Beijing Introduction
Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, is the center of the nation's politics, culture and international exchanges and a modem metropolis full of vitality. The world's earliest record of Beijing came from the travel notes by Marco Polo, the young Italian traveler in the 13thcentury. His description of people's civilized and well to do life in Beijing and his admiration for the beauty of the beauty of the city has for hundreds of years attracted the reverie of numerous people about this ancient capital of civilization in the East.
Some 600,000 years ago, Peking Man, man's forefathers lived at Zhoukoudian, 48 kilometers southwest of Beijing. The history of Beijing as a city may be traced back to about 3000 years ago when a small town appeared on the present site of southwestern Beijing. It was named Ji and then changed to Yan. At the beginning of the 10thcentury, it was the second capital of the Liao Dynasty. From then on, the city had been the capital of the Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties until 1911. A long history has left numerous famous historical sites which possess great aesthetic and cultural valleys. The Great Wall. A huge project begun more than 2000 years ago, meanders through mountains and valleys for hundreds of kilometers in the region of Beijing. On the Shijing Mountains, there are more than 340 volumes of 15000 stone tablets carved with Buddhist scriptures. The Big Yongle Bell cast at one go with over 23000 characters on it Weighs 46.5 tons and shows exquisite casting technology of ancient China. The Forbidden City, the largest ancient architectural complex extant today, is splendid crystallization of ancient Chinese architectural art. Walking in the city, one may find many places where many historical events took place, every day, hundreds of thousands of people, domestic and foreign, come to Beijing to visit its grand palaces and graceful gardens and to enjoy its marvelous art.
Beijing is situated at 40 degrees north latitude and 116 degrees of longitudes. It is 43 meters above sea level and 183 kilometers from the sea. Beijing covers an area of 16,800 square kilometers, 38% of it is flat land and 62% mountains.
Beijing has a continental climate. Annual rainfall averages nearly 700 millimeters, most of it comes in July and August. Winter is dry and has little snow. The frost -free period is 185 days. the best time to visit Beijing is May, September and October, when people enjoy bright sunny day.
Beijing has a population of 10.855 million; about 5 million live in the city proper and the rest on the outskirts. It is divided into 12 districts and 6 counties.
Through more than 40 years of construction, Beijing has changed from a consumer-city to a major city with various industries. Beijing ranks second among the top 50 cities in China in terms of comprehensive power, and is the first among the 40 best cities in China in terms of investment enviroment.
With China's reform and opening up, Beijing is improving urban construction on an unprecedented scale. Its speed of development is astonishing and it brings about changes day by day. Around this graceful ancient capital, a large number of key national projects, massive infrastructure buildings and modem residential houses have sprung up. Wasteland and low, dilapidated houses are gradually disappearing, replaced by newly-built residential quarters of different styles and surrounded by greenbelts. Wide and smooth highways, magnificent overpasses and expressways link Beijing with its neighboring provinces and cities. And eye-catching green trees and gardens have made Beijing resemble a huge scroll of painting pleasing to both the eye and the mind.
There are nearly 100 institutions of higher learning such as the famous Beijing University, Qinghua University, over 1000 middle schools and 4500 primary schools in Beijing, with total enrollment of over 2 million. Much attention is being paid to special schools with total about 600 now. more than 500 scientific research Institutions, over 300 publishing houses, as well as well as hundreds of newspapers and periodicals. In medical and health care, the city has more than 500 hospitals, about 65600 sick beds, with around 121000 medical workers.
Tian'anmen Square, located in the city center, is a symbol of both Beijing and China. The solemn flag-raising ceremony has become a sacred daily celebration. Standing in the world's largest city square and looking far east and west up and down the Chang'an Avenue, one can see a centuries-old architectural complex standing side by side with newly-built modern-style buildings, torrent of bicycles flooding by and awareness that Beijing is a mix of modem and ancient.
Beijing Transportation
Getting There
Beijing is the largest transport hub in Northern China with convenient transportation links extending in all directions. The modern international airport and radiating road and rail network ensures ease of access whilst on your pleasant Beijing tour.
By Plane
As one of five major international airports in China, Capital International Airport (PEK) services the largest number of international and domestic airlines, about 200 in total. The main cities of every province and autonomous region within China (excluding Taiwan Province) and over 60 foreign cities throughout the world are accessible from this airport. Most foreign visitors choose Beijing as their first port of call, with over 50 foreign airlines having established offices here and in excess of 5,000 flights weekly, to every corner in the world.
The airport lies to the northeast of downtown Beijing in Shunyi District, some 25 km (16 miles) from city center, Tian'anmen Square. A convenient, comfortable and regular shuttle service operated by the civil aviation authority runs once every 30 minutes from the airport to downtown Beijing at a cost of 16 Yuan per person. Alternatively, taxis are available for approximately 120 Yuan to the city (not including suburbs). Though taxis in Beijing charge according to meters, experienced travelers can usually bargain with the driver for a lower price.
Important notice: The 10 Yuan airport expressway taxi toll is your responsibility.
Ticket Booking Office of CAAC is located at No. 15, Changan Xi Jie. There are special windows for foreign passengers (you must present valid documents when buying tickets).
Capital International Airport Consultation: (010) 64563604
NanYuan Airport
Located in the southern suburb of Beijing, NanYuan Airport is a new and smaller airport operated by China United Airlines. Although there are only three flights every day from the airport, comparatively, it is more convenient for tourists who plan to visit Harbin (departing at 08:00), Wuxi (departing at 12:40) and Dalian (departing at 17:10). Generally, it is essential for passengers to arrive at Capital International Airport at least one hour prior to departure so as to negotiate the boarding procedure, this is not necessary in NanYuan Airport. Tourists can buy flight tickets at NanYuan Airport at any time or in Xidan Civil Aviation Mansion prior to departure.
By Train
Beijing is the railway hub of the nation, with trains to most provincial capitals and all neighboring cities. There are six railway stations in Beijing, of which Beijing Railway Station and Beijing West Railway Station are the major ones. The former runs mainly long-haul journeys such as Beijing to Baotou and Beijing to Shanghai or international trains including the lines directly to Moscow, Pyongyang and Ulan Bator etc. While the latter is the largest railway station in Asia. Tourists can get to the capital cities of every province, most major and medium sized cities, autonomous regions (excluding Tibet, Hainan and Taiwan, the Beijing - Tibet railway will be operational from July, 2007) in China. The other two stations offer short-haul trains to neighboring provinces.
For both tourists and businessmen's convenience, intercity express trains run between Beijing and Tianjin departing Beijing Railway Station ten times daily. Cost for hard seat is about 35 Yuan and 45 Yuan for soft seat.
Train tickets can be bought at ticket offices in both Beijing and Beijing West Railway Stations. Tourists can buy tickets and reserve seats up to one week in advance (about 11 days prior during national holidays) and refund the ticket (less twenty percent cancellation fee). Passports or other regulated documents are required when buying or booking tickets.
Important notice: ticket demand always exceeds supply on national holidays, winter vacation and summer vacation and peak tourism season so we suggests tourists book tickets upon arrival in Beijing to avoid delaying your later itinerary.
There are ticket offices for foreign guests and overseas Chinese in the international soft-seat waiting room of Beijing Railway Station and Beijing West Railway Station. Today nearly all standard hotel receptions offer a convenient ticket booking service.
Beijing Railway Station Ticket Booking: 51016666 (tourists can book tickets for trains departing Beijing Railway Station, Beijing West Railway Station, Beijing South Railway Station and Beijing North Railway Station five or ten days ahead of your departure time on this line) 51019999
By Bus
Beijing is without a doubt the largest junction of major roads in China, with twelve national highways radiating to the northeast, southeast, southwest, and south, and eight main expressways surrounding the city, totaling twenty thousand kilometers.
Nineteen bus stations in Beijing operate thousands of buses every day, to neighboring cities such as Datong, Chengde, and Tianjin, some departing hourly. we suggests that long-distance travelers should not choose buses, but short bus journeys can be memorable experiences.
Bus tickets can be purchased 3 to 5 days prior to your departure, upon your arrival at the station, or even after you board the bus, if it is out of season.
Zhaosongkou Long-Distance Bus Station
Location: 34, Nan Sanhuan Zhong Lu, Yongwai
Bus route: tourists can take bus Nos. 2, 17, 25, 43, 300, 368 and 927 to the station
Tourists can take busses departing this station to Zhengzhou, Anyang, Zhoukou, Shijiazhuang, Jinan, Weihai, Dongying, Hangzhou, Harbin, Shanhaiguan, Wuhan etc.
Dongzhimen Long-Distance Bus Station
Location: 45, Dongzhimenwai Xie Jie
Bus route: take bus Nos. 44, 117, 359, 401, 404, 915, 916, 24, 106, 107 etc. to Dongmen stop
There are busses to Chengde, Huairou and Miyun etc. at this station.
Liuliqiao Long-Distance Bus Station
Location: Jia 1, Nan Li, Liuliqiao, Fengtai District
Bus route: bus No. 6, 50, 323, and 300 to Liuliqiao Nanli stop
Coaches departing from this station can reach Zhengzhou, Kaifeng, Luoyang, Shijiazhuang, Zhangjiakou,Qinhuangdao, Hohehot, Baotou,Tangshan,Shenyang, Dalian, Yinchuan, etc.
Muxiyuan Long-Distance Bus Station
Location: 199, Haihutun, Fengtai District
Bus route: bus Nos. 2, 7, 324, 341, 366 etc. to MuxiYuan stop
Tourists can take busses departing this station to Jinzhou, Huairou, Shijiazhuang, Nanjing, Jinan, Hangzhou, Wenzhou, Zibo, Dezhou and Weifang etc.
Getting Around
Taxi
For newcomers to Beijing, taxis offer travelers the most convenience, and with over 60,000 taxis lining up at the airport, railway, and bus stations, if the taxi is not the type you want, just keep looking.
The flag-down-rate of the taxis in Beijing is 10 Yuan to 12 Yuan. The charge for the following journey depends on the taxi type. Usually, taking mini cabs like Xiali (the flag-down-rate of 10 Yuan for the first four kilometers) charges 1.2 Yuan per extra kilometer, while taking the higher standard like Santana and Fukang, more spacious taxis (the flag-down-rate of 10 Yuan to 12 Yuan for the first three kilometers) charge 1.6 Yuan or 2 Yuan per km.
Due to the traffic situation in Beijing, taxis charge not only according to their meters, but also for waiting time in traffic, driving at night and mileage for driving without passenger. For every accumulated five minutes of waiting time you will be charged an additional one-kilometer fee. Though taxis are somewhat expensive for many travelers, they are convenient in the middle of the night or early morning. After 11 p.m., taxis charge a 20 percent late-night surcharge, no extra for luggage. We recommend tourists ask for receipt when alighting from a taxi for the car number, company name, registered driver and complaint telephone etc. are listed in it.
Tourism Special Train
Special tourist trains run from the four railway stations to suburban special interest sites. Tickets can be booked from any ticket office or travel service; or may be purchased aboard the train. For convenience, the site admission fee can be included in the ticket.
Subway
Subway is the fastest transportation vehicle in Beijing. Presently there are four subway lines in Beijing connecting city center stops such as Tian'anmen Square, Qianmen, and the railway station with outlying areas and till 2008, there will be nine routes in Beijing.
The operating hours of the subway are from 5:00 a.m until 23:00 p.m., Line 13 is from 06:00 a.m. to 09:00 p.m. and the price ranges from 2 to 6 Yuan, commuter tickets accepted. Passengers can inquire of the subway staff if you have queries in order to avoid taking the wrong direction and wasting time. While Beijing subways are not as good as those in Shanghai and Guangzhou, compared with the congested road network; they are a far better choice for getting around the city.
Public Bus
Public buses in Beijing play an important role in the common people's daily lives. Bus numbers beginning with '8' are air-conditioned; other numbers indicate double-decker, special tour lines, night buses, and so on. The ticket price is 1 Yuan for city routes, while ticket prices for bus with air conditioning is 2 Yuan.If there is no conductor on the bus, passengers should board the bus at the front, drop ticket fee into the box and exit at the rear.
Tip: Since some buses are self-service, please prepare small bills before boarding.
Rickshaw
Rickshaw travel is an excellent way to experience old Beijing culture and the hutong (alleyways). To save time, locals sometimes hire rickshaws to navigate the narrow lanes. Travelers may get a fresh perspective of local life. Rickshaws are found around some communication centers and travel hotspots. Rickshaw rates are often higher than taxi rates especially during holidays for the busy traffic of automobile cars; bargain for an exact price prior to climbing aboard.
Bicycle
Many hotels in Beijing offer bicycle rental services, the cost of which is 20 to 30 Yuan per day. If you are of a vigorous disposition, riding a bicycle through the Hutongs in Beijing is a wise choice for exploring the city thoroughly.
