Beijing off the Tourist Track - Part 2
Chinese acrobats Beijing is a huge city, even by New York standards. There are around 23 million people living in Beijing. It has been the capital of China for around 700 years. So there is a lot to see and do there. The thing is, if you are on one of those tours that goes to Beijing, Xian, Shanghai and a three day cruise down the Yangtze River all in 10 days.....there are a lot of tourist things that you will miss. So here are some things to do if you have a longer tour or more time in Beijing. The Lama Temple Bell Tower at the Lama Temple Originally built in 1694 as a palace for one of the princes, the building was converted to lamasery in 1722. Its size and place in Beijing attracted many Tibetan Buddhist monks.The Temple is actually a group of 4 main buildings with several out buildings and courtyards. As you move through the buildings the representations of Buddha get larger and larger ending with a statue that is 26 m tall carved from a single piece of sandalw...