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        <title>Been there | Tips</title>
        
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        <description>
            Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love,
            live in or have just visited - are what make this guide.
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                <title>Love hotels</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/2628</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[What else combines the privacy of a Swiss bank, the convenience of a public toilet and the gaudiness of Hollywood?<br><br>Love hotels offer beds (sometimes of the revolving or water variety) at about 4,000 yen for a couple of hours' "rest" or around 8,000 yen for the whole night. At the most basic, the automated mini-bars offer condoms and vibrators along with pep drinks and beer. <br><br>The more outlandish hotels offer steamy jungle rooms, S&amp;M dungeons and even a full-scale replica of Queen Elizabeth's coronation couch.]]></description>
                
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                <title>Sumo</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/2626</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[Ryogoku district sumo stables. What is left of the floating world of old Japan can be glimpsed in the north-east of Tokyo, home to the Yoshiwara pleasure quarters, the magnificent Asukusa Kannon temple and the sumo stables of the Ryogoku district. Some of the latter allow visitors to watch the practice sessions for free. You will have to set your alarm clock, though, as training can start as early as 4am, but it is worth the effort to get an insight into the traditional and hierarchical world of sumo. Seeing these giants limber up by slapping huge wooden pillars - or each other - is an impressive enough spectacle; watching them humbly sweep the floor is even more memorable. For those who want to probe a little deeper, there is a sumo museum in the area.]]></description>
                
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                <title>Airport transfer: take the shuttle bus</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/746</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[Three different routes are available into the city: Xidan, Gongzhufen and Zhongguancun. Xidan is the most central destination and the most popular. Each bus runs every half an hour between 6am and 10.30pm from outside arrivals. They also stop at major hotels along the eighteen mile journey. Taxis are an alternative, but it may be wise to ensure you have your destination written down in Chinese. The journey by car will take approximately one hour.]]></description>
                
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                <title>That’s Beijing</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/598</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[Have a look at That's Beijing for what's going on in the city.]]></description>
                
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                <title>Red House Hotel</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/93</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[Cheap and cheerful dormitory accommodation for 70rmb, with cosy football bar and reliable internet access.]]></description>
                
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                <title>The Green Tea House</title>
                
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                <description><![CDATA[Remarkable modern decor, imaginatively presented dishes and very fine tea.]]></description>
                
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                <title>Temple of Heaven Park</title>
                
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                <description><![CDATA[A tranquil mix of Ming architecture, mathematical genius and wide-open space. Depending on your mood, this is the place where your mind can either wander, empty or fill.]]></description>
                
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                <title>Made-to-measure clothes</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/89</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[You may not be able to afford it at Saville Row or Knightbridge, but the skilled tailors of Yaxiu in Sanlitun can knock out western or Chinese-style suits and dresses at a fraction of the price if you give them a couple of days.]]></description>
                
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                <title>The World of Suzie Wong</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/88</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[The World of Suzie Wong, near the west entrance of Chaoyang Park, is as notorious as it is famous. But the mix of opium den-style curtained alcoves, terrace views across the park and thumping beats ought to be experienced at least once.]]></description>
                
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                <title>Youhao Guesthouse</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/86</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[A courtyard hotel that was formerly the residence of Chiang Kaishek, offers decent rooms for 300-800 rmb per night.]]></description>
                
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                <title>Fangshan restaurant</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/84</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[Located in Beihai Park, once an imperial garden, the restaurant offers exquisite imperial food of former Qing Dynasty. Waitresses in period garb lead you to the dining room, which is splendid, with high painted ceilings and traditional Chinese art. 200-300 rmb per person.]]></description>
                
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                <title>Donglaishun</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/83</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[This is the place for mutton hot pot, a traditional northern dish. Expect to pay about 40rmb per head.]]></description>
                
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                <title>Shower</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/81</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[Directed by Zhang Yang, it is a truly modern – and award-winning - Beijing tale of what happens to a community when their public bathhouse is threatened with demolition.]]></description>
                
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                <title>Red Dust by Ma Jun</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/82</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[A travelogue that starts and finishes in a Beijing alleyway, but takes the reader through the geographic and political hinterlands of China in the 1980s.]]></description>
                
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                <title>Ritan Park</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/80</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[Neither the biggest nor the most beautiful of Beijing’s parks, but it is filled with a gentle communal life rather than hordes of tourists. For the 1rmb entry fee, you can see Beijing opera singers, somersaulting gymnasts, kite-flyers, pavement ballroom dancers, tai-chi practitioners and badminton players. If you feel like peace and quiet, there are quiet groves around the edges.]]></description>
                
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                <title>Boat ride in Chaoyang Park</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/79</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[Keep the kids happy with a boat ride on the lake in Chaoyang park, followed by a wander through the nearby fairground.]]></description>
                
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                <title>Hire a bicycle</title>
                
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                <description><![CDATA[For a taste of old Beijing, hire a bicycle and ride through the hutongs and leafy cycle lanes.]]></description>
                
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                <title>The Great Wall</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/77</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[The 10km stretch of the Great Wall from Jinshanling to Sumatai makes for an unforgettable hike. Wake early for the three-hour bus or taxi ride to the start and expect to return to Beijing in the early evening. The steep and crumbling steps are manageable. The only real hazard are the hawkers, whose stamina is pursuing tourists with bags full of bottled water and canned beer is as infuriating as it is impressive.]]></description>
                
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                <title>Peking duck</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/76</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[Cliche or not, Peking duck is a must. Try it on a Beijing scale at the 2,000-seat Quanjude Peking Duck Restaurant, which claims to be the world’s biggest.]]></description>
                
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                <title>Huawei Centre</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/75</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[When it comes to shopping, tourists usually head for the silk market in Yonganli and Yaxiu in Sanlitun, but if you want to see where young Beijingers like to spend their yuan, try the Huawei centre in Xidan, which has a mix of traditional and modern stores.]]></description>
                
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