Beijing plans New Year countdown celebration

Beijing will hold its second New Year countdown celebration on Dec 31, officials from the Beijing Travel Committee said at a news conference on Tuesday.

Officials from the Beijing Travel Committee speak about the New Year countdown celebration at a news conference held in Beijing on Tuesday. [Photo/ chinadaily.com.cn]

The celebration, from 22:45 on Dec 31 to 00:20 on Jan 1, will be held at Summer Palace. The celebration includes performances and a 60-second countdown, said Wang Yue, deputy director of the Beijing Travel Committee.

Summer Palace was originally constructed in 1750 as a royal garden during the Qing Dynasty. Now it is a popular tourist spot in the capital.

About 4,000 visitors will be invited to the celebration. For safety reasons, the celebration will not be open to the public, but Beijing Television will broadcast the event live, Wang added.

The first New Year countdown celebration in Beijing was held last year at Temple of Heaven, drawing about 4,000 visitors.