Another Side of Beijing Sanlitun – Leisure and Shopping Paradise

In Beijing, there is one place where famous for that entertainment and leisure place, Sanlitun! Searching for bars, café or many shopping sites, tourists who come to Beijing will find it in Chaoyang District where provides all your needs. Located in the Sanlitun area, there have a lot of café, bars, food stores, restaurants, and department stores available.

This area is one of the popular areas after Wangfujing Street which attracts many tourists come for shopping, clubbing and searching for authentic culinary. And even in Sanlitun, visitors could have a fun shopping time explore many international famous brand stores such as, American Apparel, Apple Inc, Adidas, Fossil, Mango, Uniqlo, etc. At past, Sanlitun is not famous for its shopping or leisure but a few years ago, there has become one complete shopping centre and one main aim shopping area for tourists of Beijing tours.

Sanlitun area is always crowded by visitors, at day or night. It also has become one of the city night life symbols. Most of visitors will come at night, just for personally experience the very busy and loud atmosphere. In the weekend, that area will always crowd with young local people and foreigners. They usually walk out, shopping around, refreshing at bar or café, watching their favorite latest movie, etc. Lots of leisure activities option that visitors can choose there, so that is why Sanlitun become the favorite one.

In the April of 2008, before Beijing Olympic Games, here, Sanlitun had become a recommended place as the icon for leisure. So when Beijing Olympic had started, Sanlitun area crowded with lots international tourists. The number of vendors had also increased, even the streets were filled with people. Olympic Beijing had brought its own gift for the vendors around the area. Their various merchandise and Olympic souvenirs are t-shirt, doll, balloon, and others which always sold out each day.

For the people who stay near Sanlitun area and looking for a late night snack spot, here will be the ideal place. Now there not only bars or cafés that located around this area, there also have some food stores which offer the traditional foods of Beijing. So Sanlitun is the best place for find culinary and shopping which already opened at day time. No matter where you come from, where you want to go, just stop of a moment, Sanlitun is one of the best entertainment places in Beijing at day or night!

Amazing Beautiful Autumn Scenery in Xiangshan Park

Fragrant Hills Park or also called Xiangshan Park is located about 28 kilometers far from the center of Beijing. This park is one of the royal garden of emperors at past. Located in the area about 400 hectares, Xiangshan Park is covered with many green trees and pavilions around. Since covering such large area, Xiangshan Park has become one of the top ten biggest parks in Beijing.

Fragrant Hill Park was first built in 1186 in the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) and later extended to a large scale in the Yuan and Ming dynasties. This park was built on the above of the hill as high as 500 meters. So if visitors are able climb up to the top of the park, they will see the extraordinary scenery of Beijing and the park itself. Not only that, from the top of the park or also called Xianglufeng, visitors will also able to see the fascinating scenery of Summer Palace, since it located not far from here.

Another unique view worth to see happens when the autumn season has come. Inside the park, there plant lots of maple trees, smoke trees and persimmon trees. And when the autumn comes, all the leaves will turns to red and make the view turn spectacular. The streets inside the park will also be covered with red leaves, so if you see it from a distance just like roll out the red carpet. Even the leaves will fall down to the lake inside the park, as if the lake turn red covered with bunch of red leaves.

Inside the park, there have some famous point where you will see the red leaves clearly. Because of that, tourists are likely capture it from that certain point. First, in Jingcui Lake, you must walk through the east gate so you will arrive at the shore of the lake which surround by the small hills. So, from that place the tourists will climb up to this small hill and the view will look better and clearly from there. Next place is Xiangshan Temple. From the second level, visitors will capture more clearly photos of the park view. The third place is Hesun Gate, in the south hill inside the park. The best time to see this wonderful moment inside the park is October till November.

The most beautiful period season in Xiangshan Park is autumn. At that time, with all leaves turn yellow and red from green, no wonder that you will capture all of the memories which will happen once in each year.

Travelling in Beijing Guide - Beijing Drum and Bell Tower

In Beijing, there has many historical heritage that opened to the public, one of those sites is Bell and Drum Tower where located in the north Beijing. That both towers built on 1272 but after only a few years the tower were burned down in a big fire and then rebuilt on the same site in 1297. At past, both towers were used to announce important things from the emperor and to indicate time. The people had given the signal with hit those drum or bell in both towers.

Both towers role was so important at past, because most of the time, they always used it as the signal and a reminder when enemies attack the city. The buildings had rebuilt and renovated for many times. In 1980, they were finished the last renovated and opened to the public at the same year.
Have long history behind? The towers were used from Yuan Dynasty till Ming Dynasty. This Bell and Drum Tower has already become a Chinese cultural and historical heritage and also was listed as one of the important national historical heritages by the local government.
Inside Bell Tower, there has water clock that used for giving the sign of day and night. The officer will hit the bell in the certain time and all the people in the city can hear the bell ring which matching with actual time. As the time goes by, the clock inside the tower had change become a mechanic clock. It makes the bell automatically ring in the certain time without being hit by the officer. Because the tower still have a good function and government always take a good care of them, so till now, the ring of the bell still be heard around the area.

The unique and antique architecture of the building has also be its own characteristic that will attract tourists to come visit both towers. The shape of both towers look like the Chinese house with some levels. Bell and Drum situated in the top of the level of both towers. The Drum Tower has red building and the Bell Tower has black color building. Bell Tower has 48 meters high and Bell Tower 33 meters. People say, sound of the bell can heard till tens kilometers radius.
The Bell which located in the Bell Tower made from metal with a total weight of 63 tons and the Drum Tower in total has 25 drums which the biggest reach 4 meters. Both towers opened from 9:00 am till 5:00 pm every day, with the entrance ticket about 15 to 20 RMB. Today, if visit Drum Tower Beijing, tourists can climb up for sightseeing and also able to see the city view around. Tourists can also participate in knocking the drum activity and see the drum show every day.

The Biggist Egg Building in Beijing – Grand National Theater

Beijing is not an unfamiliar city among travelers around the world. There rich of ancient buildings, unique culture, stunning parks and become a historical city till it had listed in to one of the World Heritage. Filled with so many historical and cultural sites, there is one beautiful park which has become the imperial garden called Jingshan Park.

Jingshan Park is located in the north Beihai Park. Covering the total area of 58 hectare with trees scenery, plants, and hills, it makes the park so calm, cool and quiet. The park was built in 1180, in the Jin Dynasty. The unique point, this royal garden built on the top of the hill 48 meters high, not that high right, but when view closely and detail, the hill seems very high. Very strange view, right? This is because of the land of Beijing itself is flat, that makes the hill which only 46 meters look so high.

Located just behind the Forbidden City, from the top of the hill inside Jingshan Park, visitors can clearly see the panoramic view of Forbidden City. Inside the park also planted with fruits, such as, melons, tomatoes, orange, and many others. In this place, there also built pavilion as the worship place for the emperor of Ming Dynasty. As located near the entrance gate, so that visitors who come to the park will directly attract by the ancient building with traditional Chinese style.

The pavilion built with strong pine wood, the floor was made of white marble and gold plated roof. The building built as high degree of the imperial symbol and to honor their ancestors. Around the location there also planted with pine tree, give the cool and relax atmosphere in the worship place.

In each top of the hill was also built the same pavilions, because of there has 5 top hills, so that the park surround by 5 same pavilions. The scenery looks very beautiful and attractive in the distance, high hills filled with green trees covered half of pavilion building. This scene instantly attracts tourists to visit Jingshan Park.

At past, Jingshan Park was the place for the emperor of Ming Dynasty and his empress to relax and rest. And now here has become a popular place for leisure. Because thousands Peony flowers blossom every year inside Jingshan Park, so every year in May, there will hold flower festival. Come in the early May for Beijing Tours, you will in time for the exotic hundred blossom peony flowers view.

Exotic and Stunning Royal Garden – Summer Palace

Beijing as the capital of China has lots of famous historical sites and that’s why it makes me have a big interest to visit Beijing. Among many of famous and popular places, one of the beautiful and impressive one is Summer Palace. Summer Palace located not in the center of the city, little bit far if you want to reach the place. But, after you see the amazing scenery at that place, long way to go to Summer Palace was all worth it!

Summer Palace or also called Yiheyuan in Chinese was used as the imperial garden of the Qing Dynasty. In total, the garden covering an area about 290 hectares and there has two main parts, Wanshoushan (Longevity Hill) and Kunming Lake. Both attractions offer their own characteristic beauty that will amazed you.

Summer Palace peak season is when the summer comes, the weather inside the palace will be very cool and it really has become very ideal place to relax. When summer, visitors are also able to take a boat to explore the lake and enjoy the view around. You can see far away the view around lake while light wind blowing.

At past when summer comes, Summer Palace was also used as the emperor’s living place. When you explore the garden you can see a manmade lake, Kunming Lake. Around the Lake, there have lot of historical relics, some pavilions where you can have rest there. Those pavilions designed with ancient architecture with major red color, looks very elegant. These places are really the ideal places to have some rest, sitting here enjoying light wind blowing under trees, the beauty panorama of the garden and lake from a distance, absolutely wonderful!

Same as the other historical sites in China, with large amount of lands, China always make everything with a big scale. Especially when built Summer Palace, a big garden where become the rest place of royal family. I was also really amazed how Chinese people really took a good care of everything historical sites that they had. They really know how to protect those historical relics very well as national heritage, a national asset.

After the tour to Summer Palace, now I know very well why it was listed as UNESCO’s World Heritage List. That imperial garden can be said as the place which offers the historical atmosphere combine with beauty nature landscape around. Very impressive! Honestly, I almost visited all of Beijing’s famous historical sightseeing and for me, here was different from others, the most beautiful one! A huge garden with beautiful landscape!