About Beijing
Area: 16,800 sq km (6552 sq meter)
Population:12 million
Location: Situated in northeast China, Beijing adjoins the Inner Mongolian Highland to the northwest and the Great Northern Plain to the south.
Climate: Beijing's climate is defined as "continental monsoon". The four seasons are distinctly recognizable. Spring and autumn is the best time to be in Beijing, particularly in the months of April, May, September and October. Autumn is considered to be the best time to visit Beijing as the skies are clear and the weather is very comfortable. The four seasons are very clear in Beijing with a temperate spring, rainy summer, clear autumn, and a cold, snowy winter. The average temperature throughout the year is 11.80. The coldest month is January with an average temperature of -4.60 and the hottest month is July at an average temperature of 26.10. Unfortunately, spring and autumn are shorter than summer and winter. Although winter is technically longer, that should not keep you from travelling to Beijing as indoor heating is widely available. Nevertheless, as the indoor/outdoor temperature difference is rather large, travelers should be prepared with warm clothing and a thick coat is recommended for the colder months of the year. In winter, off-season discounts are to be had as well.
Scenery Spots in Beijing
Fragrant Hills Park(Xiangshan Park)
Situated in the east part of western hills, 28 kilometers (17 miles) northwest of the Beijing City,.jpg)
Fragrant Hills Park is a large park of hills and forest covering 160 hectares (395.4 acres). Both its natural sceneries and cultural relics are abundant. Xianglu Peak (Incense Burner Peak), 557 meters (1827.4 feet) high, is its highest peak.The 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. In 1745, Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799) ordered the addition of many new halls, pavilions and gardens and gave it a new name, Jingyi Garden (Garden of Tranquility and Pleasure). Unfortunately, in 1860 and 1900 after the Summer Palace and the Yuanming Yuan (the Old Summer Palace) were set on fire, lots of relics in the Fragrant Hills were damaged by foreign troops. Since 1949, with a half-century's restoration and development by Chinese government, Fragrant Hills Park has been recognized as one of the ten most famous parks in Beijing.
Daguanyuan-The Grand View Garden
Maybe you are familiar with Dream of the Red Chamber , one of the four ancient Chinese classic.jpg)
masterpieces; if so you will have been impressed by the description of the luxuriant grandeur of the Grand View Garden. This is the garden in which Grandma Liu, a character in the story, becomes dizzy and staggers on seeing it for the first time. Should you not know the story, it won't matter, as you'll be sure to yearn to see the garden for yourself after reading through this introduction. Using the description in the story as a guide, a Grand View Garden was created between 1984 and 1989 in Beijing. Initially it was used as the film location for the TV series Dream of Red Mansion. It integrates artificial features and natural scenery into a harmonious whole. This garden has become an important tourist attraction in Beijing.
Local Food
Beijing Duck
The Quanjude Restaurant, the largest roast duck restaurant in Beijing if not in the world, opened for business in 1979. Located near Hepingmen Gate (Peace Gate), it has a floor space of 15,000 square meters divided into 41 dining halls, including one, which can serve 600 customers simultaneously. The dining halls reserved for overseas guests can accommodate a total of 2,000 diners, and include a hall where all-duck banquets in which all the dishes are made from parts of the duck can be served to 600 people. Filled to capacity, Quanjude Restaurant can serve as many as 5,000 meals a day.