Online tour reservation has been closed. Should you have any questions and requests on tour reservation, please send e-mails to registration@isde6.org before Sept. 8, 2009.  

We’ll work at the ISDE6 Registration Area in the lobby of BICC for ISDE6 from 8 Sept. 2009 to 12 Sept. 2009. We’ll be ready to provide you with our assistances and services during the period of ISDE6 at Beijing International Convention Center. 

General Information and Conditions for the Tours

1. All tours are quoted on a basis of a minimum of 10 participants. If fewer participants sign up, the organizers reserve the right to cancel the tour. In such cases, fees already paid will be fully refunded.
2. The local tour fees include an English-speaking tour guide, air-conditioned bus, entrance fees and Chinese lunch where mentioned. Children below 1.2 meters pay half price. Local tours are nonrefundable once purchased.
3. For pre and post Congress tours, the fees include intercity transportation, hotel accommodations, regular meals, an English-speaking tour guide and entrance fees. In case of cancellations before Aug 10, 2009, fees already paid will be fully refunded. If the cancellations are received after Aug 10, 2009, no refund will be made.
4. Any change or cancellation of tour reservation must be notified in writing to the Local Organizing Committee. The refund will be processed after the Congress.
5. Post Congress tour participants may depart China from the last stop of the tour, Guangzhou or Shanghai, instead of going back to Beijing for departure.

Tours in and around Beijing

The following tours in and around Beijing will be organized during the Congress. Please refer to the Congress Website for detailed information.

CT1 The Great Wall - Ming Tombs (full day)
Date: 10 Sep. 2009, 13 Sep. 2009
Price: RMB420 per person

The Great Wall
The Great Wall was the greatest man-made military defense structure in ancient China. Its construction started during Ancient Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period (770-221 B.C.) At that time, walls were built by some warring states to protect their own territories. In 221 B.C., Qin Shihuang, who became the first emperor of a unified China, linked the separate walls into a ten-thousand-li wall to defend against invaders from the North. From then on, the Great Wall was continuously extended and repaired by following dynasties. Most of the Wall has deteriorated badly; at present, the best preserved is the wall built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

Ming Tombs
Located at the foot of the Tianshou Mountain in Changping District, Beijing, the Ming Mausoleums, occupying an area of 120 square kilometers, are well preserved and have the largest number of emperors buried in the world. Built in the seventh year of the Ming Emperor Yongle's reign (1409), Changling Tomb of Emperor Chengzu (Zhu Di) is the first one among the Ming Mausoleums. The other eleven mausoleums built in the Ming Dynasty, including Xianling, Jingling, Yuling, Maoling, Tailing, Kanling, Yongling, Zhaoling, Dingling, Qingling and Deling are founded at the two sides of the Changling Tomb. At present, three mausoleums, Changling, Dingling and Zhaoling, and the Sacred Way are open to the public as scenic spots.

CT2 Summer Palace- Olympic Park (full day)
Date: 11 Sep. 2009
Price: RMB480 per person

The Summer Palace
The Summer Palace landscape, dominated by Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, covers an area of 2.9 square kilometers, three quarters of which is water surface. Its 70,000 square meters of building space features a variety of palaces, garden and other ancient-style architectural structures. The Summer Palace is a monument to classical Chinese architecture, in terms of both garden design and construction. Incorporating scenes from surrounding landscapes, it radiates not only the grandeur of an imperial garden but also the beauty of nature in a seamless combination. In 1998, UNESCO included the Summer Palace on its World Heritage List.

Olympic Park
Beijing Olympic Park which covers 1,135-hectare sits at the north end of the axis of the metropolis.
The National Aquatics Centre, also known as 'The Water Cube', is one of the most dramatic and exciting venues to host sporting events for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. It hosted swimming, diving, synchronized swimming and water-polo during the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2008 Summer Paralympics.
Beijing National Stadium which colloquially as the "Bird's Nest" is the world's largest steel structure. Beijing National Stadium hosted the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, athletic events, and football final of the 2008 Summer Olympics, and also hosted the Opening and Closing ceremonies and athletic events of the 2008 Summer Paralympics.
Seven traditional Chinese courtyards are taking shape as construction on the Beijing Olympic Park's central sunken garden enters its final phase. The seven courtyards are located along the north-south central axis of Beijing and between the modern sports venues, and serve as condensed snapshots of traditional Chinese culture.

CT3 Forbidden City -Temple of Heaven (full day)
Date: 13 Sep. 2009
Price: RMB420 per person

The Forbidden City
Built from 1406-1420 during the Ming Dynasty, the Imperial Palace, popularly known as the Forbidden City, was the permanent residence of the emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911). It covers over 720,000 square meters of floor space, with more than 8,700 rooms, surrounded by city walls as high as ten meters and a city moat as wide as 52 meters. The Imperial Palace is the largest and most complete ancient imperial complex so well preserved in China. It embodies collectively ancient Chinese traditions and architectural art. In 1987, UNESCO proclaimed the Forbidden City a World Cultural Heritage.

The Temple of Heaven
At the Temple of Heaven Emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911) worshiped Heaven and prayed for good harvests. Built first in 1420 during the Ming Emperor Yongle's reign, it was expanded and renovated during the Ming Emperor Jiajing's (1522-1566) and Qing Emperor Qianlong's (1736-1795) reigns. The Temple of Heaven with its long history, deep cultural significance and magnificent architectural style mirrors the ancient culture of the China. A masterpiece of the Ming and Qing architectural art and a precious example of China's ancient architecture, the Temple of Heaven is the largest architectural group for worshipping Heaven in the world. In 1998, it was recognized by UNESCO as a human heritage of the world."

CT4 Hutong (Traditional Alleys) Tour on Rickshaw (half day)
Date: 10 Sep. 2009(afternoon)
Price: RMB240 per person
This is a tour of residential areas taken in an old style tricycle. It is the place where you can experience the local culture, tradition and the informality of ordinary life.

Hutong
Hutong is an ancient city alley peculiar to Beijing. Beijing has more than 4,550 Hutongs. Those surrounding the Forbidden City are best preserved. The buildings in Beijing hutongs are mainly compounds with houses around a courtyard, also known as quadrangles. Narrow passages between these quadrangles link one hutong with another. The hutong in Beijing was mainly formed in the Yuan (1279-1368), Ming and Qing dynasties. Tourists may have a tour of the 700-year-old hutongs in Beijing by tricycle.

CT5 Forbidden City-Tian’anmen Square (half day)
Date: 11 Sep. 2009(afternoon)
Price: RMB250 per person

Tian An Men Square
Tian An Men (Gate of Heavenly Peace) was the main entrance to the Forbidden City during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is also honored as the "Gate of the Nation." As one of the largest city squares in the world, Tian An Men Square occupies an area of 440, 000 square meters - spacious enough to accommodate half a million people. Many annual and special celebrations and assemblies are held here. On October 1st, 1949, Chairman Mao Ze Dong declared the founding of the People's Republic of China on the Tian An Men Rostrum, thus opening a new chapter in the history of China. In the new period of reforms and opening, Tian An Men, with its long history and rich culture, attracts people from all over the world.

CT6 Summer Palace (half day)
Date: 12 Sep. 2009(Morning)
Price: RMB210 per person

CT7 Beijing Roast Duck and Peking Opera (evening)
Date: 10 Sep. 2009
Price: RMB380 per person
The Beijing roast duck is a dish well known among gastronomes the world over.
Peking Opera has entertained Beijingers for over 200 years with its elaborate costumes, ear-splitting arias, dazzling martial arts and musical dialogue. They are usually based on folk tales, famous novels and fairy tales. The theater has a subtitle message board of English and Chinese.

CT8 Acrobatic Show (evening，with dinner)
Date: 11 Sep. 2009
Price: RMB280 per person
The Chinese Acrobatic Troupes have traveled to many countries and have amazed audiences everywhere. To watch Chinese acrobatics is an experience at once fanciful and inspirational.

Pre and Post Congress Tours
The following tours will be organized before or after the Congress. Please refer to the Congress Website for detailed information.

PR1: Beijing-Xi' an-Beijing (2 days, 1 night)
Date: 7-8 Sep. 2009
Price: Single Room: RMB 4750 Double Room: RMB 4380

PR2: Beijing – Chengde – Beijing (2days 1 night)
Date: 7-8 Sep. 2009
Price: Single Room: RMB 2980 Double Room: RMB 2580

PT1: Beijing-Xi' an-Beijing (3 days, 2 nights)
Date: 13-15 Sep. 2009
Price: Single Room: RMB 5030 Double Room: RMB 4680

PT2: Beijing-Xi' an-Shanghai (5 days, 4 nights)
Date: 13-17 Sep. 2009
Price: Single Room: RMB8088 Double Room: RMB 7430

PT3: Beijing - Xi’an - Guilin - Guangzhou (6 days 5 nights)
Date: 13-18 Sep. 2009
Price: Single Room: RMB9535 Double Room: RMB 8050

Online tour reservation has been closed. Should you have any questions and requests on tour reservation, please send e-mails to registration@isde6.org before Sept. 8, 2009.  

We’ll work at the ISDE6 Registration Area in the lobby of BICC for ISDE6 from 8 Sept. 2009 to 12 Sept. 2009. We’ll be ready to provide you with our assistances and services during the period of ISDE6 at Beijing International Convention Center.