Tour

There will be a one-day tour for all the attendees to explore the culture and beauty of Beijing City. The attendees will visit the Tian’anmen Square, the Forbidden City and Beijing National Stadium on May 24th.

Tian’anmen Square is the geographical center of Beijing City. It is the largest city square in the world, occupying an area of 440,000 square meters (about 109 acres), and able to accommodate 10,000,000 people at one time. The square is a conglomeration of splendid and beautiful flowers and the red national flag which flutters in the wind. On the north side of the Square is the gate “Tian’an men” (the Gate of Heavenly Peace). It was built in 1417 and served as the entrance gate to the Forbidden City.

The Forbidden City, also named Palace Museum, is the most magnificent and splendid palace complex in China and one of the five world-famous palaces with the Palace of Versailles in France, Buckingham Palace in England, the White House in the U.S. and the Kremlin in Russia. In the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty, it was the imperial palace where twenty-four emperors ascended the throne and exercised their strong power to the nation. The incomparable palace occupies an area of 720,000 square meters (177.9 acres) and has approximately 8,700 rooms. Spectacular halls in it are neatly arranged in bilateral symmetry along a central axis that conforms to the axis of Beijing City. With roofs covered with golden glazed tile, red painted walls and grey-white bases, the rectangular palace appears extremely luxurious and grand.

Beijing National Stadium, also known officially as the National Stadium, or colloquially as the Bird’s Nest, is a stadium in Beijing, China. The stadium was designed for use throughout the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. It hosted the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, athletic events, and football final of the 2008 Summer Olympics from 8 August to 24 August 2008. The design, which originated from the study of Chinese ceramics, implemented steel beams in order to hide supports for the retractable roof; giving the stadium the appearance of a “Bird’s nest”. Now it is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Beijing.