Peking Roast Duck

Known as "No.1 delicacy on earth," Beijing Roast Duck is a representative of Beijing delicacies - the dish is mostly prized for the thin, crispy skin, though the meat is fat, it is tender and tasty, not greasy.

The history of the Beijing Duck can be traced as far back as the Yuan Dynasty (1206 - 1368). By the time of the early 15th century, it had become one of the favorite dishes of the imperial Ming family.

The two most famous restaurants in Beijing serving this specialty are Quanjude and Pianyifang, where you will not only taste the mouth-watering Beijing Roast Duck, but also experience charms of dining culture. Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant is known for grilled ducks, and Pianyifang Roast Duck Restaurant for braised ducks. Both of them are old restaurants with a history of 100 years.

Instant-boiled Mutton

Also known as Mongolian Hot-pot, the instant-boiled mutton is fresh, tender and delicious, not greasy at all. The way of preparing it may be interesting for you: the cooking pot is often sunk into the table or above the table and fueled, frozen mutton is cut into deli-thin slices for you to load individually into the hot cooking broth by chopsticks, and in 15 to 30 seconds, they are ready to serve. Other kinds of meat and vegetables can be cooked this way as well.

Instant-boiled Mutton has been the most favorite food for local residents during cold winter and even hot summer. You can visit the reputed chain restaurants of Dong Lai Shun, Xiao Fei Yang to have a try.

Zhajiang Mian (Peking noodles with special bean curd sauce)

Zhajiang mian is a northern Chinese dish consisting of thick wheat noodles topped with a mixture of stir-fried ground pork and cucumber with fermented soybean paste. Nicknamed as "Chinese spaghetti", Zhajiang mian has been popular throughout the country.

Shaobing (Roasted Pastry)

Also called Huoshao, Shaobing is a baked, layered flat bread with sesame on top, they are usually made in two flavors: salty or sweet. In the Mandarin cuisine tradition, Shaobing are served with hot pot in winter. Shaobing is also used to sandwich a deep-fried dough stick, which is usually eaten with hot soybean milk for breakfast and is highly popular in northern China.

The Peking Opera

With a history of over 200 years, Peking Opera is the most famous of the many forms of traditional opera in China. It is a kind of singing drama which is an ingenious and colorful combination of elements from many sources: traditional music, poetry, singing, recitation, dancing, acrobatics, and martial arts. The types of role of Peking Opera fall into sheng who are the leading male actors playing scholars, officials, warriors and the like, dan who are the female roles, jing who are the painted-face roles representing warriors, heroes, statesmen, adventurers and demons, and chou who is basically the clown.

Most well-known venues for you to enjoy the Peking Opera during the night are: Chang'an Theater, Liyuan Theater and Ancient Stage at the Huguang Guild Hall.

Chingese Kung-fu Show

Kungfu has a long history in Chinese culture. This show is an unique show, it is not only a show of exhibition of Kungfu with fists, feet, swords, and other weapons, but also a show introducing a tale of learning and how a little monk developed to manhood. It is a great show showing the true meaning of Kungfu in Chinese culture. The venue for this show is the Red Theatre.

Chinese Acrobatics

Acrobatics is one of the oldest performing arts in China. Over the past 2,000-some years, Chinese acrobats have created many classic items, such as "wire-walking", "head feats", "ancient magic", "conjuring", etc.

Most well-known venues for you to enjoy the acrobatics during the night are: Chaoyang Theater, Universal Theater and Wan Sheng Theater.

Beijing is the capital of the People’s Republic of China and a provincial level municipality of China.

Abbreviation: Jing (京 in Chinese)
Coordinates: 39°54′50″N 116°23′30″E
Country: China
Mayor: Guo Jinlong
Population: 21.15 million people as of 2013
Currency: Yuan (Renminbi)
Language: Beijing Dialect, on which Mandarin Chinese is based on.
Time Zone: China Standard Time (UTC+8)
Area: 16410.54 square kilometers
Administrative Divisions: 16 districts and 2 counties with 289 towns and villages.
Altitude: 20-60m
City Flower: Chinese rose and chrysanthemum
City Tree: Oriental arborvitae and cypress
Main Rivers: Yongding River, Chaobai River and North Canal

Sister Cities：

Asia: Tel Aviv, Astana, Manila, Hanoi, Seoul, Bangkok, Islamabad, Jakarta, Ankara, Tokyo
Europe: Lisbon, Bucharest, Athens, Madrid Autonomous Community, Rome, Paris, Moscow, Amsterdam, Brussels, Berlin, Kiev, Koln, Ile de France, Madrid, Belgrade, Budapest, London, Helsinki, Tirana
America: Havana, Ottawa, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Washington D.C., Lima, New York
Oceania: Canberra, Wellington
Africa: Doha Qatar, Addis Ababa, Qauteng, Cairo

Beijing Location

Beijing is located at the northwest end of the Huabei (Northern China) Plain, about 150 Kilometers from the Bohai Sea in the southeast. The coordinates of Beijing is 39°54′50″N 116°23′30″E. Beijing borders Tianjin to the southeast and Hebei Province to the north, west and south. And the landform of this city basically falls away from northwest to southeast. See map of Beijing to view the exact location of Beijing .

Beijing Districts

Beijing has totally 16 districts and 2 counties under its administration.

4 Urban Districts: Dongcheng District, Xicheng District, Chongwen District, Xuanwu District
4 Suburban Districts: Chaoyang District, Haidian District, Fengtai District, Shijingshan District
8 Satellite Districts: Mentougou District, Fangshan District, Tongzhou District, Shunyi District, Changping District, Daxing District, Huairou District, Pinggu District
2 Rural Counties: Miyun County, Yanqing County

Beijing Codes

Beijing Postal Code: Beijing zip codes range from 100000 to 102629. However, not all within the range are in use.

Beijing Area Code: Internal dialing code is 010 while international telephone calling code is +86-10.

Temple of Heaven Imperial

This is a first-class restaurant ideally located nearby the Temple of Heaven. With interior resembling the imperial palace, and waiters dressed in traditional Manchu ladies, the restaurant creates an ambiance of imperial banquet.

Number of seats total: approx. 300 seats
Number of private rooms: 8 private rooms
Cuisine: Beijing Cuisine, including Peking Roast Duck
Decor: imperial style
Parking: parking court
Address: 87 Tiantan Rd. Chongwen District, Beijing, China

Hai Shan Japanese Restaurant

A popular Japanese restaurant among locals with very good reputation for timely and warm services, freshness of the materials, and abundance of choices. A good place to enjoy Japanese cuisine in Beijing.

Number of seats: approx. 150 seats
Number of private rooms: 5 private rooms
Cuisine: Japanese Cuisine
Decor: decorated in Japanese flavor
Parking: parking court
Address: Level 1, 22 Beili Guangxumen Rd. Chaoyang District, Beijing, China

Shan Shuijia Restaurant

Shan shuijian literally translates "among mountains and rivers". Just like it is named, this restaurant is ideally located among beautiful natural scenery, with only 200 meters away to the Dragon Lake Park. The restaurant is also nearby the Temple of Heaven.

Number of seats: approx. 400 seats
Number of private rooms: 12 private rooms
Cuisine: Sichuan and Cantonese Cuisine, and Peking Roast Duck
Decor: traditional Chinese ambience
Parking: available
Address: 8 Longtan Rd. Chongwen District, Beijing, China

Dai Jia Cun

Dai jia cun literally means Dai People's Village. Dai is an ethnic minority group in Yunnan province of China, with custom similar to Thai people. The dai jia cun restaurant offers an exotic dinning environment with minority folk dance show during dinner time.

Number of seats: approx. 500 seats
Number of private rooms: 10 private rooms
Cuisine: Yunnan, Sichuan, and Shanghai dishes
Decor: exotic decoration of Dai is an ethnic minority group with intensive use of bamboo
Parking: available
Address: 80 Tiantan Rd. Chongwen District, Beijing, China

Jing Ding Xuan

The name of the restaurant reflects imperial splendor, and its exterior and interior just match its name. Being a first-class restaurant, jin ding xuan offers wide range of dishes from all famous Chinese Cuisines, especially the three most representative ones - Cantonese, Sichuan, and Shandong.
Number of seats: approx. 1000 seats on 3 levels
Number of private rooms: 37 private rooms
Cuisine: Cantonese, Sichuan, and Shandong Cuisines
Decor: traditional Chinese architecture and ambience
Parking: available
Address: 15 South Tuan Jie Hu Rd. Chaoyang District, Beijing, China

Dragon Field Restaurant

This is a unique restaurant transformed from a large courtyard dwelling, where customers will have intensive interaction with traditional Beijing lifestyle. The food served and the services of the restaurant are also among the finest.

Number of seats: approx. 800 seats
Cuisine: mainly Beijing Cuisine
Decor: traditional Chinese architecture and ambience reflecting old days of Beijing
Parking: available
Address: 235 Dong Zhi Men Nei St. Dongcheng District, Beijing, China

Hua Jia Yi Yuan

This is a large restaurant with over 3000 seats on three levels. Located on the way to the Badaling Great Wall, the restaurant offers a broad range of Chinese and international delicacies in an imperial style ambience.

Number of seats: approx. 3000 seats on 3 levels
Cuisine: Chinese and international Cuisines
Decor: traditional Chinese ambience
Parking: available
Address: West Zhengfu Rd. Changping District, Beijing, China

Getting There and Away

By Air

Beijing Capital International Airport is located in Shunyi District, 28 kilometers northeast of the city center, it is about 40 minutes' drive (one hour during rush hour) along the expressway. The cheapest way to get to the airport or the city center is to take the airport shuttle buses, and it needs about 100 yuan by taxi.

From Beijing, people can fly to all the main cities in the country (excluding Taiwan), and 54 cities of 39 countries and regions in the world. More than 40 foreign air companies have set up agencies in Beijing.

By Train

Beijing has four railway stations, of which Beijing West Railway Station is the largest. Passengers can go from Beijing to all the main cities in China by train, except Hainan Island and Taiwan. There are direct short-distance trains from the North Railway Station to the nearby regions throughout the day. International trains to Moscow, Pyongyang (North Korea) and Ulaanbaatar arrive at and leave Beijing Train Station, trains for Hong Kong and Vietnam leave from Beijing West Train Station. Special tourist trains to other famous tourist cities are also available

By Bus

Beijing is the hub of several expressways heading in all directions to Shenyang, Tianjin, Harbin, Guangzhou, Zhuhai, Nanjing, Kunming, etc.

Getting Around by Subway

The subway is an excellent way to get around the city quickly and conveniently. The metro system is being expanded for the 2008 Olympic Games. Beijing now has four subway lines-no.1, 2 and 13 lines, and Batong Line.

Line 1 runs from Pingguoyuan industrial area in the west to Sihui East in the east, following the Chang'an Avenue through the commercial districts of Xidan, Wangfujing and Dongdan.
Line 2 is the loop line and follows the 2nd Ring Road. The line is linked to Line 1 at Fuxingmen and Jianguomen, and to Line 13 at Xizhimen and Dongzhimen.
Line 13, also known as the City Rail Line, is an extended northern semi-loop serving the northern suburbs of the city. Most of the line is above ground, with some sections elevated several meters above street level.

Climate and Weather

Beijing has a continental climate with four distinctive seasons, long, hot summers and long dry, cold winters. Spring and autumn which are extremely short have beautiful weather, warm and dry, except that there is the possibility of sandstorm in March and April. The summer rain falls during July and August making everything fresh, and July is usually the hottest month with temperatures in the low 30's. Autumn is definitely the golden season, cool and comfortable. Winter is cold and very dry with little snow (remember your moisturizer). Winter is usually from November through to February, with January being the coldest month.

Generally speaking, the best time to visit Beijing is May, September and October as the temperatures are mild with light breezes and the sky is blue. But, at the same time, winter puts a special charm on this city.

Shopping in Beijing

Beijing is en ideal place to by quality handicrafts. As the capital city of the Five Dynasties of China, there are many

skillful craftsmen settled the area long ago, and passed down their skills generation by generation. The most well-know traditional handcrafts in Beijing - Cloisonné, Ivory Carving, Jade, and Lacquer - have long-standing reputation of their excellent quality and aesthetic value. In addition, Curios, Silk, Pearls, Snuff Bottles with Pictures Inside, and Artificial Flowers are also worth buying and well liked by tourists.

Beijing Curio City is the largest curio distribution center in Asia. Its address is No.21, South 3rd East Ring Road, Chaoyang Distric (Bus Route: 300, 28, 368, 607, 907, get off at Panjiayuan Stop or Shilihe Stop). The curio city covers an area about 23,400 square meters (5.8 acres). There are about 500 stores dealing with ancient porcelain, paintings, calligraphy, jade, carving, bronze ware, antique furniture, carpet, clocks and jewelry. The curio city is like a big museum, and you can just wander around to get more knowledge about Chinese culture. Your eyes will be dazzled by these ancient art treasures.

Liulichang Street of Chinese Culture is located south of the Peace Gate of Xuanwu District in Beijing. During the time of Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), a colored glaze factory (Liuli Chang in Chinese) was in production there, where made glazed tiles for the palaces, temples and residences of the officials, hence the name. In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), many businessmen and venders began to sell curios and old books there. Over years the factory was gradually replaced by the bazaar of calligraphy, painting, copybook, artifacts and the four treasures of the study. i.e. writing brush, ink stick, ink slab and paper. Later the street fell into absence of lively atmosphere for a time until the rebuild in the year 1982 that revived it. Now shops and houses of gray tiles and bricks together with sculptures and colored image are lined orderly by the street, making it taste more classical.

Wangfujing Street, Qianmen Street, Xidan Commercial Street and Dongsi Street are four busiest commercial streets, where visitors will find many shopping complexes and boutique stores.