Recently, the Beijing Tourism Administration invited more than 60 wives of ambassadors and counselors who are living in Beijing, to participate in the "Ambassadors' Wives Tour of Beijing." They came to China from over 40 countries including the UK, New Zealand and Singapore. The activity, different from sightseeing tours in the past, allows the group to experience the culture and rich flavor of Beijing.

Zhang Huiguang, director-general of the Beijing Tourism Administration, accompanied the ambassadors' wives on a visit to China's largest private art museum, the Wu Dongkui Art Museum. During the visit, Wu Dongkui, a famous Chinese painter, connoisseur and collector, exchanged views on art with the ambassadors' wives, and created traditional Chinese paintings on site using splash-ink techniques. In order to experience the allure of Chinese painting, the group also picked up brushes and learned how to paint.

At the Emperor Restaurant, the ambassadors' wives tasted an imperial banquet, listened to the stories behind the dishes they tried and witnessed classical etiquette. The group was fully captivated by the wonderful music of the traditional string and woodwind instruments they heard, and was amazed by the traditional ceremony they saw.

Wu Dongkui (middle) teaches the ambassadors' wives how to paint.
In the Mei Lanfang Grand Theater, the group was invited to listen to a lecture about Peking Opera and enjoy some wonderful pieces of Peking Opera. The ambassadors' wives were mesmerized by the intimate contact they had with China's Peking Opera.

By running this activity, the Beijing Tourism Administration displayed Beijing's top-end recreation and tourism products to people from China and abroad. It demonstrated that Beijing's tourism is turning from being sightseeing-oriented to being recreation-oriented.

By People's Daily Online