Chinese Renminbi (or Yuan)
by machomikemd
the National Currency. the currency of the People's Republic of China. the latest series of Banknotes of the Renminbi are for ¥1, ¥5, ¥10, ¥20, ¥50 and ¥100. The Latest series uses the portrait of Mao Zedong on all banknotes. the coins are 1 and 5 jiao and 1 yuan. Yuan in Chinese literally means a "round object" or "round coin". During the Qing Dynasty, the yuan was a round and silver coin. they are widely available and a caveat, you cannot take out more than 1,000 yuan outside china and the yuan is not an exhangeable foreign currency in countries outside China! the current exchange rate is $ 1 to 6.85 Yuan.
The wall
by SirRichard
The closest and easiest place to see&climb the Great Wall from Beijing is Badaling (75km-47 miles northwest of Beijing). You can climb just walking, or go up in a cable car. I'd recommend the first choice; it's harder, but you see more... You can buy a paper (like a Certificate) saying that you have climbed the Wall, just a tourist souvenir, but is nice :-))
Don't leave the hotel without your toilet paper!
by sorcieus
Bring one lugage and pack light. You can buy everything else (clothing and extra luggage/bag) in China. comfortable walking shoes. Toilet paper, sanitary wipes, at least 1 GB memory card (if you are taking picture in JPEG, or bigger if in RAW), wide angle lens, portable HD to keep pictures so you can clear your memory card(s), Zoom lens to take pictures of the people. Bottle water.
Guanghua Temple
by mke1963
In the Ya'er Hutong that runs parallel to the northern bank of Shichahai (the upper of the Houhai lakes) is the Guanghua Temple, or Temple of Great Change, a quiet corner of old Beijing.
I have never managed to get inside the temple, as it is always closed for public holidays and I always seem to end up at Houhai on public holidays!
The temple has two interesting stories making a visit worthwhile. In the Yuan Dynasty, a Buhhist monk meditated here, reading his sutras. After completing each chapter, he would save one grain of rice, and when he had enough rice in his basket, he would sell it to local people to raise funds that would eventually pay for the construction of the temple.
It was also the final home of the very last of the Imperial eunuchs, who died just ten years ago.
The life cycle of entertainment
by Churchill34 about Houhai Lake Area
The life cycle of entertainment districts is predictable. A low-rent part of town today becomes tomorrow's buzzy dining and drinking destination. Serious investors show up, as do smarter restaurants, and before long the area is overrun with bistros and martini bars. Scenemakers then latch on to another low-rent part of town—and the cycle begins again.
Visitors to Beijing will notice that the Chinese capital seems to have gone through just this of late, with formerly trendy Sanlitun giving way to the lakeside neighborhood of Houhai as the city's favored leisure zone. While Sanlitun degenerates into a graceless quarter of leather-jacketed touts and identical bars, Houhai is luring yuppie dollars with rather more modish venues.
Forerunner of this hot zone is the No Name bar, tel: (86-10) 6401 8541. Rather aptly, it has no front signage. But it is impossible to miss the tree-fronted, single-story structure if you find its neighbor Nuage, tel: (86-10) 6402 1663. Both bars were conceived by the scene's godfather, 34-year-old Bai Feng. The ex-concert cellist from Shanxi province says they came about unintentionally when he rented a house in the district. "When friends visited they really liked the setting. I then had the idea to turn [the house] into the No Name bar and café," says Bai.
There are now more than 70 small bars and restaurants in the lanes of Houhai, with more opening all the time. Some, such as Buffalo, tel: (86-10) 6617 2146, are among Beijing's funkiest. Of course, the area's popularity may well end up destroying the very qualities that led Bai Feng and others to the district in the first place. Houhai has now hit its sweet spot, busy enough to generate real buzz but not so overrun that you would avoid it—visit before it's too late. As for Beijing's next district of the month, watch this space. Any clothes as long as tidy and not like a tramp
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Beijing Imperial Courtyard
Shirley getting on board!
Army swearing in ceremony
the marker
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