Venue

Crowne Plaza Hotel Parkview WUZHOU

The conference will be held at Crowne Plaza Hotel Parkview WUZHOU, 8 North Si Huan Zhong Rd., Beijing, China. The Crowne Plaza is a luxury hotel located in the northern part of Beijing next to the International Convention Center and within walking distance of the Olympic Green, 25-minute from the International Airport. [Hotel website].

Directions

View hotel in a larger map

From Beijing Capital International Airport, 15mi (25km)

By airport shuttle (16CNY):

Take Line 5, get off at An Hui Qiao station.
The hotel is located at the west north corner of An Hui Qiao overpass.
Charge (one way): 16 CNY.

By taxi (120CNY)

From Beijing Railway Station, 7.4mi (12km)

By subway (2CNY):

Take Line 2, get off at Yong He Gong station.
Transfer to Line 5, get off at Hui Xin Xi Jie Bei Kou station.
The hotel is 2000ft (600m) west at the west north corner of An Hui Qiao overpass.

By taxi (30CNY)

Budget

This section provides information that can be useful to budget a trip to Beijing. Flights cost are often variable, to give an idea we have been tracking prices in 2011 from a couple of cities around the world. The lowest flight ticket price we can find are shown below. X-axis is the collection date and Y-axis is the price in US dollars. The ticket parameters are:

Roundtrip
Economy
1 adult passenger
Arrival: Jun 8, 2011
Return: Jun 20, 2011
3 day flexibility

Visas

Please remember that you'll need to get a visa well in advance of your trip. Make sure that you apply at the Chinese Embassy/Consulate in your country, no later than four weeks before your departure. There are two types of visas:

Tourist Visa (L Visa): The simplest way is to apply for a tourist ("L") visa, which gives you enough time to attend the conference and participate in pre/post conference activities. Most attendees should get a Tourist Visa. Please contact the Embassy or Consulate in your region for instructions. An official invitation letter is NOT required. The regular processing time is 4-5 working days. Please plan ahead to allow enough time for visa processing.
Business Visa (F Visa): If you have a problem on obtaining a tourist visa, you will need an official invitation letter to apply for a business visa. This letter will be sent to you upon request.

More information:

Professional Visa Services

For US citizens China Visa Service Center, VisaRite and Atlas Services will take care of the application process. For British citizens Thames Consular provides a similar service. The conference organizers do not endorse any particular visa service.

Visiting Beijing

Beijing, the capitol of China, is a city renowned for its glorious history and amazing culture. There is no capital in the world quite like Beijing because it has so many features of historical significance. Beijing has been China’s capital for over 800 years and is not only the country’s political center, but also the cultural, scientific and educational hub of the country. There is an unparalleled wealth of discovery to delight and intrigue travelers as they explore Beijing's ancient past and exciting modern development. Beijing has many great places where tourists get a unique perspective of what China has to offer to the world. From world famous attractions such as the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace to beautiful gardens and museums, Beijing tour has something for everyone.

Beijing Attractions

The Forbidden City
Seat of supreme power for over five centuries, the Forbidden City is a priceless testimony to Chinese civilization.

Tiananmen Square
Tian'anmen Square occupies an area of 49 hectares (122 acres), big enough to hold half a million people. It was named after the Tiananmen (literally, Gate of Heavenly Peace) which stands on its north side, separating it from the Forbidden City.

The Great Wall
The Great Wall is a series of stone and earthen fortifications, built, rebuilt, and maintained between the 6th century BC and the 16th century to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire from Xiongnu attacks.

The Summer Palace
UNESCO declared the Summer Palace an "outstanding expression of the creative art of Chinese landscape garden design, incorporating the works of humankind and nature in a harmonious whole."

Temple of Heaven
The dignified complex graphically illustrates a cosmogony of the civilization.

Ming Tombs
The Ming Dynasty Tombs are located some 50 kilometers due North of Beijing at a specially selected site. The site was chosen by the third Ming Dynasty emperor Yongle (1402-1424), who moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijing.

Lama Temple
Lama Temple is one of the most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries. It houses a treasury of Buddhist art, including sculptured images of gods, demons and Buddhas, as well as Tibetan-style murals.

Houhai
Because of its proximity to the Forbiddent City, this area was historically home to court officials and the city's elite. Some of their residence still stand.

Qianmen Dajie (Dashilan)
This has been a shopping strip for more than 500 years, and remains one of the most memorable experiences in the city.

Wangfujing
This is the city's best-known shopping area. The street is always busy, mostly with pedestrians, but that's part of its charm.

Liulichang
The Liulichang Street of Chinese Culture is a 750 meter long collection of all kinds of Calligraphy, art, antiques and paintings that China has to offer.

Quan Ju De
Probably the best-known of all the Peking Duck restaurants.

The Capital Museum
With its striking modern architecture and impressive variety of exhibits, the Capital Museum has staked its claim as the best museum in Beijing.

Bird's Nest
The twig-like structural elements and the bowl-shaped roof are the masterpiece of the project.