Posts Tagged ‘Beijing’
Ride a bike through China
Written by MichaelZ on January 30, 2010 – 7:45 am -While Shanghai and Hong Kong predominate in the business field, Peking is well recognized as the political, instructional and cultural centre of the Country, with a jurisdiction over eighteen districts and counties. To get around this metropolis you could find useful these brief suggestions on public transports when you land there.
Public Bus and trolley Bus : you need to keep in mind some numbers. Buses Nos. 1-200 and trolley buses run in the town ( 1 yuan per person ) ; buses Nos. 201-212 run at night ; buses Nos. 300-599 go to the suburbs, charging according to the distance covered. Air conditioned buses beginning with n. Eight are charged according to the distance covered. They customarily run thru the bustling streets. Buses beginning with n. Six go to the residential areas and so on. ( for details see bjbus.com ).
Beijing Capital global airfield ( 010 645 63 604 ) is one of China’s major gateways. It is 28 km from the city centre, about forty minutes’ ride by automobile. Taxi costs roughly a hundred yuan.
There are four railways stations in the city : Beijing Railway Station ( ph. 5101 ninety nine 99 ), Beijing West ( the largest ; ph : 5182 6253 ), South ( ph : 63030031 ) and North train line stations. Passengers may buy train tickets from the ticket offices ten days in advance or book by telephone ( ph. 010- 51827188 from 9am-9pm every day ) or Internet ( 036.com.cn ) 5 to 11 days in advance.
There are three different types of taxi charges ( 1.2, 1.6, and two yuan per kilometer ) and they are very handy to explore the city. ( Call the taxi centre : 010- 683 73399 )
subway : 4 lines criss-cross the city of Beijing. Line 1, Line 2, Line 13 and Batong line. The latter 2 are town rails. They run from 5am till roughly ten or 11 in the night. Tube entrances feature a gray cement structure with a symbolized lamp box. An one-way ticket is about 3-5 yuan.
Bikes and bikes! As usual we will not avoid mentioning a healthy, environmentally friendly, convenient, economical, safe and fun way of travel transport and recreation! The bike! China really is the ‘Bicycle Kingdom’, producing and using more bikes than any other country in the world. Cycling in China is a sort of life-style for the Chinese folk. Do not forget that in the traffic and in the narrow alleys of the Hutongs bikes are the best means to explore the town and is a super-individual way of transport by your own pace! Try firms like The bike dominion to rent your own bike.
Also, to avoid long stressful researches on where to go and what to do, here we have highlighted for you some of the central Beijing districts divided by main interest. Haidian District is home of China’s Silicon Valley -Zhongguancun- and 39 universities including Beijing, Tsinghua and Renmin Universities, so fundamentally good for shopping feaver. Xuanwu District is a good area for everything related to traditional medication whilst the Chaoyang District is the 798 Art District and flea market district. Dongcheng District is an area where many nice backpackers youth hotels are located. Just to mention some names : the nine dragons youth hostel, Beijing town Central youth hostel, the yard Hotel, Beijing harbour hotel hotel, the story youth hotel, the Beijing New Dragon Hostel.
Xicheng District hosts some public parks as the Beihai park, Jingshan Park, Yuetan Park and the Beijing Zoo. In the area the famous Zhongnanhai and the popular Houhai bar. If you like this ‘green’ area, we also suggest a really nice boutique value hotel nested in an hold traditional hutong called the Spring Garden courtyard Hotel. A hotel in a Chinese standard, deluxe courtyard, comprises an autumn and a spring garden offering a singular cultural connotation. Actually, each of the rooms introduces you to the life of different distinguished emperors in Chinese history and the dynasties that they lived in. In the multifunction hall, there are roughly one hundred photographs with English translations showing Beijing ( Peking ) past. These include places of interest, culture, faith, and day to day life in the town. There’s also a staff member available to answer questions and explain the eight hundred years of Beijing history ).
Other central location districts are : Fengtai District ; Shijingshan District ; Chongwen District.
Do you love to see the world? Want to see some of the best places in the world? Visit famouswonders.com to get an idea of where to go for your next vacation. Make sure to also check out Sanjiang Bridges.
Tags: Beijing, China, university, zooPosted in Air Travel | Comments Off
Confucius Temple: remembering China’s greatest educator
Written by MichaelZ on August 10, 2009 – 11:05 pm -Beijing’s Confucius Temple, built for the great Chinese educator and philosopher, lies on the north side of the city, not far from the 4 star Beijing Ningxia Hotel.
Every day people come and pay tribute to the man who hugely influenced Chinese culture and history. And you won’t find yourself a better start-off to know China.
As soon as you enter this ancient refuge, you will be amazed by the lush greenness of the trees. Many of them have been there since the time the temple was built, testifying to the reverence the Chinese hold to Confucius.
There are 198 large stone tablets on each side of a path that leads you to the main courtyard. The tablets bear the names of all 51,624 Jingshi scholars who passed the imperial exams throughout Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.
These scholars were ancient China’s social elite who ran the world’s oldest civil service system. To became a Jingshi scholar and get a government post, first one had to pass a series of Confucian exam held back in his home provinces. A success in these exams will allow them to enter the final and most important one – the exam supervised by the emperor himself.
The chance of fail was high: Only one thousandth could pass the imperial exam, and the previous exams that brought one scholar to this point had already took him ten years. Still, more were coming to try their luck, for success in the imperial exam could mean wealth and honor of their family.
Just past the tablets, a huge gate stands at the entrance to the main courtyard. There you will find a Chinese drum and a bell under the gate. Confucius supported harmony among people all his life. But how can we accomplish that? He suggested music, which allows one to achieve mental peace and makes him a true lover of harmony.
Step in the main courtyard, and your interest will be immediately arose by a large and old well. This isn’t any well; it got its name Yanshui from a Qing dynasty emperor. Legend goes that anyone who drinks water from this well will be successful in their exams. Come here and you can almost feel the thousands of Jingshi-scholar wannabes who once came to this place for the special water.
The dominant building in the courtyard is Da Cheng Dian – Hall of Ultimate Accomplishment. This is where Confucius is remembered and honored. Tablets written by various Chinese emperors hang from the beams of the roof. One that belongs to Emperor Kangxi reads: the Eternal Mentor.
Like his predecessors, Emperor Kangxi paid annual tribute to Confucius by offering him sacrifices. The emperor would preside over a series of rites, including a performance that required 64 dancers. The dance was only performed to pay tribute to the most important imperial ancestors. Throughout Chinese history, Confucius was probably the person who most frequently enjoyed such an honor.
Also under the roof are shrines of accomplished Confucius disciples who had helped to bring Confucius doctrine to people in all around the country.
You will find a host of prime hotels in Beijing not far fromthe Confucian temple, some only a few minutes away by walk. See some of the best hotels in Beijing here.
Tags: 2nd ring road, Beijing, Beijing hotels, Beijing temples, China, Confucius Temple, shopping, TravelPosted in Air Travel | Comments Off
Lao She Teahouse: A Taste of Old Beijing Life
Written by MichaelZ on August 10, 2009 – 12:32 am -Lao She Teahouse, sitting at the center of Beijing not far from the Hwa Apartment Hotel, is where tourists get a taste of old Beijing life while sitting down for a good cup of tea.
Former U.S. president George H. Bush and Jordanian queen Rania were both lured in to enjoy what the teahouse had to offer.
It, indeed, has much to offer.
The building itself is a Qing dynasty-style loft structure, so the establishment really brings you back in time at your first sight! The waiters wear ancient outfits, and greet you in a very special way that seasoned Beijingers say reminds them of the city’s old days.
Despite being called a teahouse, Lao She is more like an entertainment venue, where some of China’s finest traditional performing arts are staged every night. On its third floor, you can enjoy acrobatics, Kung Fu shows, Peking opera, ventriloquism, cross-talk, and the famous face-changing dance while taking a sip of your favorite tea.
One of the most welcomed performances is the face-changing dance that originated in Sichuan province. A performer will wave his arms and twist his head as his painted mask changes, almost by magic, often in less than one second. The top performers can change their masks up to 30 times with the flick of a wrist. Because of difficulty of changing masks in such a short time, only a handful of artists can perform this dance today. There are also occasionally such performances around the Haige International Hotel.
Another program that also amazes many is the ‘Han Deng Da Gu.’ Singers of this art of show don’t sing how you would usually expect. They light up a few of candles, put the candles on a holder, put the holder in their mouths, and sing.
They need to somehow keep the balance of the holder using the muscles in their face, otherwise the candles will fall. Han Deng Da Gu signers of the Lao She Teahouse are all masters. Their sound is so great that without watching the show, you wouldn’t know there is a holder in their mouth. Across the country, there are only a handful of singers who are able to perform this old art because it takes many years of hard training.
But that’s not all they offer at the Lao She teahouse. Here waiters perform a kind of acrobatics to pour tea. The pot they use is quite eccentric with a long and thin spout that can measure up to 1.5 meters. When serving, the waiter tosses the pot around, pours your tea into a small cup, and stops the flow abruptly without splashing a drop. This is not a task just anyone can perform, and is always met by much applause.
You can also enjoy a variety of Beijing snacks as you enjoy the shows. Lv Da Gun, or rolling donkey, is a dish of glutinous rice balls rolled with bean paste. Millet Much, or Mian Cha in Chinese, is porridge with sesame and peanut butter. For your sweet tooth, Wan Dou Huang-small cakes made of beans-is always a good try.
Prices are reasonable; an average of 50-60 dollars should be enough to cover the fare of the shows, tea and a couple of snacks. The teahouse remains open from 14:00 to 22:00.
The Lao She Teahouse’s location in central Beijing is very convenient, and you can book a Beijing hotel here.
Tags: acrobatics, Beijing, China, cross-talk, face-changing, folk art, Forbidden City, Kung Fu, Lao She, Peking opera, quaintessentially chinese, shopping, teahouse, Tian'anmen Square, Travel, ventriloquismPosted in Air Travel | Comments Off