The best time to visit is autumn. High tourist season is September 15 to November 15, and March l to June l. It is at almost the same latitude as Philadelphia with similar temperatures. The hottest days are in July and August, up to 38′C; the coldest are in January and February, down to-20′C, sometimes with snow. Sand storms occasionally blow from December to late March, and sometimes into May and even August. The winter air is heavily polluted and very dry. The annual precipitation is 683 millimeters, usually from June to August. There’s a chronic water shortage which should be alleviated in the future by diverting water from the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers.

In 2001, Beijing was named host for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. In the years leading up to the Games, don’t expect to get around this city with ease as roads get widened, two new subways and a light rail system get built, and whole neighborhoods got demolished and reconstructed. Restaurants and bars will disappear and hopefully reappear elsewhere. If you are going to spend any length of time in this city, do get yourself a mobile telephone so you can inform people you’re going to be late, or you’re lost and please tell the taxi driver how to get there.

This warning is to prepare you for the worst, but not to deter you from a visit as Beijing strives to become “a modern city with an ancient flavor.” Guides and drivers should have figured out ways to get around as painlessly as possible by the time you get there. I hope. Construction plans include the refurbishing and opening of additional heritage sites like the home of Matteo Ricci, the remarkable 16th century Jesuit missionary from Italy. The air should get progressively cleaner towards 2008 and the taxi drivers should have learned their 300 phrases in English.

Note: If the air quality index is below 100, all is well. If it’s between 200 and 300һit’s medium pollution. If it’s over 300, its heavy pollution and people are advised to stay indoors. You could carry a scarf or mask to cover your nose if you think the air will bother you. Beijing is doing a lot to eliminate air pollution, limiting motor vehicles inside the city, and switching to natural gas inside the Fourth Ring Road. It has been exiling polluting factories to the far suburbs