Visiting China For The 2008 Summer Olympics

[Travel Guru]

My father won a vacation to China for the 2008 Summer Olympics. He asked me to find some information for him so that he would have an idea of what to do in China while visiting for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Here is some of what we found:

The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will give friends from all over the world an opportunity to experience Beijing, the capital city of China. Beijing is both a tribute to China's proud history and a gateway to China's future. The capital city during the Liao, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, Beijing has long been the political, cultural, and diplomatic center of China. It is now an international metropolis, home to 11 million people from all walks of life. August and September mark the end of summer and the beginning of autumn in Beijing, with temperatures ranging from 18 to 30 degrees Celsius. This is the best season to visit, with clear, blue skies allowing visitors to fully witness the charm and vastness of the city. Alongside 7300 cultural relics and historic sites and more than 200 scenic spots -- including the world's largest palace, the Forbidden City, as well as the Great Wall, Summer Palace, and Temple of Heaven -- Beijing boasts an impressive modern skyline, a reflection of its rapid economic development. The recently expanded Beijing Capital International Airport is China's largest and most advanced airport.

Getting around in Beijing during the 2008 Olympics is fairly simple. They have buses, taxis, and subway trains. There are three classes of Taxis in Beijing. The first and nastiest class charge 1.20 yuan per km, but are gradually being phased out and replaced with second-class Hyundai Sonata taxis, which are 1.60 yuan per km. There are also more luxurious 2.00 yuan per km taxis, still affordable on an average Western budget. Keep in mind that your driver probably will not speak English. Some phrases that are handy to know are "Qing da baio" (Run the meter, please), to make sure you are not overcharged, and you can get a receipt for complaining or reimbursement purposes by saying "Fa Piao." Bejing's bus system is called a "hidden treasure," unfortunately for those who don't speak Chinese, it will remain hidden. It's cheap, convenient, and provides transportation to many places, but the drivers speak no English, signs are often unintelligible due to vandalism, and you'll have trouble understanding maps and routes if you don't speak Chinese. If you decide to go for it, they run from 5:30am to 11pm daily, and charges start at 1 yuan. Buses can range from luxurious coach buses to dilapidated pieces of junk with broken seats. As an English speaker, the subway is a better bet for getting around. There are four lines: Line 1 runs from Pingguoyuan in west Beijing to Sihui East in east Beijing, serving 21 stops. Line 2 is a loop that runs under the interior 2nd Ring Rd. Line 13 runs from Dongzhimen to Xizhimen via Huilongguan, and the Batlong line/Line 1 Extension runs from Sihui to Tuqiao in eastern suburban Beijing. You'll be able to idenfity stations by a large blue "B" wrapped around a smaller "D". You'll be able to figure out where to go by the maps and English signs. Fare is 3 yuan. You'll need 4 yuan to transfer to the Batong line, while travel within the Batong line is only 2 RMB. Maps are widely available on the Internet.

No visit to China would be complete without visiting the Forbidden City within Beijing. Since 1924, the Forbidden City has been under the charge of the Palace Museum, whose extensive collection of artwork and artefacts were built upon the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Part of the museum's former collection is now located in the National Palace Museum in Taipei. Both museums descend from the same institution, but were split after the Chinese Civil War. The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the mid-Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost five centuries, it served as the home of the Emperor and his household, and the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government. Built from 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 surviving buildings with 8,707 bays of rooms and covers 720,000 square metres. The palace complex exemplifies traditional Chinese palatial architecture, and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere. The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987,and is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.

Hopefully this will help you if you decide to visit China for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. There is certaily a lot to do at this travel destination, and that's a good thing.