Source: CCTV.com

08-08-2007 17:17

Special Report:   2008 Beijing Olympics

Beijing is buzzing with Olympic fever as the seconds tick down. It's almost exactly one year before the summer Games will come to Beijing and China wants to impress the world with more than just sporting events. To accommodate the estimated half-a-million visitors next year, all restaurants and hotels in Beijing are cleaning up their act and getting ready to put on their best face.

Welcome to Beijing and welcome to the Beijing Olympics! Every Beijing resident awaits; eager to express those sentiments to overseas athletes, tourists and media who will come in 2008. There's a lot that the people of Beijing want to share beyond just the thrill of watching the Olympic events. Only by meeting the people, savoring the food and embracing the sites, lavish with history, can the visitor truly appreciate Beijing's charm. It's what makes people in Beijing so proud and that's what makes them excited to see play host to the world.

Peking Duck, hot pot, Mongolian Barbecue, Imperial restaurants, Sichuan and Shanghai flavor are only a small part of the dynamic variety of food that is available. The city assembles the most varied and first-class gourmets, telling the history and appetite of Chinese people of thousands of years.

Beijing has about ten restaurant areas offering different styled cuisine. There are traditional old standards, there are snacks and western food. Visitors can easily get the map on the Internet or just take a cab to where they want to go. Compare carefully and have a nice meal.

For those who are afraid there is no trueborn western food available, the more than 600 foreign restaurants in town won't let you down.

Restaurateurs say that visitors will have a great time here.

Na Jinglin, owner of Najia Restaurant, said, "If foreign tourists come to Beijing, we will present the best part of our culture and traditional food to them. I am sure by doing so the foreign tourists can easily accept our culture and then spread it all over the world."