Beijing Ready to Host ASEM7

The Seventh Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM 7) will be held in Beijing 24-25 October 2008. The summit will be the first gathering of leaders of 45 ASEM partners since its second round of enlargement in 2006.

Flags of countries participating the seventh Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM7) flutter from lamp posts at the Tian'anmen Square in central Beijing, October 23, 2008.

The overarching theme of ASEM7 is 'Vision and Action: Towards a Win-Win Solution'. At the summit ASEM leaders will focus their discussions on political, economic and social and cultural issues, including issues related to sustainable development. The Summit will provide a good opportunity for expanding and deepening dialogue on an equal footing and mutually-beneficial cooperation between Asia and Europe to ensure win-win progress for the benefit of peoples of ASEM partners.

Tips for A Better Night's Sleep

Generally, it has been assumed that the need for sleep does not decrease with age, but rather that other factors gradually come to interfere with our ability to sleep through the night.

Older individuals, for instance, are at greater risk not only for developing medical and psychiatric disorders but also for taking medications that can disrupt sleep. In spite of these influences, however, it may be that an actual biological deterioration of the sleep drive might also be playing a role.

A new study published in the journal Current Biology has been able to shed some light on this puzzle of sleep and aging. The researchers, who wanted to determine the maximal sleep capacity of both young and older persons, arranged for groups of younger adults (ages 18 to 32 years) and older adults (ages 60 to 76 years) to lie in bed for 12 hours during the night and for another 4 hours in the afternoon.

The subjects tended to sleep significantly longer at the beginning of the experiment, presumably because they were making up for a sleep debt accrued during their usual daily sleep routines. When the sleep patterns stabilized, however, the younger adults were capable of sleeping for much longer times — an average of 8.9 hours daily — than were the elderly people, who got only 7.4 hours daily. This 1.5-hour difference in maximal sleep capacity is impressive.

If your biological drive for sleep seems to have decreased, make sure that you are following the kinds of routines and behaviors that will give you the best chance of getting as much refreshing sleep as possible. Here are some examples of good sleep hygiene:

- Make sure that you're going to bed early enough to allow yourself to get an adequate night's sleep.
- As your bedtime approaches, develop a relaxing routine in the evening — don't keep busy until the moment before you expect to fall asleep.
- Avoid watching TV in bed.
- Sleep in a cool, relatively dark room.
- Consider going to sleep to the sound of white noise, either from a bedside fan or a machine that generates calming sounds.
- Increase your exercising, but don't do it so near to bedtime that it gets your adrenaline flowing and keeps you awake.
- Limit your daily intake of caffeinated beverages and avoid them completely after lunchtime.
- Avoid alcoholic beverages.

China Sees Ecotourism on the Rise

After more than a decade's development, China's tourism, which has been dotted by negative comments from environmentalists and preservationists, now sees a new possibility: ecotourism.

Norbert Trehoux of Marseilles-based TEC, a consulting agency specializing in the tourism, transport and environmental sectors, is convinced this niche sector could attract well-heeled foreign visitors to less developed parts of China hoping to leverage their natural beauty to generate much-needed income.

Yet he admits the industry faces some pretty tough obstacles.

"In China there is a national policy -- they want to develop ecotourism. But today, the definition of ecotourism is not the one we have in Western countries," he told the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China.

Provinces such as those in the scenic southwest, including Yunnan and Sichuan, are at the forefront of this push.
Still, many supposed ecotourism resorts which have been developed are far from rural idylls, Trehoux said.
"It's more like Disneyland," he added. "You don't go there to be quiet and to relax or to trek. They are more like theme parks. Some have small zoos, and lots of restaurants. This is ecotourism today in China."

Tourism is already big business in China, generating more than 1 trillion yuan ($146.4 billion) in revenues last year, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

Though there are no exact figures for the ecotourism segment, a government-sponsored push for rural tourism -- usually involving staying with farmers -- has become popular in China in recent years.

That gives Trehoux hope that in future more and more Chinese will opt for ecotourism, as opposed to the mass tourism in groups generally favored at present.

"The market is changing. There are Western influences everywhere, and China is going greener," he said. "I met some Chinese people in Shanghai, and they don't want to travel like their parents. They are fed up with the flag, and the microphone. They don't want this any more."

Ecotourism in China is also attracting some well-known international boutique chains. Singapore's Banyan Tree runs an award-winning hotel in a remote, Tibetan part of Yunnan which incorporates many aspects of the local culture.

While the government's aim is currently to attract wealthy Westerners to these types of places, Trehoux said that ultimately Chinese will comprise the majority of customers.

"They want to attract Western tourists, but in 20 years time they won't care about Western tourists. They will have high-end Chinese tourists. They will have people who are prepared to spend thousands to spend a night in a remote place," he said.

Get Hold of Best Kebab Sandwiches

Sandwiches, which have meat, vegetables and also bread, seem to contain all neccessary nutrients people need to fulfill a busy day. So here come three eateries where people can grab the best ever kebab sandwiches.

*Anadolu Turkish
A true Turkish delight, Andaolu's kebabs are rock solid, loaded with the hearty chunks of well-spiced meat that have made this dish an international sensation. The price (starting around 25-30 yuan) is astounding and the fact that Anadolu stays open until the crack of dawn elevates this kebab to the upper echelon of drunken munchies–A+.
Add: 4-7 Hengshan Lu 衡山路4-7号Tel: 021-5465-0977

*Haya's Mediterranean Cuisine Mediterranean
There are several reasons why you should be noshing on Haya's delectable kebab sandwiches, none of which is more noteworthy than the chicken schwarma (46 yuan sandwich, 60 yuan meal). This schwarma, true to the Israeli favorite, consists of shaved chunks of delicately seasoned roasted chicken. Add fries, veggies and, if you're smart, a glob of hummus and you've got magic in a pita.
Add: 415 Dagu Lu 大沽路415号 or 2/F, 3219 Hongmei Lu 虹梅路3219号2楼Tel: 021-6295-9511 (Dagu), 021-6465-1166 (Hongmei)

*Greek Taverna Mediterranean
If there is one reason to go to Thumb Plaza, it is Greek Taverna's chicken gyros (35 yuan sandwich, 50 yuan meal) stuffed with fries, veggies and garlic tsatsiki. Shanghai is conspicuously lacking in quality Greek offerings, so a good gyro, even one all the way in the nether regions of Pudong, is nothing to sneeze at. Why they only have chicken and pork but not lamb gyros is a mystery for the ages, but we'll settle on the chicken for now.
Add: Unit 41 Thumb Plaza, 199 Fangdian Lu 芳甸路199号大拇指广场41铺Tel: 021-5033-7500

The First Selling Tickets at Water Cube after Golden Weeks

Yesterday (19th Oct.) 9:00 a.m., Water Cube begins to sale tickets after golden weeks. One ticket remains for 30 yuan, but the daily selling limit is 20,000.
The tickets are only for Oct. 19 to 21, and visit time will be from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.. One person could only buy 2 tickets for the max, children below the height of 1.2 meters can visit for free. The West Gate of the water cube is the wicket, the South Gate is for entrance, and the North Gate is for Exit.

In order to prevent looting tickets, the ticket office of Water Cube did not disclose the news of selling tickets for individual before. Yesterday, around 8:30, they put up the ticket selling information around Water Cube, but they did not receive any notice whether they would sell tickets for tourists after 21th of this month.

It is appoved that the measure of putting up ticket information provisionally didn't prevent looting tickets. At 4:00 p.m. yesterday, when the tickets are sold out from the ticket office of Water Cube, there are many people huddled at the entrance selling tickets. The ticket of 30 yuan is sold for 80 yuan the highest, and 45 yuan for the lowest.

"The Water Cube is now transformed for business use." the staff of the entrance office of Water Cube said. The official Olympic swimming pools have been pumped out, and the fountain pipes are being installed at the bottom of the swimming pools in order to prepare a large-scale water, sound and light combined concert. There are only training pool and diving pool with water in Water Cube, so the audience can only be entered from the eastern side of the stands to visit.

Change Your Light Bulb, Flatter Your Face

Do you know the sacret that why the camarerman always can make you look "good" every time? Ok, I will tell you. The sacret is great lighting. Anybody who has seen television or film production up close knows that it takes longer to light a scene than to do almost anything else. And there’s a reason to take the time: Great light can make people look gorgeous. Bad light can make them disappear. A new kind of light that would make everybody look fantastic, even late at night: LED bricks.

LED bricks are just square arrangements of LEDs, or Light Emitting Diodes. And you have probably seen LED lights in tons of places — on the tail lights of most modern cars (replacing bulbs that wear out quickly vs. the average 50,000-hour life of an LED), for example, or at stoplights, where the traditional bulb has been replaced by hundreds of little points of LED light. And if you watched the Olympics, you saw millions of LED lights shining wild, crazy colors on the outside walls of the Aquatic Center.

These LEDs could theoretically shine up to 16 million different colors… including a special color that is the "healthy glow" of this story’s title. More on the secret color, and how you can use it, in a moment.

First, though, the results: It worked. My bride, Carrie, said, “Yes.” My new in-laws, as far as I could tell, were happy. And in spite of my groomlike nerves and my citylike pallor, I looked pretty good. So did everybody else. And here’s the kicker — it saved money on our electric bill.

Yes, LEDs use much, much less electricity. Here are the numbers: An LED produces about 400 percent more light (the unit of measurement is called a “lumen”) than a regular light bulb. And it uses half the electricity to power it. Even better, when you dim an LED, it uses even less juice. Plus, unlike conventional light bulbs, LED lighting can be focused. What does that mean? It means LEDs can throw light exactly where you want it — this may sound trivial, but if you’re thinking about saving money, it’s actually a very, very big deal.

Here’s why: If you look at a regular, round, 60-watt light bulb, you see that the light flies outward from it in all directions — up, down, left, right, at all angles. That’s nice, I guess, but if you have a light bulb in a lamp on your desk, for example, you only want light on your desk. Not on the ceiling. Not in your eyes. So you put a lamp shade around the bulb. Great! Pretty! And, if it’s a Tiffany lamp shade, expensive! But there is a big irony: You’re now powering an entire light bulb and blocking about 50 percent of the light, on purpose!

It gets even more ridiculous when you look at recessed lights, which are often found in the ceiling of your kitchen or bedroom. A solid 40 to 50 percent of your light is now lighting … the insulation in the floor above you.
Then, add this maddening fact: Ninety percent of the energy used to power a normal light bulb is lost as heat. Yep, Edison was a genius, but only 10 percent of the electricity in the system he created (and which you paid Con Edison for) is actually turned into light. This is why you have to turn off a light bulb for a while before you can put your hand on it — all that heat is wasted energy.

All right, enough beating up on conventional lighting. Here’s the alternative, followed by the secret “beauty” color. First, the solution: LED lighting for the home is emerging as a viable, and cost-effective, alternative to conventional bulbs. And they can make a much, much warmer light than CFLs (compact fluorescents — those twisted light bulbs). CFLs throw light with all the warmth of a meat freezer.

LEDs take the 120 volts of alternating current (AC) that comes into your house and, using small transformers, drop the current down (often to 24 volts) of DC, or Direct Current. Those transformers lose only about 10 percent of the power in the conversion. Then, the rest of the electricity runs the LED, which lights your room, again, using only about half the electricity required for the old bulbs.

In other words, when the night goes, the more you should throw a little more pink into the mix. Just turn up the color. With LEDs you can do that. And everybody will look fantastic. Even me.

The Best Viewing Period of Xiangshan Maple Leaves

Yesterday, Maple Leaf Festival of the Xiangshan Park is openning. Maple Leaf Festival will continue to the 9th next month. During the period, in order to ease traffic pressure, the park consult with the traffic control department that opened a one-way down the mountain-lane --- Jie wangfu Road (from Jinyuan Holiday Hotel to Xiangshan South Road).

One staff of Xiangshan maple leaves phenological observations group said that due to the abundant rain of Beijing this year, maple leaves grow better than last year and the best viewing period will reach more than 20 days. It is expected that the best viewing period will last from the end of October to early November.

One staff of Xiangshan Park said that the travel population is expected to break 70,000 per day during the best viewing period of Maple leaces. So Xiangshan Park remind visitors to take buses here as much as possible at that time.

Reporters learned that the Xiangshan Red Leaf Festival will be held from October 15 to November 9. Admission fee: 10 RMB. During the eight days, the visitors who have the yearly, seasonly and monthly commutation tickets can only visit park at 6:00 to 9:00 and 16:00 to 18:30 a day.

The Best palce for viewing are Jingcui lake, Xiangshan Temple, Heshun Gate, Yuhua Hill and Xiangwu Grotto. The Jingcui Lake is the nearest place to watch the best.

Beijing Government Website Publishes Beijing Visitors Guidebook

"Essence of Beijing", a comprehensive 200 page visitor's guide to Beijing, is produced by the govenment of Beijing introducing the Beijing's culture heritage sites and popular destinations. The book is designed to help visitors feel more comfortable exploring the city. Every chapter of this book is put online that be helpful for visitors to look at what has been added.

The visitor's guide introduces Beijing for those who are arriving for the first time and is a free service of eBeijing.

The guide is divided into ten chapters, each of which represents a cultural area. Each area is described in a one day walking tour, with descriptions of cultural, historical, and other interesting sites along the route.

The guide is unique in Beijing for its use of several media formats together to serve visitors.The multiple publication channels include of a paperback guide convenient for walking tours, a mobile site which offers on-the-spot information about a location once a visitor has arrived, and a detailed online website guide which can be accessed from a web browser.

China Big Attraction for US - Poll

The Great Wall is the most recognized symbol of China among Americans, a survey released on Monday by US-based Perspective Resources Inc (PRI) has claimed.

Entitled "A Study of American Perceptions of China" the survey attracted 2 million US citizens, all aged 18 or above, with different social and education backgrounds. They were asked 10 questions about China.

When asked what they most associated with China, 49 percent said the Great Wall, followed by the Beijing Olympics (36 percent), rice and food (34 percent) and dragons (32 percent).

When asked to say which words they most associated with the country, the most popular answers were "highly populated", "government or Communism", "culture or history" and "red".

The most famous Chinese people are Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, Mao Zedong, Confucius, Jet Li, Yao Ming, Buddha, Lucy Liu, Genghis Khan and Chow Yun-fat, the survey found.

When asked what are the most popular Chinese dishes, nearly 60 percent said it was rice or fried rice. Others mentioned egg rolls, noodles, wonton soup, fortune cookies, egg drop soup and stir-fried food.

When it comes to places to visit, Americans think of Beijing, the Great Wall, Hong Kong, Shanghai, the Bird's Nest, Forbidden City, Tibet and Tian'anmen Square, the revealing survey said.

Twenty-two percent of those surveyed also mentioned Singapore, which they thought was a Chinese city.
Chinese brand names are least familiar with Americans who named Samsung, Toyota, Nissan and Nike, which are not Chinese at all.

Forty-two percent of people surveyed said they could not name any Chinese brands, although 87 percent said they had used products made in China such as clothing, electronics and toys.

Asked about the most important issues in China, 39 percent said civil rights and freedom.

Others mentioned a wide range of topics such as population control, pollution, Communism and Capitalism, the economy, labor issues, sweatshops, low quality products, US debt to China and Tibet.

The survey also found that 49 percent of respondents were interested in Chinese history and culture, while 53 percent said they hoped to someday visit China.

The survey's margin of error was within 5 percent, according to PRI.

Set up in 1973, PRI has clients such as Cable News Network, General Electric, AT&T, VISA and American Airlines.

The survey was commissioned by the Blue Ocean Network International Communications Committee, a media organization that aims to promote better understanding of China among Westerners.

Arranging Your Home Lighting

Arranging your home lighting is always a high priority whether you are moving into a new house of simply looking for a way to improve your current home. There are plenty of decisions that need to be made. Where should you put the lights? How much light is needed to fit the decor and mood of the room? Even what style of lighting goes best with your furnishings? Chandelier is one of the accessories that can add beauty to the interior of the house. It will bring elegance and appeal to your house, it will also add sparks and to a room and more permanent than lamps that can move around. But of course for the chandelier can add beauty and will work well by properly positioning the chandelier.

There are a lot of things you need to consider before choosing a chandelier. First thing to consider is the size. Size of the chandelier and the size of the room should be proportion. If you put a small chandelier in a big room, it will just look isolated. And if you put a big one on a small room, the room will then look crowded. So before you choose chandelier you should select one that will fit you room.

You need to be creative in searching for crystal chandelier that will add beauty and spark on a room. You should be careful in choosing the right one because there is a lot of variety to choose from. Crystal chandeliers styles are complicated, large, modern, and authentic. It can also bring some sentimental scents and value to a home.

When you are trying to choose one for your dining room, proportionality of the room and the chandelier is very important. You should measure the length and width of a dining table and if your dining table is circular measure the diameter. Measurements are very important to know if a certain chandelier can fit your dining area. The diameter should be twelve inches shorter than the dining table's width.

Before installing it, you should check the electric box that will support the new light of your chandelier. We all know that it has a lot of lights and bulbs. Make sure that your electric box can support and supply enough wattage on each lamp or lights on the chandelier. If electric box can support the chandelier it will cause electrical overload and can cause fire.

If you are deciding to install yours over the dining table, make sure that the crystal chandelier is position at the center of the dining table. And it should be 30 to 33 inches apart from the top of the dining table and at the bottom of the chandelier. This will prevent head bumps on the chandelier and to avoid accident.

Consider also the bulb that you will use for your chandeliers. Since chandelier requires a numbers of bulbs, select bulbs that has a low wattage rating. And as soon as you put the right bulb, it will give you sufficient light and will balance the brightness of a certain room.

Given that crystal chandelier gives beauty and elegance to a room, you should have a proper maintenance to sustain the beauty that it brings on your house. You should clean your chandelier once in a year, but before cleaning it, you need to turn off the bulb for about 10 minutes before cleaning it. This will avoid burnt hand and will safety you to some injuries.

Construction Material of the Great Wall

As we all know, the Great Wall is the treasure of China - even the world. It really is a great masterpiece of mankind, with its beautiful scenes and grand construction. What many people may not know, however, is that in different periods of Chinese history the material of the Great Wall is different in different areas.

Before the use of bricks, the Great Wall was mainly built from earth, stones and wood. Due to the large quantity of materials required to construct the Great Wall, the builders always tried to use local sources. When building over the mountain ranges, the stones of the mountain were exploited and used; while in the plains, earth was rammed into solid blocks to be used in construction. In the desert, even the sanded reeds and juniper tamarisks were used to build the Great Wall.

Before and during the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC), because the earth buildings could withstand the strength of weapons like swords and spears and there was low technology of productivity, the Great Wall was basically built by stamping earth between board frames. As such, only walls of plain earth or earth with gravel inside were built. No fortresses were constructed along the wall, nor bricks used in the construction of gates at the passes. Some of the walls were even made only from piles of crude stones. Around Dunhuang City in Gansu Province, Yulin City in Shaanxi Province and Baotou City in Inner Mongolia, sites can still be found from the Great Wall of Qin, the Great Wall of Han and the Wall of Zhao. The Wall of Zhao was built during the Warring States Period using board frames, and the layers of earth can still be clearly seen.

During the period following the Han Dynasty (202BC-220AD), earth or crude stones were still popular building tools. The construction material did not reach a new level until the middle of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644); however the principle of using local material was maintained. Three hundred million cubic meters (393 million yards) of earthwork were used in the construction of the Great Wall, and with the appearance of large brick and lime workshops, some parts were also built with these new materials.

Bricks were used in a lot of areas during the Ming Dynasty, as well as materials such as tiles and lime. Attempts were always made to produce the materials locally, so kiln workshops were established to burn the crude material. In a construction team there was Material Supply Department. For example, in Juyongguan Pass names of supply departments such as kiln workshops, stone ponds and material supply departments were recorded. Some materials, such as the timbers for the construction of the passes, did have to be transported from outside areas when there were none available locally. Bricks were more a convenient material than earth and stone as their small size and light weight made them convenient to carry and thus quickened the speed of construction. Bricks are also the ideal material to bear the weight. According to a sample experiment experiencing gravity and erosion over a hundred years, the compressive strength, resistance to freezing and absorbency of the bricks of the time are similar to today's common bricks. A huge brick from a hundred years ago showed a high level of technological skill for that time. For further ease of construction, different shapes of brick were also burned and made to stuff into different positions. Stone, however, still has its advantages.

Stones cut in rectangular shapes were mostly used to build the foundation, inner and outer brims, and gateways of the Great Wall. In the Badaling section, the Great Wall is made almost entirely of granite, some of green and white stones and some of white marble. The stone material was found to better resist efflorescence than bricks.

It is not only because of the high level of productivity of the time that hard material like bricks and stones were used in the construction of the Great Wall, but also because of the development of weapons. Before the Ming Dynasty, the Great Wall was built from board frames and, although not very solid, could withhold simple weapons like swords, spears and bows. But during the Ming Dynasty, gunpowder became available. The musket, blunderbuss and cannon appeared. Due to the use of these weapons, more solid bricks and stones were required to build a stronger Great Wall.

The Great Wall of China embodies the great systems of defense created during the wars of the time; moreover it indicates a great achievement in architecture.