Wistful of Jinshanling Great Wall Tour

The wall is situated on the Big and Small Jinshanling, hence its name. Based on huge stone bars, the Wall was then made by huge bricks, each of which weighed about 12 kilograms (26 pounds). It has five main passes and 67 watchtowers. Every 100 meters (328 feet), there is an enemy tower each of which is about ten meters

(33 feet) high. Featuring various structures and having various functions, those watchtowers are either one tiered or two-tiered. On the first floor there are some windows for shooting arrows. The roofs of the towers are many and varied, flat, arched, quadrangular or octagonal. Some are used to store weapons and hay. Others are used as soldiers' bedrooms. Among them, the most celebrated are the Big and Small Jinshan Watchtowers.
Jinshanling Great Wall, Beijing
Jinshanling Great Wall, BeijingThe big Jinshan Watchtower has two tiers which are connected by stone stairs. On the top of the tower is a small room used as the soldiers' retiring room. This small room has a unique structure. The rafters and eaves of the room are all made from polished bricks. The Small Jinshan Watchtower was constructed by soldiers from Zhejiang and Jiangsu Provinces led by Qi Jiguang, a famous general in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). To remind themselves of their hometowns, the tower was named Jinshan which was a pavilion's name in the Jiangxin Island in Zhanjiang.

China National Silk Museum

China National Silk Museum is the first state-level professional silk museum in the country as well as the biggest of its kind throughout the world. It opened to the public in 1992 and since 2004 people can visit it for free.
The museum owns eight exhibition halls, including: the Preface Hall, Relics Hall, Folk-custom Hall, Dyeing and Weaving Hall and Modern Achievements Hall.

The Preface Hall introduces the 5000-year-long history of Chinese silk culture. China is the earliest country that engaged in sericulture, filature and making clothes with silk. This hall provides strong evidence for this fact and shows the history of the Silk Road through which silk was spread abroad.
Relics Hall presents several preserved relics, which cover almost every dynasty of ancient China, and a number of pictures to explain Chinese traditional silk culture. These relics are from various districts of the country, including those excavated along the Silk Road, on the grassland of Northern region of the country, and in the south region. It should be mentioned that tourists can appreciate a piece of fragmentary brocade that dates back 5,630 years. That is the earliest silk that has ever been discovered.
Folk-custom Hall displays some prominent products created by outstanding weavers. Dyeing and Weaving Hall tells people how to dye and weave silk and the scientific theory of it. There are also weavers showing the whole process. Tourists are welcome to participate in the activity and do it themselves. Modern Achievements Hall displays the new achievements in silk production, silk research and silk trade and so on.

Life in Beijing Eating is The First So Try Baikui Laohao

Baikui Laohao is one of the most famous Muslim restaurants in Beijing offering roast mutton. In 1780 (the 45th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign) it was set up by a Muslim named Baikui in a small alley opposite Longfusi Temple, Dongcheng District. Roast mutton of Baikui Laohao has well-chosen materials, delicate processes, unique cooking methods and a marvelous flavor.

The mutton used is from a specific part of the sheep with appropriate muscle and fat and is roasted to perfection. Dozens of seasonings such as cloves, mushrooms and a chosen soy sauce and sugar are mixed in proper proportions. Cooked in several processes such as a dipping in broth, pressing, stacking, braising in broth and frying, the braised mutton has a mellow taste and color, is tender and delicious and the unpleasant smell of the mutton is gone.
After the founding of the PRC, Baikui Laohao Restaurant extended its business space on the original location and increased the food variety to include mutton in soy sauce, beef and mutton entrails in soy sauce and chicken in soy sauce. It has developed into to a grand Muslim restaurant offering Muslim food and banquet service.Featured dishes: Braised Mutton in a Pot, Deep-Fried Mutton, Stewed Mutton in Slices, Braised Mutton Maw, Sliced Mutton Maw Soup, Braised Mutton Head and Roast Pigeon.

English Signs Help You Get Around Beijing

Many people fear traveling overseas where signs and instructions are not in their native language. We native English speakers have a great advantage because most countries post signs in English. However, the English translations are not always clear enough to be understood, and many places have no English at all.
Until recent years, getting around China was not easy for international travelers who couldn't read Chinese. Just before the 2008 Olympics, Beijing made a great leap forward in the improvement of English signs and instructions. You'll still see some signs, like the one below, that will make you laugh and leave you

confused. In the past these hilarious translations were everywhere, but today most of Beijing's English signs are easy to understand even if you haven't been around long enough to get used to reading "Chinglish."
Today you can easily go almost anywhere in Beijing, guided by English signs and directions. Though some private businesses and a few government agencies still lack professional translation help, most of the English signs you see in Beijing are clear enough to point you in the direction you need to go. The sign below, for example, displays the price for a river boat ride from Xizhimen to the Summer Palace. The English translation is correct and explicable, making it easy for anyone from an English speaking country to understand the cost of a ride.
Some places are better than others at displaying readable English. The airport, subways, public busses and four and five star hotels have reasonably normal English. But if you stay in cheaper hotels or shop in small grocery stores you can expect to see signs and package labels displaying pretty strange English. Regardless of the translation quality, we must give the Chinese credit for an extraordinary effort to accommodate English speaking guests.  Back home very few venues care enough to display signs in Chinese.
It's the irony of English speakers traveling anywhere in the world. We make jokes about hilariously mistaken English. We complain when things aren't explained clearly in English. And we look down our long noses at establishments we think are unsophisticated because they can't perfectly imitate the English we're used to seeing and hearing in our own countries. However, back home very little, if any, effort is made to accommodate non-English speaking Chinese. At home and abroad we seem to think everyone in the world ought to speak and write English.
Chinese are among the most hospitable and forgiving people in the world. If we say so much as "nihao" (Chinese for "hello") they applaud our effort. Although many visitors refuse to learn Chinese, local people try hard to communicate with us in English. So, when someone in Beijing speaks to us with broken English, or when a few "Chinglish" signs make us laugh, we must remind ourselves that the English we hear and see here is far superior to the Chinese back home.
If I spot a sign with bad English in a little shop, I can still say, "Thank God for the excellent English signs that helped me get here in the first place." An English speaking person at the front desk pointed me in the direction of the nearest subway station, where I found clearly translated English signs. A website or other advertisement told me which station to get off at and where to walk from there. Excellent English is one of Beijing's features that makes it a convenient and welcoming city for people from all over the world to enjoy!

Tianjian a City of Taste and Joy China Landscapes

By high-speed train, it takes only 32 minutes to reach Tianjin from Beijing. The large coastal city in North China is endowed with a rich historical and cultural legacy. Tianjin also has abundant natural scenery, including mountains, rivers, lakes and wetlands, making it an ideal place for travel.

To capitalize on these assets, the city has rolled out six themed tours in an effort to transform itself into an international tourist destination and a base for the travel equipment industry.
Culture &history tour
Tianjin was one of first points of contact between China and the West and it was home to various Western-styled buildings after it became a trading port in 1860.
Early German-styled residential buildings, among the only ones left in Asia, sit on Jiefang South Road. The Italian district has a history of more than 100 years and is one of the largest and best preserved of all in Asia.
Tourists are strongly recommended to visit Wudadao, the famous Five Big Avenues area, which comprises 23 streets in total, hosting approximately 2,000 villas in various styles. It is widely known as a showcase for international architecture.
In fact, there is a story behind every Western building in Tianjin, and together they form an abundant cultural resource for the tourism industry.
City tour
Tianjin has been an industrial and commercial center for much of modern history. The Tianjin Museum and Tianjin Natural History Museum, for example, are ideal places to catch glimpses of the city's heritage.
Its financial, shoe and wine museums help demonstrate the industrial development. The Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao Monument and Jintang Bridge are popular places for "Red tourism," which
refers to sites that house important landmarks in China's revolutionary history.
Tianjin also has time-honored food streets and European-styled shopping streets. The Tianjin Culture Center is by far the largest public facility for cultural and leisure activities.
It covers a total floor area of 900,000 square meters and consists of museums, art galleries, libraries, theaters, and shopping malls.

Northern Church

The Xishiku Catholic Church, also called Xishiku Church (or Salvador Church, meaning Christ Church), is located west of Zhongnanhai, at Canchikou and west of the Ziguang Pavilion, so it is also called the Canchikou Church. The sanctuary was later moved to Xishiku Street as the Catholic North Church.
The Xishiku Church is now the largest Catholic Church in Beijing and the
Beijing Cardinal Bishop's office is also located here. The style of the building is in typical Gothic style and it is famous for its grand architecture. Originally, it was land bestowed by Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty who also hand-wrote the calligraphic plaque and couplets for the building. Two pavilions with green glazed tile roofs were built on each side in front of the church with stone columns and stone lions surrounding and guarding the place of worship resulting in the architectural style of Chinese gardens.
Built in 1890 by a French mission, the church was formerly the centre of a great complex of schools, orphanages and hospitals. The building has a tall, wide nave with side aisles, octagonal transepts and a huge sanctuary. There are many chandeliers and large, painted Stations of the Cross, antique stained glass and the remains of old wall decorations.

Huguang Guild Hall

Founded by Beijing residents coming from Hunan and Hubei Provinces, Huguang Guild Hall provides a place for lodging and gathering of fellow townsmen. It has a history of over 190 years traced back to 1807 when investments were gathering for its foundation. At that time, its premier role was to host students who came to Beijing to attend the Royal Exam and officials who were waiting for their

nomination. Located at the commercial area in the south of Xuanwu District, it had convenient traffic and was thus selected to host weddings and banquets. It was one of centers of political and social life in the Late Qing Dynasty, where authoritative officials and average persons had fun together, dining, chatting and watching Beijing Opera staged by famous actors.
It had been renewed in 1990 and the Grand Theater opened to the public on May 8 1996. Some top actors like Mei Baojiu and Zhang Xuejin attended its debut. From then on, it has been a major stage of Beijing Opera. In 1997, Huguang Guild Hall was opened to the public as a whole and renamed Beijing Museum of Traditional Opera.

The Tiananmen Square's Night Life

The Tiananmen Square lies at the cross-section between the central axis of Beijing. When it was first built in the 15th year of Yongle (1417), it was called Chengtian Gate. It was twice destroyed in the Ming Dynasty, once by lightening, once by war. In 1651, or the 8th year of Emperor Shunzhi's reign in the Qing Dynasty, the Emperor named Fulin had it rebuilt on a large scale and changed its name to Tiananmen. Imposing and magnificent, it stands out among ancient city gates in China.

Tiananmen was the place for important ceremonies during the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty, when imperial edicts were issued for coronation of emperors or the conferring of the title of empress. Tiananmen has witnessed many important events in China's modern history.
Tiananmen Square was formerly a courtyard in front of the main gate to the Forbidden City. At that time it measured about 110,000 square meters. Since the fall of the feudal system, and especially since the foundation of the People's Republic, it has been renovated and expanded many times. Now the square, at 880 meters long and 500 meters wide, measuring 440,000 square meters. To its east is the National Museum; to its west, the Great Hall of the People. In the middle of it stands the Monument to People's Heroes, to the south of which is Chairman Mao's Memorial Hall. The national flag ceremony held in the square every day stirs strong patriotic feelings in the bosom of everyone who loves New China. Now, in this new age of reform and opening, the age-old Tiananmen, as a witness of the past and present of China's civilization, with its unrivaled political significance, attracts tourists from all over the world.  

Visit Beijing You Should Visit Eighteen Ponds

Eighteen Ponds lie within the borders of Anjiazhuang of Wangping Town in Mentougou District, and features deep valley, unique stones, special streams and uncommon flowers as one of rare natural scenic spots in North China.

The pools group is backed by the Qingshuijian which is one of top 4 peaks in Beijing. There are roaring streams along peaks over peaks, waterfalls down from each cliff, ravines forming pools in the valley, forming a famous the natural landscape of "three-waterfall, six-scene and Eighteen Ponds" with distinct seasons. While, another scenery is revealed at the mouth of the valley: two door-like mountains overlooking the valley, zigzagging peaks, peculiar cliffs and stones, flying spring hitting against cliffs. There are also a great amount of birds, animals and flowers.

The Great Wall Heritage Sites

The Great Wall is an ancient defense project with the longest building time and thelargest amount of

work in the world. Since the 7th or 8th century B.C., the Great Wallhad been built for more than 2,000 years, and it is mainly distributed in northern andcentral China, with a total length of more than 5,000 kilometers. Therefore, the GreatWall has a construction history of more than 2,000 years and covers a large area ofland. Such a huge project is the only one of its kind in China, and even the whole world.Therefore, it had been listed as one of the seven wonders, including the RomanColiseum and the Leaning Tower of Pisa from the Middle Ages.

The Great Wall In China

The Great Wall is an ancient defense project with the longest building time and the largest amount of work in

the world. Since the 7th or 8th century B.C., the Great Wall had been built for more than 2,000 years, and it is mainly distributed in northern and central China, with a total length of more than 5,000 kilometers. Therefore, the Great Wall has a construction history of more than 2,000 years and covers a large area of land. Such a huge project is the only one of its kind in China, and even the whole world. Therefore, it had been listed as one of the seven wonders, including the Roman Coliseum and the Leaning Tower of Pisa from the Middle Ages.

Travel in Beijing - Walking along Qianmen Commercial Street

Hello,everyone. Today Let me take you travelling in Beijing , the first destionation is Qianmen Commercial Street. Qianmen, in mouth of people, includes Zhengyang Gate, Pearl Market and Dashilan area. Qianmen is the most important place on axle wire of Beijing, also is the core area of protection of ancient capital features. In Ming and Qing Dynasties, Qianmen is the necessary road to Temple of Heaven and Altar of the God of Agriculture. Nowadays, Qianmen Street still keeps the style of history.

Panorama View of Qianmen Street

Eating in Qianmen. Walking in Qianmen Street every time, I have a feeling of pass through. Even through Qianmen Street is crowded with tourists and fashion music, the Dashilan is still old and restores ancient ways. In ancient time, Beijing was called as Peking, the Qianmen is the gathering place of cate including many characteristic restaurants. After hundred years, Quan Ju De shapes its own style of cooking including Quan Ju De Roast Duck and 400 dishes, which was loved by the governments, officials and social celebrities. The past Prime Zhou liked to select the Quanya Banquet as the state banquet.

Go shopping in Qianmen. Qianmen Street is the famous business street and old culture street, located at axle wire of Beijing, and starts from Moon Bay in north to Tianqiao Intersection in south. With 570 years history, Qianmen Street is also known as Heaven Street. It is 845 meters totally, is Pedestrian Business Street. Only both sides of Qianmen Street is covers an area of 66,000 square meters, contains about 180 shops. The long history of Qianmen Street shapes the old famous shops such as Liubiju Paste, Tongrentang Drugstore, Ruifuxiang Silk Store, Neiliansheng Shoes shop, etc.

Tramcar in Qianmen Street

Play in Qianmen. The world famous Laoshe Tea House created in 1988, is located at west of Qianmen Street, and close to Tiananmen Square. It is the representative gathering place of tea house culture of old Beijing, national demonstration base of the cultural industry and AAA tourist scenic spot. Here, you can enjoy the original characteristic performances, taste Chinese famous tea, buy top-level tea and eat the imperial characteristic snacks. Especially, you will see many celebrities in night shows. All these featured national art and programs attract travelersdeeply. Laoshe Tea House is called as the window of showing the essence of Chinese culture art and the bridge connects the friendship of home and abroad, and it is the human landmark of Beijing culture.

Qianmen Street is good place to eat, play and go shopping of travelling in  Beijing. Here, you have good chance to appreciate the most characteristics of Beijing.

Resource: http://www.beijinglandscapes.com/beijing-travel-blog/strolling-along-qianmen-street.html

Wandering around Forbidden City

Forbidden City, the supreme power center in 5 centuries of China, becomes the invaluable historical witness of Chinese civilization in Ming and Qing Dynasties. The palaces of Forbidden City were arranged along with the axle wire. This axle wire is not only passes through the Forbidden City, but also the whole city. How grand it is! Around Forbidden City, you will find much more funny places.

 
Donghuamen Night Market

In east of Forbidden City, there is a gate named as Donghua Gate. It is usually used for workers. But at night, it becomes more flourishing just because of Donghuamen Night Market. Various snacks stalls connected as a scenery line, along with the cooking smell, you will find the natural, enthusiasm and simple old amorous feelings of ancient Beijing. No matter what season, you will have chance to taste the local authentic snacks in Donghuamen Night Market. Gathered almost 200 stalls, Donghuamen Night Market has famous and high-quality snacks across the country. Here will give you cool in summer and warm in winter.

Beijing Wangfujing Street

Wangfujing Pedestrian Street is located at east of Tiananmen Square and it is 1,800 meters totally. Today, Wangfujing has been rebuilt to be a flourishing comprehensive business pedestrian street. Rebuilt Wangfujing shapes the structure of golden cross, focus on the crossroads of west exit of Jinyu Hutong, the east street is hotel street, the west is the leisure and snack street, the south street is he flourishing business pedestrian street and the north street is the entertainment and culture street. Wangfujing Street is the gathering place for many famous shops and shopping malls. You can buy anyone you want here without any troubles.

Dongjiaominxiang Hutong

The longest hutong – Dongjiaominxiang, is the embassy area in old Beijing. It is one of the hutongs in Dongcheng District, starts from east road of Tiananmen Square in west to Chongwenmennei Street in east, and total 3 kilometers long. It is the longest hutong of old Beijing. History leaves various western constructions in different styles, and they attract many travelers from home and abroad. The shortest hutong – Yichidajie, is only more than 10 meters, sits at southeast of east exit of Liulichang East Street. From east to west, it is worthy the name of the shortest hutong in Beijing. It has only 6 shops in 10 meters, and it is the epitome of Beijing hutong. Now, this hutong has been merged into Meimeixiejie.

Resource:http://www.beijinglandscapes.com/beijing-travel-blog/wandering-around-forbidden-city.html

Visit Symbol Museums of Beijing in Summer Holiday

Beijing, as the capital of China, owns various kinds of museums. In the summer holidays, take your kids to visit Beijing to increase their knowledge, and the varied museums would not be missed. Xicheng District is the gathering place of museums, everyone have chance to arrange the tour route for kids to enjoy the boundless knowledge in museums.

Paleozoological Museum of China  
Paleozoological Museum of China: know about the changes of life

This museum displays the many paleontological fossils from Cambrian period to the time of 10,000 years ago, the valuable exhibits include the Lufenggosaurus Huenei which is called the First Dragon in China, skeleton of Huanghe River Stegodon and the simulation model of skull of Pekingman. The club held in summer vacation takes students to dig the dinosaur fossil personally to experience the interest of outdoor exploration.
Beijing Planetarium  
Beijing Planetarium: look up at miraculous starry sky

Would you like to step to the ridges of lunar, witness the life of stellar, save the last male tyrannosaurus following the earth science team and see the biological evolution on earth with your eyes? Come to Beijing Planetarium! Beijing Planetarium has four theaters lead you to know the real starry sky, travel in universe, experience the created miracles on sense organs and enjoy the real pictures. The seats of theaters are designed to be the deck chair in order to let you look up at the sky freely.
Beijing Zoo  
Beijing Zoo: learn to be breeder

Everyone had visited zoo, but have you visited the breeding backstage in zoo? In summer holiday, Beijing Zoo holds the summer camp which teaches kids how to be a small breeder. Through various kinds of games and links, to increase the close feeling between kids and animals; through knowing the protective color and mimesis, to let kids to feel the miraculous places of animals; through visiting the breeding rooms, to let kids know the hard woks as breeder and observe in short distance some rare animals.
Capital Museum  
Capital Museum: know about the folk custom

How many hutongs in Beijing? No one knows the specific number, but it is hard to visit all of them in one week. The theme display of Hutong and Courtyard in Beijing in Capital Museum takes you to visit thousand hutongs with long history of 800 years in only one hour. The exhibits of Capital Museum focus on the cultural relics discovered in Beijing local place, show the continuous developing history of Beijing culture, through the old pictures and old things to reappear the vanished folk custom in Beijing. Taking kinds to Capital Museum in summer holiday, through the advanced reservation, you have chance to join in the excellent activities to let kids experience the wonderful Beijing culture.
Let your kids have a special summer holiday, take them to Beijing to visit the museums!

Cycling in Beijing by Bike

Tired of traditional way like bus traveling? With the advantages of healthy, convenient, economical and environmentally friendly, Bike Travel in Beijing is a new theme of travel which becomes more and more popular recently. Bicycling around the city center area is really a good way to taste of the attractive and classic features of the old city with a unique travel style.

Ride through the zigzag and narrow alleys or hutongs to experience old features; Charming night view and tidy Olympic Green will show you the appearance of modern Beijing; are you adventure lovers? Great Wall Bike Tour is suitable for you. You have other good ideas? Our customized Beijing bike tour will be prepared according to your requests!

Related Route

Half Day Private Hutong Tour (Biking Tour) from US$ 41 

Beijing Private Bike Tour: Night View & Night Show from US$ 30 

1 Day Tour: Great Wall Bike Tour from US$ 74

Beijing Customized Bike Tour from US$ 47


Resource: http://www.beijinglandscapes.com/beijing-bike-tour.html

Rediscover the Beauty of Beijing - Hutong

A mention of hutong travel of old Beijing, mounts of people think of the Nanluoguxiang firstly. Seemingly, the Nanluoguxiang has become the pronoun of Beijing travelling hutong. In fact, the Nanluoguxiang, full of local Beijing culture, changed more and more noisy. It is not the Nanluoguxiang in our mind. Nowadays, the hipsters find a new place – Wudaoying Hutong, characteristic with folk culture. Close to Lama Temple, the superior geographic location is called as "Next Stop Nanluo" by these developers.

Wudaoying Travel Hutong in Beijing

More international, more compatibility! Even a small hutong of old Beijing has more tolerance and forgiveness, including the noble culture and the popular literature. Mixed beauty is performed perfectly. Romantic restaurants, leisurely coffee houses and delicate shops, all gathered at Wudaoying Hutong. As the background, the sihe courtyards and residences recount their stories. Perhaps, you could meet the aunt with flip flops to buy the breakfast, and you could also meet the fashion young in modern clothes. The foreigners ride across these hutongs, kids play the sands, if you are lucky enough, you have chance to enjoy the shouts of street vendors. This is Wudaoying Hutong, a creative cultural folk custom hutong.
Walking around this hutong, you could find many characteristic shops. From the decorations and characters of these shops, you could distinguish the obvious style of their owners.

Teahouse in Wudaoying Beijing Hutong Tour

The Yard, located at NO. 55 in Wudaoying Hutong, is a tea house. Owing to its location, his logo is the other style of 55. With small frontispiece, this tea house has another feeling in the courtyard. A fruiter sitting in the yard, no matter have seat under the tree or the terrace of second floor, you can enjoy the quiet and unique style easily. I hope the owner could raise more cats, sleeping under the big tree. Next time, I must save much money enough to have a seat in second floor, talk the life and taste tea.

The Save As, take you to aftertaste the old times, was closed when I get there. Through window, I looked the old ceiling fan, white and black TV come from long time ago, enamel washbasin, etc. Full of the old style goods, describe the painting of home when we were young in perfect order. Memory should be recorded by these little things specifically. Though the digital camera, DV and computer have been popularized in every home, and make our records more and more convenient, make the memory becomes more and more unreliable. Just like the slogan out of shop door: No records, no happen.
Give you chance to wake up your memory, Wudaoying Hutong just sits there!

Resource:http://www.beijinglandscapes.com/beijing-travel-blog/beijing-hutong-discovery.html

Travel in Beijing - Must to See Places in Beijing

Beihai Park (winter palace) 北海公园

Great Wall 长城

 Hutong 胡同

Summer Palace (颐和园）

Tiananmen Square 天安门广场

Forbidden City 故宫博物院

Temple of Heaven 天坛

Ming Tombs 明十三陵

Beijing Capital Museum 首都博物馆
 

Lama Temple 雍和宫

Tips Must to Know Before Traveling to Beijing

As the capital of China, Beijing is the center of culture, political, economic hub. Beijing is a pretty safe place, and you can enjoy a pleasant and secure time here. Here I would like to list top tips in order to make your Beijing travel more convenient. 

Visa

For those who desire to travel to Beijing for sightseeing, tourists should obtain a tourist visa from Chinese Embassy or Consulate in your home country. It is more convenient for tourists booked through Chinese travel agencies to get group visas for their travel to China.

Climate and Clothing

In Beijing, four seasons are distinctly recognizable. Autumn is the best time to travel in Beijing, with mild temperature and the sun is out a lot. The temperature in spring is nice, too, but it is very dry and winds whip sand around the city.

In autumn, jeans and a sweater are usually enough. In the warmer months, T-shirts and light pants or shorts are the best bet. In the colder months, it is wise to dress in layers; long underwear and jeans, shirt, sweater and down jacket.

Foreign exchange

On entering, there are no restrictions are imposed on the amount of foreign currency, traveler checks, and credit cards. However, non-residents carrying more than 5,000 US dollars in cash should declare to the Customs the Customs shall permit foreign exchange to be carried out based on the declarations or on relevant regulations issued by the National Administration of Exchange Control.

Accommodations

Tourists need to show their passports and fill out a temporary residence form when checking into a hotel. Beijing hostels are the best way to go for budget lodging in Beijing. Ask to see a hostel room before you pay and choose a dorm for the cheapest Beijing lodging. Expect to pay US$ 8 - 15 for a Beijing hostel bunk.

Beijing Transportation

Transportation is very important for the tourist in Beijing, and you could rent a car. Except the car rental, there are some other vehicle methods such as Taxi, Subway, Bus, etc.

If you have any question for your Beijing travel, please contact us.

Top 10 Things to Do in Beijing ( 1 )

With a history of over 3000 years and a capital history of more than 850 years, Beijing is a famous historical and cultural city in the world and one of the four ancient Chinese capitals. Here we list top 10 things to do in Beijing. 

Emperor Hotel Bar

Perched opposite the east gate of the massive Forbidden City, the boutique Emperor Hotel is trendy and airy and 55 rooms in this hotel is charming. But the most attractive for the tired traveler is its rooftop bar, Yin.

Built on an ascending series of platforms, the bar has the best view in town hands-down. Tourists can gaze over the swooping tiled roofs of the majestic former residence of the Emperor while having a drink. 

Shichahai Lake

Regarded as the most beautiful place in old Beijing, Shichahai Lake was used to be part of the emperor's vast pleasure gardens. Three lakes: Qianhai, Houhai and Xihai- north of Beihai and about a mile north of the Forbidden City are known collectively as Shichahai and are ringed by restaurants and bars.

After visiting Forbidden City, a stroll around the adjoining lakes is a wonderful complement. The natural scenery of Shichahai is very eye-catching, tourists should not pass up renting a rowboat and taking a float around Beihai Park while contemplating the huge white Buddhist stupa.

Besides, fashionable bar street along the riverside unfolds another face of the place, showing its determination to catch up with the pace of the modem world.

Hutongs

Foreign visitors could head to one of Beijing's few remaining Hutong neighborhoods, with narrow alleys and single story traditional courtyard houses.

In ancient China, Hutong dominated the city. Standing closely to each other, the courtyard houses are arranged in rows with paths separate between the adjacent rows called as Hutongs.

"Siheyuan" style residences and the "Hutongs" that linked them were unique to old Beijing. However, Beijing Hutongs have been demolished to make way for building high rises.

Nanluoguxiang

For those who are keen on retail therapy, Nanluoguxiang is a big hit for them. Mix of history, fashion and shops, Nanluoguxiang is one of the most famous Hutong districts in Beijing.

In addition, Nanluoguxiang has several kilometers of shops, galleries and cafés that range from the chic to the kitschy.

Dali Courtyard Restaurant

Tourists can recharge from shopping in Nanluoguxiang at nearby Dali Courtyard Restaurant. Specializing in the subtle flavors of the cuisine of Yunnan province together with the beautiful setting make it one of Beijing's more romantic places to eat.

Such interesting things deserve to do during your Beijing tour.