Posts Tagged ‘China’
Hotels Near The New Seven Wonders Of The World
Written by MichaelZ on September 2, 2011 – 11:18 am -Back in 2007, Swiss-based company “New7Wonders” took it upon themselves to appoint a New Seven Wonders of the World.They are as follows. Overlooking Rio de Janeiro is the magnificent 130 foot statue of ‘Christ The Redeemer’ which took Paul Landowski nine years to sculpt. The world famous Rio Carnival is a very popular tourist attraction and many book hotels well in advance of February when it occurs.
The fascinating ancient city of Petra in Jordan, is an archaeological gem and attracts thousands of visitors to the area every year. Jordan’s friendly people, cheap hotels and numerous other historical sites keep the tourists flooding back year on year.
Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal, an iconic mausoleum in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died whilst giving birth to their 14th child. It took 21 years to complete and is the largest and most recognisable tourist attraction in India.
The Colosseum, an ancient amphitheatre stands in the middle of Rome and was built in 80 AD. The 50,000 seat Colosseum was used for a variety of things, from gladiator battles and war re-enactments to public executions.
The ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza lies on the stunning Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. The city is thought to date back as far as 400AD and visitors can explore the many temples where human sacrifice was often the order of the day.
The Great Wall of China stretches over an impressive 5,500 miles and began construction in 5BC in an effort to protect the Chinese borders from invasion. Although some sections of the wall are inaccessible and some are undergoing serious reconstruction, the Great Wall remains one of China’s biggest attractions.
Manchu Picchu, the ancient city of the Incas is located at 2430 metres above sea level. It is quite a difficult and arduous site to get to. Cuzco, a nearby city is a busy spot full of tourists from local hotels mingling, prior to leaving on their tours of the surrounding countryside.
Tags: Cheap Hotels, China, hotels, indiaPosted in Air Travel | Comments Off
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