BEIJING

BEIJING - THE CHINESE FAMOUS CITY

Beijing, a metropolis in Northern China, is the capital of the People's Republic of China (PRC). King Wu was the first to declare Beijing the capital city in 1057 BC. It is also known in English as Peking. Beijing or Peking means "northern capital". Beijing is China's second largest city, after Shanghai. Beijing is recognised as the political, educational, and cultural center of the People's Republic of China, while Shanghai and Hong Kong predominate in economic fields. The city will host the 2008 Summer Olympics. Beijing has a whole area of 16808 sq km (about 6500 sq mi), stretching 160 kilometres from east to west and over 180 kilometres north to south. She has 18 districts and counties with Dongcheng, Xicheng, Xuanwu, Chongwen, Chaoyang, Haidian, Fengtai and Shijingshan in the surburbs and Fangshan, Mengtougou, Changping, Tongxian, Shunyi, Daxing, Huairou, Miyun, Pinggu and Yianqing in the outer suburbs. Population in Beijing is about 12 million.

THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA

The Great Wall is a symbol of Chinese civilization, and one of the wonders that the Chinese people have created. In 1988, it was enlisted in the World Cultural Heritage Directory by UNESCO. July 7, 2007 has once again witnessed the worldwide reputation that the Great Wall gained: it was listed among the New Seven Wonders of the World. The Great wall originally functioned as a fortification. Great Wall to protect China's borders from the intrusion of the northern nomadic tribes. Badaling Great Wall was the earliest part of the great Wall opened to tourists. It has drawn tens of millions of tourists both from home and abroad. More than 370 foreign leaders and celebrities have visited there.

THE BEIJING NATIONAL STADIUM (THE BIRD'S NEST)

The Beijing National Stadium, also known as the "Bird's Nest" for its architecture, is a stadium finished for the Olympic Green in Beijing, China that has so far been completed as of March 2008. The stadium will host the main track and field competitions for the 2008 Summer Olympics, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. It is located east of the Beijing National Aquatics Centre. The stadium can seat as many as 91,000 spectators during the Olympics. The capacity will then be reduced to 80,000 after the Games. The stadium is 330 metres long by 220 metres wide, and is 69.2 metres tall. The stadium uses 258,000 square metres of space and has a usable area of 204,000 square metres. It was built with 36 km of unwrapped steel, with a combined weight of 45,000 tonnes. The stadium has some 11,000 square metres of underground rooms with waterproof walls. The stadium will cost up to 3.5 billion yuan.

THE BEIJING NATIONAL AQUTIC CENTER (THE WATER CUBE)

The Beijing National Aquatics Center, also known as the Water Cube or abbreviated, is an aquatics center that was built alongside Beijing National Stadium in the Olympic Green for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

BEIJING NATIONAL GRAND THEATER

The National Centre for the Performing Arts known as the National Grand Theatre and colloquially described as The Egg, is an opera house in Beijing, China. The Centre, an ellipsoid dome of titanium and glass surrounded by an artificial lake, seats 6,500 people in three halls and is 200,000 m² in size.

DUBAI - UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

DUBAI - UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Dubai is one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and is one of the country's main cities, sometimes called "Dubai City" to distinguish it from the emirate. Dubai is situated on the Persian Gulf coast of the UAE. The emirate of Dubai shares borders with Abu Dhabi in the south, Sharjah in the northeast, and the Sultanate of Oman in the southeast. Dubai lies directly within the Arabian Desert.

THE BURJ-AL-ARAB - DUBAI

The Burj Al Arab is a luxury hotel located in Dubai. Burj Al Arab is managed by the Jumeirah Group. At 321 metres (1,053 ft), it is the tallest building used exclusively as a hotel. The Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island 280 metres (919 ft) out from Jumeirah beach, and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. It is an iconic structure, designed to symbolize Dubai's urban transformation and to mimic the sail of a boat. Construction of Burj Al Arab began in 1994. The hotel cost $650 million to build. The hotel rests on an artificial island constructed 280 meters offshore. Burj Al Arab characterizes itself as the world's only "7-star" property. Near the top of the building is a suspended helipad supported by a cantilever. Irish singer Ronan Keating shot his music video Iris on the helipad. In March 2004, professional golfer Tiger Woods hit several golf balls from the helipad into the Persian Gulf, while in February 2005, professional tennis players Roger Federer and Andre Agassi played an unranked game on the helipad, which was temporarily converted into a grass tennis court, at a height of 211 meters.

THE PALM ISLANDS - DUBAI

The Palm Islands are artificial islands in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on which major commercial and residential infrastructure will be constructed. The islands are the largest land reclamation projects in the world and will result in the world's largest artificial islands. The islands are the Palm Jumeirah, the Palm Jebel Ali and the Palm Deira. The islands were commissioned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in order to increase Dubai's tourism. Each settlement will be in the shape of a palm tree, topped with a crescent, and will have a large number of residential, leisure and entertainment centers. The Palm Islands are located off the coast of The United Arab Emirates in the Persian Gulf and will add 520 km of beaches to the city of Dubai.

SKI-DUBAI

Ski Dubai is claimed to be one of the largest indoor ski resorts in the world, with 22,500-square metres of indoor ski area. It is a part of the Mall of the Emirates, which is one of the largest malls in the world. An extremely efficient insulation system is the key to maintain the temperature of -1 degrees Celsius during the day and -6 degrees during the night when the snow is produced.

THE WORLD - DUBAI

The World is a man-made archipelago of 300 islands constructed in the shape of a world map and located 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) off the coast of Dubai. The World is one of several artificial island projects being constructed in Dubai, others being the Palm Islands. Like the other artificial island projects, The World is built primarily using sand dredged from the sea. Each island in the archipelago ranges from about 14,000 m² (150,000 square feet) to 42,000 m² (450,000 square feet). The distance between each island will be an average of 100 metres (328 feet). The entire development covers an area of 9 km in length and 6 km in width, surrounded by an oval breakwater. Roughly 232 km (144 miles) of shoreline has been created. The overall development cost of The World was estimated as 14 billion USD. As for the individual islands, prices range between 15 and 50 million USD. One island is still for sale at a price of 250 million USD.