What Hot Tourism In China

Commuting around a big city, you may get lost in the bustling crowds or the sky-high buildings. But if you stop for a moment and take a look around, you may still be able to find some quiet places with old phoenix trees, crusted glazed tiles and skilled craftsmen. Then you can be taken back in time to the old days. Beijing Shishahai When you think of Shishahai, the first thing that comes to mind is Gongwangfu. As the biggest siheyuan (traditional courtyard house) in the world, Gongwangfu was once the residence for the royal children during the Qing dynasty. So it is not difficult to imagine how grand and gorgeous this place is. Touring this old house, you may also feel you have become a member of this big family. Shishahai is also a cozy place to wander around. There are many old lanes in which people can walk without worrying about the busy traffic. If you feel tired you also can call for a tricycle to take you for a tour. Another place worth checking out is Yandai Sideling Avenue. Th...

Qianmen Street, near Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, is seen on April 25, 2007. The street has been closed for a refit to restore the traditional architectures and lifestyles of old Beijing. A bulldozer works in front of an old restaurant on Qianmen Street, near Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, which has been closed for a refit restoring the traditional architectures and lifestyles of old Beijing. Qianmen Street, near Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, is seen on April 25, 2007. The street has been closed for a refit to restore the traditional architectures and lifestyles of old Beijing.

Beijing is a city of fifteen million and rapidly growing, but that alone does not explain its thriving visual arts scene: of the sheer number and diversity of artists currently working here. And where better to start than a look at Beijng’s 798 Art District? It’s an art scene on the move, and this is just one of a number of its lanes. It was just by chance that this modish pair flashed by as I was focusing on this sign, although I did react quickly! 798’s scale is better represented by this map. It’s located on what, a few years back, was Beijing’s eastern periphery: then a moribund factory area in the Dashanzi area and “798” refers to the designation of the original Bauhaus factory that became the first of the many galleries that have sprung up-40% in the last year alone. The almost completed subway line 10 will further increase the momentum-though not perhaps of the zone! There is so much to see here-and even newer art zones- that this is but the first of a series of articles. Enviro...

Now is the time to act if you want to be one of the lucky ones to witness the opening of the Olympics at China National Stadium on the evening of August 8, 2008. The first phase of ticket reservation for the Beijing Olympics started on April 15. More than 7 million tickets were opened for sale to the public, 75 percent of which will be sold in China, and 25 percent overseas. It was reported that on that first day, more than 50,000 people submitted ordering forms successfully on the official website www.tickets.beijing2008.cn, placing orders for 250,000 tickets. The website received 18 million person/time visits in two days. Luckily, everybody is likely to have the same chance to the most popular tickets if applying before the first phase ends on June 30, 2007. A computer-operated draw will determine who gets tickets for oversubscribed events. So you still have two months' time to get a chance to enter the draw. And who knows, maybe you can get your tickets directly if the ones yo...

A proud father carries his wide-eyed son up the steeply stepped Great Wall near Beijing. After all, with a total length of 35,000 miles the Great Wall(s) can fairly be said to be the greatest feat of engineering in the world. Much of it has been reconstructed and without this section’s recently installed railings it would be even more daunting. The fascinating Discovery Channel doco “Secrets of the Great Wall” identifies four distinct walls that traverse both deserts and mountains. Much of this has been damaged and remains under threat. A devoted few like Cheng Dalin continue to pore over ancient texts to unlock such discoveries as an earlier forgotten wall. William Lindesay is another. (See “The Great Wall Revisited” China Pictorial 3/2007) Wall building is a fundamental feature of China and the Chinese have long surrounded their homes and cities with protective walls. Indeed, the Chinese written character for “wall” is also that for “city”. But the challenge of walling off such a hug...