SUMMER PALACE BEIJING

BEIJING SUMMER PALACE is a must see site. It is included on the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. Summer Palace is a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value. 

The North gate is easily accessible from Beigongmen Station on Line 4 of the Beijing Subway.

Located at the northwest suburb of Beijing, the Summer Palace was originally a royal garden and a temporary dwelling palace for emperors of Qing Dynasty. The Summer Palace in northwest suburban Beijing is the largest and most complete imperial garden existing in China.

Summer Palace mainly consists of Longevity Hill (Washoushan) and Kunming Lake. Covering an area of 290.8 hectares. Of which 3/4 is covered by water.

Hill-and water- surrounded palaces,temples and garden buildings are divided into three areas: 

• the palace area, with the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity (Renshoudian) as the center, where Cixi held court from behind a screen in most time of her late years; 
• the residence area, with Yulan Hall, Leshou Hall and Yiyun Hall as main bodies , where the emperor and empress lived before death; 
• the tour area integrating landscape, buildings, flower and plants, a place of tour and rest for rulers of that time. As the building center in the whole Palaces, the Tower of Buddhist Incense (Foxiangge) stands highly relying on the Hill and facing to the water.

The water surface of Kunming Lake is spacious like sky, charming, gentle and appealing. In the vast mist- covered water stand the magic hills and wonder islands. 

The Seventeen-arch Bridge spans the green water like a rainbow. The West Dike of the lake runs from north to south. 

Forming a God-fiven scene together with six graceful bridges. Business on the palace market is flourishing. 

Towering palaces shine with the hill and water, Group peaks of West Hill (Xishan) and the Jade Spring (Yuquanshan) are even taken as the background.

With masterly design and artistic architecture and integration the essence of Chinese garden arts, the Summer Palace has a title of  "Imperial Garden Museum". It is an imperial garden most completely preserved with richest landscapes and concentrated buildings. 

It is a popular tourist destination but also serves as a recreational park.Add:

Yiheyuan (Summer Palace) Road, Haidian District 62881144-209Open Time: 6:30-20:30
Take busses No.726, 826, 718, 332, 331 or 737 and get of at Yiheyuan Dongmen
Entrance Fee: RMB 40 (low season) / RMB 50 (peak season)

THE CUBE IN BEIJING

The Beijing National Aquatics Center, also known as the National Aquatics Center, and nicknamed the Water Cube, (simplified Chinese: 北京国家游泳中心; traditional Chinese: 北京國家游泳中心) is an aquatics center that was built alongside Beijing National Stadium in the Olympic Green for the swimming competitions of the 2008 Summer Olympics. 

Despite its nickname, the building is not an actual cube, but a cuboid (a rectangular box). Ground was broken on December 24, 2003, and the Center was completed and handed over for use on January 28, 2008.  Swimmers at the Water Cube broke 25 world records during the 2008 Olympics.

The Water Cube's design was initiated by a team effort. The Chinese partners felt a square was more symbolic to Chinese culture and its relationship to the Bird's Nest stadium, while the Sydney based partners came up with the idea of covering the "cube" with bubbles, symbolising water. Contextually the cube symbolises earth whilst the circle (represented by the stadium) represents heaven. Hence symbolically the water cube references Chinese symbolic architecture.

Comprising a steel space frame, it is the largest ETFE clad structure in the world with over 100,000 m² of ETFE pillows that are only 0.2 mm (1/125 of an inch) in total thickness. The ETFE cladding allows more light and heat penetration than traditional glass, resulting in a 30% decrease in energy costs.

The outer wall is based on the Weaire–Phelan structure, a structure devised from the natural formation of bubbles in soap lather.

The structure had a capacity of 17,000 during the games that is being reduced to 6,000. It also has a total land surface of 65,000 square meters and will cover a total of 32,000 square metres (7.9 acres)

After the Olympics, the building underwent a 200 million Yuan revamp to turn half of its interior into a water park. The building officially re-opened on August 8, 2010


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THE NEST IN BEIJING

Beijing National Stadium, also known as the National Stadium (国家体育场), or colloquially as the Bird's Nest (鸟巢), is a stadium in Beijing, China. 

It is our last itinerary on our second day in Beijing, China. Gracie, Lasnoches and I went to the Nest located in the Olympic Green, the stadium which costs US $423 million to build. We were so excited to have our picture taken despite the sub zero freezing night temperature.

Pleasing to the eye, the "Bird's Nest" embodies traditional Chinese elements sprinkled with modernity. With a red glow, the venue symbolizes luck and optimism, and its structure mirrors the energetic and ardent spirit innately present in athletes. The letter "N" completes the National Stadium's look, reflecting the passionate and welcoming atmosphere warranted by the Olympic Games.

The design, which originated from the study of Chinese ceramics, implemented steel beams in order to hide supports for the retractable roof, giving the stadium the appearance of a "Bird's nest".

Leading Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was the artistic consultant on the project.

The stadium officially opened in 28 June 2008. Located at the southern part of the Olympic Green in Beijing, the National Stadium is the main stadium of the 29th Olympiad in 2008. Occupying an area of 21 hectares, it has a floor space of 258,000 square meters. Its seating capacity amounts to 91,000, including 11,000 temporary seats

The Bird's Nest boasted the largest ski resort in urban Beijing. The first winter amusement activity in the Bird's Nest was the Ice and Snow Festival, which was launched on Dec.19, 2009 and lasted for two months up to Feb.20, 2010.

Address: 18 Beichen Dong Lu, Olympic Area, Chaoyang district (8437 3008; www.n-s.cn/en).

Tip: Besides Beijing National Stadium, you may visit its neighboring attractions such as the National Aquatics Center (Water Cube) and the National Indoor Stadium.

Admission Fee:

CNY50 for a visit to the National Stadium

* CNY140 for Through Tickets of Beijing Landmark Tour, including the National Stadium, the National Aquatics Center, the National Centre for Performing Arts and the CCTV Tower; the ticket is valid for one month.

Opening Hours:

9:00 to 18:00 on weekdays

9:00 to 21:30 on weekends and public holidays.

Subway:

Take Subway Line 10 to Beitucheng then switch to Subway Line 8 (Olympic Special Line): get off at Olympic Sports Center Station, get out of the station from Exit B1 (northwest exit) or Exit B2 (northeast exit), and walk north to Bird's Nest.

Bus Route:

Take bus 82, 538 or 611 and get off at Guo Jia Ti Yu Chang Dong (National Stadium East) Station.

Take bus 18, 108, 124, 207, 328, 380, 387, 409, 426, 558, 653, 694, 758, 803, 849, 985 or 特2 and get off at Ao Ti Dong Men (Olympic Sports Center East Gate) Station.

Take bus 84 or 407 and get off at Ao Ti Xi Men (Olympic Sports Center West Gate) Station.

THE EGG IN BEIJING

The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) (Chinese: 国家大剧院; pinyin: guó​jiā​ dà​ jù​yuàn​; literally: National Grand Theatre), and colloquially described as The Egg, is an opera house in Beijing, People's Republic of China. 

The Centre, an ellipsoid dome of titanium and glass surrounded by an artificial lake, seats 5,452 people in three halls and is almost 12,000 m² in size. It was designed by French architect Paul Andreu. Construction started in December 2001 and the inaugural concert was held in December 2007.

The exterior of the theater is a titanium accented glass dome that is completely surrounded by a man-made lake. It is said to look like an egg floating on water, or a water drop. It was designed as an iconic feature, something that would be immediately recognizable.

The dome measures 212 meters in east-west direction, 144 meters in north-south direction, and is 46 meters high. The main entrance is at the north side. Guests arrive in the building after walking through a hallway that goes underneath the lake. The titanium shell is broken by a glass curtain in north-south direction that gradually widens from top to bottom.

The location is immediately to the west of Tiananmen Square and the Great Hall of the People, and near the Forbidden City.

BEIJING TIANANMEN SQUARE

                                         Adik talon ng talon kahit may shopping bags at dslr, lol!

Presenting the Beijing Tiananmen Square. We went to Tiananmen Square from our hotel via subway. It was easy because all you have to do is to walk north towards exit A or B.

It is the must place to visit in Beijing City. Located at the center of Beijing City is Tiananmen Square, where you can visit Tiananmen Tower, Monument to the People's Heroes, Great Hall of the People, Mao Zedong Memorial Hall and see the national flag raising ceremony. Thousands of people come to the Square every day.

The present Tiananmen Square has an area of 440,000 square meters and has become a relaxing place for the common people to fly kites and walk. On a holiday, the whole square is covered with fresh flowers.

There is an admission Fee of CNY 15 for ascending the Tiananmen Tower.
Free for visiting the square only.

By Subway:

Subway Line 1: get off at Tiananmen Dong or Tiananmen Xi Station.
Subway Line 2: get off at Qianmen Station. Get out from Exit A or B and walk north.

By Bus:

Take bus 1, 5, 10, 22, 37, 52, 205, 728 or 802 and get off at Tiananmen Xi.
Take bus 1, 2, 10, 20, 37, 52, 59, 82, 120, 126, 203, 205, 210, 728 or 802 and get off at Tiananmen Dong.
Take bus 2, 5, 8, 20, 22, 120, 126, 203, or 210 and get off at Tiananmen Guangchang Dong (Tiananmen Square East).
Take bus 2, 5, 20, 120, 126 or 210 and get off at Tiananmen Guangchang Xi (Tiananmen Square West).

BlogFest SOCCSKSARGEN 2010 LiveBlog

The BlogFest SOCCSKSARGEN 2010 is happening right now, December 11, 2010 at the Royale Ballroom of the East Asia Royale Hotel in General Santos City. Today is a packed day with 13 talks by 11 speakers. You may catch the happenings in the event through the live community blog and online discussion below.

If you are in the BlogFest SOCCSKSARGEN, you may join the online discussion by tweeting using the hashtag #blogfestsox2010.

Share this link: http://bit.ly/SoxBlogFest2010 to your friends to give them full access to the BlogFest SOCCSKSARGEN 2010 LiveBlog.

BlogFest SOCCSKSARGEN 2010 Press Release

BlogFest SOCCSKSARGEN 2010 Press Release

One day to go and all roads will lead to General Santos City for Southern Mindanao’s biggest blogging event, the BlogFest SOCCSKSARGEN 2010! The event gathers more than 100 bloggers and new media enthusiasts and has scheduled 11 speakers in 13 talks at the Grand Royale Ballroom of General Santos City’s East Asia Royale Hotel.

YES! SOCCSKSARGEN Blogfest 2010 is happening tomorrow, Saturday, December 11 at the Grand Ballroom of the East Asia Royale Hotel in Gen San City. If you’re a blogger and you have yet to hear anything about this event, chances are, you’re the kind of audience that this Blogfest needs to be there. Yes, right there in the first row seated together with no less than, kuya Avel Manansala and Kuya Orman Manansala!

List of speakers (fromGensan News Online Mag of Avel Manansala):

Google Philippines Aileen Apolo-de Jesus

Presidential Communications Operations Office Manager Jay Jaboneta

UP Diliman Department of Journalism Professor Danilo Arao

Davao Bloggers President Ria Abella Jose

Soccsksargen Tourism Advocate Michelle Lopez-Solon

Digital Filipino’s Janette Toral

Zamboanga Multi-media Guru Ryann Elumba

Web Presence Strategist Fil-Am Dale Palileo

Internet Security Expert Bobby Soriano 

They are all willing and eager to increase your passion for the much vaunted New Media!

Giving the Keynote Speeches to inspire and challenge them are GenSan Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio and Representative Pedro B. Acharon, Jr. of the 1st District of South Cotabato.

Attend the SOCCSKARGEN Blogfest 2010 at ma ka ka rubbing elbows mo na ang mga blogger royalty na sila Kuya Avel Manansala, kuya Orman Manansala, Enrico Dee etc.

If you want a copy of the events program head to this site and download it.

This event’s sponsors are overwhelmingly overwhelming. As in major major talaga!!!! Kakaloka!

Platinum Partner and Venue Sponsor East Asia Royale Hotel
Platinum Partner Sagittarius Mining Inc.
Gold Partner and Wifi Provider SMART Communications and SMART Bro
Gold Partner and Official Blogfest Tshirt Provider Gaisano Mall of GenSan
Office of Representative Pedro B. Acharon, Jr. of the 1st District of South Cotabato
Office of Representative Emmanuel Pacquiao, of the lone District of Sarangani
Gold Sponsor and Speakers’ Official Residence Dolores Hotels and Resorts
Silver Partner and Photo Safari Sponsor Robinsons Place GenSan
Silver Partner and Official Tech Provider STI College GenSan
Silver Partner and Official Browser OPERA for Desktops
Silver Partner and Official Videographer Royale Iris Studio Productions
Silver Partner and Sashimi Night Venue Sponsor Alta Veranda Hall
Bronze Partners, namely the Local Government Unit of General Santos City, Go Sarangani Travel and Tours, Ingress Sponsor Music City Family KTV, Zion Travel and Tours -Gaisano, OMF Lit Bookshop-GenSan, P.R. firm Geisler Maclang Communications Inc., Montage Digital Photography Inc – Gaisano(Official Photographer), PCWorx -KCC, Kristan Bookstore, South Cotabato Tambayan, Miss Mocca Cafe, Hi-Tech Pinoy Internet Cafe and GenSan City Councilor Margareth Rose N. Santos.
Special Patrons Ryan’s Lechon House, Jam’s Garden, Red Trellis Seafood Garden, Gio’s Mongolian,Arnevel’s Le Jardin and Caterers.
GenSan News Online Mag, Ganda Ever So Much, Alexis C. Chua, Xyrilloid Landicho, Gilbert Tan, Arnel and Rosilie Lim, and of course…
Mindanao New Media.

Hurry up and please register now. This online registration for the Blogfest Sox 2010 started less than two weeks ago and slots have been filled up already fast. The deadline of payment is on Friday, December 10 at 5pm. So if I were you, go to this site and register. Why? Because “Walk-in registrants could be on waitlist to check if there are no-shows, one hour into the programme on Saturday, December 11” according to Bariles!

Lastly, there’s a photo safari after! Hurray! So for photobloggers out there tara lets!

The Great Wall of China in Mutianyu

The Great Wall of China is referred to in Mandarin as Wanli Changcheng (10,000-Li Long Wall or simply very long wall)

BEIJING, CHINA- Since I was a child, I always wonder how it is to traverse The Great Wall of China. So many questions keep popping on my head, like would it collapse when I walked on the thousand years old flooring? Or would my stiletto heeled boots be caught in between the tiles that made up the Great wall? Would I be the Jill tumbling down the Great Wall? Ha ha ha!

My childhood dream became a reality when I joined a tour to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall of China last November 24, 2010, for 320 RMB including entrance fee, breakfast, lunch and transportation to and from Mutianyu. 

Mutianyu is a very ideal location to appreciate the grandness of the Great Wall as well as to avoid the crowds of the portion of the Great Wall at Badaling. 

Mutianyu is the most beautiful section of the Great Wall of China, filled with fragrant flowers in spring, abundantly verdant in summer, charming with red-leafed maple trees in autumn and enchanting covered in pure white snow in winter.

Cable cars are available to help visitors go up The Great Wall of China in Mutianyu easily. The cost is 45 RMB. It is better to get the package of Cable going up plus Toboggan going down for only 65 RMB. This is not included in the tour package. You have to shell out another 65 RMB on top of the 320 RMB tour package.  You could opt to have the cable car alone going up The Great Wall of China in Mutianyu for 45 RMB per person.

I was so afraid that at first,  I did not enjoy the breathtaking views of the surrounding valley when I rode the open cable car at The Great Wall of China in Mutianyu. Who would not be terrified riding an open cable car? The attendant shoved me to the passing cable car seat because I froze when I saw that the open cable car has no safety belt.

At the Great Wall of China, there are many uneven surfaces, many steep stairs to climb and a lot of walking to do, add to that, the unmerciful Siberian wind blowing so strongly. I was catching my breath after only a few minutes of walking at The Great Wall of China in Mutianyu. But the view from the Great wall is simply amazing.

I learned that the Mutianyu (Chinese: 慕田峪; pinyin: Mùtiányù) is a section of the Great Wall of China located in Huairou County 70km northeast of Beijing. The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall is connected with Jiankou in the west and Lianhuachi in the east. As one of the best-preserved parts of the Great Wall, the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall used to serve as the northern barrier defending the capital and the imperial tombs.

Built mainly with granite, the wall is 7-8 meters high and the top is 4-5 meters wide. Compared with other sections of Great Wall, Mutianyu Great Wall possesses unique characteristics in its construction. 

Mutianyu watchtowers are densely placed along this section of the Great Wall - 22 watchtowers on this 2,250-meter-long stretch. Both the outer and inner parapets are crenelated with merlons, so that shots could be fired at the enemy on both sides - a feature very rare on other parts of the Great Wall. 

The Mutianyu Pass consists of 3 watchtowers, one big in the center and two smaller on both sides. Standing on the same terrace, the three watchtowers are interconnected to each other inside and compose a rarely seen structure among all sections of Great Wall.

The view from one of the window of the tower is simply amazing.

Besides, this section of Great Wall is surrounded by woodland and streams. The forest-coverage rate is over 90 percent. The view is breathtaking and certainly an experience to remember.

Going down, I took advantage of Mutianyu's wheeled toboggan ride down from The Great Wall of China in Mutianyu on a winding metal track. 

Toboggan (luge) is definitely the way to go down from The Great Wall of Mutianyu. It's a great way to end a great day and this is suitable for everyone.

You'll be at the bottom before you know it. Definitely the fastest way down. I really really enjoyed this Toboggan ride down from The Great Wall of China in Mutianyu.

Want to save money? Go ahead and avail of the package ride of cable car going up and toboggan down for only 65 RMB or your toboggan ride down alone will cost you 50 RMB per person.

Weeee! I love the Toboggan ride, if only for it, I would be visiting the Great Wall again in the future!!! Two thumbs up for toboggan ride!!