Pearl River including the East River, the Xijiang and Beijiang tributary to the Guangzhou River confluence,,, very beautiful scenery. At night, lights,” Pearl River Pearl” on the tour ship carrying tourists from people’s bridge near Sai ferry, traveling east, the Liberation Bridge, Jiangwan bridge, Haizhu bridge. Haiyin bridge, Guangzhou bridge, Hedong Bridge, then return. Landscape on the way with Zhuhai loyalty, East Lake, Whampoa　 Yun Qiang, Etan lament,” Yangcheng eight scenic spots”, and the south building, Aiqun Hotel, Guangzhou Hotel, Hotel Landmark Canton, Le Grand Large Hotel Jiangwan Haizhu Square Gardens, two sand, White Swan Hotel, sand villa building. The whole two hours.

Lotus Mountain，covering an area of 2.33 square kilometers and with 108 meters above sea level, is situated by the bank of Lion Sea which is the estuary of Pearl River, thus it is provided with superior location and convenient communication. As a scenic spot combining the ancient ruggedness with the modern grace, it was awarded laureate titles such as “National AAAA Tourist Attraction”, “Provincial Scenic Spot”, “National Preserved Cultural Relic” and “Top 8 Tourist Attractions of the New Century in Guangzhou”.

The Ancient Quarry is well known as its unique spectacle which goes by the comment of “manpower exceeded nature’s engineering” .The Lotus Pagoda and Lotus Wall both are Provincial Preserved Cultural Relics.

Remarkably, the 40.88 meters high Guan-yin is the highest gold-foiled bronze one in the world and has been visited and worshipped by millions of pilgrims annually. Furthermore, various self-contained service facilities are well prepared for the visitors in GD Hotel & Resort. We all wish you an enjoyable visit and leisure herein Lotus Mountain.

Central Radio and TV Tower is located in western Beijing San Huan mid Road (xī sān huán zhōng lù 西三环中路), near Yuyuan Tan Park(yù yuān tán gōng yuán 玉渊潭公园) and Diaoyutai State Guesthouse(diào yú tái guó bīn guǎn 钓鱼台国宾馆) from east, the new West Railway Station(běi jīng xī zhàn 北京西站) in the west, and the Summer Palace (yí hé yuán 颐和园) is in the north. It’s 405 meters high and covers an area of 15.4 hectares. It is the fifth highest tower in the world.

There are VIP hall, rotating restaurant and terrace in the palace lantern-shaped tower, with an area of 6000 square meters. Rotating restaurant is on the 18th floor, which is 221 meters high. It can accommodate 250 people dining at the same time. The indoor viewing room is on the 19th floor, which is 225 meters high. There’s an open-air observation platform on the 22th floor with a height of 238 meters. It’s the biggest open-air observation platform on large towers in the world, which shows a 360-degree view of Beijing. And 20 times automatic telescope can be used for free. There’s a post office in the indoor viewing hall, it’s certenly the highest highest office in the air in Beijing. You can send a postcard with a stamp and medal of the post office in the air.

The ‘Pacific Underwater World Expo’, ‘Carting City Club’ and ‘Great Windmill ?? naughty cat paradise for children’ are in the pedestal of the tower. It’ll be good places for all ages of people for relax.

Travel information:
[Address]: No.11 Western Sanhuan mid Road Haidian District, Beijing
[Public Transport]: No.323, 8,624,809,811,40,64 Yuntong(运通)102, Yuntong103, Yuntong201, Yuntong108,374,394,944,836,631 Hangtian Bridge south(航天桥南)

[Whole price]: 50 yuan
[Time]: 8:30 – 22: 00
[Stop ticketing Time]: 21:30

[Lunch in rotating restaurant price]: 168 yuan (contains the whole price of visiting the tower 50 yuan and the Underwater World Expo ticket 75 yuan)
[Time(afternoon)]: 11:00 – 14: 00 (stop ticketing time: 13:30)

[Dinner in rotating restaurant price]: 298 yuan (contains the whole price of visiting the tower 50 yuan)
[Time(evening)]: 17:00 – 22: 00 (stop ticketing time 21:00)
[Business hours (night)]: Standard: 400 yuan /person, 600 yuan /person, 800 yuan /person (12 persons at most)

As the elite the Guilin landscape. the Lijiang  River is a bright pearl among China`s beautiful mountains and rivers. Originated in Mao`er Mountain at Xing`an County. northeast of Guilin City. the Lijiang River winds its way southeast for about 437 kilometers via Guilin City. Yangshuo City to Gongcheng Estuary of Pingle County in Guangxi Province. The 84-kilometer-long segment from Guilin City to Yangshuo City resembles a green silk belt. winding among the peaks and the chains of mountains. The miraculous peaks. green mountains and blue waters mutually embellish. just as a 100-kilometer-long scroll. For several thousands of years. a great number of bookmen and scholars have been intoxicated with it. A segment of the mountains and waters of the Lijiang River are printed on the back of the new version paper currency RMB 20.

The voyage of the Lijiang River from the Guilin City to the Yangshuo City is about 83 kilometers. and it can be divided into the following three segments:

The first segment is from Guilin City to Yangdi (total 46km; 4 hours’ voyage). The scenic spots are a bit far from the waterway. The scenic spots near Guilin City include the Elephant Trunk Hill, the Pagoda Hill (Sword Hill), etc. Two hills named ” Chuanshan” on the east bank and ” Guishan” on the opposite west bank resemble a pair of fighting roosters.

The second segment is from Yangdi to Xingping (total 17km; 40 minutes’ voyage). This segment has the most beautiful landscape of waters and hills. Many scenic spots are on both banks of the Lijiang River. For example, the ferry precipices of the Half-Side Ferry seem cut by knife, which is seldom seen in the world; the peaks are standing upright on both banks and the flying waterfall is being suspended highly at the Erlang Gorge; the precipice of the Mural Hill is even straight as if cut by knife, interlaced and decorated with the colors of white, yellow, gray and black, etc. After boating out of the Siwang, one can see nine horses on the precipice of the Mural Hill, so it is commonly called as the Nine-Horse Painting.

The third segment is from Xingping to Yangshuo (total 20km; 2 hours’ voyage). When you can see the highest Green Lotus Peak in Yangshuo, you will reach Yangshuo City soon. Seen from the front side, the Green Lotus Peak is as smooth as a mirror, so it is also called the Jianshan (mirror hill).

One of the advantages to visit the Lijiang River is that the tourists do not need to worry about the change of the weather, since the views of the Lijiang River have different characteristics in different weather conditions: Tourists can view the inverted images of green peaks in sunny days ; view the clouds and mists covering the hills in overcast days and view the misty rain of the Lijiang River in rainy days. Even in the overcast and rainy days, the mist over the water is wreathing, the chain of mountains is gleaming, drifting clouds are moving among the miraculous peaks, and the rain curtain is covering the waters and hills as the lengthwise yarn, looking like many splash-ink watercolor paintings.(via MySpace.cn)

Only 60 km away from China`s huge capital Beijing there is this lovely little village called Chuandixia. This village is known for its well preserved 689 Ming and Qing dynasty-style houses owned by 76 families.

These houses are built on the side of a hill. surrounded by mountains and forests. Steep stairs and lanes paved with rocks are simple and unadorned.

The village was rated as a village of great tourist value and has been placed under national level cultural relics protection. It is a great place to take photos. Almost every family at the village now receives tourists.

The village is also near spots like Shuanglong Gorge. with its rivers and falls. the Pearl Lake and the Longmenjian grand canyon.

To get there: take bus 929 from Pingguoyuan subway station to Chuandixia village.
Tel: 010-6981-9333

The stadium will host the main track and field competitions form the 2008 Summer Olympics,as well as the opening and closing ceremonies.The stadium can seat as many as 91,000 spectators during the Olympics.The capacity will then be reduced to 80,000 after the Games.It has replaced the original intended venue of the Guangdong Olympic Stadium.the stadium is 330 meters long by 220 meters wide,and is 69.2 meters tall.The stadium uses 258,000 square meters of space and has a usable area of 204,000 square meters.It was built with 36 km of unwrapped steel,with a combined weight of 45,000 tons.The stadium will cost up to 3.5 billion Yuan.

The National Stadium is dubbed the “Bird’s Nest” because ofits innovative grid formation.The twig-like structural elements and the bowl-shaped roof are the masterpiece of the project,yet they pose great challenges to technicians and workers who need to make the building stand on its own feet.The constructors have made decisive efforts to let the “Bird’s Nest” support its own weight without relying on any of the supporting structures.

The large steel skeleton of the project weights 42,000 tons,with the roof and the hanging parts around it accounting for 11,2000 tons.To bear such a heavy load,78 supporting structures were temporarily installed and distributed in different points under stress.Through accurate calculation and careful argumentation,experts came to understand that the unloading process of the supporting frameworks should be divided into seven steps and each step should abide by the sequence of outer circle,middle circle,inner circle,middle circle and innercircle.In other words,35 mini-steps are needed to complete the whole process.

To unload a supporting structure,or to load the insitu steel skeleton,a lifting jack is used.Jacking pads with a height of 100mm to 200mm are placed on the top of the supporting structures.When the lifting jack rises,it replaces the structure to bear the load of the steel skeleton,and a jacking pad is removed.Then the jack descends slowly to give the remaining load again to the column,thus repeating a total of 35 times until the steel skeleton is able to bear its own weight.

Accuracy is required during the process.The maximum descent of the outer circle is limited to  68-286mm,the middle circle 161-178mm and inner circle 208-286mm.If the descent of the steel structure,which relies on its own supporting capability,exceeds the extent,or cracks appear somewhere in the skeleton,then problems might exist in the design,manufacturing or construction stages in the past three years.In a word,the unloading process is a proof of “the Bird’s Nest” Quality.

The newly revitalised Fairmont Peace Hotel Shanghai will offer approximately 269 deluxe guestrooms and suites with a selection of eight restaurants and lounges. Included among these is the much-loved Jazz Bar, a Shanghai institution since the 1930s. In addition, a lobby lounge on the ground floor, a mezzanine-level sushi, wine and cigar bar as well as a heritage Chinese restaurant on the 8th floor and the Peace Grill Restaurants on the 9th floor will offer a new level of elegance and comfort befitting of today’s discerning travellers. The 9th floor will also host the famed Peace Hall, where the property’s iconic sprung-wooden dance floor still evokes memories of old Shanghai cabarets and gala parties.

Responsible for the entire renovation of the property formerly referred to as the ‘Premier Hotel of the Far East’ is the internationally acclaimed design firm, Hirsch Bedner Associates. Now in the final design stages, the Fairmont Peace Hotel is being brought back to life and transformed into an ultra-luxurious global icon for the 21st century.

A low-rise extension has been added to the rear of the hotel, housing guestrooms as well as a sky-lit swimming pool and spa. The famous ‘Nine Nations Suites’ will remain a feature of the new hotel; four of these (Indian, English, Chinese and American) will be preserved from the old Peace Hotel, while the French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese and German suites will be redesigned in keeping with their original concepts. A presidential suite will occupy the 10th floor penthouse where the hotel’s flamboyant creator and former owner, Victor Sassoon, once lived.

In addition to the renovation of many elements of the building, which remain true to its historical integrity, the hotel will ensure a timeless reinterpretation of its glamorous 1920s and 1930s heyday, enabling it to sit alongside Fairmont’s impressive list of heritage hotels worldwide which include The Savoy, London and The Plaza, New York.

Please visit www.fairmont.com for further updates on the restoration.

Notes for editors:
A leader in the global hospitality industry, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is an extraordinary collection of luxury hotels, which includes iconic landmarks like Fairmont Le Ch?teau Frontenac in Québec City, Fairmont The Norfolk, Nairobi and London’s The Savoy, reopening in 2010. Fairmont hotels are one-of-a-kind properties where sophisticated travellers can discover culturally rich experiences that are authentic to the destination. Situated in some of the most exclusive and pristine areas in the world, Fairmont is committed to responsible tourism and is an industry leader in sustainable hotel management with its award-winning Green Partnership programme.  Fairmont’s portfolio includes 56 distinctive hotels, with plans to develop over 25 new properties in the coming years in destinations as diverse as Shanghai, Morocco and Anguilla.

Fairmont is owned by Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, a leading global hotel company with 91 hotels worldwide under the Raffles, Fairmont and Swiss?tel brands. The company also owns Fairmont and Raffles branded Residences, Estates and luxury private residence club properties.

For more information or reservations, please call 0845 071 0153 or visit www.fairmont.com. Images for Fairmont Hotels & Resorts are available on www.leonardo.com/fairmont. User name: Fairmont – password: media.

Its long history endows Luoyang with a profound sense of culture. The city is the cradle of Chinese civilization where many Chinese legends happened, such as Nvwa Patching the Sky, Dayu Controlling Flood and the Chinese Ancestor Huangdi Establishing the Nation. The city is also famed as the ‘Poets Capital’ as poets and literates of ancient China often gathered there and left grand works, including Book of Wisdom (Dao De Jing), Han History (Han History) and Administrative Theory of Admonishing Official (Zi Zhi Tong Jian). Religious culture once thrived here. Taoism originated there and the first Buddhist temple set up by the government was located there. Luoyang is also the hometown of many of the scientific inventions of ancient China, such as the seismograph, armillary sphere, paper making, printing and the compass.

The Oriental Pearl TV Tower is located in Pudong Park in Lujiazui, Shanghai. The tower, surrounded by the Yangpu Bridge in the northeast and the Nanpu Bridge in the southwest, creates a picture of ‘twin dragons playing with pearls’. The entire scene is a photographic jewel that excites the imagination and attracts thousands of visitors year-round.

This 468 meters high (1,536 feet) tower is the world’s third tallest TV and radio tower surpassed in height only by towers in Toronto, Canada and Moscow, Russia. However, even more alluring than its height is the tower’s unique architectural design that makes the Oriental Pearl TV Tower one of the most attractive places anywhere.

The base of the tower is supported by three seven-meter wide slanting stanchions. Surrounding the eleven steel spheres that are ’strung’ vertically through the center of the tower are three nine-meter wide columns. There are three large spheres including the top sphere, known as the space module. Then there are five smaller spheres and three decorative spheres on the tower base. The entire structure rests on rich green grassland and gives the appearance of pearls shining on a jade plate.

Visitors travel up and down the tower in double-decker elevators that can hold up to fifty people at the rate of seven meters per second. The elevator attendants recite an introduction to the TV Tower in English and Chinese during the rapid 1/4-mile ascent. Once you reach your destination, you will be amazed at the variety of activities available as the various spheres and columns actually house places of interest, commerce, and recreation.

The inner tower is a recreational palace, while the Shanghai Municipal History Museum is located in the tower’s pedestal. The large lower sphere has a futuristic space city and a fabulous sightseeing hall. From here, on a clear day a visitor can see all the way to the Yangtze River. The base of the tower is home to a science fantasy city. The five smaller spheres are a hotel that contains twenty-five elegant rooms and lounges. The pearl at the very top of the tower contains shops, restaurants, (including a rotating restaurant) and a sightseeing floor. The view of Shanghai from this height fills you with wonder at the beauty that surrounds you. When viewed from the Bund at night, the tower’s three-dimensional lighting makes it a delight of brilliant color.

It is amazing that this ultra-modern tower combines ancient concepts such as the spherical pearls, with 21st Century technology, commerce, recreation, educational and conference facilities. All of this and it really is a TV and radio tower that services the Shanghai area with more than nine television channels and upwards of ten FM radio channels. Truly, ‘oriental pearl’ is the most suitable name for this tower.

Behind Shanghai’s skyscrapers, Art Deco edifices, and colonial bungalows lies a maze of lanes lined with teahouses, ancient markets, and sidewalk stalls—a parallel world that reveals an untold history. Recent transplant Emily Prager steps out her back door and into a hidden city few outsiders ever find

I had lived in Shanghai for about two months when I learned that behind every building which fronts the street is a second and far more enticing world: a labyrinth of winding lanes and alleyways that contains all kinds of eclectic little businesses and historic houses. It is an intimate Shanghai, and one that I got to know mostly by setting out and searching on foot.

I had moved here from Manhattan with my twelve-year-old daughter, Lulu, and had rented a lane house in the former French Concession. For the first few weeks, all of our movements were concentrated on the front of the house. Then one day, I unlocked the back door and stepped outside.

Here was a narrow sunlit passage with two-story, gray-brick lane houses like mine on both sides. It was lunchtime, and the weather-beaten wooden doors and rusty casement windows were flung open wide, and inside, people were bending over sizzling woks on hot plates in tiny hallway kitchens. Brown sparrows swooped and chirped and alighted on bamboo poles overhead, prancing on the laundry hanging there. Some women were laughing and chatting with one another as they scrubbed greens at an outdoor sink, and others squatted over pink and red tin basins of water, peeling root vegetables. Farmers, their faces dark brown from countryside sun, hawked cherries with a songlike cry, the fruit piled in woven baskets hung on shoulder poles across the back of their bent necks.

I walked slowly down this lane, turned the corner, and found that the lane wound on, connecting to an even narrower alley which led to two other lanes that twisted and turned around a natural garden of fruit trees and rose bushes and eventually snaked out onto Xinle Road, the street parallel to mine.

I stared up at the old Art Deco apartment buildings which line that road, and I thought that they were almost like storefronts on a movie set. Behind them, thousands of people lived unseen. Further, there were secret ways to move around the city incognito. I determined in that moment to perform a Cheever-esque act. I would try to cross the entire French Concession by secret lanes without ever using a main street or avenue.

Two distinct worlds have existed in Shanghai since the end of the First Opium War in 1842. After the British attacked the Tao-Kuang emperor and took the city, they demanded that Shanghai become an open trading port and that Britain be granted city land for an exclusive settlement run entirely under British law. Not long after, the French and the Americans each claimed the same thing, and lands along the Huangpu River were designated the International Settlement and the French Concession, behind which lay the all-Chinese city proper.

In time, the foreign settlements expanded and eventually encroached on the Chinese city, shoving it back behind the new, elaborate colonial buildings (which we now identify as the Bund), forcing it to squeeze itself into a warren of alleyways and lanes. So was born a Westernized, urban Shanghai, peopled for the most part by foreigners, rich Chinese and their retainers, and the desperately poor. That modern, bustling Shanghai of the 1920s and ’30s flourished until the Japanese invaded in 1939.