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I did not leave there convinced that investing in Beijing made perfect sense; it's expensive, but my feeling is that it will be one to watch as we move closer toward the 2008 Olympic Games and infrastructural renovations and development begin to take shape. In fact the city will get a major overhaul in preparation for the games. There will be massive amounts of monies, both foreign and domestic, flowing through there in preparation for the historic event. When the games arrive there in another four years, they will be hugely popular and there will not be any empty seats.

In sum, China travelers are confronted with a question similar to the one that confronted northern barbarians eager to penetrate the Wall's defenses all those years ago: Where in the Wall's 6,400 km length is the best place to stage your assault? For convenience's sake, we'll concentrate our effort of Beijing-area sites today, saving for another time exploration of intriguing spots running between the Wall's eastern extreme at seaside Shanhaiguan, near Qingdao all the way to its desert-bound terminus at Jiayuguan in Gansu.

My first trip to China occurred nearly ten months earlier. It was the furthest I had ever traveled outside the U.S. This time I was more at ease in preparing for my recent departure. No longer did I need to be reminded of the long flight time, language barriers, or potential visa issues that are well documented in the records of many a foreign student visiting the U.S. I was already an experienced traveler to the Far East having logged some 18,000 miles and nearly a week's worth of tourism.

Yong An Bridge was built in the thirteenth century. It is a long, multiple-arch stone bridge that connects Qiong Island with the bank on the other side of Beihai Lake. At the north and south ends of Yong An Bridge, there are two colorful memorial stone archways whose names are Ji Cui and Dui Yun. There is one pair of stone lions in front of each stone archway. Against the green water, the blue sky, and the White Dagoba, Yong An Bridge presents a splendid sight.

Beijing, the No.1 tourist destination of China, is a modern cosmopolitan metropolis, and a major transportation hub that welcomes visitors with gracious hospitality. As the capital of China, Beijing plays an important role in the world nowadays. It is an ancient city with all of the modern amenities a visitor could want. This city has some unique cultural aspects that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Visitors to Beijing inevitably feel overwhelmed and upon leaving Beijing always feel like there was so much more they did not have time to explore.

They are playing pearls in the clouds and waves. The reason the screen has nine main dragons is because nine was considered to be the number of the emperor. In Taoist philosophy men are odd numbers while women are even numbers. Since the highest odd single digit number is nine, it was the emperors. Beihai Park's Nine Dragon Screen is one of the four well-preserved Nine Dragon Screens in China, which are precious example of the artistry of ancient Chinese. Another Nine Dragon Screen in Beijing is sited in the Forbidden City. Almost all Beijing tour packages will comprise a visit to at least one of them.