A Show Worth Seeing When You Come To Hangzhou

The stage for this show is set at the lake's edge and the show takes place on a platform just below the surface of the water. A large boat and a series of sinister boatmen move on the water while the

performers walk or run on the platform, but the impression is of people walking or running on the water. The lighting is excellent and the music suits the action. Many of the props for the show are amazing. The most impressive is the hydraulic triangular arm which lifts out of the water emitting a misty spray illuminated by a series of coloured floodlights. There are some outstanding sequences, especially the drumming scene. There are a large number of performers with excellent costumes and props. The problem with this show is that the action is a long way from the audience and this detracts from the sophistication of the show. 
The show takes place at night so be prepared for spring showings as it can be very cold and the seating is in the open.

Culture Restaurant Shaguoju

Shaguoju was set up in the 6th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty or 1741, and mainly offered "Plain Meat in a Casserole". According to the historical records, "Plain Meat" was the top-class sacrifice used in the palaces of the Qing Dynasty. Shaguoju was located in the watchman's house outside the prince's mansion where the night watchmen were given the leftovers after

sacrificial ceremonies. Later the watchmen asked the chef from the mansion to boil the meat in a big casserole with traditional Manchu cooking methods as braising, singeing and plain boiling, thus the Plain Meat Casserole came into being and continued its fame for three hundred years.
Chefs of Shaguoju, by using the plain boiled meat, cooked various dishes such as: the "All Pork Banquet", Deep Fried Pork and Liver, Fried Pork, Tossed Pork Skin and Jelly Fish, and Marinated Pork Intestine. Dishes made of gut are extremely famous.
Dishes cooked in a casserole are tender but not greasy and they taste even more delicious if dipped with the specially made sauce. In those years, there were some local sayings about Shaguoju indicating the popularity of its food, such as: "it is already too late when the sun rises" and "the spanner of Shaguoju closes at noon".
With a hundred-year development, the casserole dishes of Shaguoju are even richer in variety. Besides pork dishes made with cooking methods of stewing, singeing and boiling, chicken, fish, shrimp, crab, sea cucumber, shark's fin and seafood are all included in casserole dishes. There are also plain or milky sauces and meat or vegetable dishes. In addition, Shaguoju offers a "Court Dish" which is a Beijing food and full of Beijing flavor.

Have a Big Dinner in The Dadi Restaurant

The Dadi Restaurant is one of the first time-honored brands that offered Western food in Beijing. Set up in 1945, it was located in the West Chang an Avenue which was called the Restaurant Street in Beijing and it stood out from the other restaurants there by its Russian food. Later it moved to Xisi Crossroad and finally to the present location due to business requirements. Because the

food and decoration of it are similar with the Moscow Restaurant in Beijing and it is located in the urban area, hence the name Mini Moscow Restaurant in the City.
Since the Dadi Restaurant started its business, it implemented a quality standard of being original. It offers Russian foods that focus on oil and color and are oily and strong in flavor. Featuring sweet, sour, chili and salty tastes, it has a rich variety of high, medium and low grades of foods. It is praised by the common people in Beijing because of its economical foods. Dadi Western Restaurant has created its featured dishes during dozens of year's business.
Featured dishes: Chicken Roll with Butter, Ham Salad, Jilin Pawn, Pan Fried Hodgepodge, Roast Mandarin Fish with Milk, Stewed Beef in Pot, King Bakemeat, borsch, and Fried Pork Chops.

The Shijingshan Amusement Park in Beijing Downtown

The Shijingshan Amusement Park is a State AAAA Tourist Area. It is located on the north side of the western end of Chang'an Avenue in Beijing and on the western side of the West Fifth Ring Road, 15 km from Tian'anmen Square. It is a scenic spot and theme park, integrating fitness, entertainment, appreciation of literature and art, catering and shopping. Completed in September 1986, the

Shijingshan Amusement Park covers 340,000 square meters, is composed of three parts: the Entrance Zone Square, Eastern Science-fiction Theme Zone and the Western cartoon theme zone. The Entrance Zone Square is a sunken green culture square. The first level along the streets is a music fountain square, the second one contains a green lighting square covered with Chinese roses and flowers, and the third is used for cultural activity, covering 31,000 square meters. There are 71 various theme amusements. The track length of the suspended and reciprocating roller coaster totals 888 meters, ranking No. 1 in Asia; Jones Adventure heads the top in Asia for track height of 25 meters and total length of 480 meters. 4D Flying Theater boasts vertical a ball screen diameter of 22 meters; dynamic seat devices can raise the audience up to 15 meters in the air. The digital-controlled dynamics and restoration of digital camera shots enable the audience to simulate flying high in the sky.

Long History Gives The Temple of Heaven A New Life

The Temple of Heaven was the place where the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties would worship Heaven and pray for bumper crops. The northern part of the outer surrounding wall is semi-circular in shape while the southern part square, a pattern symbolic of the ancient belief that Heaven was round and the earth square. The double surrounding wall separates the temple into two parts—the inner and outer temples with the main structures in the inner one, covering a space of 273 hectares in all.

Built first in 1420(the 18th year of Emperor Yongle's reign of the Ming Dynasty), and then expanded and reconstructed during the Ming Emperor Jiajing's reign and Qing Emperor Qianlong's reign, the Temple of Heaven is a grand and magnificent masterpiece of architecture with a formal and solemn environment. Since the founding of New China, the government has allotted a great sum of money to protect and restore the cultural monuments there. The Temple of Heaven with its long history, deep cultural content and magnificent architectural style mirrors the ancient culture of the Orient.
A masterpiece of the Ming and Qing architectural art and a precious example of China's ancient architecture, the Temple of Heaven is the largest architectural group for worshipping Heaven in the world.

Shichahai a Sparking Pear of Beijing

Shichahai is a scenic area of history and culture in Beijing and one of its historical and cultural protection zones. It lies in Xicheng District, the center of the city, and is close to its central axis. With a 336,000-square-meter water-covered area connected with Zhongnanhai, it is the only open scenic area with a wide expanse of water in the city. It is an important witness of the history of Beijing's planning and construction, having the largest and best preserved age-old block in the city. In the Yuan Dynasty it was the capital's center for

commerce and grain transport. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was home to manyhigh officials and men of letters. After the Manchu takeover, the emperor-led Pure Yellow Banner troops were stationed here. In 1992, the Standing Conference of the Beijing Government named it a scenic area of history and culture (hereafter referred to as Shichahai).

Each year, the cultural tourism festival is held in Shichahai. 'Hutong Tour by rickshaw' and its updated version 'Shichahai-in-depth tour of old Beijing' have become well-known tourism brands of Beijing. Tourists may experience genuine Beijing culture by joining tours of princes' mansions, old streets, ancient temples, former residences, city gate towers, Hutongs, homely feasts, boating, bars, and accommodation in Quadrangle Dwellings. As a window to 'humanistic Olympics' of Beijing, Shichahai is playing an important role in welcoming the 2008 Olympic Games.