“China-New Zealand Year of Tourism” Promotes Cultural Exchanges
2019 marks the China-New Zealand Year of Tourism. In the year, the governments and the tourism industries of New Zealand and China have planned a series of wonderful activities, including exchange visits of Chinas Culture and Tourism Minister and New Zealands Tourism Minister and the China Tourism & Culture Week in Wellington. As China and New Zealand make more frequent and closer contacts in culture and tourism, more and more New Zealanders plan to travel in Beijing. Both China and New Zealand boast abundant sightseeing resources and are important tourist source countries and destinations. In recent years, as the China-New Zealand relationship develops, the number of visitors to each other has grown continuously and had hit 600,000 in
2018. Beijing has become the most favorable city for tourists of New Zealand.
Beijing is the capital of China and the national political, cultural, international communication, and science and technology center. It has a long history that dates back over 3,000 years and serves as a capital for more than 860 years. In the city there are many spectacular buildings such as the Temple of Heaven and the Palace Museum, as well as the incredibly modern Beijing Daxing International Airport, which has been recently opened to traffic and dubbed by The Guardian as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.
Beijing is one of the most outstanding urban design examples in global urban construction history. More than 700 years ago, Beijing introduced the 7.8-kilometer north-south central axis to run through the city, based on which formed a symmetrical and magnificent city landscape. Seven world cultural heritage sites such as the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Great Wall, the Summer Palace, and the Ming Tombs, as well as many other places of interest, have attracted tourists from all over the world. One can have a glimpse of the laid-back life in the depths of various hutongs and courtyards; have a taste of the classic opera culture by watching the Peking Opera, one of the countrys quintessence cultural heritages; experience the traditional Chinese medicine, silk and shoe-making culture by visiting timehonored pharmaceutical company Tong
Ren Tang, the Ruifuxiang Silk Store and the countrys oldest handmade cloth shoe brand Nei Lian Sheng; have a taste of local food by trying roast ducks from Quan Ju De and Bian Yi Fang, and hot pot from Dong Lai Shun, as well as snacks including Aiwowo, steamed rice cakes with sweet stuffing, and Lvdagun, glutinous rice rolls with sweet bean flour.
Beijing is a modern and fashionable metropolis. Since the 29th Summer Olympic Games in 2008, Beijing has been working hard to develop a more culturally attractive, technologically competitive and environmentally friendly city. Beijing now has many high-end innovation and entrepreneurship clusters like Chinas Silicon Valley, the Zhongguancun area, and the countrys Wall Street, the Beijing Financial Street. The city is home to the headquarters of 58 Fortune 500 companies. Beijing has a developed and convenient transportation system, with the worlds largest urban subway system. One can enjoy leisure, entertainment and shopping at places like shopping malls in Wangfujing, Xidan, and Guomao, as well as visit bars and restaurants in Houhai and Sanlitun.
Beijing is a city that places great emphasis on culture and technological innovation, with the cultural and creative industry becoming the capitals second pillar industry. The city is home to 91 colleges and universities such as the renowned Peking University, Tsinghua University, Renmin University of China and Beijing Normal University, which are dedicated to the cultivation of high-level talents and construction of first-class disciplines. Beijing gathers the worlds top art groups for classic works and innovative repertoires. Each year, there are more than 20,000 various performances staged in Beijing, attracting over 10 million audiences. There are 176 registered museums, with the National Museum being the largest single-building museum in the world, and one of the museums with the countrys most abundant Chinese cultural relics collections. The Capital Museum is another major comprehensive museum featuring collections, exhibitions, researches, archaeology, public education and cultural exchanges. In addition, visitors can enjoy the performances at the National Center for the Performance Arts, Chang'an Grand Theatre and Beijing. They also can visit the scenic spots such as Jingshan Park, the Summer Palace and Beihai Park to feel Beijing's charm.
Beijing is an inclusive, multicultural and vibrant city with various international cultural events, sports contests, and large-scale industry exhibitions. The city also hosts major annual events including the Beijing International Cultural and Creative Industry Expo, International Technology Industry Expo, International Service Trade Fair, International Film Festival, International Photography Week, Beijing Design Week, International Music Festival, marathons and tour of Beijing road cycling race. In addition, Beijing is preparing for two exciting events--the 2019 International Horticultural Exposition and the 2022 Winter Olympics.