TOURIST'S INFORMATION
International Workshop on Medical Imaging and
Augmented Reality

MIAR 2006

August 17-18, 2006, Shanghai, China

 



 

 



    

Welcome to China!

China , a land of beauty and fascination, tempts curious travelers all over the world. She is a massive country, covering 6,000,000 square miles and spanning 60 longitudinal degrees. She has such an infinite variety of people, enchanting natural landscape, brilliant history, a culture that is among the most ancient in the world and fascinating destinations that a visitor can be almost as bewildered as he(or she) is bewitched.

Here, we just give you some clues. More information is available at   Chinese national tourism adimistraion.

Beijing , the proud capital of modern China, holds the biggest collection of ancient sites and relics in whole China. Additionally, Beijing is determined to stay at the forefront of Chinese civilization. As the biggest city in China, Shanghai has had numerous name tags attached to it throughout the past century, like the "Paris of the Orient", the "Pearl of China" and so on. Shanghai as a international and modern city is enjoying unbelievable pace of development.

    
    

BEIJING'S SCENIC HIGHLIGHTS

Tian'an men Square

Large enough to hold 1 million people, the 440,000-square-metre Tian'anmen Square in the center of Beijing is the world's largest city square, where sunrises and sunsets are observed solemnly with national flag hoisting and lowering ceremonies. Tian'an men Gate on the northern edge of the square sued to be the front gate of the Ming and Qing Imperial Palace. The rostrum atop the gate, where national leaders review mass rallies or gala celebrations on important occasions, is open to tourists. The Monument to the People's Heroes stands in the center of the square. Behind Zhengyang Gate to the south sprawls Mao Zedong Memorial Hall; to the east is the complex which houses the Museum of Chinese Revolution and the Museum of Chinese History. The Great hall of the People stands on the western side. The night scene of Tian'anmen Square is definitely a MUST for any visitor to Beijing.

Former Imperial Palace

The 720,000-square-metre Palace Mueum, better known as "Forbidden City", was the imperial palace for the Ming and Qing. Built during the 1406-1420 period, it is the largest royal palatial complex in existence in China; ranging from the majestic to the exquisite, they bear witness to a nation in transition. Other tourist attractions on the premises include a huge stone ramp carved with intricate dragon and cloud patterns, Imperial Garden and Nine-Dragon Screen Wall. An immense trove of cultural artifacts and treasures of various dynasties, some of them on display in the Treasure Hall and the ceramics, painting, bronze ware galleries, are reason enough for UNESCO to adopt the Former Imperial Palace as a world cultural heritage site.

Temple of Heaven

China's largest temple and altar are found in Temple of Heaven, part of a 273 hectare park in Chongwen District today. Built in 1420, it was where Ming and Qing monarchs prayed for good harvests. Major structures are hall of Prayer for good Harvest, Imperial Vault of Heaven, Circular Altar, and Abstinence Palace. UNESCO endorsed Temple of Heaven as a world cultural heritage site in December 1998.

Beihai Park

Beihai Park, situated to the northwest of Palace Museum, is a typical imperial garden dating back to more than 800 years ago. Buildings are clustered around the famed White Pagoda on Qionghua (Jasper Flower) Island on the lake in the park's bosom. The island provides a vantage point for observing the landscape of Beijing. Major attractions are Circular City, Painted Boat Studio, Studio of the Tranquil Heart, Nine-Dragon Screen Wall and Five-Dragon Pavilions.

Great Wall

As an emblem of Chinese civilization, a cultural phenomenon of world caliber, and another UNESCO=endorsed world cultural heritage site, the 6350km Great Wall was in China's feudal years a mammoth defense bulwark that serpentines its way across mountains and valleys in the northern part of the country. The Great Wall came under construction in the 7th century BC. But it was Qinshihuang, the founding emperor of the Qin, who brought it to completion. Repeated extensions were done in later dynasties until the Ming. The 600-year-old Badaling Fortification in Yanqing county in northwest Beijing is representative of Ming sections of the Great Wall. The Great Wall looks equally breathtaking at such sections as Jinshanling, Mutianyu and Simatai.

Summer Palace

The Summer Palace (Yiheyuan) in the northwestern suburb of Beijing was built in 1750. by far the best-preserved imperial garden in China, it was endorsed by the UNESCO in 1998 as a world cultural heritage site. As a paragon of Chinese gardens, this huge garden includes Longevity Hill, whose beauty is set off by a multitude of halls, kiosks and trees, and Kunming Lake, a huge body of liquid silver. Major tourist attractions are Tower of Buddhist Incense, 17-Span Bridge, Long Gallery, Cloud Dispelling Hall, Marble Boat, Beamless Hall, Garden of Harmonious Delights, the theatre in the Garden of Moral Harmony, and Suzhou Street. The entire place is a de facto museum of China's classical architecture. Housed in these buildings are an immense collection of treasures and cultural artifacts.

Thirteen Ming Tombs

The Ming Tombs are scattered over an area 40km in circumference in Changping County. Thirteen Ming emperors who ruled China after they moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijing were buried there. The largest is the Changling, built in 1413 for the remains for Zhu Di or Emperor Chengzu. Burial objects are on display from the underground palace of the Dingling, the tomb of the last Ming emperor, Zhu Yijun, and his two empresses. The Holy Way leading to the Ming Tombs is flanked on both sides by 30-odd men and horses and other animals carved in graphic images out of massive boulders. In terms of size, this group of stone sculptures is rare anywhere in China.


Yonghegong Lamasery

Yonghegong (Palace of Harmony and Peace) in Eastern District had been the mansion of Emperor Yongzheng during his days as the crown prince. After he ascended the throne he had it converted into a lamasery, which has remained as such to this day. Influences of Han, Manchurian, Mongolian and Tibetan architecture are palpable in this complex that consists of three finely crafted archways and five imposing halls laid out tastefully over an area of 66,400 square meters. Among the treasures in these halls is a 26-metre-tall statue of Maitreya (the Smiling Buddha), which is carved out of a single sandalwood trunk.

Tour of Hutongs

Hutong s are back alleys where old traditions remain very much alive and kicking. There are about 4,550 of them in Beijing, ubiquitous in these hutongs are quadrangle dwellings. Close by prince Gong's Mansion are some of Beijing's best-preserved hutongs. Touring these hutongs by the traditional pedicab is a special travel program of Beijing.

  
 
 
    

SHANGHAI'S SCENIC HIGHLIGHTS


Yuyuan Garden & Bazar

The Yuyuan Garden on the road of the same name in downtown is perhaps the best example of classical gardens of Shanghai. Built in 1559, or the 38th year of the Jiaqing reign of the Ming, the garden is laid out in an intricate manner, with buildings out in an intricate manner, with buildings spaced providently and courtyards mutually containing, and all the components of the complex zare cunningly grouped to camouflage a rather camped space. As a paragon of the south Chinese landscaping style of the Ming and Qing dynasties, it is a MUST for all visitors to Shanghai. The neighboring Yuyuan Bazaar, known among old-timers as "Old City God's Temple Market", is a rising tourist and shopping center where visitors loitering among a cluster of shops, restaurants and recreation facilities invariably find themselves making a tour of discovery of local folklore and Ming and Qing architecture.

The Bund

The picturesque Bund, extending for 1.5 km on the shore of the Huangpu River, is an emblem of Shanghai. A total of 52 tall buildings of various heights tower over the river along the western side of the Bund, looking like a museum of modem world architecture. The wide riverfront promenade along the eastern side of the Bund provides a captivating view of Shanghai. When lights are turned on between 19:00 and 21:00 p.m., the Bund has the best nocturnal scene to offer.

Huangpu River Cruise

When the lower section of the Huangpu River, which rises from the Taihu Lake, flows through the city of Shanghai for 39km, its water surface extends as wide as 400 metres. A cruise on the river involves a 60-km-long round trip, which runs past some of the major landmarks of shanghai as a port city.

"Pedestrians Only" Nanjing Road

Flanked on both sides by famed shopping centers, department stores, specialty stores, exotic restaurants and cultural and recreational facilities, the 5-km-long Nanjing Road is the most sophisticated shopping and tourist complex in Shanghai. Every day it is thronged by more than 1 million visitors.

The Oriental pearl TV Tower

The "Oriental Pearl" TV Tower is a new landmark of Shanghai which faces the Bund across the Huangpu River at Lujiazui, the busiest part of Pudong new Area. At a height of 468 metres, it is the tallest TV tower in Asia. An elevator whisks visitors to the tower's observational deck at a height of 263 metres, where they can feast their eyes on a panoramic view of shanghai. The tower is equipped with tourist service facilities, including eateries, shops, recreational including eateries, shops, recreational centers and a hotel. Open 8:30-21:30.

People's Square

The People's Square, which was refurbished and expanded in 1994, is the political and cultural center of Shanghai. The square is home to a gigantic music fountain, several dozen thousand square metres of green patches, the Shanghai New Museum with a unique design, the magnificent City Hall, a spacious underground shopping center, and the splendid Grand Shanghai Theatre. A stroll on the square enables one to gain some idea about the modern chic and refined elegance of Shanghai and its people.

Longhua Temple

Built during the Five Dynasties, the Longhua Temple is the most venerated and largest temple in Shanghai. Apart from its long history, the allure of the temple also lies in the Longhua Pagoda and the peach blossoms in its courtyard.

Temple of Jade Buddha

The Yufo (Jade Buddha) Temple was built in 1882 but after all those years it remains in perfect condition as a sanctuary of Zen Buddhism. The temple derived its name from a jade statue of Sakyamuni from Myanmar. The image of the Buddha, his graceful posture, and the serene and calm look on his face are, to put it just in one word, mesmerizing.

  
 



      
Last Modified: August 31, 2005
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