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China
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A
mysterious land for thousands of years, a land
of vast landscapes and beauty, where every
mountain, river, tree and rock tells a story, a
land of ancient sites, of legends and of heroes. |
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Beijing
has served as the capital of China since King Wu
declared it as such in 1057BC. The city
went by various names until the Ming Dynasty
Emperor ChengZu chose the name Beijing in 1421.
However, for many years in the western world the
city as known as Peking until returned to
Beijing in 1949.
The city has many places of historic interest
and scenic beauty, including the Forbidden City,
one of the largest and best preserved ancient
architectural complexes in the world, also
called in Imperial Palace museum it is situated
in the heart of Beijing. It remained the
residence of the Emperors for nearly five
hundred years, from the 15th century to the
early 20th century. Built in the Ming
Dynasty the Temple of Heaven, the most holy of
Beijing's Imperial temples is where the Ming and
Qing Emperors came every winter solstice to
worship heaven and to solemnly pray for a good
harvest. Since his rule was legitimised by
a mandate from heaven, a bad harvest could be
seen as his fall from heaven's favour and
threaten the stability of his reign. |
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The Summer Palace, a
UNESCO World Heritage Site, used to be the
summer residence of Qing Dynasty Emperors and is
now a public park. Construction started in
1750 and the imperial garden is famed for its
architectural grandeur and stunning natural
beauty, the whole garden covers of 290 hectares
and includes a lake, Cloud-Dispelling Hall, Hall
of Virtuous Brilliance, Pavilion of Buddhist
Incense and the Temple of the Sea Wisdom.
Just outside Beijing are the Ming tombs, the
general name given to the mausoleums of 13 Ming
Dynasty emperors. Originally built as Changling, the tomb of Emperor Zhuli and his
empresses, was the first and is the magnificent
of the tombs. The succeeding 12 emperors
had their tombs built around Changling. |
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The world-renowned and
genuinely inspiring Great Wall, started as a
series of fortifications being joined together.
The Badaling section of the wall, 70 kms
northwest of Beijing, was built during the Ming
Hong Zhi reign in 1505 and is one of the best
preserved sections of the wall.
Beijing and its
surrounding area have no shortage of places to
go and things to see. Whether its palaces,
temples and halls or shopping, dining out and
entertainment, the capital has it all. |
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Hotels in Beijing |
| Capital
Hotel: |
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| A short
walk from the historic Imperial Palace and
Tiananmen Square, Capital Hotel surrounded by
inner and outer landscaped gardens, is located
in Beijing's scenic downtown area. The
nine distinctive restaurants serve regional
Chinese and international cuisine, such as
Italian, Asian, Japanese and Korean. |
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Ristorante Bologna on the
top floor provides authentic Italian food and a
relaxed ambience with panoramic city views.
The recreation and health centre provides a well
equipped gym, outdoor swimming pool, bowling
alley, billiards, sauna and steam bath.
All rooms, including non-smoking, command
spectacular views of the city. Standard
amenities include satellite television,
electronic room safe and independent shower
cubicle. |
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Howard Johnson
Paragon Hotel: |
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This hotel is
located approximately 30 miles from Beijing
Airport. Local attractions include the
Forbidden City, Great Wall, Lama Temple, Ming
Tombs, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven and
Tiananmen Square. Hotel amenities include
exercise facility, sauna, business centre and
tennis court. All rooms include AM/FM
alarm clock, coffee makers, safe deposit box and
free newspaper. |
| Qianmen Jianguo
Hotel: |
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| Built in 1954 and
opened to the public in 1956 this hotel is
located downtown, close to Culture Street,
Liulichang. It is only a 10 minute walk to
Tiananmen Square and the Temple of Heaven.
The hotel, which features European architectural
design in the shape of its tastefully decorated
lobby and its spacious guestrooms, has attracted
a great number of guests mainly from Europe and
America. The Liyuan Theatre, located
within the hotel, is well-known world wide. |
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Please note, while every care has been taken to
ensure accuracy, all descriptions and amenities
mentioned are subject to change. |
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