The reporters were visiting the Great Wall in China. [Photo by Wang Zhiyong/China.org.cn]

The Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square

The Forbidden City, located in central Beijing, used to be the imperial palace for emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Jozy Zhou, our guide, speaks about this place passionately. We toured it on a Wednesday afternoon and it was teeming with tourists. According to our guide, during the Ming Dynasty people were forbidden from accessing it without permission of the emperor, thus earning the name 'The Forbidden City'.

Today, it is one of the most popular tourist attractions.

Another frequented spot is the Tiananmen Square, with Tiananmen Tower standing at the north end of the Square. This is essentially the main entrance to the Forbidden City. At the centre of the square is a monument to the People's Heroes built in 1952.

"The People's Heroes are Immortal", engraved on the monument, are reportedly written by the greatly revered Chairman Mao whose body apparently lies in the Chairman Mao's Memorial Hall on the Square's south. The Great Hall of the People, the location for the China National People's Congress meetings is positioned on the Square's western side.

There are other historical sites at the Square such as the China National Museum located on the east side; another key feature on the west is the stunning Beijing National Theatre. Nicknamed the egg (it actually looks like an egg floating on water), this grand theatre is an arresting site! We visited it at night but were impressed by its novel design enclosed by an artificial lake.

Xiang Tang Cultural Village

Located about 60 kms from the centre of Beijing, this village is a place of idyllic beauty. The tour guide describes it as a perfect natural oxygen bar and a home with intoxicating culture. Established in 1995, this village has today grown into an amazing set up that was, in 2007, classified as the most beautiful village in Beijing and was chosen as the Beijing Olympic Tourism Reception village in 2008.

With its laidback but classy outlook, the residents speak with a lot of pride about this vast centre of stunning villas, an Oriental Painting and Calligraphy Institute, International Agriculture Sightseeing Park, play fields, among others. One of the most beautiful sites is the Tai Wei Golf Course- an exclusive club that exudes understated, almost snobbish, elegance.

Xiang Tang's expansive orchards produce apples, strawberries, peaches, etc. A few kilometres from the farm, we visited a restaurant in a farm area where we were served roast sweet potatoes, boiled eggs, roast corn... but then again, strangely, pigeons. To the Chinese, food is an art, presented with such meticulous display.

China is therefore not just holding Africa's hand through aid. It is using the country's rich culture and tourist attractions. Through publications like ChinaAfrica Magazine published by Beijing Review and websites like china.org.cn that is published in several languages, information about China is spreading beyond foreign aid to social aspects.