THE ROUGH GUIDE to - Parallels Plesk Panel

Temple ornament
Beijing’s sprawling outskirts are a
messy jumble of farmland, housing and
industry, but it’s here you’ll find the most
pleasant places to retreat from the city’s
hectic pace, including the two summer
palaces, the giant parks of Badachu and
Xiangshan, and the Tanzhe, Fahai and
Jietai temples. Well outside the city –
but within the scope of a day-trip – is the
Great Wall, which winds over lonely
ridges only a few hours’ drive north of
the capital.
A week is long enough to explore the
city and its main sights, and get out to
the Great Wall. With more time, try
to venture further afield: the imperial
pleasure complex of Chengde is easily
accessible from the capital by train
and bus.
Chinese traditional
medicine
Chinese traditional medicine
has been used for 2200
years – ever since the semimythical
Xia king compiled
his classic work on medicinal
herbs. Around eight thousand
“herbs” derived from roots,
leaves, twigs, fruit and animal
parts are used – usually dried
or roasted, but sometimes
stir-fried. They are generally
taken as a bitter and earthy
tasting tea.
Diagnosis involves feeling the
pulse, examining the tongue
and face, and listening to
the tone of voice. Infections
are believed to be caused by
internal imbalances, so the
whole body is treated, rather
than just the symptom. In the
treatment of flu, for example,
a “cold action” herb would be
used to reduce fever, another
to induce sweating and so
flush out the system, and
another as a replenishing tonic.
Just as aspirin is derived
from willow bark, many
Western drugs come from
traditional herbal remedies:
artemisin, an effective
anti-malarial treatment,
for example.
With their presentation
boxes of ginseng roots and
deer antlers, traditional
Chinese pharmacies are
colourful places; a good one
to check out in Beijing is
Tongrentang on Dazhalan,
which also offers on-the-spot
diagnosis.
| INTRODUCTION | WHAT TO SEE | WHEN TO GO
9