Beijing

Great Wall

"He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man!"The portion of the Great Wall at Badaling reflects its typical majesty.At Badaling, you find a landscape of overlapping mountains providing Beijing’s natural protective screen.Majestic city walls stand at the south and north of the city, extending into the mountains.It is best to visit the Great Wall in the early morning to avoid large numbers of tourist as the day goes on.Experience the fresh air and mist and take in the panoramic view of the rolling, dragon-like mountain ranges as you stand atop the Great Wall.

Address:Near 216 Provincial Highway, North entrance of Guangou Old Road, Jundu Mountain, Yanqing County, Beijing City.

Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven (Tiantan Park) is located at the east of Yongdingmen Inner Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing City.It is China's largest existing ancient buildings for religious ceremonies.The Temple of Heaven is well known for its strict building layout, unique architectural construction and magnificent architectural decoration.It covers a total area of about 2.7 million square meters, with both a unique artistic style and smart use of mechanics, acoustics and geometric principles, highlighting its cultural value.The main buildings stand in the inner altar, with Circular Mound Altar and Imperial Vault of Heaven at the south and the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and Hall of Imperial Zenith at the north, connected by a south-to-north paved path called Danbi Bridge.The inner altar is surrounded by the old verdant cedars in the outer altar, enhancing the majesty and solemnity of the main buildings.

Address:No. 1, Tiantan Jia Road, Dongcheng District, Beijing City.

798 Art Zone

In addition to important historical and cultural artifacts, Beijing has a modern art base called 798 Art Zone, or Dashanzi Art District.798 Art Zone, holding the reputation of the largest and the most sophisticated art district nationwide, is located in the Dashanzi area of Jiuxianqiao Block, Chaoyang District, Beijing city. The district used to be the home of electronic industries and gradually developed into an area with galleries, art centers, artist studios, design companies, restaurants, bars and other venues after transformation by newly arriving artists and cultural institutions.The area balances art and industry with the coexistence of the delicate and rough, forming an international "SOHO-Style Art Settlement" and "Loft Lifestyle" and challenging you with the life and spirit generated.There are always a host of exhibitions and lectures.

Address:798 Art District, No. 2, Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing City.

Beijing, the capital of China, is also a shopping paradise with many shopping malls and brands.The four main districts, Haidian, Chaoyang, Dongcheng and Xicheng, have large business streets, fashionable shopping malls and specialty stores.Dawanglu Road or Sanlitun is your best choice for global brands, Dongwuyuan Clothing Wholesale Market for shopping sprees, several stores in Dazhalan for old Beijing specialties and Panjiayuan Antique Market for antiques.

Sanlitun

Sanlitun Business District is the gathering place of trendsetters.Village, the typical building in Sanlitun, is divided into south and north areas.The brands in south area are basic and accessible, while those in the north area include many major, high-end brands.There are also fashionable boutiques where you can linger awhile.

Address:Sanlitun Road, East Chaoyang District, Beijing City. Take subway line 10 to Tuanjiehu station, leaving from the D southwest exit of the station.

Wangfujing

Wangfujing Street is Beijing's most well-known commercial district, spanning from East Chang'an Avenue in the south to China Art Gallery in the north.Wangfujing offers a great variety of products, such as general merchandise, clothing and shoes, diamonds and jewelry, hardware and electrical materials, and gold and silver ornaments. Known as “Cash Roll” place for having the highest land prices, it has extremely high retail sales.

Address:Dongdan Main Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing City. You can reach it by taking subway line 1 to Wangfujing station.

Beijing is the eighth largest "City of Cuisine" in the world.Its local delicacies are praised by people of all walks of life; selection of ingredients is strict and respects a long history.The representative dishes of Beijing snacks include Douzhi, crunchy candy with bean flour, plum syrup, tea soup, small steamed corn bread, Fuling pancake sandwich, sugar-coated haws on a stick, Lvda Gun (bean flour cake), sausage, quick-fried tripe and stir-fried liver.Authentic Beijing snacks are available in Qianmen, Wangfujing, Gokoku Temple and Niujie Street.

Stir-fried liver

Stir-fried liver is the traditional snack of the Han people in Beijing.It is cooked after thickening with starch. The main materials are pig liver and intestines, and others, such as garlic, are added.Featured by a garnet-red and shiny soup, fragrant liver and fatly intestines, the dish tastes rich but not oily.

Recommended restaurant:Yao’s Stir-fried Liver Restaurant

Address:No. 311, Gulou East Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing City.

Noodles with soybean sauce

Noodles with soybean sauce consists of side dishes and noodles with fried bean sauce; it is very common in Beijing.Chopped or cooked cucumbers, Chinese toon, bean sprouts and soybeans are prepared for side dishes.Now cook the fried bean sauce. Diced meat, green Chinese onions and ginger are fried in oil. Then, fry together yellow soybean paste and sweet soybean sauce in a pot.Remove the cooked noodles and cover with the sauce. The dish is ready after the noodles are mixed with the side dishes.

Recommended restaurant:Yiwanju old Beijing noodles with fried soybean sauce

Address:No. 24-1, Pufang Road, Fengtai District, Beijing City.

Peking duck

Peking duck, roasted in a fruit charcoal fire, is a popular dish in Beijing and has a great reputation worldwide. The dish is made using the superb meat of the Peking duck, bright red and fatty but not oily, with tender meat and crispy skin.

Recommended restaurant:Quanjude

Address:100 meters from the north end of Qianmen Pedestrian Street, No. 32, Qianmen Street.

Train

There are four train stations in Beijing:Beijing West Railway Station, Beijing Railway Station, Beijing South Railway Station, Beijing North Railway Station (Xizhimen Station).Beijing Railway Station and Beijing West Railway Station, located in Beijing’s urban area, are the principal stations of the national railway, with trains arriving from all parts of the country.Beijing South Railway Station, the most modern train station in Beijing, serves as the departure and terminal stations of Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway and Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail. The flourishing Xizhimen Commercial District stands at the exit of the station.Beijing North Railway Station (Xizhimen Station), designed and built by Zhan Tianyou, focuses on transporting tourists traveling to Badaling, Kangxi Grassland and other sites. There are over 10 trains for Badaling every day. The ticket price is 7 yuan, and the trip takes about one hour.

Currency:RMB (CNY)

Electricity: 220 V / 50 Hz

Country and area code:+86-010

Climate

Beijing is located at the edge of the North China Plain and has an annual average temperature of 11.8℃.January is the coldest with an average temperature of -4.6℃.July is the hottest with an average temperature of 26.1℃.The annual average rainfall is about 483.9 mm.Beijing is perfect for tourism in all seasons, with varied landscapes depending on the season.Autumn is the most beautiful season of the year, with fresh air and pleasant weather, especially during the period from late October to early November when the entire land is covered by red leaves. The famous Xiangshan “Red Leaf Festival” takes place in this period.