All ready for the this weeks Olympic celebrations, the Beijing – Tianjin high speed railway has just opened in China. The train will take passengers from Beijing to the soccer facilities at Tianjin. The train will travel at speeds up to 350 km per hour and cost about $10 for first class and a little less for second class, and the trip will take about 30 minutes. The train is believed to be the fastest intercity train in the world and in it’s first few days of operation has been a huge hit. The system has taken three years to build and over 2o billion yuan (3 billion US dollars) has been spent on construction with nearly 90 percent of its 100km line elevated because of bad soil. Over 26 million people travel the route each year and it is expected with this new service 32 million will now be able to travel making it one of the busiest lines in the world.
We have a treat for you today- our first guest writer on Tripandom- Jennifer Gregory
If you’re heading to the summer Olympics this year, chances are you’ll arrive to the area via the Beijing Capital International Airport. Therefore, in order to make certain your trip is as pleasurable as possible, you will want to learn a bit about the airport before you arrive. After all, finding your way through a foreign and unfamiliar airport can be tricky, to say the least. In fact, it can be quite maddening because you don’t know where to go, how to ask for help or what pitfalls to avoid.
Of course, you’ll probably step into the airport with a bit of jet lag from the long trip. Then, the sounds of conversations passing you by will remind you that English is not the native language. But, don’t panic. By familiarizing yourself with the airport before your arrival, you will be able to embark upon your new journey with a great deal of confidence.
The 2008 Olympic Games kick on in the Chinese capital Beijing on the 8th of August and the world is going to be amazed at not only some incredible sporting moments but some of the most cutting edge and daring architecture the world has ever seen. The main stadium which looks like a huge steel bird’s nest and the National Aquatic Centre which is dubbed the Water Cube are two of the spectacular highlights. The Watercube has been designed by Australian and Chinese engineers and architects and will seat over 17000 spectators who will watch nearly 50 gold medals be awarded during the Olympic Games. Read the rest of this entry »
Chairman Mao was the founder of the People’s Republic of China and he is one of the essential characters in the modern history of this huge country. The Chairman died in 1976 and a huge mausoleum was built at the south end of Beijing’s Tiananmen Square as a place where over 10 million people have paid their respect to Mao’s body in his crystal coffin, dressed in his usual grey suit draped in the red Communist Party flag. The memorial hall is a striking building measuring 260 metres by 220 metres with marble and yellow granite. Mao wouldn’t have been too happy being put on display like this, he actually wanted to be cremated, but the Communist Party of China had other ideas and embalmed him. As you would expect at such an important place, security is very high and there is restrictions on bags, cameras and other items. You must wear respectful clothing and keep walking through the complex, which takes only about 5 -10 minutes, you can wait for several hours to get into the building. One strange thing you will notice with your visit, like all attractions, its ends at the gift shop- where else! Read the rest of this entry »
Wangfujing in the centre of Beijing is home to many of the worlds’ best brands and a haven for shopping but it is also the best place to try traditional Chinese snacks. Snack Street is exactly that a street that sells snacks, there is just about everything available and quiet a few things you wouldn’t imagine like silk worms and tasty scorpions. But the dim sims and noodle dishes are just amazing and with the amount of people visiting this street the food is just so fresh. The street is jam packed with small stalls down each side of the road selling dumplings, interesting things on skewers and some real specialties including luzhohuoshao which is stewed pig intestine with wheat cakes and another favorite zhaguanchang which is a fried sausage which is served in garlic sauce- they are actually very tasty. If you would like something a bit more interesting you will be sure to find a boiled sheep’s head or even some tasty tripe- but trust me the dim sims are good and the good bits of the animal would surely go in them? There is a huge variety of foods something and there is something to suit everyone. Read the rest of this entry »
At over 1 million square metres and able to handle 53 million people a year the new terminal at Beijing Airport promises to be the world’s biggest and most technologically advanced airport facility doubling the all ready huge airport. The brand new terminal three has been designed by British architectural firm Foster and Partners at a cost of over $3.5 billion US dollars. With the 2008 Olympic Games starting in August it is hoped the terminal will be ready for its first visitors around March next year. Nearly a quarter of a billion dollars has been spent on a roller coaster like luggage system which will be able to handle nearly 20000 items an hour from nearly 3oo counters. The system will allow departing passenger to pick up their bags in under 5 minutes of landing even from international flights.
This time next year the 2008 Olympic Games will be a memory. The Olympic flame will burn brightly over the Beijing National Stadium with its amazing bird nest like architecture. Designed by Herzog & De Meuron from Switzerland the stadium is 330 metres long and 220 metres wide. The structure’s 69 metre high walls house over 36km of steel. The stadium will hold about 100000 people during each session of the Olympics including the main track and field, opening and closing ceremonies. This weeks You Tube of the week shows some fantastic computer animations of the stadium.
The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games are just over a year away with the opening ceremony being held on the 8th of August next year. We have found this amazing animated display of the funny little characters they have for mascots. The characters somehow represent a fish, a panda, a Tibetan antelope and a swallow- and the one on fire is meant to be an Olympic flame. We are going to see a lot more of these special little guys over the next few months and my guess is every child will want all five. Read the rest of this entry »
