IT would be an understatement to suggest that the Chinese as a nation are besotted with cars.So it is no surprise that the government-run Beijing Auto Museum(not to be confused with the privately-run Beijing Classic C...IT would be an understatement to suggest that the Chinese as a nation are besotted with cars.So it is no surprise that the government-run Beijing Auto Museum(not to be confused with the privately-run Beijing Classic Car Museum in Huairou District)was originally planned in 2001 as one of five major museums to be built in preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games.展开更多
MANY residents of Beijing may be surprised if you were to tell them that the capital has three railway museums.Most of them know Zhengyangmen Exhibition Hall,in the old Peking-Mukden Railway Station,on the southeaster...MANY residents of Beijing may be surprised if you were to tell them that the capital has three railway museums.Most of them know Zhengyangmen Exhibition Hall,in the old Peking-Mukden Railway Station,on the southeastern corner of Tian’anmen Square;many,too,know of the Eastern Suburb展开更多
IT’S no exaggeration to say that Beijingers love their parks;and one of the most popular has to be the city’s seventh largest,situated just south of the National Library and across the road from the Capital Gymnasiu...IT’S no exaggeration to say that Beijingers love their parks;and one of the most popular has to be the city’s seventh largest,situated just south of the National Library and across the road from the Capital Gymnasium in Haidian District.Purple Bamboo Park–otherwise known as Zizhuyuan–consists of 47 hectares with three connecting lakes and two small islands.展开更多
THE walls at Jianguomen Station give you a hefty clue of what attractions are in the area before you’ve even exited the train.In common with many other subway stations in Beijing,you can get a pretty good idea of wha...THE walls at Jianguomen Station give you a hefty clue of what attractions are in the area before you’ve even exited the train.In common with many other subway stations in Beijing,you can get a pretty good idea of what famous monuments are close by,simply by looking at the tiles or mosaics that decorate the platforms.展开更多
IT’S there on the maps for all to see:Beijing’s very own Cephalostachyum Museum;or as some other maps label it,a museum of"empty bamboos."Puzzled?I’ll admit I was.According to Wikipedia,Cephalostachyum is...IT’S there on the maps for all to see:Beijing’s very own Cephalostachyum Museum;or as some other maps label it,a museum of"empty bamboos."Puzzled?I’ll admit I was.According to Wikipedia,Cephalostachyum is"a genus of Asian and Madagascan bamboo in the grass family.The plants are of small to medium size compared to展开更多
ONE of the things I like best about Beijing is its preponderance of beautiful parks.One that is less well known by western visitors is called Taoranting(陶然亭公园),which lies due west of the Temple of Heaven.Construc...ONE of the things I like best about Beijing is its preponderance of beautiful parks.One that is less well known by western visitors is called Taoranting(陶然亭公园),which lies due west of the Temple of Heaven.Constructed in 1952 and opened展开更多
THEY say that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder.What some people might consider as excessively ornate to the extent of kitsch can nevertheless often raise a smile or two.But surely no-one who passes the incompara...THEY say that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder.What some people might consider as excessively ornate to the extent of kitsch can nevertheless often raise a smile or two.But surely no-one who passes the incomparable China House in the city of Tianjin,some 120 km southeast of Beijing,could fail to be intrigued,and wonder what its interior might be like.展开更多
AROUND a decade ago,a book entitled 101Places Not To Visit Before You Die was published in the U.S.In her entry about Beijing the author writes a caustic review of the Beijing Museum of Tap Water:"In 2001it was d...AROUND a decade ago,a book entitled 101Places Not To Visit Before You Die was published in the U.S.In her entry about Beijing the author writes a caustic review of the Beijing Museum of Tap Water:"In 2001it was decided that 150 new museums should be opened in Beijing in time for the 2008 Olympics...Hence the capital now has a museum devoted展开更多
WHAT do a tiger,rat,dog,ox,and pig have in common with a bell and a drum？I have to admit that a few months ago I would have had absolutely no idea.But I’m somewhat the wiser now.I am at a historical bell museum loca...WHAT do a tiger,rat,dog,ox,and pig have in common with a bell and a drum？I have to admit that a few months ago I would have had absolutely no idea.But I’m somewhat the wiser now.I am at a historical bell museum located in Haidian District of Beijing.Bells are considered auspicious according to Chinese tradition.During major ceremonies they are often rung 108 times.展开更多
THE Museum of Chinese Ancient Architecture collects,protects,and researches the history,culture and methodology of ancient building techniques,from primitive times to the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1911.First opened i...THE Museum of Chinese Ancient Architecture collects,protects,and researches the history,culture and methodology of ancient building techniques,from primitive times to the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1911.First opened in Beijing in September 1991,it’s amazing that so few people seem either to have heard of it,or let alone visited it.Most days you can count the number of visitors here on the fingers of one hand!展开更多
I must have been there dozens of times;yet it was only recently that I discovered that Zhengyangmen("Gate of the Zenith Sun")has a museum inside showing a fascinating perspective of old Beijing,together with...I must have been there dozens of times;yet it was only recently that I discovered that Zhengyangmen("Gate of the Zenith Sun")has a museum inside showing a fascinating perspective of old Beijing,together with a good collection of photographs,some dating back a century or more.Not familiar with Zhengyangmen?Maybe you know it by its more familiar name of Qianmen(meaning front gate),which is the gate just south展开更多
IF you are keen on spelaeology(the study of caves and other karst features),you will doubtless have heard of a cave in southwest Beijing known as Shihuadong.The so-called"Subterranean Pearl of Beijing"is wel...IF you are keen on spelaeology(the study of caves and other karst features),you will doubtless have heard of a cave in southwest Beijing known as Shihuadong.The so-called"Subterranean Pearl of Beijing"is well worth a visit even for those of us who are unfamiliar with this pursuit.展开更多
Travel, as the old saying goes, broadens the mind. It＇s one of the reasons I decided to come to China in the first place, some five years ago. So whenever I have me chance, I grab every opportunity I can to discover ...Travel, as the old saying goes, broadens the mind. It＇s one of the reasons I decided to come to China in the first place, some five years ago. So whenever I have me chance, I grab every opportunity I can to discover more of this amazin8 country.展开更多
I was talking to one of my friends recently about a stunning piece of artwork to be found on the Beijing subway."Oh,you mean there is art there?"she asked incredulously.She said she had never noticed and I h...I was talking to one of my friends recently about a stunning piece of artwork to be found on the Beijing subway."Oh,you mean there is art there?"she asked incredulously.She said she had never noticed and I have to admit that when you see thousands of people rushing daily past these murals,sculptures,calligraphy,painted columns,or special lighting displays—many of them with their noses stuck in their mobile phones—it makes you wonder why anyone actually bothered to put anything up in the fi rst place.展开更多
文摘IT would be an understatement to suggest that the Chinese as a nation are besotted with cars.So it is no surprise that the government-run Beijing Auto Museum(not to be confused with the privately-run Beijing Classic Car Museum in Huairou District)was originally planned in 2001 as one of five major museums to be built in preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games.
文摘MANY residents of Beijing may be surprised if you were to tell them that the capital has three railway museums.Most of them know Zhengyangmen Exhibition Hall,in the old Peking-Mukden Railway Station,on the southeastern corner of Tian’anmen Square;many,too,know of the Eastern Suburb
文摘IT’S no exaggeration to say that Beijingers love their parks;and one of the most popular has to be the city’s seventh largest,situated just south of the National Library and across the road from the Capital Gymnasium in Haidian District.Purple Bamboo Park–otherwise known as Zizhuyuan–consists of 47 hectares with three connecting lakes and two small islands.
文摘THE walls at Jianguomen Station give you a hefty clue of what attractions are in the area before you’ve even exited the train.In common with many other subway stations in Beijing,you can get a pretty good idea of what famous monuments are close by,simply by looking at the tiles or mosaics that decorate the platforms.
文摘IT’S there on the maps for all to see:Beijing’s very own Cephalostachyum Museum;or as some other maps label it,a museum of"empty bamboos."Puzzled?I’ll admit I was.According to Wikipedia,Cephalostachyum is"a genus of Asian and Madagascan bamboo in the grass family.The plants are of small to medium size compared to
文摘ONE of the things I like best about Beijing is its preponderance of beautiful parks.One that is less well known by western visitors is called Taoranting(陶然亭公园),which lies due west of the Temple of Heaven.Constructed in 1952 and opened
文摘THEY say that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder.What some people might consider as excessively ornate to the extent of kitsch can nevertheless often raise a smile or two.But surely no-one who passes the incomparable China House in the city of Tianjin,some 120 km southeast of Beijing,could fail to be intrigued,and wonder what its interior might be like.
文摘AROUND a decade ago,a book entitled 101Places Not To Visit Before You Die was published in the U.S.In her entry about Beijing the author writes a caustic review of the Beijing Museum of Tap Water:"In 2001it was decided that 150 new museums should be opened in Beijing in time for the 2008 Olympics...Hence the capital now has a museum devoted
文摘WHAT do a tiger,rat,dog,ox,and pig have in common with a bell and a drum？I have to admit that a few months ago I would have had absolutely no idea.But I’m somewhat the wiser now.I am at a historical bell museum located in Haidian District of Beijing.Bells are considered auspicious according to Chinese tradition.During major ceremonies they are often rung 108 times.
文摘THE Museum of Chinese Ancient Architecture collects,protects,and researches the history,culture and methodology of ancient building techniques,from primitive times to the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1911.First opened in Beijing in September 1991,it’s amazing that so few people seem either to have heard of it,or let alone visited it.Most days you can count the number of visitors here on the fingers of one hand!
文摘I must have been there dozens of times;yet it was only recently that I discovered that Zhengyangmen("Gate of the Zenith Sun")has a museum inside showing a fascinating perspective of old Beijing,together with a good collection of photographs,some dating back a century or more.Not familiar with Zhengyangmen?Maybe you know it by its more familiar name of Qianmen(meaning front gate),which is the gate just south
文摘IF you are keen on spelaeology(the study of caves and other karst features),you will doubtless have heard of a cave in southwest Beijing known as Shihuadong.The so-called"Subterranean Pearl of Beijing"is well worth a visit even for those of us who are unfamiliar with this pursuit.
文摘Travel, as the old saying goes, broadens the mind. It＇s one of the reasons I decided to come to China in the first place, some five years ago. So whenever I have me chance, I grab every opportunity I can to discover more of this amazin8 country.
文摘I was talking to one of my friends recently about a stunning piece of artwork to be found on the Beijing subway."Oh,you mean there is art there?"she asked incredulously.She said she had never noticed and I have to admit that when you see thousands of people rushing daily past these murals,sculptures,calligraphy,painted columns,or special lighting displays—many of them with their noses stuck in their mobile phones—it makes you wonder why anyone actually bothered to put anything up in the fi rst place.
