Jaunted

Beijing Travel

Faster Travel: Hop Aboard the Great Wall Express

August 21, 2008 at 9:00 AM | 0 Comments

Determined to tick the Great Wall off your list in your Olympics-inspired visit to China in the future? The Chinese have just created an even easier way for millions of tourists to head out to Badaling, the most popular part of the Wall for snapshots and tacky memorabilia.

The Great Wall Express is a direct train halving the travel time from central Beijing to the wall. Only it doesn't quite take you all the way there: You still have at least a fifteen minute walk ahead of you, but they're "working on it."

The nice part about the Great Wall Express train is that you get to bypass all those nasty traffic jams that would otherwise await you riding in and out of Beijing by bus or taxi. That, and that at just 17 yuan ($2.50) for a first class seat, it's really cheap.

Related Stories:
· All Aboard for the New Great Wall Express [The Age]
· Beijinging: Tick the Great Wall of China Off Your List [Jaunted]

[Photo: auws]

Museums

How China Saved the World

July 23, 2007 at 9:30 AM | 0 Comments

We all know how the Chinese army has contributed to world peace, don't we? Well, if you're not so sure, it's time to visit the new "Our Troops Toward the Sun" exhibit at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution in Beijing. The timing's right to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army.

Among other things, this display will include a calculator used in research for China's first atomic bomb and a punching bag used by Mao. Visitors will also be able to try a simulator for driving a tank or firing the guns on a warship. Exactly which part of the exhibition shows the PLA's contribution to world peace isn't exactly clear, though.

Related Stories:
· Beijing Hotels [HotelChatter]
· Beijing Travel Stories [Jaunted]

[Photo: Marc van der Chijs]