25/09/2013 11:46
Beijing enjoys the reputation of time-honored historical and cultural city in China. As the capital of five dynasties, Beijing preserves a large number of imperial palace, imperial gardens, temples and ancient tombs which are symbols of a cultural city. Undoubtedly, Beijing is the culture hub of China. Forbidden City, the imperial palace of Ming and Qing dynasties, well displays the traditional China travel service Chinese styles in architecture. Temple of Heaven is world-famous for its logical layout and delicate structure. Ming Tombs including 13 tombs is the biggest imperial mausoleum in Beijing. Beijing culture can also be represented by other elements such as its dialects, opera and cuisine besides the ancient buildings.
One of the must see sights while you are in Beijing is the Beijing National Stadium, otherwise known as the Birds Nest. Seeing really is believing with this particular attraction! A visit to the Olympic stadium may not seem that exciting at first, but if you bear in mind that this stadium cost US$423 million to build, it is definitely worth a visit! Even from a distance its amazing architecture and design, which gives the stadium the appearance of a ‘Birds Nest’, is impressive and as you get closer to the structure, you are blown away by its sheer enormity.
View of the Birds Nest from a distance
A bargain for students at 25 yuan for admission into the stadium building (50 yuan without a student card), Beijing tour there is no excuse not to go inside and check out the view from the different levels. We went to the lower level first to sit in the front row of the stadium and check out the track. There are plenty of props, photos and videos to entertain and you can see the start of the 100 metres track with models of the runners on their starting blocks. And it is pretty cool to say you were sitting in the front row of the Olympic Stadium!
The view from inside the stadium
With a seating capacity of 91,000, you begin to imagine how amazing the atmosphere would have been during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, especially during the opening and closing ceremonies. I would love to have experienced this buzz and have been a part of such a huge crowd, all cheering and clapping during the events. After taking all of this in, we made our way up to Level 6 in the upper stand, the highest point in the stadium. As we climbed up the rows of seats, we all started to feel a bit dizzy and breathless as you look down and realise how high up we really were! But it made for an amazing view of the stadium and we started our photo taking session!
My friends Laura and Jules at the top of the stadium
On our way out we had a quick browse of the gift shop and the other attractions, such as wax works of previous Olympic Committee members. And then as the sun began to set, we left the stadium and this made for the highlight of the day – when the Birds Nest turns on its lights and becomes illuminated in red, an impressive sight and a beautiful image against the night sky.
The Birds Nest illuminated red at night
Next door is the Water Cube, otherwise known as the National Aquatics Center, which was built for the swimming competitions in the 2008 Olympics. We did not go inside on this particular visit but it has now been converted into a water park, the largest in Asia, and is well worth a visit on another day if you are looking ! This building is also illuminated at night, first it glows bright blue before changing colours to purple, red, luxury China tours yellow and green and so on, another amazing sight and a great photo opportunity!
China tour Info From Chinatour.com : Tibet Travel
