One Day In Beijing – Year of Dragon

One Day In Beijing - Year of Dragon

The Year of the Dragon is upon us – appropriately enough, as this is the most powerful sign of the Chinese zodiac in a year when the Chinese economy in overdrive. This energy and optimism is nowhere better expressed than in Beijing, the frenetic capital with a dizzying mix of history, urban regeneration (for good and ill) and retail-therapy opportunities.

Spend a full but relaxing day in and around Beijing

After exploring Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and the Great Wall, leave room to enjoy some downtime in a city that has accelerated smoothly into the fast lane of the world’s great metropolises.

Here’s a suggested itinerary for a full but relaxing day in and around the city centre.

Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall - Get an overview of Beijing’s extraordinary transformation from walled city to modern metropolis

Start at Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall

It’s back to Tiananmen Square, I’m afraid, but this time we’re making for a little-visited museum near the square’s south-east corner, one with an off-puttingly boring name but a fascinating exhibit that will help visitors come to grips with the day ahead.

The exhibition hall has a model of Beijing as it will look in 2020, once the “Beijing Master Plan” is completed. On a scale of 1:750, the model occupies more than 915 square metres and is bathed in coloured lights, as if you’re seeing the city from an aircraft at different times of day. Suddenly the core of this sprawling metropolis comes into focus as a series of oblongs fitting neatly inside and alongside one another. Take a decent map with which to trace today’s route.

Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall (Chinese:北京市规划展览馆), 20 Qianmen Dong Dajie. Open Tues-Sun, 9am-4pm, admission 30 yuan ($4.50).

Qianmen Dajie is pedestrianized and renovated to resemble a late-Qing-dynasty street scene

Stroll to Qianmen Dajie

See what changes – vandalism, some would say – the aforementioned master plan has wrought on one of the oldest shopping streets in China. Now pedestrianized, the old route from the Forbidden City to the Temple of Heaven was where ordinary folk shopped for food, clothes and snacks.

In the run-up to the 2008 Olympics, the neighborhood received a “facelift”. Old buildings were replaced and most traditional businesses driven out by the usual suspects – Starbucks, Rolex and McDonald’s. However, vestiges of old Beijing remain, especially on Dashilan side street.

Here, the Tongrentang herbal drugstore, Ruifuxiang silk store and the heady scents of the traditional tea shop (where leaves are gathered in metal scoops, weighed and poured into golden paper packets) are redolent of Imperial China.

Hongqiao Pearl Market

Take a taxi to Hongqiao Market

Also known as the Pearl Market, though it sells much else besides, this is a flea market reinvented as a department store where tourists and European expatriates clean up on pearls, clothes, handbags and silk.

The hassle factor is high but there are bargains if you haggle hard. You should be paying a fraction of the original asking price and if you make a pretence of walking away, stallholders will drop the price.

Shops on the top floor, dedicated to pearls and antiques – some of the latter may even be genuine – are upmarket and not so susceptible to bargaining. Watches and electronic goods are best avoided.

Expect to pay up to $45 for a string of freshwater pearls. The excellent Toy Market is next door. Afterwards, ignore the taxis outside as most drivers tend to overcharge foreigners. Instead, walk a block or two before hailing one.

Hongqiao Market（Chinese:北京红桥市场), 46 Tiantan Donglu, Chongwen District, open 8.30am-7pm.

A favorite among local expats, Xiao Wang Fu serves homestyle fare

Time for lunch

Head east to Chaoyang District and the ritzy central business district for a fine restaurant specializing in Beijing cuisine, Xiao Wang’s Home Restaurant.

If the weather is good, eat on the terrace where fashionable young Beijing women with thin legs and thin cigars knock back large beers. Peking duck and deep-fried spare ribs are recommended.

Xiao Wang’s Home Restaurant（Xiao Wang Fu, Chinese:北京小王府私家菜馆), No2 Building, Guanghua Dongli, Chaoyang.

Silk Market - Xishui Market

Followed by . . . more shopping

Ten minutes’ walk from the restaurant, just off the main thoroughfare of Jianguomenwai Dajie, is Beijing’s other multi-storey flea market, known as the Silk Market.

There are thousands of stalls and the sales pitches are even more aggressive than those of the Pearl Market. The asking price for a tailor-made pure wool suit is $240-$300 but canny shoppers should get that down by 50 per cent.

Silk Market, Xiushui Dong Jie, Chaoyang District, 9.30am-9pm.

The hippest street in Beijing is Nanluoguxiang

Head to the hutongs

Many old alleyways with warrens of one-storey courtyard houses have already been sacrificed to the master plan. One of the largest surviving concentrations is a taxi ride from the Silk Market, immediately to the north of the Forbidden City and in and around the area known as Houhai.

Probably the hippest street in Beijing is Nanluogu Xiang, in the heart of a heritage zone that claims to be “the only remaining traditional residential area in China that fully preserves the chessboard-style layout of hutongs typically found in the Yuan Dynasty”.

The street itself is a strip of bars – including the backpacker hangout the Pass By Bar and shops selling tapas and churros, handmade notebooks and “thousand-layer cotton shoes”. The hutongs were home to the royal family, high-ranking officials and rich merchants. If you wish to see an interior, visit the home of the revolutionary novelist Mao Dun (1896-1981) at No.13 Houyuan’ensi hutong.

Shichahai Lakes

More strolling, shopping … and hutongs

The gentrified neighborhoods blur north and west from Nanluogo Xiang into areas surrounding the Bell and Drum Towers (climb for bird’s-eye views of the city) and Shichahai Lakes.

One notable street is the pedestrianized Yandai Xie Jie, literally Tobacco-pipe Street, with its Daoist temple and plenty of souvenir stalls. Outside one, an imitation warrior of the Terracotta Army wears John Lennon specs.

From the artificial lakes, where tourists and locals mingle, you can take another hutong crawl down Xiaojinsi hutong, the site of Ming Dynasty silk workshops, or stay by the water and enjoy the more contemporary pleasures of the Lotus Market. Here the bars include the Thai-themed Lotus Blue, with rooftop terrace, and Sex and Da City – though it may be too early in the day for the pole dancers.

Wangfujing Dajie - Beijing's Most Famous Shopping Street

Night Market and Snack Street

As the light fades, head back to the centre for Beijing’s most irresistible tourist attraction: Donghuamen Night Market, immediately to the east of the Forbidden City.

This “pavement skewer eatery”, which dates from 1984, claims to sell 60 speciality snacks from around China. But it’s also just an excuse to surprise squeamish Westerners. Dishes include fried silkworms and centipedes, vile-smelling sea horses and “sheep penis”.

At its eastern end, the market runs into Wangfujing Dajie, a part-pedestrianied equivalent of London’s Oxford Street (Cartier, Gucci, Armani, etc). Wangfujing has a night market known as Snack Street, where crowds, both locals and tourists, throng to feast on bugs including live beetles wriggling on skewers as they await their fate.

Street-wise

This itinerary can be done by hiring taxis as you go (make sure you have the names of the places you want to visit written in Chinese characters), or you can hire one taxi for the day (about $45).

A better option, less open to misunderstanding and scams, is to hire a vehicle and driver for the day through a travel agency, with pre-agreed itinerary: it costs about $95. With an English-speaking guide thrown in (highly recommended), it’s about $140.

24 hrs in Beijing

Fastest Ferrari (599 GTO) to debut at Beijing Auto Show

Ferrari 599 GTO tops out at 208 mph, fastest on-road Ferrari ever

The fastest road-going Ferrari in history, the 599 GTO, is set to be unveiled at the Beijing Auto  Show later this month, aimed at the company’s most exclusive customers.

It is billed as a limited edition new concept that draws inspiration and technology from the company’s experimental 599XX racer.

With a 208mph top speed and 661bhp V12 engine the GTO is capable of lapping Ferrari’s Fiorano test track in a record 1 minute 24 seconds – that beats the time set by the company’s Enzo supercar by almost a second.

Six-litre V12 engine will propel Ferrari 599 GTO from 0-60mph in 3.4 seconds

Only 599 examples of the new GTO (which stands for Gran Turismo Omologato, meaning a grand-touring car homologated — approved — for racing) will be built, with prices expected to be around $460,000.

For that customers will get a 6.0-litre engine coupled to a six-speed paddle-shift gearbox capable of launching the 1,495kg (3300 lbs.) berlinetta from a standstill to 62mph in just 3.4 seconds.

A new generation of Ferrari’s carbon ceramic brakes will be on hand to slow proceedings down, while aerodynamic cues taken from the race car and tyres developed especially for the GTO by Michelin promise extraordinary levels of grip.

670bhp coupe only available to 599 Ferrari customers

And if the G-Forces aren’t enough to tell you how fast you’re traveling, then the latest Ferrari also gets Virtual Race Engineer – an in-car system that gives the driver instantaneous information on the car’s performance.

Ferrari 250 GTO

Ferrari 288 GTO

The GTO badge has only been used two other times in Ferrari history. The 250 GTO of the 1960s was built off the short-wheelbase 250 GT and used for GT racing. In the mid-1980s, Ferrari created the 288 GTO (based on the 308 GTB) for Group B racing. Both cars were produced in limited numbers, just enough, in fact, to make them eligible for racing.

The Beijing auto show opens to the public on April 27 by which time Ferrari is expecting all GTOs to be accounted for.

法拉利全新跑车599 GTO 北京车展全球首发

法拉利全新跑车599 GTO 北京车展全球首发

经典的GTO归来了！法拉利599 GTO终于正式发布了，GTO的意思是“Gran Turismo Omologata”，GT是指的GT赛事，而最后一个单词是意大利语，意思是公路版本。这款599 GTO之前已经吊足了人们的胃口，作为纯赛车版599XX的民用版它早就名声在外，即便如此它也是限量供应的。这款车预计于四月的北京国际车展上正式发 布，而且限量599部，预计这次在中国将再一次大卖。

法拉利曾推出过多款GTO车型，最让人印象深刻的还是上世纪60年代的250 GTO，当时就采用3.0升V12的发动机，最大马力为300匹也算是笑傲当年车坛了。今天的这款599 GTO则是法拉利有史以来最快的公路版车型，我们知道法拉利599 GTO是动力是来自于599XX的那具6.0升V12发动机，最大马力为670匹发生于8250RPM，最大扭矩为620牛米发生于6500RPM，而 599XX则是从著名的法拉利ENZO衍生而来，倾注了法拉利几乎全部的看家本事。对比来看，599XX是最大马力为700匹，而599 GTB最大马力为620匹。

尽管性能相比599 GTB Fiorano有显著的上升，但是油耗与CO2排放却进一步改善到百公里17.5升，与411克/公里。这款跑车同样采用现行法拉利较为惯行的后驱结构， 变速器也是同样的六速顺序式结构换挡时间仅需60毫秒，尽可能地从599XX上原搬下来。

法拉利方面称这款跑车的百公里加速时间为 3.35秒，极速可达335KM/H。而且在著名的Fiorano赛道上，法拉利称它的单圈成绩仅为1分24秒，单就数字可能你没有什么概念，要知道当年 的法拉利ENZO是1分25秒，且是当时的新纪录缔造者，因而法拉利方面才敢说它是有史以来最快的法拉利民用跑车。

599 GTO也继承了599XX的多项瘦身技术，大量使用复合材料，车重仅为1495千克，比599 GTB还要轻85千克，重量马力比仅为2.23kg/hp。以操控著称的法拉利为这款车装备了新的弹簧与更硬朗的后防倾杆，还有第二代的电磁悬挂控制系统 SCM2。制动系统采用碳和陶瓷的复合材料，也是从599XX上继承下来的，从100KM/H到静止只要32.5米。

其它的变化包括有 新的前部扰流器，更低的独立风翼，新的侧面车门槛板设计，双曲后分流器与车下护板等。599 GTO还采用了新的发动机罩设计包括进气口，顶盖等，车轮采用20英寸的合金轮毂，前胎285/30后胎为315/35。

内饰方面法拉利采用定制化生产，更长的碳纤维F1换档拨片更易于高速驾驶，一对桶形座椅，新科技方面法拉利引入了一种被称为“可视化赛车工程”的系 统，可以实时监测车子的状态并将车辆的当前性能以可视化形式展现在驾驶者面前。

对于这款车官方尚未公示价格，但是据泄出的文件称售价在 267136欧元，约合人民币213万元。

Blowing in the wind: Sandstorms blanket Beijing in yellow dust

Beijing residents awakened Monday to skies the eerie yellow color of a street lamp. It was the second time in three days that the Chinese capital had been scoured by sandstorms that have hit 16 provinces across west, central and north China, with winds carrying the pollution outside the mainland as far as Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Hazy Shade of Spring: Springtime sandstorms are common in China, as Siberian winds blow dust and sand off the Gobi desert across east Asia

Sand from China's northern deserts blew into the capital city, giving Beijing an eerie saffron glow

Tiananmen Square is seen amid a sandstorm: Spring sandstorms have been exacerbated by desertification. Agricultural expansion, overgrazing and population growth starting in the 1950s strained already dry regions in western China.

Pedestrians muffled their faces as the sandstorm blew through Beijing's Tiananmen Square

New CCTV Building on a clear day in Beijing last week (left) before a sandstorm covered the capital city in yellow dust yesterday.

The hazardous haze didn't stop Beijingers from picking up their scheduled softball game

“Ant Tribe”: Struggling college graduates in China

On a freezing cold day with a temperature of 3°F, a member of the “Ant Tribe” boarded a bus in Tangjialing on her way to work in central Beijing

They sleep in boxy rooms crammed into dingy low-rises and spend hours commuting to work on crowded buses as part of a trend of poorer white-collar workers being forced to the fringes of China’s wealthiest cities.

Some say these struggling college graduates who swarm out of their cramped accommodations and head to work in the urban sprawl each morning are reminiscent of worker insects in a colony. Not surprisingly, they are often referred to as China’s Ant Tribe (Chinese pronunciation: yǐ zú, Chinese: 蚁族), after the title of a recent book by sociologist Lian Si.

Lian Si's "Ant Tribe", a book documenting struggles of jobless or underemployed college graduates in China

The growing ranks of ‘worker ants’ poses a policy challenge for Beijing’s city leaders as high property prices and dim career prospects thwart the ambitions of many graduates for a comfortable middle-class lifestyle.

In Tangjialing, a dusty suburban Beijing village laced with dirt roads, college-educated software technician Kong Chao typifies the spartan existence of many such graduates.

Muddy road from Tangjialing to work

“This is hard, but there’s no other way,” said Kong, 24, who is relatively fortunate as he has a toilet and cooking area in his cramped room and doesn’t have to share with other tenants.

Kong pays 550 yuan ($81) a month in rent, about 10 percent of his monthly wage. A similar room in a central area of Beijing would eat up most of his salary.

“You see what a crowded city Beijing is,” he said. “We younger people all come to seek work. But we can take it.”

Di Qun, one of the "ants" in Tangjialing, rests in his cramped room.

The rising number of graduates living on the edge of poverty in China’s biggest cities could become a socio-economic challenge for the Chinese government.

“When they’re 26, 27 or 28, they’ll say ‘I need to buy a house’, because that means eligibility for marriage,” said Tom Doctoroff, a Shanghai-based consumer trends author. “If the time comes to get married and you can’t buy, that causes anxiety.”

The population of 20-something jobless or underemployed college graduates struggling to live on the cheap has been estimated by the state-run China Daily newspaper to reach about a million, with 10 percent in Beijing.

Early Morning Breakfast in Tangjialing, Beijing

PROPERTY CONUNDRUM

Surging property prices have been at the crux of the problem.

Over the past 12 months, cheap lending has ramped up real estate demand by families and speculators, causing prices to rise by around a third in some cities and turning the possibility of owning their own home into a distant dream for many young couples.

With China’s property sector crucial for the broader Chinese economy, accounting for nearly a quarter of fixed asset investment, authorities have been at pains to balance the needs of economic stability with those of ordinary citizens.

Provincial and municipal governments are being urged to provide more land for affordable housing, and recent indicators suggest China will tighten its monetary policies after opening the taps during the financial crisis, which could alleviate the country’s property market bubble.

In January, property prices in 70 cities across China rose 9.5 percent from a year earlier. The eighth consecutive year-on-year rise added to worries of a real estate bubble.

Crowds waiting for the bus to work

GLUT OF STUDENTS

The ants’ story began a little over a decade ago, in 1999, when the Chinese government launched an ambitious plan to boost university enrollment by 30% annually. At the time, the country’s factories were suffering from the Asian financial crisis. Planners believed a rise in college rolls would help China transition from a largely export-driven, low-wage manufacturing economy to a more balanced one populated by upwardly mobile white-collar workers.

Undergraduate enrollment quintupled to 20 million students by 2008; last year 6.1 million Chinese earned diplomas, up from 1 million in 1999. But it soon became clear there weren’t enough suitable jobs for these freshly minted graduates. Beijing has slashed college enrollment growth to 5% annually.

Due to the glut of job seekers and the financial crisis, companies in popular cities such as Beijing have slashed monthly wages from between 50 to 100 percent to below 2,000 yuan in some cases, workers say.

Some experts suggest the government should divert young professionals into second-tier cities such as Chengdu and Xiamen to take pressure off Beijing and Shanghai.

LIVING IN FARM HOUSES

For now, educated workers live in tiny rooms carved out of lean-to farm houses or in low-rise flats outside urban job centers because they cannot afford to rent a private flat.

In the evenings in Tangjialing, whose population has swelled to 50,000 from 3,000 before the rise of “ants” about two years ago, tenants hang laundry, socialize at greasy diners and use cheap Internet cafes.

“They’re mostly from other parts of China, so their parents aren’t at their side to help,” noted Mou Jianmin, who follows the trend as head of a cultural promotion firm in Beijing.

Room-sharing by struggling graduates is common

In Wuhan, home to a cluster of universities, recent graduates live eight to 10 in a flat in low-rise apartment buildings without heat or hot water, said Swedish-born Maria Troein, who studies and teaches in the central China city.

“I wouldn’t call it desperation, but there’s definitely some anxiety,” she said.

“There’s a dream. (But) the ant people really can’t afford to have it,” Troelin added, referring to the goal of middle-class prosperity many “ants” pursue amid the squalor.

With millions of migrant workers having been laid off from coastal manufacturing hubs during the financial crisis, Chinese authorities have been trying to create more jobs in China’s less developed interior to absorb this surplus labor, with increasing numbers of workers choosing to stay at home.

One pressure valve, however, may be to encourage graduates to move to cities in China’s hinterland where they would have a better chance of buying their own home and could contribute to the government’s efforts to stimulate these local economies.

For now, though, in Tangjialing, many residents such as high-tech company salesman Li Xingshen, want to stay and claw their way up. Li recently traded a 200-yuan room for a more comfortable 500-yuan one with a private toilet.

But this modest step up is all he can afford for now.

“If I lived in an actual flat, that would cost 1,000 yuan, then I’m out of money,” Li said.

Parents play match-makers at Beijing’s parks

This father is seeking a worthy girlfriend for his son at Zhongshan Park. The piece of paper reads "38-year-old single man, home owner, 178 cm, Beijing hukou (a Beijing resident permit), engineer at a Beijing-based foreign company, computer science degree, highly educated family”

Parents of unmarried women in Beijing have been busy marketing their daughters in local parks, in spite of the cold weather, hoping to help their children find that special someone.

Yuyuantan Park, Taoranting Park and Zhongshan Park are famous among the parents of the city’s singles.

Every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday afternoon, hundreds of parents get together looking to find blind dates for their busy working children.

And many carry hand-made cards carrying basic information about their offspring as they try to find parents with children considered a good match.

But while the parks are open to all, around 90 percent of the personal ads are for single women, aged between 23 and 40.

Deng, who visits the parks regularly in a bid to find a good partner for his 33-year-old son, said he holds back on sharing his son’s information because so many single women are desperate to find a life-partner.

“Once I put out my son’s information, those parents who are eager to marry their daughters off will ask for a date. It’s impolite to refuse them.”

“So I choose to hide my son from the crowd,” Deng said.

Another father, surnamed Sun, said he also rarely shows his son’s information.

“I only talk to those who are suitable for my son. The one great advantage of this kind of parents’ matchmaking event is that you get to see the parents directly.

“Marriage is the most important step for anyone. So the other family’s background matters,” Sun said.

“Sometimes, I don’t like the parents after talking to them and I will make up some of my son’s information, saying he is divorced, so the women’s parents will run away.”

A mother, named He Mei, held up a framed personal advertisement in Yuyuantan Park reading: “Single woman, born in 1983, 164-cm-tall, masters degree from the UK, currently working as an interpreter in a foreign company in Beijing”.

“I’m really worried,” she said. “My daughter is pushing toward her 30s. She has a busy job and a limited number of acquaintances.”

“I really hope she can get married before 28 and have a baby before 30.

“We don’t have high standards. We just want to find a reliable man for her.”

The latest statistics from the Committee of Matchmaking Service Industries under the China Association of Social Workers show there are around three million single people in Beijing who are older than 18.

Xiang Jianxi, the committee’s spokesman, said single women are considered old at 28.

“The number of single people in Beijing and other major cities in China is much higher than in small cities because people here are under more pressure and have higher standards when finding their life-partners,” Xiang said.

“But age is not a disadvantage for men, which makes it harder for women to find a suitable match in Beijing.”

北京“鹊桥会”：家长扎堆公园替儿女找对象

北京市中山公园、紫竹院公园、龙潭公园都有一项特殊的民间聚会，几十位中老年人经常聚在一起，大伙都带着照片、拿着记录本儿，只要听听他们说话的内容您就知道了——原来是家长们在这儿替儿女找对象呢。

找对象男女“有别”

在读者赵女士的建议下，记者来到紫竹院公园，找到相亲地点澄碧山房。亭子里已经有五六十人了，都是父母辈的人。他们有的站在一起，互相攀谈着问问儿女的情况，有的觉得双方都不错，就记下彼此家里的联系电话。

记者注意到，男孩家长主动些，不时走走问问，介绍自己儿女的情况会很详尽。女孩家长则很少走动，介绍情况也是点到为止。

记者了解到，女孩大多是23岁到25岁的，男孩26岁以上的多一些。职业有医生、公务员、外企职员、媒体编辑记者、国企职员等。

创办内部刊物供交流

记者在中山公园的金鱼池看到了类似的情景。人还没走近就听到家长们互相介绍各自儿女的情况。还有热心人将收集的资料整理在一张大纸上，并且整理成男方、女方两份资料供家长们参考。

因为鹊桥会的规模日渐扩大，家长们还自办了一份“报纸”，上面登记了各家儿女的基本情况，但没有儿女们的联系方式，只留家长电话。赵女士解释说，这份“报纸”相当于内部刊物，仅为家长们提供必要的信息，这也是从保护儿女的隐私考虑。

“鹊桥会”是自发形成

知道鹊桥会的家长越来越多，但是好像谁都说不清楚它到底是怎么形成的。

一位孙阿姨告诉记者：“很多人都是在晨练、登山时认识的老朋友了。如果谁家的儿女还没找着对象，家长那叫一个急呀，也就常常挂在嘴边说，这说来说去的， 心有同感的家长多了，大家就琢磨着要不就先来个家长聚会吧，这就慢慢形成了现在的这种形式了。”后来知道这个聚会的家长越来越多，“鹊桥会”也就日见规 模。

坚决反对婚姻中介介入

在采访中，记者听到最多的就是“可怜天下父母心”这句话了。一位父亲告诉记者：“女儿是双学士，在部队做文职，平时回不了家，但周末可以休息。平时就忙 着工作了，交际圈子又特别小，直到现在都没找上对象。”记者看到了这个女孩的照片，一个挺清秀的女孩。家长们表示，看着儿女一天天大了，真的是看在眼里急 在心里。不过，也有家长告诉记者：“这事还得看儿女，有时候自己也是瞎着急。”当记者问家长们为何不到婚姻中介时，大家纷纷表示对婚姻中介持怀疑态度，同 时非常一致地说，这三个公园的家长聚会绝对不欢迎中介介入。

儿女们对此各持己见

作为当事人的年轻人是如何看待这件事情呢？记者表示想和儿女们聊聊，家长们开始为难了。很多人说，儿女不希望更多人知道自己的事情。对于“此事儿女是否 知道”的问题，一部分家长事先就和儿女说了，而儿女的态度是不同的。有的觉得无所谓：“您去逛公园，随便问问。”有的强烈反对：“您别去丢人了，我又不是 找不到。”另一部分家长则表示“不敢和儿女说，要是看到不错的就说是朋友介绍的，他们才会同意去见见”。

记者按照一位母亲所说拨通了她孩子的电话，是个男孩。他告诉记者，不反对母亲通过这种方式为自己找对象。如果觉得女孩不错，会考虑见面谈谈。记者又拨通一个女孩的电话，她说：“我挺能理解父母的，找就找吧，只要能够减轻一些老人的烦恼，我们做儿女的没有怨言。”

专家认为关键靠自己

首都医科大学从事心理学研究的杨凤池教授认为，从很大程度上讲，并不是因为儿女工作太忙、交际圈子小才造成找不着对象的情况，而是因为有的年轻人根本不 愿意或者说没有机会将朋友引入自己的家庭，父母们自然也就只能从表面上认为儿女没有合适的朋友和交际圈。当然，也有一部分年轻人有交友困难，如果是这样的 话，那么，这些家长是“急到点儿上了”。杨教授说：“中国古话说’子孙自有子孙福’，儿女也是成年人了，家长可以做参谋，但是说到生存，还是只能靠儿女自 己。”对于那些确实存在交友障碍的年轻人，杨教授建议，做父母的应该给儿女树立一个和睦家庭的榜样，这样子女就更容易对婚姻充满信心。

春节情人节早计划 京郊“村游”攻略

新年已过，离春节也只有不到两个月的时间了，今年的春节与情人节紧依，不少朋友都已经开始计划自己的春节安排了，到哪里去度过这个浪漫的黄金周呢？以下几个度假村是个好选择。

阳光300度假村

北欧风情浪漫假期

推荐理由：怀柔阳光300度假村，推窗见水，房前屋后，小溪徘徊。慵懒的阳光洒满小屋，假期在这里甜甜地睡着，充分地融入到自然中，享受自然。

这里依山而建的小白楼，样式各异，但是都有共同的特点：精致得粗犷。粗大的木梁、粗糙的外墙、直白的色彩、简单的线条，每一处都经过精心设计， 美好得令人看不够。整个度假村充满了北欧浪漫主义气息。透过房间宽大的落地窗，湖水幽静，阳光投洒在身上，仿佛整个世界静止在你的面前。

客房的设计也是处处周到，绝对见不到一般度假村的套路，梳妆台的镜子、墙壁的处理和卫生间的洗手池，会以为是一个小资人家。除了欧式别墅，池塘另一边有6座小木屋藏在高大的树木下，很像芬兰湖边的桑拿房，那是度假村最抢手的房间。

路线提示：京城高速怀柔出口下高速，经过怀柔开放环岛、雁栖环岛，过环岛向雁栖湖方向行驶，一路行至怀北镇，过镇沿山路一直前行，大概9公里路即到达。

周边景点：百泉山风景区、怀北国际滑雪场，慕田峪长城离度假村也不算远。

云泽山庄度假酒店

亦动亦静体味优雅

推荐理由：小桥流水中远离生活喧嚣，中西合璧中体味优雅生活，垂钓游泳，采摘泛舟，亦动亦静，别有一番情绪在心头。

云泽山庄度假酒店位于十渡国家风景旅游区，享誉着“青山野渡，百里画廊”的美名。度假村配备了专业的商务设施，不过温馨的小家情调也毫不逊色， KTV不分老幼、养生理疗全家皆宜、健身和室内游泳馆应有尽有，近5000平方米的“水云间”生态餐厅里，不同格局的雅间错落而置;大厅内小桥流水，四季 如春，中西合璧的四套四合小院，风格迥然。既有东南亚的自然民俗，也有简约的现代气息;拒马河边，垂钓码头、游泳、拓展、竹筏木舟等康乐设施设备一应俱 全，果林芬芳，见证收货时节的喜悦。山庄独具特色的苗、侗歌舞项目，包括闻名遐迩的“反排木鼓舞”、世界唯一的“独木龙舟节”和“舞龙嘘花”等节目，百闻 不如一见，一见就让人流连忘返。

路线提示：沿京石高速公路行驶，进入京周路，随后转入S320，最后涞宝路行驶8公里左右即可见。

周边景点：海慧山、梧桐湖、周口店北京人遗址、张坊辽宋古战道、东西湖岗、仙栖洞、云居寺、拒马乐园、石花洞、上方山等

节日特惠：超过20人可以享受288元/人的超值特惠，包括球类、游泳、桑拿、住宿等20人以下300元/间夜，娱乐8折优惠。

劳模山庄

品虹鳟鱼住山庄别墅

推荐理由：到怀柔虹鳟鱼一条沟吃虹鳟鱼，住山庄别墅是不过时的度假方式。沟里的劳模山庄是由全国劳模常俊英创办的，在沟里可是相当有名气和特色，一家人或在沟里呆上一两天，白天爬山晚上吃虹鳟鱼，这样的假期自然令人难忘。

劳模山庄经扩建后，设施更加齐全，这里自然环境优雅，木屋别墅让在此度假的人增添几分浪漫之情，除此之外还有四合院，火炕等不同的住宿形式。劳模山庄的服务是出了名的好，热情朴实。劳模山庄还有最受欢迎的是烧烤虹鳟鱼、生鱼片和清蒸虹鳟鱼。

路线提示：走京承高速，怀柔桥出口出，直行到开放路环岛，走3号出口，到第四个红绿灯左转直行，看到劳模山庄标志即到。

周边景点：劳模山庄地处雁栖湖不夜谷，本身就是值得游玩的地方，怀北国际滑雪场也是这个季节不错的游玩地。

古岸农庄：梦回江南水乡

古岸农庄(妙峰山农家院)

在我的印象中，京郊有特色的度假村大多位居怀柔，其次就是昌平、密云之类的区县，但自从我去过门头沟的古岸农庄之后，我的这种观念完全被颠覆了，因为古岸农庄的特色完全不亚于怀柔雁栖湖周边的那些度假村。

闹中取静度假农庄

从门头沟双峪环岛经过滨河路水担路20多分钟就可来到妙峰山镇陇驾庄，度假村就在路边，但大门不是很醒目，有点隐蔽，如果不仔细注意路牌的话就 很容易错过。进入仿古建筑的大门，里面则是开阔的广场，度假村的别墅、客房、生态餐厅等都在湖的四周，背山面水，房屋前瓜果蔬菜满园，再现了农家特有的生 活情趣。来到这里的朋友无不感到惊讶，在缺水的京西，居然有这样一个江南水乡般的度假村，初看此景，我也爱上了这里。这里虽然离城市不远，但完全远离了城 市的喧嚣，空气清新，在四面都是山的山沟里隐藏着一个世外桃源般的度假村，显得格外宁静……

特色美食难挡诱惑

度假村的工作人员告诉我们，当夏秋季节各种水果成熟的时期，也是古岸农庄一年中最美的季节。夏天的水上活动也非常丰富，晚上还有篝火晚会。十一的深秋季节虽然没有了水果，但有机蔬菜还是有很多种类，其实不必为来的不是季节而难过，因为这里依然有很多吸引人的地方。

到农庄的瓷窑作坊去自己亲手做泥坯罐，然后到窑中去烧。农庄里还有供游客使用的灶台，若想自己动手做一顿贴饼子，蒸菜团，便可自做自食。还有手工作坊，可以参与其中用石磨磨出一瓶香油，石碾碾出一箕玉米，喷喷的香气会肆意弥漫。亲自劳动，体验农家原生态的味道。

度假村别具一格的水上餐厅为江南风情的木屋式建筑，独立在人工湖上，与周围的环境构成了一道亮丽的风景线。在就餐时可以把外面怡人的风景一览无 余，尽收眼底。餐厅的美食也是非常吸引人，野味火锅、农家霸王鸡、嘎吧锅大鹅，铁锅豆腐王都是这里的特色菜肴，也是到度假村来的游客点击率最高的菜品，这 里的豆腐都是自制的，味道更加香浓。

拓展游玩乐不思蜀

这里还有的一大特色就是拓展基地，原本是一个水上的拓展基地，但我们到达的时候下面的水都没有了，不知是故意放干的还是缺水晒干的。没水也好，如果不小心掉下去就成了落汤鸡。

大滚桶是我们玩的最开心的一个项目，四五个人在桶里同时起步，向前走，重心的前移带动滚桶往前滚动，好玩之处就是如果里面有人没有跟上大伙的节 奏，就会在桶内连滚带爬站不起来。开始我们几个偏瘦的人在里面，由于重量不够，怎么也踩不动滚桶，只得叫上最胖的阿云上来，他一上来果然不一样，立马见 效，滚桶缓慢地滚起来了，随着我们步伐的加快桶慢慢滚得越来越快，胖云没跟上步伐重重摔在了桶内，连滚带爬也没站起来，逗得下面观看的人笑翻了天。

很多考验平衡能力的拓展游戏也很好玩，在快速通过的同时还要保持平衡以免掉下去，小刚是我们当中速度最快平衡能力最强的，因此在滚动的独木桥、荡桥等项目中没有一个能战胜他的。

虽然我们不是元旦假期前往游玩的，但这里绝对是一个适合不同季节来度假休闲的地方，有适合两个人的小别墅，有适合全家人一起居住的大别墅，大小会议室也是健全的，还适合公司集体出游。

行车路线：地铁到苹果园换乘929路公交车到陇驾庄站下车即到。自驾走莲石西路进入门头沟，沿109国道陇驾庄村左手见路标行驶即到。

周边景点：古岸农庄地处北京著名的西山风景名胜区，潭柘寺、戒台寺、妙峰山、珍珠湖、八奇洞、爨底下等古岸农庄周边景点各具特色。

北京密云红酒庄园

尽享庄园生活

推荐理由：领略澳洲风情，尽享庄园生活;行走康乾行宫，体味时间轮回。

北京密云红酒庄园，坐落在美丽的潮河西岸，毗邻密云水库，是以葡萄种植园为核心，以红酒文化为主题的欧式风情庄园结合红墙碧瓦、优雅轩辕的中华 文化建筑的中西合璧式休闲度假胜地。欧式别墅依山而建，蕴含着爱的温馨与乡间的私密;还有宏大构思精巧的摩纹广场，可用作大型露天招待场所;以澳洲地名命 名的包房，让您在家门口体验异域的风情。

路线提示：走京承高速至第18出口“水辛庄站”出来后直行过红绿灯左转上101国道，行使1分钟过羊山桥，右侧见“紫霞谷”广告牌后右转从罗马柱中间进门即到。

周边景点：密云水库、古北口长城、司马台长城、白龙潭风景区等。

节日特惠：推出红酒庄园、云佛山滑雪两日游套票，元旦期间9折优惠。

意大利农场

开心农场过新年

推荐理由：今年网络上兴起的开心农场，让众多的城市人向往农场生活，在农场里种点自己喜欢的蔬菜水果，阳光灿烂的时候在农场里晒晒太阳，带孩子喂喂小动物，在蔬菜大棚里采摘，岂不快哉?

意大利农场是一个充满着意大利风情的农场，只是这个农场并非在意大利，而是就在京郊的顺义。农场里所有的建筑都是原汁原味的意大利风格，种植的 果树和蔬菜也都是产自意大利。农场中开设了大片的户外活动场地包括小型动物园，儿童游乐园，鱼塘，大片可供嬉戏的草地等等，农场里还有足球场。来到农场还 可以参观各式各样的异国果树品种，参与到果树的培育和采摘工作之中。

路线提示：东直门乘980或916路公交车在马坡站下车即到。自驾车走京承高速，从第九个出口出来沿马坡方向走，看到马坡桥后右拐沿马坡桥走，过红绿灯后直行500米即到。

周边景点：乔波滑雪场、牛栏山酒厂，焦庄户地道战遗址纪念馆距离也不是很远。

柳沟民俗村

品豆腐宴

推荐理由：住农家院，吃农家菜，做一天农家人，住火炕暖暖多年的老家情结，盘着腿吃着特色的火盆锅，这冬天都火热了，何况还有江湖早就口口相传的“豆腐宴”。

柳沟村，位于延庆县东南部，古时三面环山，柳树遍野，土地被下泄的洪水冲刷成道道沟壑，故而得名。这里民风朴实，民俗风情浓郁，隆冬季节，窗外 雪花飘飘，屋内火盆里的果木炭烧得通红正旺，火盆上是放着豆腐、熏肉、粉条、白菜等的黑沙锅。品尝着沙锅里热腾腾的柳沟豆腐，再温上一壶烧酒，真是人生一 大乐事。近些年，“火盆锅、豆腐宴”不断推陈出新，在保留传统白豆腐的基础上，推出了具有祛火清热功能的绿豆豆腐和补肾强体的黑豆豆腐，以及炸豆腐、冻豆 腐，并搭配驴打滚、傀儡、三色豆渣窝窝等十几种特色农家主食，形成了豆腐鲜嫩、熏肉不腻、汤汁地道、口味浓厚的地方特色民俗宴。

路线提示：自驾车沿八达岭高速往北去延庆县城方向，到县城后再驾车到柳沟。或在德胜门乘坐919到延庆县城，换乘公交车到柳沟。

周边景点：八达岭长城、龙庆峡、康西草原、官厅水库

顺鑫绿色度假村

森林物语

推荐理由：离市区不远，交通便捷，游玩设施齐全。

度假村以“游森林浴场、洗天然温泉、住木质别墅、吃绿色食品”为四大特色。这里森林茂盛，有“都市森林、天然氧吧”之称，虽然现在是数九寒冬，树叶也基本都掉光了，但来此度假的人们热情依旧高涨。

度假村内现有高尔夫球练习场、网球场、蓝球场、羽毛球场、快乐棒球场、射箭场、旱冰场、沙滩浴场、卡丁车场、匹特博运动场、体能训练场、攀岩、游戏机房、越野车、垂钓园、骑马越野、篝火晚会、野外烧烤、沙滩球类等独特的娱乐项目。

路线提示：京顺路到枯柳树环岛右转，过燕京桥，过潮白河大桥后右转，沿左堤路直行即可。

周边景点：北京莲花山滑雪场，滑雪场开设初、中、高级雪道，另有雪地摩托道等。

玫瑰山谷戴斯酒店

滑雪赛马看藏品

推荐理由：亲身接受国际标准的骑术训练，还能观看精彩的比赛和马术表演，参观马文化博物馆和阳光文物宫。

玫瑰山谷戴斯酒店坐落在延庆县八达岭镇阳光山谷内，这里各种娱乐设施一应俱全，酒店住宿条件优越，中餐厅、正在准备之中的西餐厅、自助餐厅可提 供独具特色的风味佳肴。酒店根据不同的需要在园区内建立了许多的配套设施，比如阳光雪山城堡，让滑雪爱好者一展风采;速度赛马场，周长1700米的速度马 场，可举行赛马等活动;中国第一家马文化博物馆，2000多件珍贵展品和大量的文字图片，生动展示了中国马文化的悠远历史和博大精深;阳光文物宫，包括古 玉博物馆、青瓷博物馆和琉璃博物馆，共收藏展品2800多件，具有很高的历史价值。

路线提示：从市里到达本酒店可在德胜门乘坐919路到西拨子站下车，步行15分钟即到，也可自己驱车在马甸桥上八达岭高速，到18号高速路口出来，穿过八达岭野生动物园的停车场向左转走辅路5分钟即到。

周边景点：八达岭长城、龙庆峡、野生动物园、康西草原、官厅水库、妫河漂流、石京龙滑雪场

节日特惠：平日228元/人/天;周末248元/天

瑶台山庄

瑶池碧水冬日风韵

推荐理由：置身瑶池碧水，领略冬日的风韵，或冬钓或休养，或采摘或运动。

瑶台山庄坐落于昌平境内，有山有水，距市区距离近、车程短，是难得的旅游度假场所。山庄建筑别具一格，由主楼、西华楼、康乐宫、瑶池碧水生态 园、琼阁、熙园、垂钓中心、采摘园等服务设施组成。南北通透，瑶台美景尽收眼底;山庄有多个大、中、小专业会议室，以满足不同的会议要求;另新建多功能网 球馆，既是专业的网球、壁球场地，又是大型会议场所;山庄还有游泳馆、电影馆、台球、乒乓球、棋牌、飞镖、沙狐球、保龄球、歌厅等康乐设施。值得一提的是 齐全的餐饮菜系，沙锅粥菜系、私家宫廷菜系、豆腐宴、全素斋、瑶台秘制菜等特色菜系一定能让您大饱口福，另外还有大型的歌舞文艺表演。

路线提示：沿八达岭高速公路行驶，左转进入S216，进入百沙路，然后左转进入南丰路，随后右转进入S307行驶5公里，即可见。

周边景点：居庸关长城、虎峪风景区、蟒山国家森林公园、定陵博物馆、雪世界滑雪场、银山塔林等。

英达生态园温泉度假村

小桥流水赏心悦目

推荐理由：住四合院，吃养生菜，更是可以泡温泉、垂钓、采摘，在古朴舒适的绿色生态温室好好放松一下吧。

英达生态园是一座集民族文化表演、餐饮、住宿、垂钓、温泉洗浴等多功能于一体的民俗生态旅游观光园。园内清雅幽静的江南园林、小桥流水、湖岛广 场、仿古建筑等饶有情趣。别具特色的园林生态餐厅绿化率达到40%，植被均由南方大型绿化基地供应。在这里不仅能赏心悦目放松心情，还能品味“以养为目 的，以味为核心”的大餐小菜，饭后茶余看一看民俗风情表演，无需动身就享受了全套服务。如果你对马术感兴趣，那正合适，马术俱乐部拥有纯血、半血马30余 匹，曾多次参加影视拍摄活动，《七剑》《黄金甲》等大片中都有它们的身影。

路线提示：在德胜门乘坐919快车，到达沙河站，乘坐945路，到达航空博物馆站，步行约2.5公里，到达英达生态园。自驾六环路小汤山出口向西2公里即到。

周边景点：银山塔林、蟒山公园、航空博物馆、小汤山现代农业科技园

节日特惠：特推出三种特惠方案，价位分别238、198、158，吃住玩一条龙。

平时工作忙碌，好不容易能歇几天，在父母膝下尽尽孝道，带爱人出去放松一下，陪孩子好好疯玩几天，这些都是自己最大的心愿，选个有特色、项目齐全的度假村，带上全家老小，快乐游玩的同时尽享天伦，太惬意了!新年伊始，来一次全家开心总动员吧。

长城脚下的公社

建筑与艺术的巧妙结合

推荐理由：在假期如果不想离开北京，可以去长城脚下，在群山环抱中享受一顿露天烧烤午餐;在SPA会所让身心得到彻底的放松;最后在私人别墅的露台上和一群朋友尽情谈笑，欣赏夕阳照耀下的古长城。

长城脚下的公社是在威尼斯双年展获得过“建筑艺术推动大奖”的，长城脚下的公社就坐落在古老的长城脚下，从水关长城出口沿指示牌经过几公里的柏 油路就可进入公社大门，狭窄而悠长的小路引领你来到公社任何地方。设计师采用巧妙的设计理念将酒店独立套房的便利与别墅宽大的起居、就餐空间完美融合。加 上长城脚下所独有的自然景观，在每栋别墅里都能领略到不同的群山美景和未经修复的古老长城的风韵。

公社六大美食系列为极品鱼翅、养生燕窝、麻辣四川、本色海鲜、素食主义、北京烤鸭等。山景餐厅提供中西餐，用餐时可观赏古长城，周末提供早午餐;粉吧是晚上与朋友喝酒聊天的去处;四季餐厅可做私人包房用;咖啡厅将全天提供饮品和茶点。

路线提示：八达岭高速路，由水关长城出口出高速路，沿“长城脚下的公社”指示牌行驶即可到达，全程高速路+柏油路，路况极好。

周边景点： 八达岭长城位于长城脚下的公社西北方，距公社5公里，水关长城距公社1公里。八达岭野生动物园位于八达岭长城山下，距公社3公里，内有各种野生动物。

北京2010年的第一场雪比往年来得更猛一些 (组图)

2010年1月3日，北京20小时降下59年来同期最大暴雪。此次暴雪创造了全市历史上持续时间最长、覆盖范围最广、降水量最大、雪层最厚4个纪录。天气预报称，预计雪花将飘洒一整天，北京地区的气温有可能达到-16℃，从而逼近40年来的历史低温极值。

游人迎风冒雪来到 鸟巢冰雪嘉年华玩耍。

鸟巢边的马路，一对新人刚在大雪纷飞中拍完婚纱在路边等车。

北京丰台区嘉园路，一只流浪狗在雪地里游荡

1月3日，北京城内大雪纷飞，积雪厚度为近年少有。

1月3日，北京火车站外，刚下车的旅客冒着大雪在排队进入安检口。

1月3日，北京女子冬泳队的队员冒着大雪参加冬泳表演。当日，由北京市冬泳俱乐部主办的北京市第三十一届冬泳表演大会在滨角园码头举行，25支冬泳队约300名队员冒着漫天飞雪参加了表演.

纷飞瑞雪把北京故宫打扮得银装素裹

国家大剧院的雪景

北京颐和园昆明湖冰冻湖面上玩耍

北京 后海的银锭桥雪景如画

北京 前门大街上人们不畏大雪

大雪中北京 长安街上的骑车人

北京虽然普降大雪，但是仍然挡不住游人玩耍的心情

国家图书馆对面的自行车道上，一个路人推着三轮车在大雪中艰难前行

人们将积雪堆起做起了可爱的雪人

北京奥林匹克公园，一位小游客顶着大雪从“2010”字样旁走过

北京2010年的第一场雪比往年来得太猛了一些！

2009 Beijing Christmas Guide: A Very Merry Christmas

A Christmas tree outside the Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing

Christmas has caught on here in the capital, as evidenced by the profusion of jolly Santa decorations and sleigh bells a ringin’ in malls and restaurants all over Beijing. Despite the holiday cheer, Chinese celebrations of Christmas may not be exactly what you’re looking for. Fear not, in Beijing you can find everything you need to ensure a perfect Christmas: where to get gifts or purchase a Christmas tree; the best places for Christmas services or Christmas meals; even Christmas parties for both the kids and the adults. Read on for all this and more. No need to worry about Santa finding your house in this big confusing city, he’s got GPS now.

Christmas Trees and Decorations

Getting a Christmas vibe going at home is crucial. IKEA has everything you need, from faux-fir Christmas trees to the all important Christmas lights, and a wide variety of holiday accessories. Trees start at 150 RMB and decorations can be hard for as little as 10 RMB. Recharge with their very reasonably priced, and Christmas-y, Swedish meatballs before grabbing some Christmas cookies from the grocery store. The Laitai Flower Market sells live trees as well as decorations. Tree delivery can be arranged, just make sure you order a few days before you need the tree in your home. The prices for fake and real trees are pretty comparable. If you’re looking for a whole lot of decorations, Tianyi Market is a good place. It’s a wholesale market so be prepared to buy lots and bargain hard.

Tianyi Market 天意市场
Add: 259 Fuchengmen Waidajie, Xicheng District, Beijing (From the Fuchengmenwai subway stop head four blocks to the west)
北京西城区,阜成门外大街259号
Tel: 010 6831 7199
Opening hours: 07:00-18:00

Christmas Gifts

For some, getting presents is itself a celebration, for others it’s a chore. Luckily, Beijing offers several areas with many gift options which make it easy to either hit it and quit it or spend hours browsing. For fun and sometimes edgy gifts with Chinese characteristics, the many shops in 798 are ideal. For a wider and more interesting selection of items, including nice clothing, great T-shirts, jewelry and an assortment of unique paper goods, Nanluoguxiang is the place to go – don’t miss this sale when you go. Both 798 and Nanluoguxiang also have plenty of cafes for weary shoppers to rest their feet and enjoy a warm beverage. If you’re looking to get gifts for a whole bunch of people at once Yashow can be worth the trip. Panjiayuan has everything you can think of, from ethnic clothing and jewelry to folding hatchets and vintage windup toys; they also have a lot more fun things you’d never think of. Be sure to bargain at both places. The ever-fashionable and reliable Uniqlo is holding a Christmas sale and Beijing has several good stores for vintage clothing. If you want to give your gift recipient more choices, Lane Crawford has snazzy electronic gift cards.

NLGX Winter Sale
Venue: NLGX Design & Cafe
Address: 33 Nanluoguxiang, Gulou, Dongcheng District, Beijing
Chinese Address: 北京市东城区南锣鼓巷33号
Valid Period: Dec 04, 2009~Dec 31, 2009
Phone: 010 6404 8088

Holiday Shows and Kids Parties

The American Manhattan Symphony will be performing on Christmas Eve at the Century Theatre. For a different kind of holiday experience, try the New Year Dancing Gala by the prestigious China Oriental Song and Dance Ensemble on Dec. 26th.

On December 19th, there’s the Gymboree Christmas Party, at the Lido Hotel Ballroom, for children aged 1-3. There will be a buffet, live band, clown and magic show and Christmas activities for the whole clan.

Church Services

If you like to keep Christ in Christmas you can celebrate that way as well. There is a Protestant Christmas Eve church service at the Congregation of the Good Shepard where communion is also available. Enjoy a special candlelit Christmas Eve service at the River of Grace Church.

Christmas Eve Mass at the Eastern Cathedral in Wangfujing

Christmas Eve Church Service in Beijing
When:Dec 24, 2009 19:00-20:30
Where:Congregation of the Good Shepard
Address: 3/F Meeting Room, Capital Mansion Athletic Club, 6 Xinyuan NanLu, Sanlitun, Beijing
Chinese Address:北京市新源南路京城大厦首都京城俱乐部3层

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at the Beijing River of Grace Church

The best part of Christmas for many, besides the presents, are the meals. There are several great options for Christmas Eve feasts. The European Christmas Gala at Legendale Hotel will feature a lavish European buffet boasting foie gras, great cheese, seafood, a whole roasted pig and more, as well as unlimited wine and beer. It’s all accompanied by live entertainment and costs 1988-2188 RMB per person. Grand Christmas at Grand Millenium Beijing will be include a grand buffet, free dinks including sparkling wine, non-sparkling wine and beer as well as a prize draw and live entertainment for 966 RMB per person. Want to go all out? Tickets for the luxurious Christmas Eve Gala at Park Hyatt Beijing start at 2688 RMB per person and tickets for the spectacular Christmas Eve Ball at the China World Hotel starts at 3588 RMB

European Christmas Gala at Legendale Hotel Beijing
When:Dec 24, 2009 18:30-22:30
Where:Legendale Hotel, 90-92 Jinbao Street, Wangfujing, Beijing
Chinese Address: 北京市金宝街90-92号
Phone: 010-85113388
Price:1988/2188 RMB per person

Grand Christmas at Grand Millenium Beijing
When:Dec 24, 2009
Where: Grand Millennium Beijing,Fortune Plaza, 7 DongSanHuan Zhonglu, Chaoyang District, Beijing
Chinese Address: 北京朝阳区东三环中路7号财富广场
Price:966 RMB

Christmas Eve Gala at Park Hyatt Beijing
When:Dec 24, 2009 18:00
Where:Park Hyatt Beijing
Address: 2 Jianguomen Wai, Yintai Center, Chaoyang District, Beijing
Chinese Address: 北京市朝阳区建国门外大街2号
Price:2688-3288 RMB

Free Food at Lotus Blue and Lantung
Venue: Lotus Blue Bar & Restaurant
Address: Inside Lotus Market, Pingan Jie, Beijing
Chinese Address:平安大街荷花市场内
Phone: 010 6617 2599
Valid Period: Dec 24, 2009~Dec 31, 2009 valid before 21:00
Open a bottle of wine or spirit and your food is free!

Nightlife

If you’re not too stuffed after all the Christmas wining and dining there’s a lot of Noel nightlife in Beijing. 2 Kolegas is hosting a rock and roll Christmas Party and the ‘godfather of Chinese rock’ Cui Jian is playing a Christmas concert. On the clubbier side, Israelis Infected Mushroom will be playing GT Banana on Xmas Eve. Judging from past Beijing performances and the number of Jews without plans that night, it’s going to be a packed and completely insane show. Zeta Bar has a Sexy Santa Christmas Eve Party, ladies in sexy Santa costumes get in free and are eligible for prizes. 200 RMB will get you free flowing booze from 21:00 to 0:00 (excluding champagne) and tapas.

Rock Superstar Cui Jian Christmas Concert

Infected Mushroom @ GT.Banana on Dec.24

Mongolian Throat Singing Band Hanggai @ Yugong Yishan

Christmas Party with Big Ali @ Vics

Zeta Bar Sexy Santa Christmas Eve Party
When:Dec 24, 2009 9pm – 11:30 pm
Where:Zeta Bar
Address:1 Dong Fang Road, Dongsanhuan Bei Lu, Chaoyang District, Beijing
Chinese Address:北京市朝阳区东三环北路东方路一号

Beijing 2 Kolegas Christmas Party

Of course this isn’t everything going on – check our very special Christmas and New Years section. It’s got more info and events for Beijing and sixteen other cities in China. Regardless of whether you spend Christmas with your family or with hundreds of drunken strangers, have a safe, great and very merry time!

Kobe Bryant to promote Beijing during home games

Beijing enlists LA Lakers to promote city

In fact, Beijing could see its historical landmarks splashed at Staples Center in Los Angeles as early as next week.

“We have become a Lakers’ partner for the new (NBA) season,” Gu Xiaoyuan, deputy director of the Beijing municipal bureau of tourism, said on Friday.

Speaking at the 2010 Beijing Tourism Marketing conference, she said: “There will be many advertisements for Beijing in Lakers’ home court throughout the season.”

“As part of our contract, Kobe will attend at least one promotion event for the Beijing tourism bureau. And we will offer free entry to NBA fans for those events.”

When the Lakers take on Thunder on Dec 22 at the Staples Center, one of the spectators will win a free trip for two to Beijing.

The Forbidden City, once home to a long line of emperors, is Beijing's most enduring emblem

The second promotion will be held during Spring Festival in February, she said.

Beijing Auto buys Saab car, engine technology for $197 million

GM's Saab Automobile Car and Engine Technology to be Purchased by Beijing Autos

General Motors (GM), the US car maker, has sold car and engine technology from its Swedish Saab business to Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Corporation (BAIC) in a deal that will allow the Chinese company to make its own brand models in China.

The transaction could clear the way for GM, which has been seeking a buyer for its troubled Saab unit, to sell the rest of the company to another buyer.

Beijing Autos, also known as BAIC, said it plans to buy the rights to some powertrain technology for Saab’s 9-5 and 9-3 sedans, including turbine engine and gearbox knowhow.

The production equipment used to make the 9-5 will be moved to China to produce BAIC cars, and Saab will help integrate the technology into the Chinese company’s vehicles, the two sides said.

2009 Saab 9-3 Aero Convertible

The new agreement would not cover Saab’s new version of the 9-5 luxury sedan, scheduled to arrive in showrooms in April. It is the first update of Saab’s top-end car in 12 years.

The new 9-5 would compete with other European luxury cars like the Audi A6 and BMW 5 series and be priced at about $40,000.

2010 Saab 9-5 CGI

Saab will also support Beijing Auto’s efforts to build its own car brands, using the Saab technology, said the announcement.

“BAIC may finally get a self-owned brand, however, the benefit from this deal depends on how much they have spent and on how well BAIC manages its Saab assets. We’ll see,” said Zhang Xin, an auto analyst at Guotai Jun’an Securities.

“The deal is an important milestone in BAIC’s cooperation with Saab. It has laid a fairly good foundation for the two sides to further explore win-win co-operation,” the Chinese company said in a statement.

Saab’s managing director, Jan-Åke Jonsson

Jan-Åke Jonsson, managing director of Saab Automobile, said the deal was “excellent for both parties”.

“We have developed a good relationship with BAIC and look forward to working with them to integrate this Saab technology into their future vehicles,” he said.

Beijing Autos has partnerships with Germany’s Daimler AG and South Korea’s Hyundai, but makes only trucks under its own brand name. The Saab acquisition will enable it to build a passenger car to call its own, but the company still has to build up its own reputation and product line, analysts said.

Beijing Autos, founded as Beijing Auto Works in 1958 and now China’s fifth-largest vehicle maker, was the first Chinese car maker to team up with a foreign partner, when it set up its Beijing Jeep Corp. joint venture with American Motors in 1983.

In the first six months of this year, BAIC reported a net profit of $US370 million, up 78 per cent from the same period last year, previous state media reports said.

It and other Chinese automakers are keen to acquire technology at bargain prices that might help them leapfrog to higher quality production and build up their brand names in overseas markets. Several have sought to buy the European brands and technology of Detroit’s “Big Three” automakers as they restructure.

In 1990, G.M. paid $600 million for half of Saab, and anted up $125 million in 2000 for the rest of the company, which has long commanded a small, loyal following in the United States for its idiosyncratic but stylish models.  Its 9-3 and 9-5 are executive sedans that were first introduced in the 1990s.

But sales suffered in recent years as drivers believed Saab had lost its distinctive identity under the sway of Detroit. Saab filed for bankruptcy in February.

Soaring sales, and a languishing American market, have made the China the world’s biggest auto market this year, with sales forecast to exceed 13 million units, up a third from last year’s 9.8 million.

Neither GM nor BAIC revealed the size of the deal. According to Dagens Industri, BAIC paid $197 million for the Saab assets.

Swedish sports-car maker Koenigsegg Group unexpectedly dropped a bid for Saab

Earlier this month, GM said it would shutter the Saab brand if no new buyer could be found by the end of the year. This followed the collapse of a deal to sell the troubled Swedish company to the high-end Swedish car maker Koenigsegg. Potential bidders for the remainder of Saab’s business are understood to include Spyker, a speciality Dutch car maker, as well as Renco, owned by the American financier Ira L Rennert.

Whatever the fate of Saab’s Swedish production, the tentative deal with state-owned Beijing Automotive is a sign of China’s rising power in the automotive arena as Detroit’s reach slips.

Independent Chinese car maker Geely Group was also reportedly vying for Saab and is still said to be seeking to buy another Swedish automaker, Volvo Cars, from Ford Motor Co. That deal has not yet been completed. Volvo sells about 400,000 cars globally compared with Saab’s 100,000 each year.

In October, Ford announced that Zhejiang Geeling Holding Group of China was its preferred bidder for Volvo, Saab’s more successful Swedish archrival. And a Chinese machinery maker earlier this year struck a deal to buy GM’s Hummer unit, although that deal still awaits government approval. Beijing Auto was a leading contender earlier this year to buy GM’s Opel GmbH unit in Europe, before the U.S. company chose another suitor, and, later, canceled the sale.

Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. , Ltd CEO Yang Yi (L) and Hummer CEO Jim Taylor are pictured at Detroit Hummer in Southfield, Michigan on October 8, 2009.

Here is a snapshot charting some of East-West deals under discussion this year.

U.S. HUMMER AND CHINA’S TENZHONG

* June 3, 2009 – Little-known heavy machinery maker Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery unveils tentative deal to buy GM’s Hummer.

* Oct 9 – GM signs deal to sell Hummer to an investment partnership headed by China’s Tengzhong.

* Oct 12 – Tengzhong seeks regulatory approval for Hummer buy, aims to close purchase by early 2010.

U.S. FORD AND CHINA’S GEELY

* October 28 – Ford Motor picks China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group as preferred bidder for its Volvo Cars unit.

* December 1 – Geely is seeking at least $1 billion in loans from Chinese banks to finance its $1.8 billion bid for the Volvo unit, sources tell Reuters.

CHINA’S BEIJING AUTOS AND THE U.S.’ GENERAL MOTORS

* December 14 – Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co. has reached an agreement to acquire some of the assets of General Motors Co’s Saab unit, including the intellectual property of Saab’s current 9-3 sedans and 9-5 mid-size car.

失而复得北汽成功收购萨博

在经历了近20天紧锣密鼓的筹备后，北汽海外并购的大戏昨日终于落下帷幕。在今年错过沃尔沃、欧宝等海外项目之后，北汽控股只剩下对萨博的收购可能，但合作伙伴瑞典跑车制造商科尼赛克集团11月24日意外宣布退出收购，北汽控股几乎再次与萨博失之交臂。值得庆幸的是，北汽控股并未放弃海外收购的梦想，试水海外并购也终于在年底前“柳暗花明”。昨日，北汽控股公司新闻发言人在电话中异常兴奋，他一再强调：“这不仅是北京汽车工业的大事，更是中国汽车工业的一件大事。”

好事多磨：收购历程一波三折

北京汽车工业控股有限责任公司（以下简称“北汽控股”）昨日正式宣布，北汽控股已与瑞典萨博汽车公司完成了相关知识产权的收购工作，其中包括现款萨博9-5、9-3等三个整车平台和两个系列的涡轮增压发动机、变速箱的技术所有权以及部分生产制造模具。同时，萨博还将支持北汽控股运用萨博技术研发制造自主品牌车型。

作为北京市政府为数不多的工业支柱企业，北汽控股肩负着国内其他汽车企业集团没有的重担。在被《汽车产业振兴与发展规划》列入四小集团之后，北汽董事长徐和谊今年给北汽控股下达了刚性三年目标：将2009年计划调整为产销汽车120万辆、销售收入1100亿元，并重新制定了2010年产销150万辆、销售收入1500亿元，2011年产销200万辆、销售收入2000亿元的新的三年规划。

随着这个目标的公布，最大规模也成为摆在北汽控股面前最大的障碍。徐和谊曾坦言，在内部挖潜实现后，收购和重组其他汽车企业成为扩大现有企业规模的惟一途径，北汽控股希望尽快通过国内并购和海外收购来扩大规模，让北京汽车跨上新的台阶。

不过，在海外收购上，北汽控股不仅是个门外汉，更是一个稚嫩的小兄弟。在觊觎沃尔沃、欧宝之后，北汽控股对国际汽车品牌发动了一波又一波的收购攻势。但是，一路追逐下来，似乎只有萨博成为了最有希望的收购对象。

此前北汽控股曾在今年9月9日宣布参与瑞典跑车制造商科尼赛克财团收购萨博的交易。当时的竞购过程中，北汽控股以帮助科尼赛克收购融资，作为交换，北汽控股将获得萨博的技术和经验。但科尼赛克11月24日意外宣布退出收购，令北汽控股的曲线海外并购之路遇挫，几乎再次与萨博失之交臂。

在此之后，通用设定了在年底前为萨博找到新买家的最后期限。通用在11月末表示，如果12月底之前无法为萨博找到买家，其将逐步关闭这家瑞典分支。

虽然在科尼赛克宣布退出收购萨博之后，北汽控股方面表示，走国际化道路、实现跨越式发展一直是北汽集团重要的发展战略，鉴于科尼赛克的退出，将谨慎地对该项目进行重新评估，并做出适当的安排。但北汽控股12月即前往海外，单独加入了收购萨博相关资产的正面角逐。

事实上，早在11月30日北汽总经理汪大总在公开场合的讲话并未引起国内媒体的关注。他在接受媒体采访时表示，“我只能说，‘还是有些兴趣的’”。

12月初，北汽投资有限公司副总经理毛海也表示，北汽控股集团的海外战略上，由于种种原因通用汽车放弃了出售欧宝这一品牌，但是在这一轮交往中也为北汽控股留下了宝贵的经验。北汽控股不会放弃海外收购这样的路线，北汽控股在海外收购这条路上继续走下去，还要继续加大力度。汽车企业通过收购海外的资产以及技术，通过消化和吸收来提高自主品牌的技术含量，这是一条相对可行的路径。对此，业内人士分析，这在当时多少证实了北汽控股单独收购萨博部分技术平台的预测。

据透露，北汽控股与通用萨博的工作团队精诚协作，表现出了高超的专业素养。本次技术合作加深了双方的了解和信任，是北汽控股与萨博战略合作中重要的里程碑，也为双方进一步探索扩大双赢合作打下了良好的基础。

尽管协议的财务条款目前尚不得而知，但知情人士透露，北汽控股表示将通过中国的一些国有银行进行融资。其中，中国银行已经向北汽控股提供了200亿元人民币（约合29.3亿美元）的贷款。

汽车分析师贾新光认为，该项交易的实现将意味着北汽控股加强技术和设计能力的努力向前迈出一步，资产收购完成后，北汽控股将加速萨博产品的国产化进程。

极具意义：海外收购标杆作用

北汽与萨博完成的该项交易，是今年以来国内汽车企业收购海外先进整车成套技术和动力总成技术的第一个成功案例。

对此，新闻发言人表示，根据《汽车产业调整和振兴规划》，国家引导和支持国内优势汽车企业集团按照国际规则和相关法律，参与国际竞争与合作，从而提高自主研发能力和企业核心竞争力。他表示，走国际化道路是北汽控股实现跨越式发展战略的重要途径，北汽控股将全力推进这一项目，以此为契机实现自主品牌乘用车产品研发与国际同步，达到国内领先水平。

尽管这两款车型是萨博较老的车型，但北汽控股相关人士表示，萨博产品的动力性、操控感都很不错，对于未来北汽控股的发展有相当帮助。

贾新光在谈到此次北汽控股海外收购时认为，海外收购不仅是北京市政府对北汽控股的硬性要求，更是北汽控股做大规模必须经历的事件。

据知情人士透露，此次所购买的知识产权及部分生产制造模具，是北汽控股最中意的资产。北汽控股可以在萨博现有产品线的基础上，有步骤地塑造属于自己的自主品牌，这比全盘收购萨博品牌，对其进行全球化铺排运作的负担要小得多。

事实上，北汽此次的收购方式对中国汽车企业海外收购之路来说是一个不错的范例，具有一定的标杆意义，相对于此前腾中重工对悍马“蛇吞象”般而饱受诟病的收购方式，北汽吸纳技术、购买设备的方式更利于“自身”消化后加以利用，对于双方都有“双赢”的味道在里面，值得中国汽车企业“走出去”时借鉴。

业内人士认为，北汽控股在经历一连串的海外收购受挫后，在萨博的收购上可谓是一个转折，更是中国汽车工业成功拿到技术所有权而非使用权的一个缩影，其他有意于收购“大业”的企业，不妨将此方式“活学活用”下去。

汪大总透露，北汽控股能够在昨日成功收购萨博的相关知识产权看似偶然，但如果仔细分析的话，你会发现它是必然的。中国汽车工业近几年海外收购的尝试是值得的，至少培养了管理团队，也赢得了声誉。此前，北汽控股参与欧宝的并购，虽然最终错过了收购，但为北汽控股在欧洲赢得了良好的声誉，同时也为收购萨博铺好了路。因此，走出去为企业积累经验，也是赢得声誉的最好机会。

与此同时，海外收购也将北汽控股的自主品牌上升到了新的高度。北汽控股将有望复制上汽发展自主品牌的路线：在上述购买的资产基础上，冠以新品牌与新造型，推出北汽控股的自主品牌乘用车。上汽曾在2005年购入破产的“罗孚汽车”部分知识产权，并在此基础上成功推出“荣威”系列的自主品牌。而且，北汽控股此次购买的实物资产要优于此前上汽购买的罗孚知识产权图纸。北汽自主品牌乘用车推出的速度将大大加快。

据北汽控股相关人士表示，在目前的产业形势下，北汽控股已经明确了以高端轿车为切入点，充分利用国际资源，发展自主品牌高端轿车，发展自主品牌，寻求国际合作，北汽控股在这方面也积累了宝贵的经验。由于萨博产品的动力性、操控感都能弥补北汽控股的技术短板，对于未来北汽控股的自主发展有相当帮助。“北汽控股海外收购第一关注的是技术，收购以后能为我所用。”上述人士称。

全面“抄底”：收购大戏如火如荼

海外收购不仅是北汽控股的扩张战略，也是国内汽车企业的大战略。随着北汽控股收购萨博案的落幕，中国汽车海外并购的线路图也逐渐清晰。

今年国家颁布的《汽车产业调整和振兴规划》明确指出，要通过兼并重组，形成2-3家产销规模超过200万辆的大型汽车企业集团，4-5家产销规模超过100万辆的汽车企业集团。这一目标，使国内各大汽车企业更加看重数字背后的意义。

统计数据显示，今年1-11月，销量排名前十位的汽车生产企业依次是：上汽、一汽、长安、东风、北汽、广汽、奇瑞、比亚迪、华晨和江淮，分别销售242.56万辆、175.88万辆、170.31万辆、168.87万辆、113.23万辆、54.28万辆、43.63万辆、38.83万辆、31.69万辆和29.67万辆。

其中，北汽控股承受的压力是最大的，北汽控股较早前已经对外宣称，北汽控股要在2010年建成200万辆整车产能，并且推出自主品牌乘用车；2015年，整车300万辆销量，3000亿元销售额。按照今年的目标，北汽控股产销规模有望达到120万辆，目前位列国内汽车集团第五位。

对此，北汽控股的目标得到了北京市政府的支持，此前北京市国资委提出了鼓励市属企业走出去的规划，并强调要收购“六好”资产。

据毛海介绍，北汽控股的海外战略有两方面，第一个是买进来，第二个是走出去。买进来就是抓住机会购买最需要的产品、资产品牌与技术，以此加强自主品牌的发展。出去立足于全球，尤其是新兴的发展中国家，对外直接投资建立生产基地，更好地实现企业国际化发展路线。

不过，一家国有控股整车企业要扩大规模，并购的形式将是不可避免的途径之一，但在买进来的路线上，中国汽车企业并无经验可言。

今年以来，国内汽车企业在海外收购上展开了全面“抄底”，但是，一路追逐下来，中国汽车企业迄今尽数落草。

对于北汽收购萨博的涡轮增压发动机及变速箱相关技术所有权，贾新光表示，目前国内主流车企都在拼命上涡轮增压项目，而萨博在这方面的技术比较扎实，对北汽控股之后涡轮增压发动机的发展能起到一个很好的补充和促进。

如今，国内汽车企业借助海外抄底模式买进来和走出去的路线已经浮出水面，国内车企满怀雄心壮志，在未来，吉利还将与沃尔沃展开正面的收购谈判。对此，业内人士认为，国际金融危机的爆发给中国汽车企业收购国外的汽车资产带来了机会，如果不出意外，国内汽车企业的海外收购大戏还将继续上演。

北汽小档案

北京汽车制造厂有限公司，北京汽车制造厂集团

1951.06.10 中国人民解放军华北军区后勤部运输部奉军委电令，决定将北京汽车修配厂移交军委总后勤部运输总部直接领导，改名为’中国人民解放军第六汽车制配厂’。同年7月8日第一辆机踏车试车成功。

1952.07.09 中央人民政府人民革命军事委员会总后方勤务部命令，将第六制配厂改名为’中国人民解放军汽车制配厂第五厂’，年末职工人数为1071人，主要设备401台。

1953.07.14 第一机械工业部决定建立’第一汽车附件厂’，为长春汽车制造厂和洛阳拖拉机制造厂配套生产化油器、调温器、汽油泵等附件。筹建工作同时开始。

1953.09.01 经第一机械工业部汽车工业管理局批准，汽车制配厂第五厂与农业机械第一分厂合并为’中央第一机械工业部汽车工业管理局北京汽车配件厂’， 年末职工1309人，主要设备419台，当年生产机踏车1366辆，有力地支援了抗美援朝战争。

1953.09.01 经第一机械工业部汽车工业管理局批准，汽车制配厂第五厂与农业机械第一分厂合并为’中央第一机械工业部汽车工业管理局北京汽车配件厂’， 年末职工1309人，主要设备419台，当年生产机踏车1366辆，有力地支援了抗美援朝战争。

1953.09.01 经第一机械工业部汽车工业管理局批准，汽车制配厂第五厂与农业机械第一分厂合并为’中央第一机械工业部汽车工业管理局北京汽车配件厂’， 年末职工1309人，主要设备419台，当年生产机踏车1366辆，有力地支援了抗美援朝战争。

1958.06.20 第一汽车附件厂生产出了北京的第一辆汽车–井冈山牌小轿车。 全厂职工欢呼跃，向市政府报了喜。彭真市长等领导同志接见了大 家。当天汽车开进了中南海，毛泽东、刘少奇、朱德、邓小平、李富春等中央领导同志视察并高兴地乘坐了小轿车。毛主席在接见厂长李锐等工厂代表时说:’附件 厂能够制造小汽车，很好，谢谢你们。’朱德同志还亲笔为工厂题写了厂名–’北京汽车制造厂’。在同一天召开的全厂职工庆祝会上，第一机械工业部汽车工业 管理局局长张逢时同志代表汽车工业管理局宣布：将第一汽车附件厂改名为’北京汽车制造厂’。

1964.11.20 ’中国汽车工 业公司北京分公司’成立，以北京汽车制造厂为主体， 吸收北京齿轮厂、唐山齿轮厂、北京附件制造厂参加。12月2日经第一机械工业部批准北京汽车制造厂在 北京轴承厂旧址(双井厂区)进行扩建。扩建后的北京汽车制造厂设计能力为年产北京牌吉普车4400辆，东方红牌小轿车600辆。

1973.07.30 ’北京市汽车工业公司’成立，北京汽车制造厂划归市汽车工业公司领导。

1983.05.05 北京汽车制造厂与美国汽车公司合资经营’北京吉普汽车有限公司’总合同及章程在人民大会堂正式签字。

2001年 根据按现代公司制度要求改制为北京汽车制造厂有限公司。根据北京市整体发展规划的要求，2001年企业将主要生产厂区调整至朝阳区广渠东路 方家村厂区，同时，在北京市汽车工业主要生产基地顺义区建设一个汽车生产的新厂区。 公司占地面积40余万平方米，建筑面积近30万平方米，设计年生产能 力10万辆汽车。