Merry Christmas

Beijing Visitor wishes all our readers a very Merry Christmas.



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Harbin Santa Claus

The world's biggest ice Santa has been built for the 2008 Harbin Ice Festival in Heilongjiang Province in China.

The 160m Father Christmas, created by Chinese sculptor Tang Guangjun, is a centerpiece of this year's Harbin Ice Festival.



Over 800,000 tourists from around China and overseas will visit the festival, which runs from mid-December to early February.

China now has a number of ice festivals to rival the internationally acclaimed Sapporo Snow Festival in nearby Japan.

There are ice and snow festivals in Shenyang in Liaoning Province and Harbin in Heilongjiang Province at this time of the year. In Harbin the amazing ice sculptures are illuminated at night and firework displays are part of the attraction.

images © Daniel Allen

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Xiamen - Amoy's The Merrier

Xiamen, officially China's cleanest city and facing Taiwan across the South China Sea, has much to recommend it.



Known to westerners, in days gone by, as Amoy, the place has long been a triving port, visited by Portuguese and later Dutch traders before the British took up residence in the 1840s. Xiamen is situated on a large island joined to the mainland by a 5km long causeway.



Most of the island's main historical attractions are situated on the small, pedestrianized islet of Gulangyu or are just around the main waterfront on the main island.

Gulangyu was a foreign concession until the end of World War II and retains a relaxing, peaceful charm - with no cars.

Images © Daniel Allen


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Kashgar Market

Kashgar Market is one of the oldest, continuous markets on the planet.

Held every Sunday, the market is thought to have been in existence since Roman times and can attract up to 50-100,000 people, including ethnic Uyghurs, Pakistani merchants, and traveling Kazakhs.



Just about everything is traded here, especially livestock: sheep, camels, horses and cattle (and their manure!). Horses are tested for their speed and sheep sheared to look good for their new owners.



There are two daily trains from Urumqi to Kashgar as well as overnight sleeper buses.



© Daniel Allen

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Fish Nation Fish & Chips Beijing

If you are pining for good old fish and chips in Beijing, visit Fish Nation in the Nanluoguxiang hutong.



Fish Nation
31 Jiaodaokou, Nanluoguxiang
Gulou
Near Gulou Dong Da Jie

Tel: 6401 3249
Hours: 9:30am-1am

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