Day 1
You arrive at Beijing airport and check in your hotel. The rest of the day is on your own to explore the city. It is advisable to visit some new attractions in the city first, like the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube

Bird's Nest
    The Beijing National Stadium also known as the bird's nest will be the main track and field stadium for the 2008 summer Olympics and will be host to the Opening and Closing ceremonies.
In 2002 Government officials engaged architects worldwide in a design competition.
The stadium's appearance is one of synergy ,with no distinction made between the facade and the superstructure.
The structural elements mutually support each other and converge into a grid-like formation almost like a Bird's Nest with its interwoven twigs.
The spatial effect of the stadium is novel and radical, yet simple and of an almost archaic immediacy, thus creating a unique historical landmark for the Olympics of 2008.
The stadium was conceived as a large collective vessel, which makes a distinctive and unmistakable impression both from a distance and when seen from up close.
It meets all the functional and technical requirements of an Olympic National Stadium, but without communicating the insistent sameness of technocratic architecture dominated by large spans and digital screens.
Visitors walk through this formation and enter the spacious ambulatory that runs full circle around the stands.
From there, one can survey the circulation of the entire area including the stairs that access the three tiers of the stands.
Just as birds stuff the spaces between the woven twigs of their nests with a soft filler, the spaces in the structure of the stadium are filled with inflated ETFE cushions.

The Water Cube
    The National Aquatics Centre, known as "The Water Cube", is one of the most dramatic and exciting venues to feature sporting events for the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
The building's structural design is based on the natural formation of soap bubbles.
To arrive at the building's structural design, which is based on the natural formation of soap bubbles to give a random, organic appearance, the Chinese used research undertaken by Wearier and Phelan(professors of physics) into how soap bubbles might be arranged in an infinite array.
To bring the design to live, the individual bubbles are incorporated into a plastic film and tailored like a sewing pattern. An entire section is pieced together and then put into place within the structure.
The actual pumping has been sub-contracted, and once the installation is complete the operator will be responsible for both the operation and maintenance of the facade for ten years. This was a key component of the brief and in the choice of contractor.
The project is an opportunity for China to offer its expertise in sustainable services. The building uses solar energy to heat the pools and interior area, and all backwash water is to be filtered and returned to be the swimming pools.

Day 2
Visit the Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven. the Beijing Duck Dinner and the Peking Opera are served in the evening.
Beijing Roast Duck
Peking Duck or Beijing Roast Duck is regarded as one of the most delicious dishes throughout the world. It is a must for most visitors coming to Beijing to have a bite.
There are two famous Restaurants that offer Beijing Roast Duck. They are Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant and Bianyifang Roast Duck Restaurant.
When you are ready at the table, the chef will show you the whole duck. In front of you, he will cut it into about one hundred and twenty pieces with both skin and meat for each duck. The duck is served together with special pancakes, hollowed sesame bun, green onions and sweet sauce.
You will be taught to wrap duck slices, onion, and sauce in a pancake or a sesame bun with your bare hands.
Very often people would like to put in sliced garlic amd cucumber as well. Some young people would like to dip slices into white sugar directly.

Day3
Visit the Badaling Great Wall. To avoid having lunch at shopping site restaurants, you  will be driven to have Sichuan food at a local popular restaurant. Visit the Sacred Way and the Ming Tombs. To ensure that you have a good appetite, you'd better have an a lacarte dinner at a famous restaurant in the Wangfujing area.

The Ming Tombs
At s distance of 50 km northwest of Beijing stands an arc-shaped cluster of hills fronted by a small plain. Here is where 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) were buried, and the area is known as the Ming Tombs. The resort is the world's largest concentration of royal tombs.
Construction of the tombs started in 1409 and ended with the fall of the Ming Dynasty in 1644.
In over 200 years tombs were built over an area of 40 square kilometers, which is surrounded by walls totaling 40 kilometers. Each tomb is located at the foot of a separate hill and is linked with the other tombs by a road called the Sacred Way.
The stone archway at the southern end of the Sacred Way. Built in 1540, is 14 meters high and 19 meters wide, and is decorated with designs of clouds, waves, and divine animals.

Day 4
Visit the Summer Palace and the Lama Temple.
Summer Palace
Situated in the western outskirts of Haidian district, the Summer Palace is 15 kilometers from central Beijing. Having the largest royal park and being well preserved, it was designated, in 1960 by the State Council, as a Key Cultural Relics Protection Site of China.
Containing examples of the ancient arts, it also has graceful landscapes and magnificent constructions. The Summer Palace is the archetypal Chinese garden, and is ranked amongst the most noted and classical gardens of the world. In 1998, it was listed as one of the world heritage sites by UNESCO.
Constructed in the Jin Dynasty(1115-1234), during the succeeding reign of feudal emperors; it was extended continuously. By the time of the Qing Dynasty(1644-1911), it had become a luxurious royal garden providing royal families with rest and entertainment.
Originally called 'Qingyi Garden' (Garden of Clear Ripples), it was known as one of the famous 'three hills and five gardens'(Longevity Hill, Jade Spring Mountain, and Fragrant Hill; Garden of Clear Ripples, Garden of Everlasting Spring, Garden of Perfection and Brightness, Garden of Tranquility and Brightness, and Garden of Tranquility and Pleasure).
Composed mainly of Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, the Summer Palace occupies an area of 294 hectares (726.5 acres), three quarters of which is water. Guided by nature, artists designed the gardens exquisitely so that visitors would see marvelous view and be amazed by perfect examples of refined craftwork using the finest material.

For more info, you can consult our tour expert john@chinahuangshan.com