Conference Venue

The 7th International Conference on Group IV Photonics will be held September 1–3, 2010, at the Friendship Hotel in Beijing, China.

Beijing Friendship Hotel
1 Zhongguancun
Nandajie, Beijing
China
Tel: +86 10 68498888
Fax: +86 10 68498866
Visit the hotel website: www.bjfriendshiphotel.com




Registration will be held in the Grand Building Lobby during the following hours:
Wednesday, 1 September-7.00 -18.00
Thursday, 2 September-7.00 -18.00
Friday, 3 September 7.00 -17.00

Welcome to Beijing
As the capital of the People's Republic of China, Beijing is also national culture and political center. It is an ancient and modern city at the same time Situated on the northwestern tip of the North China, the city consists of 18 districts and counties. Beijing is one of the top tourist cities in the world and the first choice of the ever growing number of visitors to the Middle Kingdom. If you are interested in learning about China's history and culture, Beijing is definitely the place to start. There is an unparalleled number of intriguing sites, both ancient and modern, waiting for you to explore. It is filled with spots of historical importance, from the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, to old mansions, religious shrines, and traditional hutong alleyways. Classical architecture is gracefully blended with modern structures. The old and new live alongside in peaceful harmony. More importance is placed on greenery and parks, trees, and flowers beautify the city. Whether you enjoy art, history, entertainment, or nightlife, Beijing is a must-see tourist destination.

Below is a list of some suggested things to do in the Beijing Area, with links to more details when available.

Tour Information for Local Attractions:

The Great Wall
Stretching for 6,000 kilometers from the east to the west, the Great Wall is China's ancient gigantic engineering project, one of the eight wonders of the world and the only man-made construction visible from satellites in orbit. Building of the Wall began during the Warring State Period (476-221 BC). When separate sections were built in scattered strategic areas by different kingdoms to protect their territories. Following China' s unification under the first Qin emperor. Qin Shi Huangdi (221-206 BC), the walls were linked up and extended. The imposing Badaling section, visited by virtually all tourists to the capital, is 6.6 meters high, 5.5 meters wide, broad enough to accommodate five cavalrymen or 10 infantrymen marching abreast. Standing atop the Great Walls, visitors looking through slots and over parapets can imagine the terrible battles, which were fought here hundreds of years ago. http://www.badaling.gov.cn/english/history/history.htm

The Palace Museum (The Forbidden City)
Commonly known as the Forbidden City, the Palace Museum is the largest piece of ancient Chinese architecture still standing. It covers an area of 72 hectares, 960 meters long from north to south and 750 meters wide from east to west, and is encircled by a 10-meter high wall and a 52-meter wide moat. This large-scale construction, one of the great achievements of human history, took 14 years and was finished in 1420. The entire complex includes six main palaces, as well as many smaller buildings, together containing 9,999 rooms. It is a vast treasure house of precious art objects and rich architecture. Twenty-four emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties ruled from the Forbidden City. http://www.dpm.org.cn/

The Summer Palace
The Summer Palace (Yi He Yuan), so named because it served as the summer residence of the imperial households, consists of the Longevity Hill (59 meters high) and Kunming Lake with a total area of 290 hectares. It has a history of over 800 years. In 1153, the Jin Dynasty built an imperial palace on the present site of the Summer Palace. In 1750, Emperor Qianlong spent 4.8 million tales of silver in building the Garden of Clear Ripples and changed the name to Longevity Hill to celebrate his mother's birthday and the lake to Kunming for he wanted to follow the example of Emperor Wudi of Han Dynasty who had trained his navy centuries before in Kunming pool in Chang'an (near Xi'an).

The Temple of Heaven
ddress: Yongdingmen Dajie (South Gate), Chongwen District, Beijing
Phone: 010/6702-8866

Covering an area of 273 hectares, the Temple is a masterpiece of 15th-century architecture built in 1 420 according to the most advanced principles of mechanics and geometry available at the time. It consists mainly of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the Imperial Vault of Heaven, and the Circular Mound Altar of Heaven. It was the place where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped heaven and prayed for good harvests twice a year, on the 15th day of the first lunar month and at the winter solstice. http://en.tiantanpark.com/newEbiz1/EbizPortalFG/portal/html/index.html

The Lama Temple
Address: 12 Yonghegong Dajie, Beixingqiao, Dongcheng District, Beijing
Phone: 010/6404-3769; 010/6404-4499

The Lama Temple(Yonghe Palce) is a famous lamasery located in the northeastern part of the old city. It was a palatial residence built in 1694 by Qing Emperor Kangxi for his fourth son, Prince Yongzheng. This magnificent temple consists of five main buildings lying on the north-south axis, with annex halls on both sides. After Emperor Yongzheng moved to the Forbidden City, it was renamed Yonghe Palace( the Palace of Harmony) and green roof tiles were replaced by yellow ones to suit a monarch’s home. The Palace was converted into a lamasery in 1744. In the last hall stands a spectacular 18-meters Maitria Buddha carved from a single sandwood tree. http://www.yonghegong.cn/

Tiananmen Square
Address: Bounded by Chang'an Jie to the north and Quanmen Dajie to the south, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Tian’anmen( the Gate of Heavenly Peace), is located in the center of Beijing. It was first built in 1417 and named Chengtianmen(the Gate of Heavenly Succession). At the end of the Ming Dynasty, it was seriously damaged by war. When it was rebuilt under the Qing in 1651, it was renamed Tian’anmen, and served as the main entrance to the Imperial City, the administrative and residential quarters for court officials and retainers. The southern sections of the Imperial City wall still stand on both sides of the Gate. The tower at the top of the gate is nine-room wide and five –room deep. According to the Book of Changes, the two numbers nine and five, when combined, symbolize the supreme status of a sovereign. On October 1, 1949, chairman Mao Zedong proclaimed on Tian’anmen Rostrum the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Since then Tian’anmen has been the symbol of New Chine\a. Chairman Mao’s portrait is hung above the central entrance, flanked by two slogans:" Long Live the Great Unity of the Peoples of the World". Today, the splendour of Tian’anmen attracts million of visitors from all over the world. The Rostrum on its top was opened in 1988 to the public for the first time in its history. It offers a panoramic view of the Square and the city proper. Situated due south of Tian’anmen, the Square has an area of 44 hectares(109 acres) that can accommodate as many as one million people for public gatherings. It has witnessed may historical events in China’s modern history and is a place for celebrations on such festive days as international Labour Day on May 1st and national Day on October 1st.

Beihai Park
Beihai Park located in central Beijing, is one of the oldest and most authentically perserved imperial gardens in China. It has a history of 1000 years. Beihai has existed throughout the Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. Most of the buildings now standing were constructed during Emperor Qianlong's regin in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 A.D.). Beihai was opened to the public in 1925 and in 1961 it was one of the first important cultural sites placed under protection by the State Council. The park occupies an area of 69 hectares including a 39-hectare lake. In the garden, pavilions and towers nestle amid the beautiful scenery of lakes and hills,grass and trees. Carrying on the traditions of garden landscaping of ancient China Beihai is a gem of garden art. http://www.beihaipark.com.cn/en/about/index.htm

National Stadium ("Bird's Nest")
Located at the southern part of the Olympic Green in Beijing, the National Stadium is the main stadium of the 29th Olympiad in 2008. Occupying an area of 21 hectares, it has a floor space of 258,000 square meters. Its seating capacity amounts to 91,000, including 11,000 temporary seats. The venue host the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, the track and field competitions, and the football finals. After the Olympics, the stadium will become a large-scale sports and entertainment facility for the residents of Beijing -- an architectural landmark and Olympic legacy. The main body's elements support each other and converge into a grid formation, just like a bird's nest with interlocking branches and twigs. Being a seven-story shear wall system, the stadium's stand has a concrete framework. The upper part of the stand and the stadium's steel structure are separated from each other, but both are based on a joint footing. The roof of the National Stadium is covered by a double-layer membrane structure, with a transparent ETFE membrane fixed on the upper part of the roofing structure and a translucent PTFE membrane fixed on its lower part. A PTFE acoustic ceiling is attached to the side walls of the inner ring. http://en.beijing2008.cn/venues/nst/

National Aquatics Center ("Water Cube")
National Aquatics Center, the landmark building of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, is located inside the Beijing Olympic Green. It is axially related to the National Stadium on the north part of Beijing Central Axis and reinforces the historical and cultural features of Beijing city. The National Aquatics Center is the venue for swimming, diving, synchronized swimming and water-polo final during the Olympic Games. The total seating capacity is 17,000, including 6,000 permanent and 11,000 temporary for Games which will be removed post-Games, then the National Aquatics Center will become the venue for various activities such as aquatic sports, swimming, fitness and recreation. The international competition-winning scheme is known as "Water Cube" ([H2O]³). It is designed by the design consortium consists of China State Construction Engineering Corporation, China State Construction International (Shenzhen) Design Co., Ltd, PTW Architects (Australia) and Ove Arup (Australia). The design concept of the "water cube" combines the symbolisms of the architecture and the unique water bubble structure, and build an appropriate complement to the National Stadium. The NSC functionally meets the requirement of 2008 Olympic Games and post-games operation. http://en.beijing2008.cn/venues/nac/

Beijing Zoo
Entry ticket: 15 yuan (Excluding 5 for panda site);
Opening hours: 07:30 to 18:00;
Recommended Time for a Visit: One hour;
Transportation: Bus No.s 7, 27, 103, 105 and 111.

Situated in the Xicheng District, Beijing Zoo was the first of its kind to be opened in China. The zoo contains a diverse collection of animals, a number of exhibition halls and some sites of historical interest. The zoo is home to around 450 different species and has a population of some 5,000 animals. Some of the most popular attractions among visitors are the wild and rare animals of China itself, such as the pandas, golden monkeys, milu deer and northeast tigers. However, the collection is far from restricted to those species found only in the People's Republic of China; the polar bears, American bison, zebras, kangaroos, giraffes and elephants also draw large crowds. All of the zoo's halls and exhibition areas are constructed so as to ensure that the animals enjoy a both comfortable and healthy living environment.