The Ming Tombs: A World Heritage Site.
A couple hours towards the northwest of Beijing City lies the mausoleums of thirteen Ming dynasty Emperors. Referred to as the Ming Tombs these historical structures have been flawlessly preserved and serve as excellent examples of Chinese palatial architecture and culture. It is said that the site of the mausoleum wee chose n by Ming dynasty emperor Yongle, who was also instrumental in moving the capital of China from Nanjing to Beijing.
The site of the tombs was carefully chosen according to Chinese Feng Shui principles. This is why an arc shaped sheltered area at the foot of the Jundu Mountains was chosen as it deflected the evil spirits of the North Wind. Following the burial of Emperor Yongle twelve others where subsequently buried here, though their tombs bear the same architectural style and geometrical design they differ in their proportions and decorative features.
However, of the thirteen tombs only two are open to the public today, known as the Changling and Dingling tombs. Of these the Changling tomb is the largest and covers an area of almost 2,000 square meters. The tomb holds the remains of Emperor Zhudi and is one of the most interesting Ming dynasty buildings in China. The tomb is supported by 32 large posts some of which measure up to 14 meters in height. The ceiling of the tomb is colorfully painted and features traditional Chinese inscriptions and drawings, the floor of the tomb is covered by gold bricks.
The smaller Dingling tomb is built underground at depth of about 30 meters. The important sections of this tomb are the Stone Bridge, Soul Tower, Baocheng and the Underground Palace. The later section was only found and excavated in the 50’s and is constructed completely from stone. The entire Ming Tomb enclosure was recently declared a UNESCO World heritage site making it a tourist attraction among visitors in many a Beijing hotel. Being a rapidly expanding city with a vibrant tourism sector a luxury hotel in Beijing would not be difficult to find for tourists wishing to visit the Ming dynasty tombs.
Olympic Family Hotels Assure You a Comfortable Stay in Beijing
The 2008 Summer Olympics known in official jargon as the Olympics of the XXIX Olympiad will be worked off in the historic Chinese city of Beijing during the month of August. The city of Beijing expects about 500,000 foreign visitors to the city in lieu of the Olympics. However, the city is only geared to handle up to 350,000 foreign tourists at once, therefore an obvious issue of accommodation for tourists’ crops up. As a remedy for this situation the Chinese authorities have earmarked hotels and lodges that conform to the necessary standards of hospitality and service as “Official Olympic Family Hotels.”
According to this plan Beijing will be able to accommodate up to 600,000 tourists, hotels within close proximity of the main Olympic stadium –the Bird’s Nest will automatically be approved as Official Family Hotels while other modes of accommodation such as home stay and bed & breakfast will also be used to increase the number of rooms that are available. Though a relatively new concept in the Chinese travel and tourism sector, Chinese authorities are going ahead with their plan to approve suitable properties that can offer comfortable accommodation for visitors to the Beijing Olympics.
The Chinese themselves are extremely enthusiastic about this new home stay concept and have gone to great lengths to ensure that their homes are in tiptop shape, they say that it is an excellent opportunity to bond with other nationalities. While their guest can also experience home cooked Chinese cuisine, forge treasured friendships and get an in depth look at the lifestyle of an average Chinese family which has long remained an enigma to Westerners.
Apart from these unorthodox forms of accommodation many a Beijing hotel has also been approved as an “Official Olympic Family Hotel”. The daily rates at these hotels range from 50 to 80 US dollars a day. Among them is the historic Raffles Hotel, Beijing which is a Beijing luxury hotel that has been at the forefront of the city’s hospitality industry since the 1900’s.
