This is Beijing-Beijing English blog

From tomorrow (July 25), the remaining 820,000 Olympic tickets will be sold at venue ticket booths from 9:00.am to 6:00.pm. We should say it is very hot.

Why it is so hot？First，it is true that lots of people have passion for the Olympic. That is a proud thing to the whole China. We want to share the pleasure, we want to be the audience both for the Chinese athletes and also the foreign althletes. Second, some people can get bentfit from reselling the ticket.

You know, too many people want to see the olympic, but some of them can not get the tickets. So they will buy the reselled ticket from others. According to the news, some of the ticket can be reselled at very high peice which is 10 times than the normal price.

Unlike the first three phases, the fourth phase of ticket sales is open to the individuals rather than groups, and the public can line up to buy tickets at ticket booths of the Olympic venues and pay with cash or a Visa card. In order to give more people a chance to buy tickets, each person is allowed to buy at most two tickets for one session at once.

I heard that from last night some people have began to wait in line for buying the ticket. Very hot! They will wait more than two days to get the chance to buy the ticket. Some of my collegues also want to get some tickets, some for their relative and some want to resell it to get some money. Some students have earned thousands of money by reselling Olympic tickets in the Summer holiday.

Tiananmen Square

Forbidden City

Great Wall

Summer Palace

Temple of Heaven

Ming Tombs

Yonghegong Lama Temple

Yuanmingyuan Park

Beihai Parik

hutong

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The Beihai park in the center of Beijing has an area of more than 70 hectares with a water surface of 39 hectares. To its north is Shishahai Lake and to its east is Jingshan Park. The Palace Museum is to its southeast, a short distance.

The imperial court of the Liao Dynasty a temporary palace on the site of present Beihai Park in the 10th century. During the following Jin Dynasty a lake was dug. The excavated earth was piled to make a hill. Around the lake and on the hill palatial halls, corridors and pavilions were erected. The imperial court of the Yuan Dynasty which came after the Jin expanded Jionghua Islet in the lake and made it the center of its capital Dadu City. During the Ming Dynasty five pavilions linked with zigzag bridges were built in the northwestern part of the lake. During the region of Emperor Qian Long (1736-1796) a large-scale project was carried on over 30 years, making the palace a grand imperial garden.

Beihai Park is composed of Tuancheng (Circulate City), Jionghua Islet, Eastern Shore Scenic Area and Northwestern Shore Scenic Area, with Jionghua Islet as the center. The small island is connected with other parts by a stone bridge and ferry boats.

The Ming Tombs located in Changping District, about 50 kilometers from the northwest of Beijing, is enclosed by mountains in three sides. The imperial cemetery covers an area of 120 square kilometers with 13 Ming emperors, 23 empresses and a number of concubines, princes, and princesses buried there, and thus it is also called 13 Mausoleums. These tombs are the best preserved Chinese imperial tombs and has been nominated by the UNESCO as the world cultural heritages.

The site of the Ming Dynasty Imperial Tombs was carefully chosen according to Fengshui (geomancy) belief. The first tomb, Chang Ling, or Tomb of Chang, began to be built by the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty in the seventh year of his reign (1409 AD) before the main peak of Tian Shou (literally, heavenly longevity)Mountain. (The first emperor of Ming Dynasty was buried in Najing). In chronological order for the following 200 years, Xiang Ling(Ling means great tomb in Chinese), Jing Ling, Yu Ling, Mao Ling, Zong Ling, Kang Ling, Yong Ling, Zhao Ling, Ding Ling, Qing Ling and De Ling were built and spread on both sides of the Chang Ling. All these tombs share a same Sacred Way that crosses the middle of the tomb zone. The last tomb, for Emperor Chongzhen, Zhu Youjian, lying in the southwest of the zone, was actually built out of a tomb originally intended for a concubine. Several decades after the death of the last Ming emperor, Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty gave the last Ming Tomb the tile and added the architecture on the ground. Besides the emperor’s tombs scatters lots of smaller tombs for concubines and a eunuch.

According to the Feng Shui belief the tombs zone is screened by green high mountains on three sides and with a river flowing by. Tourists enter the tomb zone through the Sacred Way, on both sides of which there stands totally 36 stone sculptures. Among the 18 pairs of the sculptures, 24 are stone animals and 12 human figures. The customs of erecting stone sculptures in front of the imperial commentaries started as early as the Qin (221-206 BC) Dynasty. They show the supreme authorities and dignities of the emperor and signify that they are still the supreme ruler after death. All these stone sculptures are huge; some exceeds 30 cubic meters in volume. In the ancient time without modern machine and vehicles, these heavy stone sculptures were transported here all entirely by manpower like this: in winter time, water was splashed on the road. When the slippy icy coating took form on the road, the labors hauled the sculpture forward on the ice. Every 500 meters a well was dug to get water for making the ice. Therefore, it was a tough job for building an imperial tomb. The tombs zone is so vast that tourist normally only see two of the 13 tombs, namely, Chang Ling – the largest in architectural scale and Ding Ling – the only excavated one so far.

The Yonghegong Lama Temple at the northeast corner of downtown Beijing was originally used as official residence for court eunuchs of the Ming dynasty and was converted to the royal court of Prince Yongzheng during the 33rd year (1693) of Kangxi’s reign of the Qing dynasty. In the 3rd year of Yongzheng’s rein (1725), it was elevated to imperial palace for short stays away from the capital with the name changed to Yonghe Palace of Peace and Harmony. During the 9th year of Emperor Qian Long’s reign (1477), it was change into Lama Temple.

The dimensions of the temple are magnificent, which have five courtyards in a row. The front structural layout in the temple is bright and spacious dotted with screen walls with carved murals, lifeless things and decorated archways. The interior pavement leading to the main halls and the evergreen pine and cypress appear to be rather peaceful and secluded in the environment. The back structural layout is composed of a cluster of building, halls and pavilions intermingled with each other, and upturned eaves and ridges beautifully interwoven presenting a picturesque sight.

Palace of the Heavenly King, Yonghe Palace, Eternal Blessing Hall, the Hall of the Wheel of the Law and Hall of boundless Happiness are the main structures. The Hall of the Wheel of the Law is extremely imposing; the overall arrangement of its plane diagram forms a cross sign and there are five petty garrets on the ceiling decorated with small lama pagodas, which are characterized by the style of lamaism. The Hall of Boundless Happiness is the biggest building in the Lama Temple of Peace and Harmony flanked by the Hall of Everlasting Health and the Hall of Peace. They are connected by a corridor of the Suspension Hall, which form a cluster of majestic dignified buildings. In the Hall of the Boundless Happiness, stands a famous huge statue of Buddha, 26 meters high carved out of a whole piece of sandalwood; it is the biggest wood-carving Buddha in the world.

Tips

Most visitors to the temple will burn joss sticks to worship the Buddha. However, it is wise to buy the joss sticks outside. If there are two many pilgrims and you do not have the chance to burn you joss sticks, the lama will ask you to leave them on the sacrifice table. After visiting the Lama Temple, one can also go to the Guozijian and Confucius Temple, which are in the neighborhood of the Lama Temple and of high cultural and historical values.

The Temple of Heaven is the most holy of Beijing Imperial temples. The temple of Heaven was where the Emperor came every winter solstice to worship heaven and to solemnly pray for a good harvest. Since his rule was legitimized by a mandate from heaven, a bad harvest could be interpreted as his fall from heaven’s favour and threaten the stability of his reign. So, it was not without a measure of self-interest that the Emperor fervently prayed for a very good crop.

In line with the Confucianist revival during the Ming dynasty, the sacred harvest ceremony was combined with the Emperor’s worship of his ancestors. This embellishment was also, in effect, self-interested. For according to the Confucian pattern of social organization, just as the Emperor respected his ancestors, so a younger brother should respect an elder brother, a wife her husband, a son his father, and a nation’s subjects their ruler. Incorporating ancestor worship within the most solemn ceremony of the Imperial ritual calendar, indirectly reinforced the social philosophy that perpetuated the Emperor’s power.

The design of the Temple of Heaven complex, true to its sacred purpose, reflects the mystical cosmological laws believed to be central to the workings of the universe. Hence, complex numerological permutations operate within its design. For example, because the number nine was considered to be the most powerful digit, you will see that the slabs that form the Circular Altar have been lain in multiples of nine. Similarly within the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, the interior twenty-eight columns are divided into four central pillars to represent the seasons, twelve inner columns to represent the months and twelve outer columns to represent the two hour tranches that make up a day. There are many such examples of this intense numerology at play.

Whereas in Imperial times commoners were not allowed to enter the enormous park, now for a minimal fee Chinese citizens can enjoy it all day long. Were you to visit at dawn you’d be surprised by the number of people there performing their morning exercises. Next to an older person practicing the slow and flowing movements of Tai Qi there might be a younger one performing vigorous karate-like punches and kicks. One group might be learning the ancient martial art of sword-fighting, while another might be practising a traditional dance. Should you have the energy and the inclination, it is well worth waking up early one morning and visiting this park to watch such events take place.

On a parting note – amongst Sir Isaac Newton’s lesser known achievements in the seventeenth century was the design of a nail-less bridge at Queens College, Cambridge. I wonder how he’d have felt to have known that the Chinese had already built the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest on the same principle two hundred years earlier.

The Summer Palace is located within the Haidian District, northwest of Beijing. It is the best preserved imperial garden in the world and the largest of its kind that still in existence in China today. It is mainly composed of the Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake. The huge garden boasts about 3,000 garden architecture and is broken into three zones: office zone, living quarters and sightseeing area.

It’s hardly surprising that, during the hot Beijing summers, the Imperial Family preferred the beautiful gardens and airy pavilions of the Summer Palace to the walled-in Forbidden City. Dowager Empress Cixi took up permanent residence here for a time, giving rise to some wonderful tales of extravagance and excess. Although only a short drive (15 km) from central Beijing it seems like another world. UNESCO has this to say of the Summer Palace: “…a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value.”

The Beijing Hutong has a very special and important position in the rich history and culture of Beijing.

The Beijing Hutong is one of the “must see” items in Bejing. They are a wonderful glimpse into the world of yesterday in Beijing. While visit the Beijing Hutongs, you can feel the dramatic changes of Beijing and you can evident the History of Beijing experence its life style and traditional culture.

What is Hutong

Beijing hutongs, lanes or alleys formed by lines of siheyuan (a compound with houses around a courtyard) where old Beijing residents live, witness the vicissitude of the city.

The word “hutong” originates from the word “hottog” which means “well” in Mongolian. Villagers dig out a well and inhabited there. Hutong means a lane or alley, in fact the passage formed by lines of siheyuan (a compound with houses around a courtyard) where old Beijing residents live. Be care not to lost in it! It was recorded that in the Yuan a 36-meter-wide road was called a standard street, a 18-meter-wide one was a small street and a 9-meter-wide lane was named a hutong. In fact, Beijing hutongs are inequable ranging from 40 centimeter to 10 meter in wide. The longest has more than 20 turns. Either in east-west or north-south, Beijing hutongs varied as slant, half or ” blind hutongs” cul-de-sacs. The gray-tiled houses and deep alleys crossing with each other in identical appearance like a maze, you will find it much fun to walk through but be care not to lost yourself.

History of Hutong

Beijing hutong, lanes or alleys formed by lines of siheyuan (a compound with houses around a courtyard) where old Beijing residents live, witness the vicissitude of the city.

The word “hutong” originates from the word “hottog” which means “well” in Mongolian. Villagers dig out a well and inhabited there. Hutong means a lane or alley, in fact the passage formed by lines of siheyuan (a compound with houses around a courtyard) where old Beijing residents live. Be care not to lost in it! It was recorded that in the Yuan a 36-meter-wide road was called a standard street, a 18-meter-wide one was a small street and a 9-meter-wide lane was named a hutong. In fact, Beijing hutongs are inequable ranging from 40 centimeter to 10 meter in wide. The longest has more than 20 turns. Either in east-west or north-south, Beijing hutong varied as slant, half or ” blind hutongs” cul-de-sacs. The gray-tiled houses and deep alleys crossing with each other in identical appearance like a maze, you will find it much fun to walk through but be care not to lost yourself.

Hutong Culture

The name of a hutong implicates its origin, location or history. It is in the gray-tiled deep lanes that families play, travel, buy goods, gossip and connect. In Beijingers’ eyes, hutongs means a period of history, a cordial lifestyle and even an “encyclopedia of Beijing”.

When a certain name was given and prevailed among people, it exactly became the necessary symbol for intercourses and communication. From the names of hutongs one can discover how Beijingers, in the course of centuries, advanced from vulgarity to refinement. In numerous hutongs are scattered the residences of famous personages, and these places are repositories. Laoshe, a well – known playwright is just one of them. Laoshe was born in a small lane, in the west part of the city. The memory of his childhood was so dear and impressive that after he’d been away from Beijing for more than 20 years, he still clearly remembered his birthplace, and he made it the backdrop of his novel “the Four Generations Under One Roof”. Many famous operas and dramas are based on the themes of the ” hutong life”. A visit to hutongs plus a drama by the Beijing People’s Art Theatre, such as ” Teahouse” or ” Small Hutong” in the evening will help you appreciate the fundamental part of Beijing’s life. When urban construction threatens the existence of these hutongs, some Beijingers become worried.

Courtyard Culture

The Dwelling compounds or quadrangles (Siheyuan) – the enclosed, one-story courtyard houses that make up old Beijing, feature a typical Chinese folk residential architecture.

A standard siheyuan usually falls into a rectangular compound with one-story houses squarely facing the cardinal points and a courtyard in middle.

A pair of stone lions usually stand in front of the vermilion studded door with a painted lintel on the top. The decorative patterns are flowers and birds. Stepping over a high wooden threshold, you will find a stone screen standing ahead. It is built to avoid direct inspection from outside and also believed to dispel evil spirits. Next comes the outer courtyard, flanked by rooms to the east and west. These serve as kitchens and servants’ living quarters. On the northern end of the outer courtyard is the “Main House” which faces southward to get maxium daylight in 3-5 rooms. The up-turned eaves provide a pleasant shade in summer. One room located in the middle of the house is for living or community purposes with a smaller bedroom or studies beside it. Two passages on either side of the Main House, give entry to the inner yard. Rooms on each side were for married children and their families. Greenery planted in the courtyard makes an inner garden.

Some large compounds have two or more courtyards, inhabited by an extended family with several generations. “Four Generations under One Roof”, a novel by the contemporary writer Lao She, depicts Beijingers in the 1930s and 1940s living in siheyuan.

Beijing still has about 400,000 residential quadrangles now, mainly distributed over the East, West, Xuanwu and Chongwen districts. The municipal government has earmarked a number of dwelling compounds for protection.

Beijing Zoo, to the west of Beijing Exhibition Center, is actually a natural garden with dense groves of trees, stretches of grassland, a small stream, lotus pools and small hills dotted with pavilions and halls.

Beijing Zoo was called Wan Sheng Garden in the Qing Dynasty (literally it means the Garden of 10, 000 animals). After the Qing Dynasty was replaced by the Republic of China in 1912, this previous royal garden became an experimental filed for farming and animal husbandry. The Zoo was not until 6 years after the founding of the P. R. China in 1955, this garden was officially opened to visitors as the city zoo of Beijing. The Zoo is now the biggest zoo in China with the largest animal species and number.   

Animals are living in different halls or zones of the huge zoo. Some most important are as follows.

The Beijing Ocean Hall measures 35, 000 square meters, located in the northeast of the zoo. Seen from afar, the hall looks like a gigantic ocean trumpet shell. The shape of the architecture tells the visitors that it is a place associated with the sea. Going into this huge “trumpet shell,” you find yourself really in close contact with the sea. The spacious hall is subdivided into several zones: the Hall of Tropical Rain Forest, the Hall of the Shark, the Ocean Theater and the Ocean Library and Reading Hall among others. Here the visitors can touch the aquarium in which the dynamic ocean bottom is visible. Through the close contact with the various sea lives, one feels as if he or she was in the bottom of the vast ocean. In addition to seeing the natural conditional of the ocean life, visitors are also invited to enjoy the interesting sea animal show. Those clever and cute sea animals such as dolphin make your trip hard to forget.

The highlight of the Beijing Zoo is perhaps the hall of giant panda. As everyone knows that the giant panda is only found in China and recognized as China’s national treasures and symbol. Due to people’s love for them and its endangered status, the giant pandas always receive the “VIP” treatment wherever they go. People can tell who lives here by its unique shape of the hall – bamboo, the favorite food for the cute panda baby. In the hall the lush bushes and bamboo make the place no different from the wild habitat of giant panda in southwest China. Many other halls also attract large number of tourists, among which, the hall of giraffe, hall of gorilla, and the hall of elephant are the most recommendable.

The Beijing Zoo is more than a paradise for animals. A few gardens are built to grow the flower that enjoy the most popularity in China like the Chinese rose and peony (peony is the national flower of China, signifying wealth and prosperity). While observing the lovely animals and the beautiful flowers, tourists can in the meantime enjoy the delicious food in the zoo. The restaurant Bin Feng Tang offers great imperial palace cuisines. There is another important attraction in the zoo-Chang Guan Manor, one of the previous temporary palaces for the Qing imperial family, but it is not opened for public visiting now.

Beijing Railroad Police announced yesterday, in order to ensure the Olympic Games security, the railway security check promotes comprehensively starting from today. Then every enter time of the railway station will be checked. Even the liquid which does not request for securety chech will also be checked. There are some features for the security chech:

Liqulid chech machine is here;

Second chech by the police dog;

The police patrol with guns.