Traveling to China - Beijing

While Shanghai is considered a boomtown and the economic center of China, Beijing is the cultural and political capital, despite which it undergoes changes just as quickly as Shanghai. Often the appearance of an entire neighborhood can change within a short time. With the awarding of the Olympic Games to Beijing, this process will continue to accelerate.

It's fascinating to experience the juxtaposition of the dynamic economy with three thousand years of history in such a small space, even though someone who visits this city regularly may view such changes with nostalgia and long for "his" Beijing, the one he remembers from his first trip to China. It's yet another reason to travel to Beijing sooner rather than later.

Also see our travel guide to »» Shanghai and »» Tibet and the sections »» Health in China , »» Everyday Life in China, »» China Visa and Chinese Food.

Beijing Shopping

Beijing shopping offers a wealth of shops and markets in a truly unique shopping experience. You can move from bustling clothes, silk, pearl and food markets such as Hongqiao Market and Xiu Shui to pristine air-conditioned shopping malls such as the Oriental Plaza in Wangfujing offering all the latest designer wear from Europe and North America as well as the latest Chinese and Asian brands. A Beijing shopping trip is not something to be missed when in the capital. By clicking here you will find detailed pages describing all the best places in Beijing to shop. Read more...

Beijing Nightlife

Beijing boasts a vast array of fashionable nightspots to enjoy and it’s very common, especially for young people, to go out in the evenings. Beijing Nightlife consists of numerous bars, nightclubs, theatres, restaurants and cinemas. However, twenty years ago the word ‘nightlife’ wasn’t even used. In recent years Beijing Nightlife has seen an escalation in themed pubs, trendy bars and clubs not only attracting the local foreign residents but many young Chinese. Read more...

Beijing - Hotel and Arrival

Beijing - Hotel and Arrival

International flights arrive at the international airport, which is about 26 km away from the city proper. Those traveling in a group or visiting a business partner will normally be met at the airport and will have no problems. Read more...

Beijing - Transportation

Beijing - Transportation

For longer stays and short excursions, a bicycle is a cheap and traffic jamless alternative. Broad bike paths coexist with almost all streets, but crossing at an intersection is a small adventure every time because practically no one abides by traffic regulations. Read more...

Beijing’s Bicycles

There are many ways to get around in Beijing, but most of the time one will find that the bicycle is the quickest and most common way of getting from one point to another as bikeways stretch across the whole city and are as big as a car’s lane. Before riding a bicycle in Beijing though, one has to know certain rules and habits. Read more...

Beijing - Tourism

Beijing - Tourism

The Great Wall is one of the emblems of the People's Republic of China and a must for every visitor to China. The nearest part (Badaling) lies about 70 km north of Beijing and is also the section most frequented by tourists. Read more...

Lama Temple

The Lama Temple, a typical Tibetan monastery, was first built in 1964 by the second emperor of the Qing-dynasty. He had it built as a residence for his fourth son, Prince Gong, who lived there until he was crowned as the new emperor of the Qing-dynasty in 1723 and moved into the emperor’s palace. Read more...

Summer Palace

The Summer Palace Yiheyuan was originally a present from the Chinese emperor Qianlong to the 60th birthday of his mother Cixi in 1752. Qianlong had the palace built on a hill known as Wanshou Shan, the hill of longevity, right next to a sea in the northwestern part of Beijing. Read more...

Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven is one of the most beautiful and sublime buildings in all of Beijing. Located south of the Forbidden City of Chinas capital, it is surrounded by an extensive park giving every visitor the possibility to stroll around and feel the nature’s balance and harmony. The Temple of Heaven or „Tiantan Gongyuan“ as the Chinese would say, was built by the emperor Yongle of the Ming-dynasty. The temple’s grounds are four times as large as the ones from the emperor’s palace Read more...

Tiananmen Square

Nowadays the Tiananmen Square represents the heart of China’s capital Beijing. It spans an area of 50 hectares and is the biggest square worldwide. Tiananmen Square was much smaller during the reign of China’s emperors and had the size of a T whose broader end was marked by the Gate of Heavenly Peace, as it can still be seen today. Read more...

Ghost Street

Feel the magic of the night, dive into a sea of red light, smell the miscellaneous fragrances of Chinese dishes and be embraced by life’s vibrant energy and you are sure to be in Beijing’s popular Ghost Street. The street is located near Dongzhimen, covers a distance of 1,5 km and offers more than 100 restaurants. Read more...

Drum Tower

The Drum Tower was originally built in 1273 during China’s occupation by the Mongolians. Kublai Khan, the ruler of the Mongolian empire, had the Drum Tower built in the very center of his Mongolian capital Dadu and named it the Tower of Orderly Administration. The Drum Tower was rebuilt at the same time as the emperor’s palace in 1420 by the then emperor Yongle of the Ming dynasty and moved eastwards of the original site. Read more...

Bell Tower

The Bell Tower has a much smaller and simpler appearance than the Drum Tower behind which it was closely built. The original construction of the Bell Tower was completed in 1273, at the same time as the Drum Tower, but later burnt down. The Emperor, Qianlong had it rebuilt in 1747 and this time a stone structure was used to prevent it from getting burnt down by fire or destroyed by an earthquake. During the old days of China the Bell Tower was to set the time every day by beating its massive bronze bell 13 times at 7 p.m. And afterwards, time was marked every hour with one beat, during the day by the Drum Tower’s drum and during the night by the Bell Tower’s bell. Read more...

Hutong

One of the most characteristic features of Bejing’s cityscape are the Hutongs. The name Hutong originates from the Mongolians while they were reigning China and started to establish Beijing as their capital in 1267. In those ages Hutong was understood to be a long and narrow alleyway. As the construction of the Hutongs proceeded throughout the following Yuan-, Ming- and Qing-dynasty, Hutong developed to be a synonym for the numerous residential quarters covering a vast area around the Forbidden City in Beijing, being the capital of all those dynasties. Read more...