Cutural Tours

Local tours

LT1 Lamasery—Summer Palace
10:00-17:30, Thursday Oct. 22, CNY250 / person

The Lamasery is the most impressive and an active Buddhist temple in the city. It is a magnificent Tibetan Buddhist complex built around 1700, and is one of the largest and most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the world. There are five main buildings lying on the north-south axis in the temple. The temple is best known for its amazingly tall standing statue of Maitreya Buddha of the Future carved out of a single trunk of white sandalwood tree presented by the Seventh Dalai Lama. It is 26 meters high 18 meters above the ground and 8 meters under the ground and 8 meters in diameter.

Summer Palace is the largest and best preserved imperial garden. It used to be a retreat for emperors to escape the scorching summer heat in Beijing. The garden is so large that it is scarcely enough to see in one day all the halls, towers, pavilions, corridors, walkways and bridges that grace the hill slopes, lake shore and islets. It is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as "An outstanding expression of the creative art of Chinese landscape garden design, incorporating the works of humankind and nature in a harmonious whole."

LT2 Forbidden City—Temple of Heaven
08:30-16:30, Friday Oct. 23, CNY290 /person

The 720,000-square-metre Palace Museum, 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.

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.

LT3 Ming Tombs—Great Wall at Juyongguan
08:30-17:00, Saturday Oct. 24, CNY320 / person

50 kilometers northwest from Beijing lay the Ming Tombs - the general name to the mausoleums of 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The mausoleums have been perfectly preserved, as has the necropolis of each of the many emperors. Because of its long history, palatial and integrated architecture, the site has a high cultural and historic value.

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.

LT4 Hutong Tour—Beihai Park—Tian'An Men Square
08:30-16:30, Sunday Oct. 25, CNY250 / person

The hutong tour is to let you know more about the city. You will visit the backyards of Beijing, on a pedicab, across the small zig-zag lanes in the old residential areas.

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. Tian'anmen Gate on the northern edge of the square used 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 night scene of Tian'anmen Square is definitely a MUST for any visitor to Beijing.

EP1 Peking Opera (meal is not included)
18:20-21:00, Sunday Oct. 25, CNY120 / person

Peking Opera is a form of traditional Chinese theatre which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics. It has now become a symbol of Beijing's tradition. The actors and actresses wear elaborate and colorful costumes and use the skills of speech, song, dance, and combat in movements that are symbolic and suggestive. The different colors of painted faces represent different characters and personality.

Notes on Local Tours:

The fee includes an English-speaking tour guide, bus, entrance fees and Chinese lunch. The tickets should be purchased at least one day before the event. No refund once tickets are purchased.
Because the credit card facility is limited, on-site payment by cash will be strongly recommended.
All local tours will depart from the lobby of the hotel. Please be there 5 minutes prior to the departure time.
Reservation can be made with the registration form. No advance payment is required.

Post-conference Tours

PT-1 Beijing—Xi'an—Beijing
Shared Twin Occupancy: CNY4050 / person; Single Occupancy: CNY4500 / Person

Xi'an ranks first among the seven ancient capitals of China. Since 1100 B.C., 12 dynasties successively made Xi'an their capital. Xi'an is also the beginning of the world-famous ancient silk route. Qin Shihuang's Terracotta Warriors and Horses made more than 2,000 years ago and numbered in several thousand were designated as one the cultural heritages of the world and regarded as the 8th great Wonders in the World. The Dayan (Big Wild Goose) Pagoda was built in 648 A.D. and is a typical ancient storied building. Mounting the grand Dayan Tower, looking into the distance while leaning on the handrail, you can see the whole ancient city of too many beautiful things, which makes you relaxed, happy and reluctant to leave.

PT-2 Beijing—Xi'an—Guilin—Beijing
Shared Twin Occupancy: CNY6990 / person; Single Occupancy: CNY7970 / Person

Guilin is a famous scenic spot in China with the finest mountains and waters under heaven and therefore considered the best place to tour. The Ludi (reed pipe) Crag is a cave. Inside the cave everywhere there are stone pillars, stone shoots, stone screens, stalactites. All are surpassingly elegant and morphologically diversifying. The Li River, connecting Guilin with Yangshuo, is 40 kilometers long, along with thousands of mountains and peaks cast their reflections in the water. When cruising down the river, you can see many beautiful bamboo forests, magnificent mountains and peak and fishing boats.

Oct. 26 (Mon.) Morning flight to Xi'an. Visit Wild Goose Pagoda and Sha'anxi History Museum. Check in at a four-star hotel.
Oct. 27 (Tue.) Visit the Terracotta Horses and Warriors and the Forest of Stone Tablets
Oct. 28 (Wed.) Tour the city Wall. Afternoon flight to Guilin. Guided tour to Reed Flute Cave. Check in at a four-star hotel.
Oct. 29 (Thu.) One-day trip on Li River cruise and visit the Elephant Trunk Hill.
Oct. 30 (Fri.) Morning flight back to Beijing. Tour ends at Beijing Airport.

Notes on Post-Conference Tours:

The costs include inter-city airfare, 4-star hotel accommodation, three meals per day, coach, English-speaking guides in Xi'an and Guilin, admission to the sightseeing spots mentioned above.
The costs DO NOT include insurance, tip, overweight luggage (20 kg/pax free baggage) and miscellaneous fees (laundry, mini bar, drinks/bottled water, etc).
For twin occupancy, the participant should find and indicate his/her own roommate in the booking form.
If less than ten people signed for the trip, the trip will be cancelled and the fees will be fully refunded.

AsCA'09

Cutural Tours

Local tours

Post-conference Tours