tung (Mao Zedong), the first chairman of PRC, was studying in a normal school, he used to come to the pavilion with several friends and they often discussed current affairs. The pavilion name was inscribed by Chairman Mao in 1952 when it was rebuilt. The Aiwan Pavilion is one of ‘Four Famous Pavilions’ in China.

The permanent charm of Mt. Yuelu remains for all to witness, as no matter what the season it appears to exude natural beauty whilst still remaining a highly valued cultural site. It’s certainly a highlight of Changsha City.

Construction of the palace complex began in 1407, the 5th year of the Yongle reign of the third emperor of the Ming dynasty. It was completed fourteen years later in 1420. It was said that a million workers including one hundred thousand artisans were driven into the long-term hard labor. Stone needed was quarried from Fangshan, a suburb of Beijing. It was said a well was dug every fifty meters along the road in order to pour water onto the road in winter to slide huge stones on ice into the city. Huge amounts of timber and other materials were freighted from faraway provinces. Ancient Chinese people displayed their very considerable skills in building the Forbidden City. Take the grand red city wall for example. It has an 8.6 meters wide base reducing to 6.66 meters wide at the top. The angular shape of the wall totally frustrates attempts to climb it. The bricks were made from white lime and glutinous rice while the cement is made from glutinous rice and egg whites. These incredible materials make the wall extraordinarily strong.

Since yellow is the symbol of the royal family, it is the dominant color in the Forbidden City. Roofs are built with yellow glazed tiles; decorations in the palace are painted yellow; even the bricks on the ground are made yellow by a special process. However, there is one exception. Wenyuange, the royal library, has a black roof. The reason is that it was believed black represented water then and could extinguish fire.

Nowadays, the Forbidden City, or the Palace Museum is open to tourists from home and abroad. Splendid painted decoration on these royal architectural wonders, the grand and deluxe halls, with their surprisingly magnificent treasures will certainly satisfy ‘modern civilians’.

In addition, the following services can also be enjoyed here.

Audio Guide Device
Available in several languages including Chinese, Cantonese, English, French, Japanese, German, Korean, Russian, Thai, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic and Italian. It can be rented from the tour guide service at the Meridian Gate (Wumen) and the Gate of Divine Might (Shenwu Men). The cost for renting any version of the device is CNY 40 (Chinese and Cantonese are both CNY 10), along with a deposit of CNY 100.

Tour Guide Service
Chinese, English and Japanese-speaking tour guides are available.

Commodity Service
Tourist souvenirs, books, food and drink as well as a post office are all available.

Broadcast
It is to the southwest of Jingyun Gate.

Bag Check Service
Bags can be deposited free of charge at the Meridian Gate (Wumen) and Gate of Divine Might (Shenwu Men) from 8:30 to 18:00. If desired, bags can be carried between the two gates after going through a security check.

Wheelchairs & Strollers
Available from the tour guide service at the Meridian Gate (Wumen) and Gate of Divine Might (Shenwu Men), free of charge.

Tourist Service Center
Located at the Arrow Pavilion (Jianting).

On the right is the full view of the Jinshanling Great Wall. Its east end connects to the Simatai Great Wall. Jinshangling Great Wall got its name because it was built on the bigger and the smaller Jinshan Mountains.

The Jinshanling Great Wall was initially built from 1368 to 1389 in the Ming Dynasty, and in 1567 or 1570 rebuilding of the Wall was mainly directed by General Qi Jiguang. Poems and tablet writings can be found on the Jinshanling Great Wall left from the time Qi Jiguang directed building of this section of The Great Wall.

The total length of this section is about eleven kilometers (6.8 miles), and the scenic spot of the Jinshanling Great Wall has an area of 32 square kilometers. The Wall is about seven to eight meters high and five to six meters wide, which is made of brick and stone. The Jinshanling Great Wall has an elevation of 700 meters. Watching Beijing Tower is on the highest position, from which you can see Beijing. The Jinshanling Great Wall is second only to the Badaling Great Wall in its completeness.

There are more than 100 enemy towers along the whole Jinshanling Great Wall. Built stably and elegantly, different towers have different structures and appearances. Please see the right picture - it is one of the enemy towers. Rows of 3-meter-high Barrier Walls were built leading to the enemy towers to protect the towers. Some of the towers are storerooms as well. They were used to store food, hay and weapons.

Two of so many enemy towers are bigger Jinshan and smaller Jinshan. There is a legend about them. It was said that the two towers were built by 3000 soldiers from the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces led northward by Qi Jiguang. In order to remind themselves of their hometowns, the names of bigger and smaller Jinshan Islands in Zhenjiang City, which is in Jiangsu Province, were used to name the two enemy towers.

As there are relatively few tourists at Jinshanling Great Wall, it is a good place to explore on foot.

In early mornings of spring and summer you can see a remarkable view - “Cloud Sea” below you from the Wall.

The Jinshanling Great Wall has never been repaired. You are safer when you visit this section of The Great Wall than other parts. It is safer as the service in this section of Great Wall includes that one tour guide is responsible for one tourist, for his/her safety actually. When needed, the tour guides will go hand in hand to protect the tourists.

An 800-meter long cable was built to entertain the tourists. Also a 3-kilometer section of the Wall was rebuilt and is bathed after dark in colored light, making a splendid “Night Great Wall”.

Admission Fee: CNY 30
Opening Hours: 08:00 to 16:50
Recommended Time for a Visit: Two hours

The Simatai Great Wall is 5.4 km long with all together 35 watchtowers. As the east section of the Gubeikou defense line, this magnificent section features great strategic significance. Built hundreds of years ago, the Simatai Great Wall still retains all its original appearance. It not only incorporates a variety of styles of other parts of the 10, 000-li-long wall, but also displays some unique characteristics. This section of The Great Wall is often described with the following five words: perilous, dense, diverse, ingenuous, and peculiar.

In the valley, the Simatai Great Wall is separated into two parts by the Simatai Reservoir, over which a chain bridge runs through east to west. Like two huge golden dragons, the two parts of The Great Wall wind down from the east and west mountains into the reservoir, forming a wonderful reflection of the magnificent Great Wall in the clear blue water.

The Simatai Great Wall, with densely-dispersed watchtowers snaking along the mountain ridges, looks spectacular. On the hills with gentle slopes in the west, twenty watchtowers are well preserved. However, the west part of Simatai, where fifteen watchtowers densely cover the mountain peaks almost one thousand meters high, appears to be more breathtaking.

The watchtowers on the Simatai Great Wall exhibit a refined design and various structures, among which the most celebrated are the Wangjinglou(Watching Beijing Tower), where one can enjoy lights of Beijing at night in the distance, and Xiannulou(Angel’s Tower), which is characterized by its exquisite structure,with no reference concerning its name origin.
Along the Simatai Great Wall one can also find a section laid with bricks carrying inscriptions, such as “Made by Qiangzi Camp”,”Made by the left camp of Shandong in the 6th year of the Wanli reign” and “Made by the infantry camp of suppressing enemy troops in the 6th year of the Wanli reign”. These messages not only record their origin, but also the period of time they were written.

With its fantastic scenery and precipitous topography, the Simatai Great Wall is a remarkable place for sightseeing, hiking and exploration. It has been acknowledged by the UNESCO as one of the World Cultural Heritages. 

How to Get There: There are two routes: You can take the coach at Beijing Bus Station in Dong Zhi Men to Miyun County where you change to a minibus that goes direct to the sightseeing spot. Alternatively, there is a No. 12 tourist Bus from either the Xuan Wen Men or Dong Si Shi Tiao stops. An economy class ticket costs 60 RMB and the luxury class costs 70 RMB. Departure times are from 06.00 hours to 08.00 hours.

Admission Fee: CNY 45
Opening Hours: 07:30 to 17:20
Recommended Time for a Visit: Two hours

Tourist Bus Route:
Take No. 1 at Front Gate
Take No. 2 at Beijing Railway Station
Take No. 3 at East Bridge
Take No. 4 at Beijing Zoo or Xizhimen Gate
Take No. 5 at Front Gate or West Street
years (1368-1398) of the Ming Dynasty. Like most sections of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall often visited today, this section was also built under the supervision of General Qi Jiguang.