The capital as well as one of the largest cities in the People’s Republic of China, Beijing serves as the cultural, political, educational, economic, and scientific center of the nation. Located in the country’s north-east corner, Beijing boasts of a diverse range of attractions, from magnificent palaces, temples, and historic monuments to interesting museums, incredible parks and gardens.

Just few to name are Forbidden City, The Great Wall, Summer Palace, Ming Tomb, Chinese History Museum, Chinese Science and Technology Museum, Chinese Military Museum, Yanhuang Art Museum, Temple of Azure Clouds, Wofo Temple, Yonghegong Lamasery, Big Bell Temple, and Ox Street Mosque. Further, people touring the place can also engage in a variety of recreational as well as fun-filled activities such as kite flying, martial arts, ice skating, and cycling. Above all, Beijing has also been chosen as the venue to host 2008 Summer Olympics, as a result of International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) exhaustive ballot.

The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially referred to as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad or the 29th Olympic Games, will fall on August 8, 2008 and would last till August 24, 2008. The Summer Olympic Games, otherwise known as the Games of the Olympiad, is an international sport event that is held once in four years. It is conducted by the International Olympic Committee.

Majority of the games would be held at the city’s Beijing National Stadium. Further, both the opening and closing ceremonies would be held at there. In deed, the Beijing National Stadium would be the major field as well as track stadium. Other venues that have been chosen to conduct Olympic events include National Indoor Stadium, Wukesong Indoor Stadium, Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium, Ying Tung Natatorium, and Olympic Green Convention Centre.

It is estimated that about 11000 competitors would take part in the 2008 Summer Olympics events. Almost competitors from almost every country take part in the events such as, Afghanistan, Antigua, Argentina, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Comoros, Czech Republic, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Denmark, Arab Republic of Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, India, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Korea Democratic People Republic, Laos, Madagascar, Namibia, Netherlands, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Rhodesia, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, Yugoslavia, and Zambia.

Earlier, the summer Olympic Games consisted of only 40 to 45 events. But, now it has been expected that there would be more than 300 events for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Most prominent among the events that form part of the 2008 Summer Olympics are swimming, football, handball, cycling, volley ball, mountain biking, wrestling, judo, weightlifting, tennis, baseball, rowing, canoeing, slalom racing, fencing and shooting, kayaking, field hockey, equestrian, softball, triathlon, water polo, and synchronized swimming.

The 2008 Summer Olympics’ official mascot is Fuwa, which in turn stands as a symbol of peace and friendship. Fuwa has been primarily designed to convey playful qualities of five small children, who in turn form a close circle of friends. Fuwa is also an embodiment of five natural characteristics of four most popular animals of the country, such as, the Tibetan Antelope, the Fish, the Swallow, and the Panda.

The Olympic flame is also represented in Fuwa. In other words, Fuwa represents the five important elements of the nature, such as, the earth, the sky, sea, forest, and fire. Included in the Fuwa are Beibei, representing the fish; Yingying, which stands for the Tibetan Antelope; Nini – the Swallow; Jingjing, which represents the Panda; and above all, Huanhuan, representing the Olympic Flame. Above all, the Fuwa is the representation of aspiration as well as dream of people from all parts of the country.

The capital city has taken all steps to prepare and host the 29th Summer Olympic events as well as the millions of spectators and sports enthusiasts. As a part of this, majority of travel industries have also taken steps to make the 2008 Summer Olympics events eventful. Some of the hotels even offer special packages for those touring the place, especially to spectacle this event. These packages mostly include accommodation, dining, transportation to and fro events, gift package, city sightseeing tours, and excellent travel as well as concierge services. Apart from these, there are also provide special celebrations in connection with the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Beijing, Qingdao and Hong kong will be the three cities for the 2008 Olympics. The most Olympic events will be held in Beijing, the sailing Competition will be held in Qingdao and the Equestrian Competition will be in Hong kong. When you come to Olympic Games and visit these cities, you can find so many interesting things beside Olympics.

Beijing is a city of amazing contrasts – an ancient capital with some incredible historical sites, and a bustling modern metropolis getting ready to host the 2008 Olympics. In Beijing, those places you should not miss:

The Tiananmen Square- is the largest public square in the world.

Forbidden City-is the largest and the best preserved Imperial Palace in the world.

Temple of Heaven-was built specifically for worship of heaven and prayers for good harvests during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Badaling Great Wall-is China most spectacular sight extending more than 3,700 miles across China and most often visited for China tour. It is one of the best preserved sections and the highest point of the Great Wall;

Summer Palace-is the most splendid imperial garden in China built in 1750.

Hutong Trishaw Tour-you can take the rickshaw to drive through the old walking alleys to see the old living residence. You can also visit the local family to talk with them. This is a very good opportunity for you to have a real understanding of the local people life.

In Beijing, clusters of neighboring “Siheyuan”(Quadrangles), low and gray, make into many small alleys, most of which orderly laid out like a chessboard, running either from south to north or east to west. This sort of alleys is called “Hutong” in Peking dialect. All these alleys are the same. When you are in it, you will find and experience that every alley has something special to talk about, as it is full of life and stories.

While in Hong kong, you can relax and enjoy the peaceful environment of the spectacular islands and country parks. Walking the street here, you may know more about the culture of east and west combined. That is the reason why Hong kong is a city with nickname of Gourmets’ Paradise, City with a Passion, the City that Never Sleeps and Land of Limitless delights.

In Hong kong, these places you should not missed:

Victoria Peak- It is one of Hong Kong leading tour destinations, which has breathtaking views of city famous skyline, Victoria Harbour and as well as the romantic South China Sea.

Aberdeen- A harbor area crowded with junks and sampans, where 6,000 people live and work on junks. To get a close-up look at the Aberdeen way of life, you can take a sampan ride.

Repulse Bay- It is the most famous beach of having the highest representative characteristics in Hong Kong by its long and wide beach, clean water, calm tide and gentle wave.

 

When the lights go down, you head for Lan Kwai Fong, you will get a taste of Hong Kong unique nightlife.

Lan Kwai Fong is an L-shaped, cobble-stoned lane with numerous bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants. Visiting on a Friday or Saturday night, you may be overwhelmed by the enormous crowds that fill the streets, with all bars having only standing room. Most language you can hear here is English rather than Cantonese speaking.

The third city to talk about is Qingdao. As a sailing Olympic city, Qingdao is a beautiful seaside city in the southeast of Shandong Province. When you are here, never miss to go those places:

Mt. Laoshan- is different from many famous mountains in China. Lao Mountain rises from the sea level, and has a coast line of 87 kilometers, structuring a wonder on the sea. Take a walk around, with the sea on one side, and lofty stones and precipitous peaks on the other side, both majestic and elegant, you will enjoy those views without feeling to leave.

Taiqing Palace – As the birth place of Laozi, it has more than 140 rooms including Three Gods’ Hall, Three Purities’ Hall and Three Emperors’ Hall. There are five Taiji Palaces as the main buildings, a stone pillar with three cypresses around and many well preserved ancient articles.

The No. 1 Bathing Beach- is located at the Huiquan Beach, it is once the largest bathing beach in Asia. The surrounding mountains and green trees, modern building subtly combined traditional villas form a wonderful scene. The clear water and soft sands contribute to the superior natural conditions of the beach.

What’s more, every summer Qingdao hosts the Beer Festival. If you have an opportunity to attend it, you’ll see the best of Chinese beer drinking culture at the event. The many performances are sometimes hilarious, such as the beer drinking competition. Who is the fastest one to chug a bottle of Qingdao beer? You will be surprised that it’s the ladies who excel at this admirable skill at often times. There are large variety of beer to sample, from all over Asia and Europe, as well as our well known North American brands.