SHANGHAI see other Shanghai trips

The Maglev (magnetic levitation) train runs from Shanghai airport to Longyang Road Metro Station. It travels very smoothly completing the the 30Km in 8 minutes. It is capable of commercial speeds up to 431km/h (286mph).

 

The aquarium is interesting with an underwater glass tunnel so you can walk amongst the fish. There’s a wide variety of aquatic creatures from Asia to Africa and an excellent shark tank. Apparently, it’s one of Asia’s largest aquariums.

	 
 		 
	 

Shanghai to Beijing overnight train

Chinese trains are a safe and cheap way to travel around China, although I would hold back slightly in saying they are comfortable but would rather say, adequate. It is a very easy and convenient experience in contrast to the bustle of the internal airport flights. The only problem with the Chinese rail system is that they don’t release the tickets until 10 days before so planning your trip around the country is difficult and you need a plan B.We departed at 19.30 (be there 18.45, Berth 21 & 23, carriage 1) and arrived in Beijing at 7am the following day. (There is now a new high speed train that travels the 1,318km (819m) in 4hr 48 min (it is capable of doing the journey in 3hr 58 min but the government has restricted it).

BEIJING

 

Hutongs

Beijing's hutongs are more than just architecture. They are the people who live there. They are a museum of Beijing's folk custom and they are a witness to the city's history.  At present, there are about 4,550 hutongs, the broadest over four meters wide and the smallest -- the eastern part of Dongfu' an Hutong, a mere 70 cm across -- just wide enough for a single person to traverse. Although the city has changed a great deal over the last 500 years, the hutongs remain much the same as during Ming and Qing times.

Link to   http://www.world.350.com/Hutongs/home.htm

 

Beijing Sihe hotel

This is an authentic Chinese experience in the preserved and protected Hutong area. The Beijing Courtyard Hotel SiHe is the only hotel that was built at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty. The design is based on that used for ancient Chinese Imperial royalty. It was the former residence of the famous Chinese artist Mr. Mei Lan Fang. The rooms surround a beautiful inner and outer quadrangle courtyard and patio, and are decorated with antique furniture carved with the dragon and phoenix, which are the symbol of Chinese ancient nobility.

We stayed in the principle room of the whole quadrangle. It is located at the north side, facing south. The bedroom area has a king-sized flower-carved bed, antique side tables, a bureau, a wardrobe, and palace lanterns. The reception area (living room) is spacious with two massive wooden armchairs, fit for an emperor.

Beijing Urban Planning Exhibition Centre

This is a four-storey building set out as a museum. The highlight is the detailed 3,200 square foot scaled model of Beijing that projects what it will look like in 2020. The theater shows two short films about the ‘Eternal City’ ie the history of the construction of Beijing and about the ‘New Beijing’ ie the present and future state. There are two bronze models of the natural geography of Beijing and of Beijing in 1949 and also a museum room with artefacts and maps in the hall.

 

Tiananmen Square

This third largest city square in the world lies south of the Forbidden City. It has great cultural significance as it was the site of several important events in Chinese history. Outside China, the square is best known in recent memory as the focal point of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, a pro-democracy movement which ended on 4 June 1989 with the declaration of martial law in Beijing by the government and the death of several hundred civilians.

Mutianyu Great Wall is about 45 miles from Beijing. The wall was first built in the  Northern Qi Dynasty (550 - 557). In the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), Tan Lun and Qi Jiguang, two famous patriotic generals, rebuilt it in order to strengthen its defensive potential when they guarded the strategic pass. It served as the northern protective screen, guarding the capital and imperial mausoleums for generations. Mutianyu Great Wall winds 1.4 miles through high mountains and ridges, many sections of which are made of granite. The unique structure makes the wall almost indestructible. It measures 23 to 26 feet high and four to five yards wide. Both of the wall's inner and outer sides have parapets to defend against enemies coming from the two sides. It has 22 watch towers. At one point there is a cable car and a sled for a speedy trip down!

 

798 Art District

798 is the site of state-owned factories including Factory 798, which originally produced electronics. Since 2002, artists and cultural organizations have divided, rented out, and re-made the factory spaces, gradually developing them into galleries, art centers, artists' studios, design companies, restaurants, and bars. It is now a trendy, avant-garde space with many high-level cultural, artistic and commercial galleries and activities.