See Beijing with the new vintage buses

Now tourists as well as locals can enjoy Chinese capital of Beijing with 12 new vintage buses that started service Sunday morning.

Starting near south Beijing's Yongdingmen gate tower, the 15-kilometer-long bus route stretched northward along the city's axis line, passing more than 20 scenic spots including the Temple of Heaven, the Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City, among others.

The buses run between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., costing 10 yuan (about 1.6 U.S. dollars) for single journey, and 15 yuan (about 2.4 U.S. dollars) for day trip; making a cheap way for tourists to see around.

These buses were modelled after the trams that appeared in Beijing in 1924. Drivers are dressed in the Chinese Sun Yat-sen style uniform so as to give passengers a sense of nostalgia.

Despite their antique appearance, the buses are powered with electricity and equipped with WiFi and air purification facilities.

Many old citizens in China's capital are quite fond of the trams, known to them as dangdang, with the sound of the bells drivers used as horns helping them recall days past.

The trams stopped service in 1966, 42 years after they were introduced.
Source: Xinhua, China Daily