Wikivoyage:Past events/Beijing 2008

The 2008 Summer Olympic Games, the 2008 Paralympics and the 2008 World Mind Sports Games were held in Beijing, the first time the games were held in China. The Olympic Games took place between August 8-24, 2008, the Paralympic Games took place between September 5-16, 2008, and the World Mind Sports Games took place between October 3-18, 2008.

Get in
Beijing is the biggest transport hub in Northern China with suitable transportation links extending in all directions. The modern international airport and road and rail network ensures ease of access.

If travelling to the south of China, however, Shanghai and Hong Kong are the easiest ports of entry.

By plane
Most international flights will arrive at Beijing Capital Airport, Shanghai Pu Dong International Airport, or Hong Kong International Airport, depending on your destination. Many other cities have airports with domestic flights at reasonable rates.

By rail
Beijing is the railway hub of the nation and a major station in the Far East, with the trains to most provincial capitals and all the neighboring cities. There are a number of stations in Beijing, the Beijing Railway Station, Beijing West Railway Station, and Beijing South Railway Station are the most important. The former is mainly for long-haul trips, such as Beijing to Shanghai or the international trains directly to Moscow, Ulan Bator and Pyongyang, etc. Beijing South is for fast EMU trains to Tianjin, Shanghai, Qingdao, Jinan and etc. Beijing West is for trains run on Jingguang and JingJiu lines. Tourists can attend the capitals of each province, the majority of large and medium-sized cities, autonomous regions in China. The other two stations offer short-haul trains to the neighbouring provinces.

By bus
Beijing is without doubt the largest intersection of the main roads in China, with twelve national highways in the north-east, south-east, south-west and south, and eight major highways around the city, a total of twenty thousand kilometers.

Nineteen bus stations in Beijing service thousands of buses daily, to the neighboring cities such as Datong, Chengde, Tianjin, some departure every hour.

Visas and Documentation
China and Hong Kong, while officially the same country, are under different administrations and immigration regimes.

Many foreign nationals do not require a visa to enter Hong Kong, where the equestrian events are held. However, you do need a visa to enter China proper.

At the present time, visas are normally issued for a single entry and for a stay of 30 days. If you intend to travel to Hong Kong from China and back into the mainland, however, a double-entry visa is required.

The Chinese government has, as of late, required proof of air travel and hotel room or accommodations before the visa is issued. Make certain that all of your paperwork is in order before you travel, as you will be deported if you do not comply with the regulations.

Get around
There are many interesting tourist attractions in Beijing for visitor to get around the city during Olympic Games 2008. Among the must-see attractions, such as the famous Forbidden City – where visitors can stroll through the residences of China’s former emperors – and the monolithic Great Wall of China, the Beijing tourism authority has suggested a number of culinary and nightlife hotspots too.

On the list, include the happening Houhai Bar Street and famous restaurants Kaorou Ji and Dasanyuan. But tourists looking for a taste off the beaten track, should aim for restaurants recommended or populated by locals

Other recommendations include visiting the Drum Tower, Beijing’s ‘Big Ben’ and original time-keeper. Around the tower is an antique market worth exploring and the bustling Hutong fruit market. Other interesting parts of Beijing include the Underground City near Tiananmen Square, a subterranean network built when the country feared Soviet invasion in the 1960s and the Ancient Observatory, an incredibly preserved Tibetan temple.

Inside Beijing






























































Outside Beijing






-Warning: Not legally inside Mainland China.