Mid-Range Restaurants

King's Joy 

Located very near the Lama Temple in Beijing, Chef Pan Jianjun's menu includes organic ingredients

from various farms around the city. Jianjun focuses on health and nutrition with a balance of looks, texture, and taste. His sauteed matsutake mushroom with gingko and asparagus are well-liked even by carnivores. The restaurant is in Dongcheng District on Wudaoying Hutong.

Lei Garden 

Originally a Hong Kong brand, Lei Garden offers modern and classic Cantonese cuisine. However, diners prefer its dim sum during lunch. The restaurant offers braised spare ribs, stir-fried oyster with XO sauce, and lobster clay pot noodle. Lei Garden is in the Chao Yang District in Tower C Central International Trade Center.

Din Tai Fung 

Xiaolongbao is the most popular signature dish at Din Tai Fung. Guests can opt for veggie, crab, seafood, or pork fillings. This delicious treat is quite expensive. Other dishes offered by the restaurant include sweet red-bean bun, noodles and rice and stir fries. The restaurant is on Xinyuan Xili Zhong Jie.

Susu
 
This stylish eatery offers the best Vietnamese cuisine in Beijing. The chefs, from Saigon, offer zingy salads and pork spring rolls. The La Vong fish is a do-it-yourself dish of fresh greens, glass noodles, and turmeric yellow fish fillets. The cocktail bar offers themed libations. The restaurant is near Dafosi Dongjie on Qianliang Hutong Xixiang.

Hatsune 

Already an institution in Beijing, Hatsune is popular for its inventive California rolls and pearlescent sashimi. The sushi rolls are fushion-inspired and unconventional. The restaurant has an extensive selection of sake and craft beers. The tempura is oil-free, light and crisp. Hatsune also has grilled mackerel, Japanese snacks, and salads in its menu. Located near Gongti Beilu, it is on Sanlitun Lu.

Mercante
 
Mercante is an Italian eatery of Bologna-based Omar Maseroli. It offers a rustic menu of homemade pizza with duck or rabbit ragu, fresh-bakes foccacia, imported cheese and meats, ravioli, and affordable Italian wines. The restaurant is situated in the Dongcheng District on Fangzhuanchang Hutong.

Budget Restaurants 

Haidilao
 
As a Sichuan chain of restaurants, Haidilao offers fragrant bubbling broth and excellent service. Free drink refills and hot towels are also provided. Guests also get a free fruit plate and manicure while they wait in line. The restaurant is in Chaoyang District on Baijiazhuang Lu.

Chuan Ban 

This Sichuan restaurant has 60 tables, a canteen ambiance, and stodgy service. However, because it is affiliated with the Sichuan Provincial Government Office, diners are assured of authentic spicy dishes like the shuizhuyu and tingle-pepper chicken. Chuan Ban is near the Chang'an Grand Theater on Gongyuan Toutiao.

Mr. Shi's Dumplings 

Dumplings in this cheerful eatery are wrapped fresh when it's ordered. The fried dumplings are like greasy, miniature tacos while the boiled dumplings are filled with beef and celery or beef and coriander with a dipping sauce of chili and garlic vinegar. Mr. Shi's Dumplings is located near Nanluogu Xiang on Baochao Hutong.

Crescent Moon Muslim Restaurant 

This restaurant offers the best salty milk tea, hand-pulled noodles, house-made yogurt, crispy nang breads, and cumin-spiced lamb skewers. The big plate chicken is slow-cooked in a broth of hand-pulled noodles, veggies, and potatoes. Crescent Moon Muslim Restaurant is near Chaoyangmen Beixiaojie on Dongsi Liutiao.

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Expensive Restaurants 

The Temple Restaurant Beijing 

The Temple Restaurant Beijing is a 120-seater restaurant known for its historic setting and fine dining

experience. Bestsellers include truffle jus, smoked duck, grilled pigeon with ceps, and goose liver and lobster on toast. For a weekend brunch, guests can enjoy dainty house-baked pastries. The restaurants wine cellar offers Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne. The Temple Restaurant Beijing is on Shatan Bei 9Jie and near Wusi da Jie.

The Brian McKenna @ The Courtyard 

The Brian McKenna @ The Courtyard overlooks the Forbidden City's moat. It's currently under the management of famed British chef Brian McKenna. It's also undergoing a design makeover from those people behind New York's W Hotel. Brian Kenna @ The Courtyard is on Donghuamen Street.

Capital M 

As a flagship project of Australian restaurateur Michelle Gaurnaut in Beijing, Capital M offers bold and big dishes like slab of Pavlova, house-smoked Norwegian salmon, and juicy suckling pig. The restaurant itself has snazzy open fireplaces, VIP service, imported Nepalese rugs, and embossed tableware. It has the most picturesque view of Tiananmen Square. Capital M is near Xidamochang Jie on Qianmen Buxing Jie.

Maison Boulud 

Maison Boulud is branch of the culinary empire of New York celebrity chef Daniel Boulud. It offers the best French-inspired cuisine in Beijing. Best dishes include baby pig with apple coleslaw and daikon sauerkraut, and duck confit and escargot. Situated inside a period mansion, Maison Boulud offers a weekend brunch of braised short ribs, and medium-rare Wagyu slab with truffles. It is near Guangchang Dong Ce Lu on Qianmen Dong Da Jie.

Duck De Chine 

Duck de Chine is housed in a refurbished factory complex. Managed by the father-son team of Peter and Wilson Lam, the restaurant offers the perfect Peking duck which is served with homemade hoisin sauce. The duck is rolled in steamed pancakes. Duck de Chine offers Cantonese cuisine. It is located near Nansanlitun Lu on Gongti Bei Lu.

Tiandi Yijia 

Tiandi Yijia is just beside the Forbidden City and offers VIP treatment. Interiors include tinkling water features, lion sculptures, and fancy hardwood furniture. Chef Zhang Shaogang is known for his unusual ingredients and classical imperial-style techniques. The restaurant is located on the west of Changpuhe Park on Nanchizi Dajie.

Mio 

Mio is a finedining Italian restaurant with a glitzy interior at the Four Seasons Hotel. Head chef Marco Calenzo offers wood-fired pizzas, house-baked breads, foie gras cooked sous vide, and sea urchin spaghetti. Mio is at the Chaoyang District on LiangMaQiao.

Aria 

Located in the China World Hotel, Aria is already a fine dining institution. Chef de cuisine David Pooley offers quenelle of foie gras mousse, shavings of jamon iberico, and corn and chicken soup with plump scallops. This European restaurant is known for its deconstructed cheesecake. Aria is near Dongsanhuan Zhonglu on Jianguomenwai Dajie.

Mid-range Restaurants 

Da Dong 

A lot of tourists and residents queue for duck at Da Dong every night. Although there are about 200 dishes on the menu, general manager and chef Dong Zhenxiang is really famous for his super lean roast duck and braised sea cucumber. Da Dong also boasts of 300 chefs who can offer showy dishes like noodles from lobster meat, steaks blow torched table side, and hollow globes of carbon dioxide-filled ice. The restaurant is near Donhmencang Hutong at the Nanxincang International Plaza.

Najia Xiaoguan 

Najia Xiaoguan features Manchu cuisine like salty duck and fatty red-braised pork. The wines offered are reasonably priced. The 110-seater restaurant offers low prices, great service, good food, and comfortable surroundings. It is advisable to call for reservations. The restaurant is just south of Xinhua Insurance Building on Jianguomenwai Dajie.

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Being a large country with many attractions, China is frequently visited by a lot of foreign tourists

each year.

The Forbidden City 

Located at the heart of Beijing, the Forbidden City is the best preserved and largest palace in the world. It served as the imperial palace during the Ming Dynasty. It took 14 years to complete and tens of thousands of laborers worked hard to finish it. Measuring 961 meters by 753 meter, the rectangular-shaped palace has 8,707 rooms in a 155,000-square-meter area. Because it was a castle, it had to a follow a specific building code which reflected the emperor's status and paramount authority. The Forbidden City has 4 gates: the Wu Gate, the Donghua Gate, the Xhua Gate, and the Shenwu Gate. The Wu Gate, which is the main entrance, has 5 arches. The middle arch was built as the central axis of Beijing City and the palace.

Visitors, even high-ranking government officials, can only enter the palace through the side arch. The National Palace is further divided into the interior and external imperial courts. The exterior is where rituals and festivals were held. Feudal rulers also showed their power in the exterior court. The interior court was the dwelling place of the emperor and his family. When the Qing feudal dynasty fell in 1911, the emperor continued to live in the palace until 1924 when he abdicated his throne. In 1925, the Forbidden City was transformed to become the Palace Museum. When the People's Republic of China was established, the Palace Museum was renovated. It was put on the World Heritage List in 1987.

The Great Wall of China 

As a part of the history of human civilization, the Great Wall of China was considered as the 8th Wonder of the World. Its construction was believed to have been started from 770BC to 221BC. When China was unified under Qinshihuang, he ordered the construction of the wall. Succeeding dynasties continued the extension and strengthening of the wall. During the Ming Dynasty, this wall was extended from Pohai's Shanhaiguan to Gansu's Jiayuguan. Measuring about 7.8 meters in height, it has a watchtower for every 100 meters.

The Great Wall of China was constructed to defend its borders against other nomad nationalities and kingdoms. However, it was proved to be useless in defending against the enemies. In fact, Ming Dynasty's emperor Yingzong was taken by the Qirat when they broke down the wall. The Great Wall of China is a symbol of human civilization in China. Currently, it is a popular tourist spot. In 1987, it was included in the World Heritage List.

Shanghai Bund 

Located in the Huangpu District, the Shanghai Bund is a popular Shanghai landmark and destination. It often refers to the wharves and the building. The Bund includes 52 buildings of different architectural styles like Art Deco, Neo-Classical, Renaissance, Romanesque, and Gothic. It used to be a desolate area. However, Shanghai developed it when it had to open the area as a treaty port after the First Opium War. During the 1990s, the Bund was renovated. A popular spot in the area is the bronze statue of Chen Yi, who was Shanghai's 1st communist mayor. Concerts are held in front of the statue during weekends.

Terracotta Warriors 

The Terracotta Warriors and Horses is located in Xian in the Lintong District. In 1987, it was also included in the list of World Cultural Heritage. The figures represent Qin Shi Huang's soldiers which were buried with the emperor when they died to protect him. These Terracotta Warriors were discovered in 1974. It was reported that there at least 8,000 soldiers, 150 cavalry horses, and 150 chariots with 520 horses in 3 square-shaped pits. By taking a closer look, a tourist can discover that each Terracotta Warrior has its own facial expression and posture.

The Temple Of Heaven 

Situated in Beijing's southeast, the Temple of Heaven has been in existence for at least 500 years. It was built during the Ming and Qing dynasties so that the emperors can worship the heaven. It is China's best preserved and largest architectural structure for sacrifice. With an area of 2.7 million square meters, its walls have 2 layers to divide the temple into the inner and outer enclosures. The main buildings are the Circular Mound Altar, the Imperial Heavenly Vault, and the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.

The Hall of Prayer has massive wood columns to symbolize the four seasons, the 12 daily hours, and the 12 months. The Vault of Heaven is smaller and without crossbeams. The Circular Mound Altar, on the other hand, is a white stone terrace with 2 sets of walls which symbolize the round heaven and the square earth. During the winter solstice, the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worship the heaven in the Circular Mound Altar. The temple was included in the World Cultural Heritage list in 1998.

Li River 

The Li River is a scenic spot with the most beautiful and largest karsts scenery. It stretches for 83 kilometers from the Maoer Mountain to Yangshuo. The river decorated by verdant and undulant hills, leisurely boats and fishermen, and wonderful caves. The first scenery from Guilin to Huangniu Gorge includes the Huangnue Gorge, Daxu Ancient Town, Forest of Odd Shaped Peaks, Pagoda Hill, Rooster Fighting Hill, and the Elephant Trunk Hill. The second scenery from Huangniu Valley to Shuiluo Village includes the XingPing Ancient Town, the Yellow Cloth Shoal, the Mural Hill, the Yangdi Village, the Crown Cave, and the Wangfu Rock. The last scenery from Shuiluo Village to Yangshuo includes the Shutong Hill, the Bilian Peak, and the Snail Hill. During sunny days, white clouds and verdant hills are reflected in the river. During rainy days, mist covers the nearby mountains and the river.

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Tourism In China

For the past few years, tourism in China has greatly improved due to its opening and reformation. China is now experiencing a travel boom. Tourists flock to the country to experience its culture and see what it has to offer. Being the 3rd most visited country across the globe, foreign tourists numbered close to 56 million in 2010. China's income from foreign exchange in that same year amounted to US$45.8 billion. Domestic tourists, on the other hand, totaled at least 1.5 billion.
Because a new middle class has emerged and movement restrictions have been eased,

According to the World Trade Organization, China is expected to become the biggest tourist nation. Business travel is also experiencing a surge. In 2013, the country granted 5 million business visas. During this year, its sales percentage from business travel reached 38%, while the United States of America and the United Kingdom had 21% and 28%, respectively. In 2009, revenue from tourism breached the $185-billion mark.

History Of Tourism in China 

Prior to 1974, China only accepted selected visitors from around the world. During the term of Deng Xiaoping, it promoted its tourism in order to earn from foreign exchange. It started developing the tourism industry. Hotels were constructed, scenic and historic spots were renovated, and tourist guides were trained. Transportation facilities were upgraded to make travel more convenient. By the mid 1980s, foreign visitors were accepted in at least 250 counties and cities in China. Tourists needed to present residence permits or valid visas to enter the country. Some locations required stricter requirements from the public security department.

Languages Used In China 

A lot of Chinese residents don't understand English. Mandarin is considered the standard language, although Shanghainese and Cantonese are also popularly spoken. The Chinese people in urban areas can write and read English, but they can't speak English fluently.

Obtaining Tourist Visa In China 

Tourist visas can be obtained from the Chinese diplomatic missions. However, there are specific countries around the world which are visa-exempt. Macau and Hong Kong have separate visa requirements from mainland China. A resident from another country can apply for a tourist visa at the China Embassy near him. He is required to submit his passport to the China Embassy because the visa needs to be affixed in it. Actually, he doesn't need to appear in person at the embassy. He can ask a reliable person to bring his passport and retrieve it after a few days.

Macau and Hong Kong, although considered part of mainland China, have their own immigration rules. However, Chinese nationals residing in the two areas don't need a visa or passport to enter and exit China. They need an approved Home Return Permit to go to China. Valid for 10 years, this permit can be obtained from the China Travel Service. For Taiwan residents, they need a visa endorsement and a Taiwanese Compatriot Pass to visit mainland China. They can obtain both documents from the international airport or any port of entry in China upon arrival. If Taiwanese, Hong Kong, and Macau nationals are in other countries and they don't have any of the documents cited previously, they need to apply for a China Travel Document from a Chinese consulate or embassy.

Citizens of a few countries can visit China without a visa. They can go a business or a leisure trip for at most a month. But, countries in Europe and the Americas aren't included in the list. Although a visa is required to visit China, a foreign tourist may not be required a visa if he will only go to Beijing or Shanghai. Visa policies change every now and then. Therefore, anyone who wants to visit China must check with the Chinese Embassy in his country regarding visa requirements. Recently, China had mutual visa-free requirements with a lot of countries.

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