Things to do in Beijing: 六月 2013

2013年6月26日星期三

Top 10 Fmous Snacks in Beijing

Filled sausage （灌肠）

Fried beef tripe （爆肚）

Fried wheaten pancake with fillings （褡裢火烧）

Mung bean milk （豆汁)

Rolling donkey （驴打滚）

Steamed rice cakes with sweet stuffing （艾窝窝）

Stewed pork liver （炒肝）

Stir-fried starch knots （炒疙瘩）

Sweet ears （糖耳朵）

Wheaten cake boiled in meat broth （卤煮火烧）

2013年6月23日星期日

Top 10 Tourist Attractions & Things to Do in Beijing

If you understand a little bit about Beijing, you would not puzzle what to do during Beijing tour. Here I am so glad to tell you what most tourists do in Beijing.

Explore Hutong

Hutong presents a window into a traditional way of life intertwined with the old architecture and maze of narrow streets. It is not only the most represent the old life of Beijing but also a unique gem of Chinese culture.

Both from the historical and the personal perspective, Beijing Hutong is understandably attracting more and more overseas visitors.

See Breathtaking Performance- Peking Opera

Contains the soul of Chinese national culture, Peking Opera is a national treasure with a history of over 200 years and it has a deep influence in China.. Its unique charm inspires deep feelings in Chinese people.

Beijing Opera uses a combination of stylized actions like singing, dancing, dialogue and acrobatic fighting to tell a story or present different characters and their happiness, anger, sorrow, surprise, fear and sadness.

Taste Beijing Roast Duck

Has been prepared since the Yuan Dynasty, Beijing Roast Duck is now considered as one of China's national foods.

I do know whether you heard of a saying like this" there are two things you must do in Beijing, to eat the Beijing Roast duck and to see the ten thousands miles long Great wall." As a famous duck dish, Beijing Roast Duck is prized for the thin, crispy skin, with authentic versions of the dish serving mostly the skin and a little meat, sliced in front of the diners by the cook. So Beijing Roast Duck you'd better have a try during your Beijing tour.

Enjoy Local Snacks

With strong local flavors, the snacks in Beijing are as numerous as they are tasty. Beijing has a time-honored history of producing various kinds of snacks.

From porridge to stuffed sausage, you will undoubtedly find several of your own personal favorites as you eat your way through some famous snack street or famous snack restaurants.

Walk through Panjiayuan Market

Panjiayuan Market is the largest antiques market among its kind both in China and Asia. It is really a market for everybody to come, even Hilary Clinton has shopped here.

All kinds of souvenirs are available for sale, including paintings, calligraphy, ceramics, jade, furniture, coins, army surplus, "cultural revolution" memorabilia, Buddhist artifacts and much, much more.

So which one do you want to have a try during your Beijing tours, or all of them?

2013年6月19日星期三

Top 10 Things to do in Beijing

For centuries, the city's hulking official buildings served as reminders of the awesome power of the imperial state. That didn't change much when the Communist government took over in 1949. Then, with the reform and opening of China, which began some three decades ago, the new elite — corporate chieftains and their bureaucratic allies — began erecting capitalist monoliths to showcase their newfound wealth and influence. There's a lot of architectural swagger in Beijing, but between and behind it there's also a lot for the tourist to enjoy.
At the physical and metaphorical center of Beijing is the Forbidden City, the vast palace complex of former emperors that is now one of the greatest museums in the world. From here, most of the city's other major sites — except, of course, the Great Wall — are within a radius of a mile or two.

1. Emperor Hotel Bar

The boutique Emperor Hotel is perched just opposite the east gate of the massive Forbidden City palace complex. Trendy and airy, the 55-room hotel has many charms. But best of all for the weary traveler is its rooftop bar, Yin. Built on an ascending series of platforms, the bar has the best view in town hands-down. Having a drink here at dusk as you gaze over the swooping tiled roofs of the vast former residence of the Emperor is magical. A word of warning, though: Presumably in the spirit of adding Chinese authenticity, many of the house cocktails are made with the notoriously potent Chinese rice liquor baijiu. Avoid those.

1. Emperor Hotel
33 Qihelou Street, Beijing, China 100006; 86-(0)10-6526-5566
2. Yin, Emperor Hotel Rooftop
33 Qihelou Street, Dongcheng, Beijing, China 100006; 86-(0)10-6526-5566

2. Shichahai Lakes

Everybody visits the Forbidden City, of course, but a stroll around the adjoining lakes, which used to be part of the emperors' vast pleasure gardens is a wonderful complement. Don't pass up renting a rowboat and taking a float around Beihai (or North Lake) Park, while contemplating the huge white Buddhist stupa built in 1271 by Kublai Khan. The three lakes — Qianhai (Front Lake), Houhai (Rear Lake) and Xihai (West Lake) — north of Beihai and about a mile north of the Forbidden City are known collectively as Shichahai and are ringed by restaurants and bars. Try the wildly popular cuisine of the Hakka minority group at Han Cang on the Shichahai East Bank.

1. Forbidden City
Palace Museum, Beijing
2. Beihai (North Lake) Park
Beijing, China; 86-(0)10-6407-1415
3. Han Cang
Shichahai East Bank, Opposite north gate of Beihai Park, Beijing, China; 86-(0)10-6404-2259

3. Hutongs

After a stop for refreshment in Shichahai, head east on Guloudajie Road into one of Beijing's few remaining hutong neighborhoods, with narrow alleys and single story traditional courtyard houses. Hutongs once dominated the city, but in recent years many have been leveled in the name of modernization. Trishaw drivers hang around offering tours, but a better and cheaper (not to mention healthier) bet is to rent your own bike and get pleasantly lost in the back lanes around the Drum and Bell towers. It's not hard to find one of numerous small bicycle shops nearby. Alternatively, look for one of 20 stands dotted around the city, run by the Beijing Bike Rental Company, which rents bikes by the hour, the day or longer.
1. Drum Tower and Bell Tower
Gulou Xidajie, Dongcheng, Beijing, China

4. Nanluoguxiang

If you're keen on retail therapy, one must-see hutong is Nanluoguxiang in the Gulou, or Drum and Bell Tower, district, which has several kilometers of shops, galleries and cafés that range from the chic to the kitschy. You'll find lots of cool T-shirts here (Plastered has a good line) featuring tricked-out images of everything from Mao Zedong to garden gnomes. Fun.

1. Plastered T-Shirts
61 Nanluoguxiang, Beijing, China 100009; 86-(0)134-8884-8855

5. Dali Courtyard Restaurant

Recharge from shopping in Nanluoguxiang at nearby Dali Courtyard Restaurant, a beautifully restored, laid-back place — it's not gussied up to a fake plastic sheen — that specializes in the food of the southern province of Yunnan. Influenced by the dishes of its Southeast Asian neighbors, Burma and Vietnam, Yunnan cuisine is light and sophisticated, and makes good use of the region's abundant mushrooms and unusual herbs. There is no menu at Dali. Diners enjoy price-fixed courses between US $15 and $40, made from whatever the chef found freshest in the market that day. The place is a little tricky to find. Your taxi will drop you at the mouth of the alley; walk straight down about 150 yards and look to your left for a red lantern down an even smaller alley.

1. Dali Courtyard Restaurant
67 Xiaojingchang Hutong, Beijing, China; 86-(0)10-8404-2030

Resource: http://www.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,31489,1850076_1850078_1849814,00.html#ixzz2WjABAmNW

2013年6月17日星期一

Top 10 You Must-see Place in Beijing

If you have visited most famous historical sightseeing in Beijing, then this time we will take you to visit some modern buildings during your Beijing travel. 2 carefully designed Beijing tours listed below for your reference.

National Center of Performing Arts

Located in the heart of Beijing, National Center of Performing Arts covers an area of 217.5 million square meters. The main construction is the unique shell shape with 46.68 meters high and the only one of its shape in Asia.

National Center of Performing Arts looks like an egg floating on water from the air. And it was designed as an iconic feature, something that would be immediately recognizable.

New CCTV Tower

As one of the modern wonders of Beijing, the new CCTV Tower is a skyscraper in the Beijing Central Business District after its building finishing in 2009. It stands at 234 meters tall and has 54 floors .And the new CCTV site construction project mainly consists of the Main Building, the TV Cultural Center and auxiliary comprehensive facilities.

Experts believed this design would not only establish and iconic image representing CCTV, but also open a new page in Chinese architecture.

CBD

With an area of 3.99 square kilometers, CBD is home to around 3,000 domestic and foreign companies. CBD provides an excellent investment environment, convenient transportation, and a high-speed telecommunication system. CBD has become a symbol of modern Beijing.

National Grand Theater

Also known as The Egg, National Grand Theater is an opera house in Beijing.

Xidan Commercial Street

With a history that can date back to the Ming Dynasty, Xidan Commercial Street is well known

for commerce, entertainment, dinning and finance etc.

Beijing Financial Street

The Beijing Financial Street has a lot of financial institutions like Head office of China Construction Bank, Bank of China, and other big banks in China.

China Millennium Monument

China Millennium Monument is an embodiment of China's splendid national culture and its ancient civilization.

National Stadium

With a floor space of 258,000 sq meters, National Stadium is the main stadium for the 2008 Olympic Games. It is often dubbed the "bird's nest" because of its featuring grid formation.

Wangfujing Street

Blend of international shops and narrow alleys of stalls, Wangfujing Street is the trendy shopping district in Beijing.

Wish this Beijing travel will bring you to realize the very different Beijing.