beijibg

Slide1 : In a city where it is common practice for bars to spill over from crowded interiors and turn sidewalks into alfresco dining areas, The Loft, located a stone's throw from Sanlitun, distinguishes itself by being fashionably difficult to find. The quest for its impressive metallic doorway requires the weary gastronaut to venture down a narrow alley and ignore a series of signs that contrive to deliver him, hungry and unfulfilled, to a barren construction site. Instead, he should follow the trail of sharply dressed young Beijingers waiting to file into this, the capital's latest nightspot.


Slide2 : As we enter, the spacious glass-walled dining area opens up on our left, offering a panoramic view of the aforementioned construction site. But do not despair, The Loft has far more style than this unfortunate vista would suggest. Despite its deceptively compact exterior, the inside is a spacious concoction of bright lights, soft materials, steel chairs and television sets - a mixture of industrial minimalism and cocktail glitz. Tonight the entertainment is taking place in one corner: folk rock band Wild Children jam with vocalist Dou Wei in front of a small TV set showing videos of Cultural Revolution model operas. Claiming center stage in the dining area is the V-shaped, impossibly glitzy neon-lit bar, behind which bartenders stand attentively, adjusting their bow ties like butlers in an exclusive London club. A couple of them, having obviously watched pirated copies of "Cocktail" one too many times, are juggling empty drink mixers to entertain the crowds.


Slide3 : We take our seats and are attended to immediately by a group of immaculately dressed waiters. They hand us drink menus, which we eagerly peruse. Fortunately we are presented with a more adventurous selection of beverages than the standard range of cheap but tasteless zhapi and overpriced cognacs. To mark the start of summer - and put the avid cocktail juggler to a real test - we all choose Pimms No.1 cocktails, at the very reasonable price of RMB28. To our welcome amazement, the drinks arrive with little fuss in the appropriate tall, curvaceous glasses, complete with a selection of fruits - and not a drop spilled.


Slide4 : Situated at the foot of Tianshou Mountain in Changping County, to the northwest of urban Beijing, this is the best preserved group of imperial tombs buried with the most emperors. Occupying an area of 40 sq km, it is a beautiful stone archway, behind it is the diving road flanked by 18 pairs of vivid stone human figures and animal. Changping, the burial place of Emperor Yongle (1403-1427) and his empress, is the largest tomb on the ground


Slide5 : Located in the northwest suburb of Beijing, this is China's best preserved imperial garden famous for its scenery and cultural relice. It consists mainly of Wanshou (Longevity) Hill and Kunming Lake. The garden was burned by the allied British-French troops in 1860. From 1885 to 1895, Empress Dowager Ci'xi (1835-1908) of the Qing Dynasty had it restored with fund intended for naval development. Since Dowager Ci'xi lived and attended to the state affairs here during the summers, the place also derived the name of Summer Palace.


Slide6 : Located in the Southern part of urban Beijing, this was where the Ming and Qing emperors went to worship Heaven and pray for better harvest. With an area of 270 hectares, Temple of Heaven counts as the world's largest extant group of temple buildings. Its distinct architectural design and pattern represents the ancient belief of round heaven, square earth, and the supreme imperial power. The 38 m high Qinian Hall is a circular structure resting on a triple-tiered round terrace of white marble, with a three-eaved round top.