The Beijing Aquarium is located in the grounds of the Beijing Zoo. It was constructed in the late 1990s at a cost of US$9.3 million. (But given the artificially low value of the yuan, and the low labour rates in China, I imagine it would cost at least five times that much in the West). When built it was billed as the largest aquarium in Asia, and the largest inland aquarium in the World.

It is located in a large parkland …

Beijing ancient Architecture Museum is located in Beijing Xiannong Altar, which is the first special topic museum of China concentrated in collecting, researching and displaying of China ancient architecture technologies, art and its development history. It was official opened on September 25, 1991.

As a carrier of human being’s civilization, it acts as the milestones to record the developing achievement of human society in …

The Beihai Park (Chinese: 北海公园; Pinyin: Běihǎi Gōngyuán) is an imperial garden northwest of the Forbidden City in Beijing. Initially built in the 10th century, it is typical of Chinese gardens. Prior to the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1911 this area was part of the Forbidden City, but since 1925 it has been open to the public.

The Park has an area of more than 700,000 m², with a lake that covers more than half of the entire Park. …

The Beijing Ancient Observatory (traditional Chinese: 北京古觀象台; simplified Chinese: 北京古观象台; pinyin: běi jīng gǔ guān xiàng tái) is a pretelescopic observatory located in Beijing, China. The revolutionary tools used within this ancient observatory were built in 1442 during the Ming Dynasty, and later amended during the Qing.

As one of the oldest observatories in the world, the Beijing Ancient Observatory covers an area of 10,000 square meters. This space is chiefly occupied by a ten-meter tall brick platform bearing several bronze …

798 Art Zone (Chinese: 798艺术区; pinyin: 798 Yìshùqū), or Dashanzi Art District, is a part of Dashanzi in the Chaoyang District of Beijing that houses a thriving artist community, among 50-year old decommissioned military factory buildings of unique architectural style. It is often compared with New York’s Greenwich Village or SoHo, but faces impending destruction from the forces driving Beijing’s urban sprawl.

The area is often called the 798 Art District or Factory 798 although technically, Factory #798 is …

Autumn is lovely, with clear skies and breezy days. Arid spring is ok, apart from the (worsening) sand clouds that sweep in from Inner Mongolia and the ubiquitous static electricity that discharges everywhere. Spring also sees the snow-like liuxu (willow catkins) wafting through the air like snow and collecting in drifts. From May onwards the mercury can surge well over 30°C (86°F). Beijing simmers under a scorching sun in summer (reaching over 40°C/104°F), and there can also be heavy rainstorms …

The Japanese are proud of their four seasons (and a surprising number believe the phenomenon is unique to Japan), but the tourist with a flexible travel schedule should try to aim for two of them.

Spring is one of the best times of year to be in Japan. The temperatures are warm but not hot, there’s not too much rain, and March-April brings the justly famous cherry blossoms (sakura) and is a time of revelry and festivals. In early March, the …

Karaoke (カラオケ) was invented in Japan and can be found in virtually every Japanese city. It’s pronounced karah-okay in Japan - many natives won’t have any idea what you’re talking about if you use the English carry-oh-key. Most karaoke places occupy several floors of a building. You and your friends have a room to yourself - no strangers involved - and the standard hourly rate often includes all-you-can-drink booze, with refills ordered through a phone on the wall or through …

Japan has two dominant religious traditions: Shinto (神道) is the ancient animist religion of traditional Japan. At just over twelve hundred years in Japan, Buddhism is the more recent imported faith. Christianity, introduced by European missionaries, was widely persecuted during the feudal era but is now accepted, and a small percentage of Japanese are Christian.

Generally speaking, the Japanese are not a particularly religious people. While they regularly visit shrines and temples to offer coins and make silent prayers, religious faith …

The most important holiday in Japan is New Year (お正月 Oshōgatsu), which pretty much shuts down the country from December 29 to January 3. Japanese head home to their families (which means massive transport congestion), eat festive foods and head out to the neighborhood temple at the stroke of midnight to wish in the New Year. Many Japanese often travel to other countries as well, and prices for airfares are very high.

In March or April, Japanese head out en masse …