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City set for May Day
Updated: 2004-04-29 11:03
 Beijing Tourism Administration will co-operate with
Beijing's districts to organize scores of travel activities during the upcoming
Labour Day holiday to attract visitors. All the parks, gardens, aquariums, and
natural resorts will be decorated for the 7-day holiday. The administration has
also provided two special telephone numbers for complaints: 6520-1028 and
6520-1029 (Chinese, English and Japanese).
The lines are open from noon,
April 30 to 8 am, May 8. They will be open 24 hours a
day.
Dongcheng District
A tulip exhibition will
be held at Zhongshan Park until May 20. More than 300,000 tulips of 55 different
species are presented for visitors to the park.
Admission: 10 yuan
(US$1.2) for adults; 5 yuan (60 cents) for students. Children under 1.2 metres
free.
Where: East side of Tian'anmen tower.
To get there, take bus
routes 1, 4, 5, 10, 37 or 120 to Zhongshan Park. Get off at Tian'anmen East
Station if taking subway.
Tel: 6605-5431 ext 225 or
228.
Haidian District
Staff at Beijing Aquarium
are busy preparing different performances for the upcoming May Day holiday.
This huge structure gives visitors a close-up view of the teeming life
of the world's rivers and oceans. The porpoise performance and fish feeding
times in the big tank are not to be missed.
Beijing Aquarium is
promoting a limited number of cheap passport tickets. Anyone holding one can
visit the aquarium anytime of the year for just 268 yuan (US$32) per adult and
138 yuan (US$17) per child.
All galleries are fully accessible and
wheelchairs are available free of charge.
Regular admission: 100 yuan
(US$12), students 50 yuan (US$6), seniors (over 60) 60 yuan (US$7.2). Up to two
children under 1.2 metres admitted free with each adult. Aquarium tickets
include admission to Beijing Zoo.
Opening hours: 9:30 am to 5pm (6 pm on
Sat and Sun). Ticket sales finish at 4 pm.
Location: B18 Gaoliangqiao
Xiejie, Haidian District. Tel: 6217-6655.
Chaoyang
District
Chaoyang Park
The Meet in Beijing
festival will be featured in Chaoyang Park from April 30 to May 7. Meanwhile a
pop music festival will also be held in the park. More than 230 famous
music bands will offer 53 different performances during the eight
days.
To get there, take bus routes 302,406, 731, 734, 831, or 815 to
Chaoyang Park.
Location: one km east of Changhong Overpass on the East
Third Ring Road or 500 metres west of Chaoyang Park Overpass on the East Fourth
Ring Road.
Tel: 6506-7723
Ritan Park flower fair
The
park stages its second flower exhibition until May 9.
To get to the park,
take bus routes 1, 4, 57 or 729 to Ritanlu Station. The park's south gate is 400
metres north of the station.
Tel: 8561-4261
Tulip culture
festival
The sixth tulip culture festival is underway in Yujinxiang
(tulip) Garden at Jinzhanxiang. More than 300,000 tulips are on display here.
Other pot flowers and plants and a pet show are also set in the garden. The
festival will run until May 10.
Location: Yujinxiang Garden, Dongweilu,
Chaoyang District.
To get there, take bus routes 364, 418, 908 or 735 to
Yujinxiang Huayuan.
Or drive along the Airport Highway to Weigou Exit and
then go to Dongweilu, thereafter taking a right.
Tel:
8432-7801
Summer Palace
picture perfect
Restoration
of the Summer Palace's famous corridor of paintings of rural scenes will be
finished in time for the May Day holiday.
The project began in late 2002
and cost 100 million yuan, or US$12 million.
The painted corridor was
established in 1750 by Qian Long, the third emperor of the Qing Dynasty
(1644-1911).
It features scenes of rivers, lakes, paddy fields and
mulberry fields.
Yanqing County
Rafting on
the Guihe River
 Sponsored by Guihe Rafting Travel Service and Jinye
International Travel Service, a rafting service is offered on Guihe River in the
town of Yanqing, about 75 km north of downtown Beijing.
The river starts
from a mountainous area in Songshan Primitive Forest, crosses Yudu mountain,
Longqing Gorge, Jinniu hill and Yanqing and arrives at Guanting Reservoir. It's
possible to travel the river by boat in about five hours. Both banks have
wonderful natural scenery.
Entrance: 30 yuan (US$4)
Tel:
6918-9876, 6918-9877
To get there, take bus route 919 at Deshengmen to
the town of Yanqing. The bus leaves every 15 minutes from 6 am to 6
pm.
Drive along Badaling Highway to the town of Yanqing.
Hongluo Temple trip
 The Hongluo Temple (legend has it that two spiral shells
gave out red light in the evening) is located at the foot of the Hongluo
Mountain, seven kilometres northwest of Huairou County.
First built in
the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the temple is worth a visit in early summer because
of the wild flowers, fresh air and religious culture.
Covering an area of
16.6 acres, Hongluo Temple is the biggest temple in the northern area of
Beijing.
Surrounded by hills dotted with pines and cypresses in different
shapes, the temple is a place of quiet contemplation and is tastefully laid
out.
Pearl Spring is to the west. The spring water is green and the
rising bubbles are said to be like pearls. To the south, visitors can go
boating, swimming and fishing in the Hongluo Reservoir.
There are
towering old trees in the yard. Ginkgoes and green bamboo are further
attractions.
Getting there: By tourist bus 6 or 16 from Xuanwumen, or go
by 916 bus from Dongzhimen bus stop.
Location: four kilometres from
Qingchun Road in the north Huairou.
Tel: 6068-1118
Huairou District
Flower festival
 The first Flower Festival is underway at Xiangshui Lake
Scenic Spot in Huairou District, 60 km northeast of downtown
Beijing.
The most famous of the sites here are the waterfalls,
precipitous peaks and the wild Great Wall. Walking along the lake, you will find
the remains of an ancient stone-wall castle. The mountains and walls are
surrounded by wild flowers.
Cost: 16 yuan (US$2) for entrance to
Xiangshui Lake Scenic Spot.
You can also take bus 916 at Dongzhimen in
central Beijing and get off at the Longshan Hotel.
If you drive
yourself, go to Huairou Town first, then head for Mutianyu. Xiangshuihu is eight
kilometres west of Mutianyu roundabout.
Tel: 8960-2539, 8960-2888 or its
Beijing office phone: 6833-2337 6833-4558
Chongwen District
Beijing Youleyuan's cartoon
fair
 Beijing Amusement Park, the largest kids entertainment park
in the district will again hold cartoon carnival and festival performances from
May 1 to 7.
The whole park will be transformed into a cartoon world by
more than 1,000 art works. Most are based on Chinese and Western children's
stories and novels. A cartoon parade will be held daily from May 1 to 7.
A model dinosaur display has been added for children.
Entrance
fee: 90 yuan (US$11) per person over 1.4 metres; 60 yuan (US$7) for those
between 1.1 metres and 1.4 metres, free for children under 1.1 metres. The fee
includes entry to more than 25 attractions in the park.
For more
information: 6711-1155
Longtan Park
Many performance
troupes from a dozen African countries and France, Germany and the Ukraine will
contribute national performances for the enjoyment of visitors to the park.
These performers were invited for the Meet in Beijing festival.
The grand
opening ceremony will be held from 4:30 pm to 6 pm May 1. Regular performances
are staged from 10 am to 11:30 daily from May 2 to 4.
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