The 2008 Beijing temple fair will start on February 2 and last until February 12, 2008. During the temple fair, the sculptures of Fuwa will appear to the public.

Compared with the temple fairs of the previous year, the 2008 temple fair will be quite different. It will be characterized by the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Chinese local customs. In Beijing National Sculpture Park (北京国际雕塑公园), visitors will have a chance to see the sculptures of Fuwa. There will be art-performing groups from Yunnan, Guizhou, Hubei, Guangdong, Shanxi provinces and Beijing as well. They will present wonderful performances, including singing, dancing, acrobatics, magic, stilt walking and folk art shows. Besides, visitors can have a good taste of a variety of local products.

It is reported that six of the most famous time-honored shops in Beijing get their new English names. These new English names are widely recognized by the centuries-old shops. Gold-lettered signboards will be made later and put into use in this March.

 

On January 6th, the Guangzhou-Beijing Olympic Train (No.T16) departed from Guangzhou Railway Station. This is China's second Olympic train that has been commenced.

The first Olympic train, launched on December 18, 2007, runs between Shanghai and Beijing. The special trains are all air-conditioned, and they aim to promote the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Inside the carriages, there are curtains printed with the Olympic emblem. The frames hanging by the windows are inlaid with the picture of Olympic mascots.

Detailed information of the Olympic Trains:

 

In the beginning of the year 2008, the Beijing Olympic Committee issued over seventy new Olympic licensed products.

The new products include golden products, silver goods, golden and silver plating, jade articles and other decorations. The types of the commemorative medals range from Olympic torch to Olympic venues, including the National Stadium, National Aquatics Center and the National Indoor Stadium. Among them, the large-size golden models of the National Stadium are sold with a limited quantity.

The 'Good Luck Beijing 2008 Swimming China Open' and the 16th FINA Diving World Cup will be held in the National Aquatics Center respectively from January 31st to February 5th and from February 19th to 24th. On the occasion, the National Aquatics Center will make its first appearance to the public.

It is reported that, during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Swimming, Diving, Synchronized Swimming will take place in the National Aquatics Center. Totally 42 golden medals will be awarded here.

From January 8th, Dongzhimen Subway Station will be reopened to passengers, while the Entrance B and Entrance C of this station will be still closed until March 28th.

The improvement of the AFC (automatic fare collection) has been completed on the Subway Line 1 and Subway Line 2 so far. The reconstruction of the Dongzhimen Subway Station, started on December 16, 2007, has been finished two days in advance. Therefore, the station will be officially reopened on January 8th.

However, the improvement of the Entrance B (northeast entrance) and Entrance C (southeast entrance) will last until March 28th. Passengers can go into or out of this subway station from the Entrance A (northwest entrance) and Entrance D (southwest entrance).