Temple of Heaven Park

The Temple of Heaven Park is a favorite location for people of all ages, though usually middle-aged people and above, to get out and practice something, whether it is tai-chi, Beijing Opera, wushu, kung fu, swordplay or keepy-uppy (cuju) using a small bean bag.






images © Daniel Allen

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Chinglish

Beijing city authorities are doing their best to stamp out bad examples of "Chinglish" in the capital before the start of the Beijing Olympic Games in the summer.

However as these examples show, there is some work still to be done.



images © Daniel Allen

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Demolition Symbol Beijing

What does it all mean?

Get one of these Chinese characters on your apartment or building and you know you are in big trouble! These symbols are used to mark buildings for demolition. As you wander the hutongs or older apartment areas of Beijing you may see these painted on the buildings and also notice there are few or no residents inhabiting such buildings.



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Beijing Internet Cafe Symbol

Internet Cafes

“Wangba” or internet cafes are found throughout Beijing. Look out for the following Chinese characters to locate an internet café.

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Beijing Hutong Documentary

Hutong are Beijing's traditional dwellings. Courtyard housing set in narrow alleyways.

Watch a documentary of Beijing's hutong as residents comment on their restored housing.




© Xi Wang & Beijing-Visitor.com

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The Cube Beijing

The Cube aka the National Aquatics Center in Beijing is also nearing completion, although some serious landscaping (and sewage treatment) is still required.



The exterior walls of the structure are covered with ETFE (Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene), a hard plastic which gives the building it's characteristic water bubble effect.



images © Daniel Allen

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Beijing's Tallest Building

China World Trade Centre just west of the 3rd Ring Road is Beijing’s tallest building. At 73 stories high it reaches 330 metres into the sky.

Pictured at right, the China World Trade Centre can be seen towering above the China World Hotel.

© Beijing-Visitor.com

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National Stadium Beijing

The massive frame of the National Stadium in Beijing is gradually taking shape.



The huge stadium which will hold up to 100,000 people for the Olympic Games next August. The building's framework will use over 40,000 tonnes of steel in its construction, which would stretch 36km in length if laid end to end.

The stadium known as the "Bird's Nest" will reputedly become the world's largest enclosed space.



images © Daniel Allen

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Beijing Olympic Tickets Update

Beijing Olympic Tickets 2008 9th December Update



Phase 2 of ticket sales will begin in China on 10th December, 2007 and continue through to 30th December, 2007, according to official information on en.beijing2008.cn

People who are registered need to log on to the official ticketing site en.beijing2008.cn and register the events they wish to attend. Tickets will then be issued using a lottery system similar to the Phase 1 ticket sales.

The Bank of China also offers a registration service for people wishing to register for Phase 2 ticket sales.



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McDonalds In China

McDonalds is big in China. The Golden Arches are one of the first signs you see when you land at Beijing's Capital Airport.

There are over 660 McDonalds fast food outlets in China and the number is growing fast with 1000 new stores due to open before the Beijing Olympics, which McDonalds sponsors. Many Chinese view the fast food experience as an hygenic, upmarket dining experience.



KFC and Pizza Hut also have a massive presence in China. There are around 1,200 KFCs and 8000 Pizza Hut outlets presently in the country. A new KFC restaurant opens every other day.

The big US fast food companies have also begun to introduce local flavor in to their menus. McDonald's sells a Vegetable and Seafood Soup for example and decorates its stores in traditional style for the big Chinese holidays.

Listen to a McDonalds TV ad promoting special deals at McDonalds for 6rmb e.g. a leg of crumbed chicken or fruit pies

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Common Chinese Phrases

你好
Listen to some common phrases in Chinese

Learning to say a few common phrases correctly is a useful skill for any traveler to a new country. Click the link above to hear the English and Mandarin for some useful common phrases such as "Hello", "Thank you", "How much?" and "You're welcome".



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Counting in Chinese II

Listen to the numbers in Chinese

Learning to count and pronounce the numbers correctly is a useful skill for any traveler to a new country. Click the link above to hear the English and Chinese for the numbers 50, 100, 1000, 10,000, 100,000 and 1 million.



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Counting in Chinese

Listen to the numbers in Chinese

Learning to count and pronounce the numbers correctly is a useful skill for any traveler to a new country. Click the link above to hear the English and Chinese for the numbers 1-30.



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