Travel to China

Congregation of good shepard

Good Shepherd offers inter-denominational Christian services and Sunday School for children and young adults. The lessons and services are in English. Services take place in the Capital Club Athletic Center at 10a every Sunday. Special services are also held at Christmas and Easter. The Congregation places an emphasis on creating a close knit family atmosphere. Only foreign passport holders may attend although I am not quite sure why besides de obious language issue.

Otani

The big attractions at the Otani are the Japanese baths and sauna, which include various hot and cold pools, steam room and massage. Workout facilities include an 18-meter pool, an outdoor tennis court, three treadmills, one step machine and two stationary bikes. It's really more of a place to relax and soak those sore bones. Well worth a visit.

Beijin Amusement Park

Constructed in 1984, this was the first large modern amusement park in Beijing. Surrounded by a beautiful lake, this park is fun for the whole family. Adults and children alike can pumper themselves by rolling on the 'Super Train' ride or by taking a ride in the 'Water Car'. Sometimes circuses and stuntmen give fantastic shows inside. Beijing's equivalent to Disneyland.

Tiananmen Square

Tiananmen is the biggest public square in the world and is considered a symbol of the People's Republic of China. Surrounded by a cluster of massive buildings including Tiananmen Gate, The Forbidden City, the Great Hall of the People, The Monument of the People's Heroes and the Mao Zedong Mausoleum. Tiananmen attracts thousands of visitors every year from throughout China due to its political and historical significance. The square was recently renovated for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Lama temple

Built in 1694, Palace of Peace and Harmony used to be the residence of Prince Yin Zhen, a son of Emperor Kang Xi of the Qing Dynasty. After the prince came to the throne, half of the residence was used as an imperial palace and the other half was converted to a lamasery. It features five large halls and five courtyards with beautifully decorative archways, upturned eaves and carved details. It houses a treasury of Buddhist art, including sculptured images of gods, demons and Buddhas, as well as Tibetan-style murals.

Bei Hai Park

Built in the era of Kublai Khan, this park was originally used for recreation by the emperors of post-Kublai Khan dynasties. The famous White Dagoba standing above the Jade Islet sets an exotic scene. It is a memorial to a visit by the Dalai Lama in 1651. Other famous features include the Nine-Dragon Screen, built to push away  evil spirits, and the Five-Dragon Pavilion. The park is amazing in every season, especially during the summer when beautiful lotus blooms cover the surface of the lake.

Tiananmen

The Tiananmen is located right between the Forbidden city and Tiananmen square, so you can't miss going there. Ther is not really much to do except some great crowd watching and of course you can take the traditional picture of someone standing below the HUGE picture of Mao. A great souvenir to take back home with you ;)

Yonghe Temple

The Yonghe Temple in Beijing is also known as the Palace of Peace and Harmony Lama Temple or the Lama Temple, is a temple and monastery of the Geluk School of Tibetan Buddhism. It is one of the largest and most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the world, featuring a combination of Han Chinese and Tibetan artworks style. The building dates from 1694, during the Qing Dynasty, and was used as an official residence for court eunuchs, converted into a lamasery in 1722.

Temple of Heaven

Situated in the south of Beijin, this stunning temple park was built between 1406 and 1420. Where  the emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties prayed, through an elaborate ritual, to the gods for good rains and good harvests. It counts with four main areas 1- the Round Altar,2- Echo Wall, 3-the Vault of Heaven and 4-the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. The distinctive outline of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is a symbol of Beijing, and a whisper at any point on the echo wall can be heard anywhere else along its length. It will cost you CNY35 but it is definetly worth every CNY.

The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City is located in the middle of Beijing, very near  Tian´anmen Square, and was the Chinese Imperial Palace during the Qing and mid Ming Dynasties. It covers 720.000 m2, with 800 buildings and more than 8.000 rooms. It is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987 as the "Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties". The Imperial Palace area is located directly to the north of Tian´anmen Square and is accessible from the square via Tian´anmen Gate. It is surrounded by a large area called the Imperial City. With a rectangular shape, surrounded by a six meter deep moat and a ten meter high wall, includes five halls, seventeen palaces, and numerous other buildings.