One of the world's most ancient seats of civilization, Beijing first became a center of government and trade more than 3,000 years ago. Today, it is the political and economic capital of the world's most dynamic economy. Fast-paced and forward-looking, the city encompasses China's rich heritage and its modern achievements. Following are highlights of the activities currently being planned.

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MONDAY, 16 MAY

WALK ON THE WILD SIDE OF THE GREAT WALL
Explore a "wild" (unrestored) section of the Great Wall, one of the fabled Seven Wonders of the World, with renowned authority William Lindesay. Our adventure begins as we embark on Chairman Mao's private train for an hour-long journey into the countryside. Lindesay, who began a systematic study of the wall in 1987, will go from carriage to carriage providing an insightful introduction to the structure, a massive engineering feat begun in the fifth century BC to defend the empire against marauding nomads. For those who make the challenging hike from the valley floor to the ramparts (hiking footwear is strongly recommended), the reward is stunning views of the wall as it snakes over miles of mountainous terrain.

Our guided exploration will be followed by lunch at The Commune by the Great Wall, an extraordinary private enclave that has been described as a "contemporary architecture museum for private homes." Situated in a valley with breathtaking views of the wall, the complex comprises 11 ultramodern villas—with evocative names such as Cantilever House, Bamboo Wall, Suitcase House, Twins, Split House—and a clubhouse, each designed by a noted Asian architect. The clubhouse features rooms lined with peacock feathers, fur, and straw; a men's room that resembles a boudoir; and a women's room done as a traditional smoking room. This unique project has drawn international recognition, including a special prize at the prestigious Venice Biennial in 2002.

OPENING RECEPTION, GALA DINNER, AND SPECIAL REMARKS*
The 2005 Global Forum will officially begin with a reception and gala dinner at The Temple of Heaven. The highlight of the evening will be a keynote address by His Excellency Hu Jintao, President of China.


TUESDAY, 17 MAY

The way to truly begin to know and understand a country is through its people. The second and third days of this special program will provide opportunities to meet a variety of individuals—some literally, some figuratively—reflecting different aspects of Chinese society, past and present.

Much of our time will be spent in and around the Forbidden City, so-called because it was off-limits to commoners—on penalty of death—throughout China's imperial history. More than 100,000 artisans and a million laborers built the 15th-century complex, which lies at the heart of modern Beijing. The walled complex encompasses temples, gardens, terraces, and the palaces of more than 20 emperors, including a staggering 9,999—nine is the imperial number—rooms, alcoves, and closed alleys.

BREAKFAST, BELLS, AND MARTIAL ARTS AT TAI MIAO
Our day will begin at Tai Miao, the Ancestral Temple east of the Forbidden City. The temple houses the Hall of Worship, where China's emperors prayed to their ancestors. Musicians in traditional costume will perform for us on the instruments once used to hail the emperor's arrival, including the remarkable bianzhong: a 64-piece set of bell chimes. Taiji (Tai Chi) masters will demonstrate their ancient martial art, inviting us to practice under their direction, and Shaolin monks will offer a breathtaking display of Wushu. These warrior monks, who supplied the imperial bodyguards and whose ranks in recent times produced the actor Jackie Chan and inspired Bruce Lee, have been perfecting their acrobatic martial maneuvers for more than a thousand years. Breakfast will be served by attendants in traditional costume.

MORNING ACTIVITY, OPTION 1:
AN INTRODUCTION TO CHINA'S IMPERIAL PAST-LIFESTYLES OF THE FORBIDDEN CITY
Our unique tour of the Forbidden City will go beyond the gilded tile roofs and red brick walls to focus on the complex society they contained. From emperors and their families to eunuchs, from concubines to chefs, from monks to maids, we'll learn about the daily lives and interactions of the imperial enclave's inhabitants. Along with our expert guides, we'll walk the halls and view the furnishings—including some of most interesting artwork contained in the Forbidden City—that formed the backdrop and sometimes the boundaries of their existence.

MORNING ACTIVITY, OPTION 2:
MEET CHINA'S OLYMPIANS-ONCE AND FUTURE CHAMPIONS
Beijing, which ranked a close second in the number of gold medals and third in total medals at the Summer Olympic competition in Athens, is preparing to host the 2008 summer games. We'll visit the training facilities of some of China's outstanding Olympians. There, we'll meet some of the key players shaping the 2008 Olympics and talk with athletes about what it takes to achieve world-championship standards.

LUNCH, OPTION 1:
GALLERY TOURS AND LUNCH AT THE WATCHTOWER—MEET THE AVANT-GARDE OF CHINA'S ART WORLD
There is no better way to gain insight into the new China than to explore its highly energized art scene. Brian Wallace, who has been searching out and encouraging new talent in China for two decades, will serve as our guide. After providing an overview of the development of modern art in China, he'll take us on a studio tour where we'll meet some of the country's leading contemporary artists, who are gaining increasing attention in the international art world. We'll have an opportunity to discover how the avant-garde is wrestling with the forces that are rocketing its society into the 21st century. Conversation will continue over lunch at Brian's gallery inside the Watchtower, a massive fortified gate located on one of the few surviving sections of Beijing's old city walls.

LUNCH, OPTION 2:
LUNCH AT THE GREEN T. HOUSE—A CONVERSATION WITH BEIJING STYLE-QUEEN ZHANG JINJIE
Far from a traditional teahouse, Green T. has been described variously as a "sanctuary of modernity," "a Stanley Kubrik film set with a twist of Empress Cixi's imperial audience hall," and "what Alice found after she fell down the rabbit hole, with each room a journey into a different world." The elegant restaurant is the creation of classical-musician-turned-chef Zhang Jinjie, who combines Chinese and non-Chinese ingredients-including green tea-in a unique fusion cuisine presented with a high level of artistry. China's first celebrity chef shares the spotlight on the imaginative menu with award-winning contributing chefs from around the globe. High style, impeccable service, outstanding fare, and conversation with Jinjie—our lunch at the Green T. is guaranteed to satisfy all the senses.

AFTERNOON ACTIVITY, OPTION 1: TEA AT THE SUMMER PALACE-FLOATING IN THE SHADOW OF THE INFAMOUS EMPRESS CIXI
The ideal way to experience the Summer Palace, the refuge of emperors during Beijing's hot summer months, is by water. The imperial resort is situated on a man-made lake punctuated with islands connected by a network of bridges—a late 18th-century landscape inspired by the Taoist legends of the misty lakes and their immortal isles. In the late 19th century, the Dowager Empress Cixi embezzled funds from the Imperial Navy to renovate the palace and, ironically, restore a marble boat permanently moored at the lakeside. Burned during the Boxer Rebellion of 1900, the palace was restored soon after the declaration of the People's Republic.

As we cruise on the lake, and later enjoy the traditional tea ceremony, an expert guide will provide commentary that brings the palace and the infamous Cixi to life. Those who choose may take a guided side excursion to the treasure-filled Long Corridor, the most famous part of the palace.

AFTERNOON ACTIVITY, OPTION 2:
CULTURE IN CHANGPUHE PARK-CHINESE OPERA AND THE CHILDREN'S PALACE
Changpuhe Park, one of Beijing's most beautiful outdoor spaces, occupies an area that was once the playground of Ming Dynasty emperors and part of the Forbidden City. After 1949, the Changpuhe River was filled and the royal garden was buried under warehouses. The park—which resembles an ancient villa complex with gardens and a lake—has been revived as a cultural and historical center.

Here, in the Dong Yuan Theater—whose box seats, appointed with ancient furniture and paintings, generally host China's leaders and visiting heads of state—we will receive an introduction to the unique art form that is Chinese opera. Students from the Children's Palace—one of many state-funded schools where gifted young people study and practice the arts—will perform The Monkey King and excerpts from other traditional operas. Narrating will be Ghaffar Pouzzar, an Iranian-born British actor who is one of the few foreign nationals to graduate from the Beijing Opera School. Ghaffar integrates the backstage aspects of opera into his performances by painting his face and donning his costumes onstage. At the close of the opera, students from the Beijing School of Acrobatics will perform.

AFTERNOON ACTIVITY, OPTION 3:
ART AND FASHION AT 798 SPACE IN THE DASHANZI
The Dashanzi Art District is symbolic of China's social transformation. Developed 50 years ago to an East German design, the Dashanzi factory complex was the site of large-scale munitions manufacturing. Today, it is home to Beijing's burgeoning artist community. Bauhaus-inspired factories, with their high, arched ceilings, house a thriving assortment of galleries, artists' lofts, publishers, design firms, bookstores, cafes, clubs, and restaurants. Developed largely over the past several years, the district hosted the first Beijing Biennale in 2003 and the first Dashanzi International Art Festival in 2004. Our trip to Dashanzi will include a visit to the already legendary 798 Space gallery—the symbolic center of the district—as well as a very special fashion show.

RECEPTION, DINNER, AND POST-DINNER RECEPTION*
"AN EVENING WITH CHINA'S LEADERS" HOSTED BY THE BEIJING MUNICIPALITY
Dining in the Great Hall of the People—which forms the western side of Tiananmen Square, at the very center of Beijing—has been described as an awe-inspiring experience. The history of modern China is woven into this colossal structure, whose marble halls and ceilings seem to stretch out of view. Built around an enormous auditorium, it comprises three huge banquet halls and 300 smaller reception and dining rooms, 33 of which are furnished to represent China's provinces and Special Autonomous Regions.

Following cocktails and dinner at the Great Hall, we will move to the historic Rostrum for a post-dinner reception. Located over the Tiananmen Gate in the northern wall of the square, the Rostrum is dominated by a famous portrait of Chairman Mao, who chose this site for his proclamation of the People's Republic of China on 1 October 1949.

An address by Beijing Mayor Wang Qishan and private dinners with twenty of China's Ministers and Senior Leaders will highlight the evening.


WEDNESDAY, 18 MAY

THE BUDDHAS AND BUDDHISTS OF YONGHE GONG
We will begin our day at another of Beijing's most notable temples. Yonghe Gong is a Tibetan Buddhist temple, or lamasery, built in 1694 as the residence of Prince Yongzheng. As tradition dictated, the prince's home was converted to a temple on his ascendance to the throne. A melding of Tibetan, Mongolian, and Chinese architecture, Yonghe Gong is filled with exquisite tanka paintings and images of the Buddha. After the Tibetan uprising of the late 18th century, it became the repository of the gold vase used to determine the reincarnations of the Mongolian Grand Living Buddha. Among the temple's premier treasures is a 60-foot Buddha carved from a single sandalwood tree—the largest wooden statue on earth.

MORNING ACTIVITY, OPTION 1:
SHOP BEIJING'S FABLED MARKETS
The choice is yours: Indulge in China's famed handcrafted furniture, porcelain, or silks and pearls? Whichever of these three fascinating markets you choose to visit, we will have an expert on hand to provide an overview and offer guidance on what to look for and how to shop. There will be ample time on our private shopping excursion to go from stall to stall in the multilevel markets sampling a stunning array of exquisite merchandise-and the equally interesting merchants who purvey it.

MORNING ACTIVITY, OPTION 2:
EXPLORE THE HUTONGS OF BEIJING
If visits to the Forbidden City and Summer Palace illuminate the lives of China's emperors, it is in the hutongs of Beijing that you'll learn about day-to-day urban life down the centuries. Transported by pedicabs, the ubiquitous three-wheeled bicycle rickshaws, we'll explore some of the hundreds of hutongs that crisscross the city center and date as far back as the 13th century. Derived from the Mongolian word for "well"—"hottog"—hutongs are narrow lanes and alleys formed by groups of closely built dwellings in quadrangular formation, facing an inner courtyard where the well was located. The sizes, designs, and locations traditionally varied according to the social status of the inhabitants. Although hutongs are slowly giving way before the forces of modernization, roughly half Beijing's population is still housed there. A highlight of our outing will be an opportunity to visit a home in the hutongs.

MORNING ACTIVITY, OPTION 3:
A HARD-HAT TOUR OF THE NATIONAL GRAND THEATER
China has become the world's single largest patron of avant-garde architecture. The first major commission of the 21st century to break ground was the National Grand Theater, designed by French architect Paul Andreu. The distinctive theater complex, nearing completion, rises from a shimmering artificial lake on the edge of Tiananmen Square. The titanium-and-glass ellipsoidal shell of the main building encompasses an opera house, a concert hall, and a theater with a total of more than 5,000 seats. We will have the opportunity to experience and learn about this exciting new landmark structure in the company of one of the architectural or engineering experts associated with the project.

CLOSING LUNCH*
The closing event of the 2005 FORTUNE Global Forum will be a luncheon held at the Diaoyutai. Reserved since 1959 for the exclusive use of visiting foreign dignitaries, the Diaoyutai is China's state guesthouse. This enclosed, guarded compound near the center of Beijing has been compared with Camp David in the U.S. Known for its beautiful gardens and impeccable grounds, the Diaoyutai is a serene oasis within the bustling city.