Old Beijing, China illustration in 2007-

CHINA - JANUARY 01: Old Beijing, China illustration in 2007-Baijia traditional chinese restaurant located in Haidian district in the north of Beijing where waiters dressed in traditional Manchu outfits greet customers.The mansion's spectacular setting was once the garden of Prince Li, son of the first Qing emperor, Nurhaci (1558-1628). Cao Xueqin, the author of the Chinese classic ?Dream of the Red Chamber?, is said to have lived here as a boy. Amid a building frenzy of modern skyscrapers and new gigantic architectural projects that have destroyed many ancient areas,the capital city is still offering an old and traditional side that attract millions of foreign and chinese tourists each year. Tourism experts have estimated that Beijing will receive 4.5 million tourists in 2008. The number of overseas visitors to Beijing has grown by an average of 7 percent annually since 2001, when the city won the right to host the 2008 Olympic Games, official figures reveal. (Photo by Olivier CHOUCHANA/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)