A truly impressive memento of a memorable visit － for the coffee table or the bookshelf － or a reference book for a trip yet to be taken, Magnificent City is a pictorial record of one of the greatest and most ancient cities on earth.

Indeed a magnificent city, Beijing offers a wealth of history, fantastic activities and heritage sites of outstanding cultural significance.

A city that makes strong impressions and lasting memories.

The combination of people-watching and sightseeing offered by Tian'anmen Square, Beihai Park and the Great Wall, as well as the extraordinary grandeur and scale of the Forbidden City make it an invigorating place for long, meandering strolls or short sightseeing trips at almost any time of the year. Duck-shaped paddleboats in the park will make you smile and chances are you'll be tempted to take to the water. Breathtaking serpentine twists and turns of the Great Wall will likely tempt you further a field.

Many a Beijing love affair began not with grandiose palaces, temples or extravagant architecture but with the first sight of the humble hutong and the courtyards. Temple-hoppers in seventh-heaven love Yong He Gong, the Lama Temple and the majestic pleasures of the Temple of Heaven. And visitors encounter wide-eyed tour guides with tales of ancient trees in majestic temple compounds.

A modern metropolis, the city connects with global counterparts anytime of the day or night － London, Paris, Beijing, Rome... .

Magnificent city: ancient, precious and spectacular.

We hope you'll treasure this book as much as we treasure our city!

Beijing - The Magnificent City 2004-2005.

Hardback, 271 glorious pictures on 157 full-colour glossy pages, 235x315mm.

RMB260 / US$34.95