The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism on Saturday introduced 10 new cycling routes featuring key landmarks and local characteristics, aiming to enrich the cultural experience for cyclists as they hit the road to enhance fitness.
The new city cycling routes cover historic landmarks like the ancient Bell and Drum Towers, Yonghe Lama Temple, and the Imperial College, as well as popular sites such as the Shichahai Lake, Gulou East Avenue, and the famous food street Guijie. Cyclists can get a close-up look at a series of hutong, Beijing’s traditional alleys, and fully immerse themselves in the city's rich history and culture.
"During the day, the cool weather with blue skies and white clouds in autumn is ideal for cycling. At night, the sparking lights in the hutong and neon signs beyond offer a different view. This offers a wonderful experience for cycling tours in Beijing, making it a pleasure to appreciate every brick and tile in the city," said Zhang Zhifang, a cycling enthusiast.
Among the 10 cycling routes are those featuring distinct themes, like the Beijing Central Axis, Hutong, and Forbidden City routes, with relevant cultural displays along the way.
"The 10 night cycling routes we introduced today connect some legacy-based cultural landmarks along the Beijing Central Axis with various new shopping areas and popular spots. These routes provide a blend of cultural experience, relaxation, fitness, and tourism, fully showcasing Beijing vibrancy at night," said Zhao Man, deputy director of the publicity department at the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism.
Beijing introduces new cycling routes featuring cultural landmarks
Beijing introduces new cycling routes featuring cultural landmarks
The 2024 Kazakhstan Tourism Year in China officially closed on Wednesday in Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan, with fruitful results achieved in promoting travel between the two countries. An international tourism forum was held within the framework of the closing ceremony. About 300 people, including Kazakhstan's Vice Minister of Tourism and Sports Yerkinbayev Yerzhan Malikovich, Chinese Consul General in Almaty Jiang Wei, and representatives from tourism and media of both countries, attended the event.
Yerkinbayev said that Kazakhstan plans to expand passenger capacity at land ports connecting the countries and increase investment in tourism infrastructure construction to attract more Chinese tourists.
"We are seeing more and more Chinese tourists coming to Kazakhstan, so we should improve tourism infrastructure and not let these visitors down. Today at the forum we announced that we will open new border crossings and improve the facilities at existing ones. Some improvement work has already started this year, making these crossings convenient not only for the clearance of goods but also for people," he said.
"The leaders of the two countries have announced that 2025 will be the Chinese Tourism Year in Kazakhstan. We are looking forward to the series of activities planned by our Chinese colleagues, and will fully support every event to be held in Kazakhstan next year," he added.
Jiang, the Chinese Consul General in Almaty, said that all-round and high-level China-Kazakhstan tourism cooperation has been launched, which will inject new impetus into promoting mutual understanding between the two peoples and building a more meaningful and dynamic China-Kazakhstan community with a shared future.
"Since the launch of the Kazakhstan Tourism Year event, departments at all levels of the two countries, especially the tourism departments, have held promotion meetings, forums, and tourism exhibitions in both countries, providing tourists with a variety of colorful activities. Such events have opened up windows for promoting mutual understanding and friendship between the peoples of the two countries and enhancing mutual learning between civilizations," Jiang said.
At the closing ceremony, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Kazakhstan presented the "Most Influential International Media Cooperation Award" to CCTV-4 Channel of China Media Group (CMG), commending the three-part documentary "Bond with China—For the Common Dream" produced in cooperation with the Khabar Media Group of Kazakhstan.
The program was launched in July this year at a China-Kazakhstan cultural exchange event organized by CMG, and was aired simultaneously on China's CCTV-4, the TV channels under the Khabar Media Group, and Atameken TV.
Daniyel Serzhanuly, deputy chairman of the board for the Kazakh Tourism National Company, said that the documentary showcases the culture and beautiful scenery of Kazakhstan to Chinese audiences. He expressed hope for deepened cooperation in media between the two countries.
"Among the more than 30 cooperation projects implemented under the tourism year program, there are media cooperation projects. The most successful one is the three-part documentary about Kazakhstan produced in cooperation with CCTV-4. The program was launched before the SCO Summit, which showed the tourism potential of Kazakhstan to Chinese audiences and improved Chinese people's understanding of Kazakhstan," he said.
Two sub-forums and a B2B tourism business negotiation meeting were also held within the framework of the closing ceremony.
2024 Kazakhstan Tourism Year in China closes with fruitful results
