Travel Tips - for Your Tours in Beijing

Touring in Beijing can be both intriguing and exciting. There are large number of travelers can be frustrated when touring in Beijing. Read on to find some Beijing tour tips to help you get the most out of your Beijing experience.

Weather

Beijing's weather differs greatly between seasons and travelers are advised to check the weather before departure. Autumn is probably the best season to visit Beijing, the temperature is mild and the sun is out a lot.

Communicating

The official language of China is Mandarin Chinese, actually a northern dialect, and this is what the people of Beijing speak. Most hotel staff can speak English, so this is not a big problem. But on the street it may be difficult to communicate. Nowadays most young people are studying English, so for simple directions and help, you can most likely get assistance from a younger person.

Business Hour

Generally, most of the scenic spots in Beijing sell entrance tickets from 8:00 till 16:00. Some are open much earlier like Temple of Heaven, Beihai Park, and Summer Palace. Many early birds in Beijing come to these parks for morning exercises.

Exchange Currency

Tourists can exchange traveler's cash at most banks, and hotels always have a money exchange counter. To change money, you have to have your passport at hand. Some up-scale hotels will only change money for their own guests. When you are changing money, don't change too much, because it is difficult to change back into other currencies.

Internet

Internet cafes' can be easily found along the streets of Beijing, and lots of hotels have internet access. If you want to do business via the internet, chat with family or friends, there are plenty of venues for you to choose.

Whenever you have any question about your Beijing tour, please contact us and we will try our best to help you.

Three Famous Sacrificial Altars in Beijing

A lot of historical sites that interesting and worth to visit in Beijing. With long history behind, those historical places certainly will offer its own beauty. At past, in the Dynasty era of China, each emperor believed they must give the sacrifice and hold ceremonial rituals to Gods. Below, it is three famous sacrificial altars in Beijing which played an important part in the ritual life of the Ming and Qing emperors.

1. Temple of Heaven 

Temple of Heaven was used as the sacrificial altars where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped heaven and prayed for good harvests. It also has known as the largest existing complex of ancient sacrificial buildings in China. Built in 1420 and in total located in the area of 273 hectares, in more than 500 years, 22 emperors made 654 sacrifices to heaven here. 

The main building inside Temple of Heaven called The Hall of Prayer for the Good Harvest. The building stands on a round foundation built with three levels of marble stones and cone-shaped glaze-tile roof in blue color crowned with a gilded knob.
Another important building inside Temple of Heaven includes The Circular Mount Altar, Echo Wall, Imperial Vault of Heaven, Center of Heaven Stone and many others. It was open to the public in 1919 and soon became the top attraction of Beijing.

2. Altar of Earth (Ditan Park) 

 

Altar of Earth located in Andingmen and it was built in 1530 during Ming Dynasty. For some four centuries, Altar of Earth was the sacred place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped the God of Earth. Ditan Park located in the total 42.7 hectares area and also become the second largest of the four Temples of Beijing behind only the Temple of Heaven.
Every year, starting from 1986, Ditan Cultural Temple Fair was also held during the Spring Festival. The festival features thousands of red lanterns hanged on the many trees of the park. The festival attracts lot of locals to come and even tourists. Same as the other park in Beijing, the Park has also become the place where some elderly Chinese doing their daily activities, such as, playing cards, singing, dancing, exercising etc.

3. Temple of the Sun (Ritan Park) 

 

Ritan Park or also called Temple of the Sun is one of the biggest parks in Beijing. It was used as the place where Ming and Qing Dynasty emperors came for reflection, meditation, and carrying out ceremonial rituals and sacrifices to the God of the Sun. It was initially built in 1530 and was build in the Ming Dynasty and rebuild in Qing Dynasty.  There is a tradition to stand at the highest point of the park and watch the sun fade away behind the mountains. Qinghui Pavilion is the ideal location to see the sunrise and sunset which sit in the southeast side. If interested, visitors could enjoy stunning and beauty sunrise or sunset from here.
Not only that, the park has completed and opened to the public and have a children amusement park and a fishing area. Inside Ritan Park, there also occasionally hold some culture activities include music festivals, flower shows in the spring, morning exercise performances, and the adoption of ancient trees.