Welcome to China-Tours Homepage All-ways Han's Travel Services/Han's China Tours is committed to provide you with unparalleled professionalism and value in travel through Sue Han, the sole trader who is a qualified senior travel consultant, an accredited international cruise consultant, and her extensive knowledge of all aspects of travel. Her high level of expertise has been gained through her years of experience in the travel industry both in China and in Australia and from the indepth personal knowledge obtained through the extensive travel she has undertaken since 1985. Contact In the modern way of life with e-commerce fast developing, the best way to arrange your travel arrangements is to get brief ideas by searching through the internet first and shopping around a bit and then email me your detailed plan (eg date and return of travel, how many people, where to etc.) for travel and budget. In this way I can provide you an itinerary with your best options of travel and meet with your budget through emails. Please feel free to email me at sue@china-tours.com.au for joining group tours to China either listed on the web or finding the most suitable tours in the market. What Is New This site will be updated with a featured destination of the world from time to time and airfares, cruise fares news etc as well. Featured Destination - Beijing In the lead up to the 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing has turned its attention to putting its best foot forward in order to display a shining example to watchful foreign eyes. The city is a frenetic pot of development and re-development; roads seem to widen before you know it, new hotels pop up so quickly it boggles the mind, and the new subway extensions are, literally, worked on 24/7. Beijing city is currently running the worlds largest re-forestation program. Due to heavy de-forestation and the subsequent erosion of surrounding land in the last twenty years, Beijing has become infamous for its spring sandstorms. In a USD8 billion initiative, 35 million hectares of land will be greened by 2050. Already the city is starting to show signs of more colour and life but experts predict that these new trees (much of which is transplanted) may never completely stop the sandstorms. Apart from the new, the old has not been neglected in this revamp. In a process already two years running, the Forbidden City is undergoing its biggest ever restoration project. To be completed in 2020, the palace will be transformed section by section in an initiative set to cost the government USD12 million a year. By the time the Olympics rolls around, the main areas if the UNESCO site will be completed and the Hall of Supreme Harmony will once again allow the public into the main proceedings hall. Back on the streets, much of the city is widening its laneways, due to the ever-increasing amount of cars on the roads. Recent statistics have shown that a thousand new vehicles hit the roads each day; and where once bicycles ruled the streets, theyre now becoming a much less viewed occurrence. But how to fit 18 million people into the ever diminishing city space? Urban sprawl is one option, with many commuting long distances now to get to work, and it seems in a city where bigger is better, skyscrapers dominate the skyline. In an effort to curb the demolition of the old Hutong quarter, the local government has restricted the maximum height of recent developments to 12 storeys - but that doesnt seem to have stopped all of the construction currently in and around the city. Out further in the districts, the Olympic site is going up on schedule, though recent views still predict quite a bit needs to be done. Though, the birds nest main stadium seems almost complete, and the bubble aquatic centre (that us Aussies helped design) seems finished from the outside. Still, much work needs to be done to the athletes village, though athletes apartments seems more apt in this case. And scaffolding, barricades and cranes are scattered liberally around the area. This much work, done this quickly, is almost inconceivable in any other environment but in what can truly only be described as a unique environment of staggering economic boom, expect the projects to be completed by their due dates if not the day before. INTRODUCTION TO BEIJING
Beijing, the capital city of the Peoples Republic of China is the nations political, cultural and international exchange centre. Beijing will host the 29th Olympic Games this year. It has jurisdiction over 18 districts and countries, with an area of 16,800 square kilometres.
Located in the northern part of the North China Plains, Beijing has a semi-temperate and semi-moist climate with four distinct seasons - short springs and autumns, and long summers and winters.
POPULATION
Beijing has a population of 15 million people.
BEST TRAVEL TIME
The period from late Aug to early Nov every year is the golden season to take a tour of Beijing, with a pleasant and fine Autumn weather.
TRANSPORTATION
The Capital International Airport is one of the three major international airports in China. Domestic air routes reach all the provinces, municipalities directly under the central government and autonomous regions in China, as well as Hong Kong and Macao.
Scheduled flights go from Beijing to 55 local cities in China and to some 50 international cities in more than 30 countries and regions. Shuttles run regularly from the Airport to the city. Beijing has four railway stations, and advanced transport facilities, including public buses, taxis, trolley buses and four subway lines.
CUISINE
Roast Duck has the reputation of being the most delicious food Beijing has to offer. Instant-boiled mutton is another famous local dish served in restaurants all year round. With more Chinese people showing great interest in foreign food, many restaurants of foreign delicacies have been set up in Beijing, serving Western food, Japanese cuisine, Korean barbeques, Indonesia food and Thai cuisine. ACCOMMODATION
The metropolis has over 570 starrated hotels, and some 4,400 ordinary hotels and hostels, with a total of about 359,700 guestrooms; and 450-odd travel services, which provide tour guides speaking 21 languages.
SHOPPING
Large department stores are where you should go if you want brandname and high quality goods, however it is more fun to visit the open markets such as Hongqiao and Xiushui Market, where you can bargain for a satisfactory price, and have more choices of tourist souvenirs and traditional Chinese dresses. In general, shops in the urban area are open daily from 9am to 7pm; and some large shopping centres close as late as 9pm.
Other popular places for shopping include Xidan Shopping Street, Wangfujing, Beijing Curio City, Liulichang and the Friendship Store.
FESTIVALS/CELEBRATIONS
There are many festivals and celebrations in Beijing including the Temple Fairs, Beijing Xuannan Cultural Festival, Beijing Chrysanthemum Show and Beijing International Tourism Cultural Festival.
ENTERTAINMENT
Beijing offers both traditional and modern recreational activities. If you want to feel old Beijing, watching operas at theatre and drinking tea at teahouse while appreciating folk performances are good choices. A must for every tourist is a visit to the Chang An Grand Theater to watch Peking Opera, Chinas representative theatrical art. Ideal places for leisure, business and get-togethers include cinemas, amusement centres, fitness centres, bars, swimming pools and golf courses.
THINGS TO DO
Beijing is a world-renowned tourist city, with more than 200 tourist attractions open to the public, which enjoy a high reputation in the world because of their large sizes and outstanding positions.
Tiananmen Square
Located in the heart of Beijing, Tiananmen Square is the largest
one of its kind in the world with a total of 440,000 square metres. In the morning, the grand flagraising ceremony is held, and at nightfall, the flag-lowering ceremony is conducted at Tiananmen Square. The flag-raising ceremony has become the most attractive ceremony in the Square, as well as a typical sight in Beijing.
Temple of Heaven Located in the southeast of Beijing City proper, the Temple of Heaven was first constructed in 1420, where the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped heaven and prayed for good harvests. In 1998, the Temple of Heaven was included in the World Cultural Heritage List by the UNESCO.
Summer Palace
The Summer Palace is the best-preserved and largest imperial garden in China and a classical park in the world. It is situated in the western suburbs of Beijing and covers an area of 2.9 million square metres, featuring the magnificence of the architecture of north and south China as well as holds tens of thousands of precious cultural relics. The Great Wall
The Great Wall at Badaling located in Yanqing County is among the best preserved stretches of the Wall lying among the undulating high mountains. In 1995, nearly 2,000 metres of the Badaling section were developed for tourists to visit at night.
Beijing Zoo
The Beijing Zoo is located north of Xizhimenwai Dajie and is the largest zoo in China with the longest history. Animals include pandas, antelopes, elephants, bears, orangutans, golden monkeys and tigers as well as rare animals from various continents zebras from Africa and kangaroos from Australia. | 