“Great food and cheap!”

Value for money! Food is absolutely great! The queue can be very long so go early. Located inside the APM mall. Steam prawn with garlic is one of my favourite! Lots of spicy choices too! Fish is chilly oil is great too!

“Great & Cheap Chinese Restaurant ”

Don't let the shopping center fool you, Grandma's isn't a standard mall food at all. Great service, good atmosphere and fantastic Chinese food for few bucks. Free hot tea is available for people waiting and during the all meal. We order 4/5 different dishes and we spend only 20$ for both of us. Great dinner

“Great food and very reasonably priced”

The menu is very extensive with many choices of local Chinese dishes, prices are very reasonable and the food is delicious. However there may be a long queue during peak dining hours.

“Good food, long w

The restaurant is on the sixth floor of the mall above the Apple Store. Similar to the Cheesecake Factory, for those who know it, you get a number and wait for a table. The wait is obviously determined by how many people came before you. 

They have one English menu, it has pictures, everything else is in Mandarin. There are not many English speaking staff, however you are in China so that shouldn't bother you.The food was very good and quite reasonably priced. Time your visit and you can minimize the wait. 

From the first steps through the courtyard's mist-covered entrance to the small grove of bamboo trees in the back, the focus at this elegant, upscale restaurant is on the bounty of nature. Vegetables reign supreme here. The "monkey's head" mushroom, cooked in a sweet and sour sauce, is satisfyingly chunky. The truffle-grilled crispy rice squares are a crunchy mouthful, while the braised spicy tofu leaves a kick with its Sichuan peppercorn flavoring. The wine list is lengthy, but the more interesting drinks are healthy infusions of hawberry juice, palm juice, or chilled papaya milk. Though a traditional courtyard on the outside, the restaurant's interior is a modern melding of natural elements like wood and stone. Dining spaces are separated by stacked wood panels that create a sense of privacy while maintaining an airy feel. Reserve seats in the tranquil outdoor courtyard when the weather is good.

Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall is located on Qianmen East Street to the southeast of Tiananmen Square, the central landmark of the capital city. This urban planning museum has four stories, covering an area of 19,136 square yards (16,000 square meters) with half of it serving as the exhibition area. There are many different exhibition zones showing different contents, including the transition through history of this ancient city, the planning of the Olympic stadiums, and the future blueprint of a 'green' Beijing, transportation and infrastructures modernization. With not only large amount of pictures and documentations, the exhibition hall also uses multimedia methods to demonstrate the history and future planning of the city.

Take bus Te 2, 8, 9, 20, 44, 622, or 673, and get off at Qianmen East Station.

Take bus Sightseeing Line1, BRT Line1, Sightseeing Line 2, Te 4, 5, Te 7, 8, Te 11, 17, 20, 22, 48, 59, 66, 67, 69, 71, 82, 93, 120, 126, 622, 623, or Nanyuan Airport Line, and get off at Qianmen Station.

Wofo Temple, literally the Temple of Recumbent Buddha, is located inside Beijing Botanical Garden, about 12 miles (20 kilometers) from the city center. It is one of the famous ancient Buddhist temples in Beijing.

Wofo Temple was built during the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907) and has a history of more than 1,300 years. It received repairs during the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. There is a bronze recumbent Buddha inside Wofo Temple, which is how it got the name.

The main buildings are: Four Heavenly King's Hall, Three Buddhas Hall and the Recumbent Buddha's Hall.

The Recumbent Buddha's Hall is the most important hall in Wofo Temple. The present hall is the one built in the Jin Dynasty (1115 - 1234). It underwent further construction during the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368). The recumbent Buddha inside the Hall is a statue of Sakyamuni made in 1321, 5.3 meters (17.4 feet) in length and 54 tons in weight. Sakyamuni's left hand touches his leg and his right hand supports his head. It was said that this pose is that of Sakyamuni when he got nirvana. 'Nirvana' means the ineffable ultimate in which one has attained disinterested wisdom and compassion in Buddhism. This bronze recumbent Buddha is the biggest bronze recumbent Buddha in present China. Around this Buddha are twelve other figures of Buddhas. This group of statues of Buddhas reflects the scene that Sakyamuni tells his disciples what to do after his nirvana. All twelve Buddhas appear to be grieving. The recumbent Buddha is perfectly kept and reflects the high iron-melting techniques in the Yuan Dynasty.

Sacrifices have been offered to three Buddhas inside the Three Buddhas Hall: Burning Lamp Buddha, Sakyamuni and Maitreya. On both sides of the three Buddhas are 18 colored clay-made Arhats. One of them is very special because he wears his clothes just like the human beings who live on earth. However, he is a false Arhat. Real Arhats who live in God's place wear special dresses. A legend said that this false Arhat is Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911).

Take bus 331, 505, 563, or Yuntong 112 stops at Wofo Si Station.

Take bus 318, 360, 630, or 698 stops at Zhiwuyuan (Botanical Garden) Station.

Close to both the Summer Palace and Botanical Gardens is the National Forest Park amongst the Beijing Western Hills, only 17 km away from Beijing City. It extends across the Haidian, Shijingshan and Mentougou Districts. Located in a temperate zone there is an abundance of wildlife with many species of plants, birds, and animals. Situated in the Western Hills are many ancient temples, such as Fuhui Temple and Jingfu Temple. During the Ming Dynasty the hillside was used as a royal burial site that include the tombs of Emperor Jing Tai and Wan Li. 

During each season the Forest Park shows of its various faces of its natural beauty. I was fortunate enough to see the peach and apricot blossoms of spring, but in the autumn there are the red leaves of the trees, and the snow-covered hills in the winter.

In my opinion, apart from the setting amongst the hills, the most striking thing to see at the park is its huge man made waterfall. It is a truly breath taking site and there are indeed many opportunities to capture some wonderful pictures. In front of the waterfall is a large pond which is the home to several black swans. Climb the side of the rock face and get a closer look at the waterfall and smell the fresh air; it almost feels like you are close to the ocean.

Beyond the waterfall you can make your way up the hill and visit the Green Culture Tablet Forest. It contains over 1,000 stone tablets inscribed by celebrities commemorating the achievement of re-foresting. It is a moment for reflection on the hard work that has been taken to create such a beautiful place.

A short distance from the North Gate of the Western Hills Park is the Azure Clouds Diamond Throne Pagoda. It has a raised platform with a central pagoda and stupas that surround it. First built in 1366 and later expanded in the 18th century to include the Hall of Arhats (500 statues representing disciples of Buddha).

It is truly a beautiful tourist destination that combines unique cultural sights with natural scenic beauty. Gaze at its spectacular waterfalls, venture through the winding pathways along the rolling hills, rest at its famous pagoda while taking pictures of its natural beauty; this is not to be missed.

The China Numismatic Museum is located in Xijiaomin Lane, west of Tiananmen Square, in the center of Beijing. It is a national museum under the direction of the Head Office of the People's Bank of China (PBOC), dedicated to collecting and displaying coins and notes. There are more than 300,000 items in their collection, including old coins, gold and silver coins, paper money, coins used by ethnic groups, foreign coins, coin models, and other items relevant to coins. The special exhibits in the museum include: Currency in China's Past Dynasties, Coin-minting Techniques in Ancient China, and The History of PBOC.

The Numismatic Museum contains a central hall and four exhibition galleries. The central hall highlights the origin of currency, and the features and fusion of the monetary systems in the East and the West. The exhibition galleries display the rare collection of paper money and coins.

Take bus Tourism Line 1, BRT Line 1, Tourism Line 2, Te 4, 5, Te 7, 8, Te 11, 17, 20, 22, 48, 59, 66, 67, 69, 71, 82, 93, 120, 126, 622, 623, stops at Qianmen Station.

Take bus Te 2, 9, 44, 332, 337, 673, or Express Line 901, stops at Qianmen West Station.

Take subway line 2, and get off at Qianmen Station. Leave through Exit C and walk north

The Beijing Aviation Museum Affiliated to China Aviation Association, located inside the campus of Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, is the first aviation museum in China. It used to be an airplane show room for teaching practice and reference for aircraft structure design.

In March 1985, the show room was turned into an aviation museum. On October 25, 1986, it was opened to the public. The task of the museum is to support the teaching and popularize the scientific and technical knowledge of aviation.

The museum, divided into the indoor and outdoor exhibition areas, occupies a space of 9,700 square meters. The indoor exhibition area consists of two halls, the east and the west, with a total area of 600 square meters, while the outdoor exhibition area occupies a space of 8,500 square meters.

On display in the East Hall are mainly various kinds of aircraft models and photos and the models of jet engines, a Thunderbolt No. 2 air-to-air guided missile and a model of Chinese experimental communication satellite launched in 1984.

Also on display are the photos showing the brief history of the development of the Chinese aviation industry and the actual models of different types of planes manufactured in China. In addition, available in the East Hall is a projection room for playing the videotapes related to scientific and technical knowledge of aviation.

On display in the West Hall are super-light aircrafts, such as one model each of the Bee No. 2, Bee No. 3 and Umbrella Wing No. 5, a model of L-60 light aircraft for multiple uses made in Czech and a Model 6 high-altitude target drone.

For saving space, all these aircrafts are displayed at a higher position or hung in the air for easy watching. Also on display are different models of piston aviation engines, such as the American Model Liter R-1830 and Model Lacomine, different models of jet planes, such as the British Lynn, a kind of centrifugal jet plane, and the Chinese Turbo Jet 6, a kind of axial-flow jet plane. For the audience to have a better understanding of the interior structure, these engines are displayed in cross section. Among the piston engines on display there is a cylinder rotation engine that is rarely seen now.

Also on display in the West Hall is the aerodynamic part, including the smoke wind tunnel and other equipment to demonstrate the flying principles and the flow of the streamline as well as other exhibits such as the plane meters and high-altitude compensation costume.

Princess Hejing’s Mansion, located at (Iron Lion Hutong) No. 7, Zhangzizhong Road, Dongcheng District, Beijing, was the mansion of the third daughter of Emperor Qianlong when she got married and was granted to her by her father. The princess was married to a Mongolian official in the 12th year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign. The original mansion was a prince’s mansion which had the main gate, main hall, back sleeping hall, back building, east and west rooms and other attached buildings.

The tomb of the princess was constructed in Dongba City of Chaoyang District. The princess’s son was once given the title of Beizi (a high official rank in the Qing Dynasty) by the emperor and so this mansion was also named Dabeizi Mansion. In the Republic of China, the mansion turned into the Northern Warlords’ government’s ground force headquarters. Now it is called Hejing Hotel. The main hall of it still remains intact and is among the important cultural relics of Beijing.

Later, the owner of the mansion was degraded and lost the status of being a prince, and so the rooms and buildings were reduced to meet its status. However, the scale and outlay of the mansion have not changed yet.

Take Bus no. 13、42、113、115、118、701、823  stops at zhangzizhong station.

Take Subway Line 5 to Zhangzizhong Road (Exit A) and walk 370 meters to the site.

The Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center (CHP) is a national resource center for heritage conservation, equipping local communities with awareness, strategy, organization, practical skills and training to preserve cultural heritage at local levels. Those who have tips on suspect behavior regarding cultural relics or sites should call the hotline. Our work is vital because China’s rapid development and social change is dramatically affecting its cultural landscape. CHP gives Chinese people a voice to protect the future of their past through capacity building, education, training, networking and support. Our belief is that people make change. CHP’s main focus areas are cultural heritage protection and civil society building, ethnic minority cultural revitalization and media mobilization. From cooking classes to heritage tours, informative discussions to hutong carnivals, CHP offers a wide range of events and activities.

Located on the north side of West Dengshikou Street, the Former Residence of Lao She (renowned modern novelist and playwright) is a traditional quadrangle home with two central courtyards. Lao She bought the house in 1949 upon his return from the United States and spent most of his last 13 years at this house. It was here he wrote 23 works including a famous drama Fang Zhenzhu. Lao She's wife moved out of the house and donated it to the state together with great amounts of his manuscripts. Soon, the house was turned into a museum and listed as one of the historical and culture sites under the state protection. 

Lao She (1899-1966), a native of Beijing, was a novelist and playwright. He went to America to teach and write after the Chinese people won the War of Resistance Against Japan in 1945, but was called back in 1949. His works are strongly influenced by his life in Beijing, and their language is familiar to Beijing. 

Lao She was a member of cultural and education committee of the Government Administration Council and deputy to the National People' s Congress, and served as vice-chairman of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, vice-chairman of the Chinese Writers' Association and chairman of the Beijing Federation of Literary and Art Circles. 

His wife remembers how each time Lao She completed a play; he asked the director and actors over to listen to his new work. Discussion followed, in which everyone was invited to express his or her views. Many wonderful nights were spent in this way until the beloved playwright was tormented by Red Guards in the "cultural revolution." His body was found on the shore of Taiping Lake and his unfinished autobiographical novelette was still in his desk drawer in his home. 

Bus No.s. 103, 104, 108, and 111 stops at the Dengshikou bus stop;