Beijing, the capital city of China, is the nation's political and cultural centre. Beijing covers an area of 16,800 square kilometres with total population of over 12 million, of which about 6 million live in the city and the rest on the outskirts. As an ancient city with great splendour, Beijing is full of magnificent palaces and parks and has more than 50 museums. Among its most popular treasures are:
The Great Wall |
The Great Wall
The Great Wall, one of the world 's most popular tourist attractions, is 3,333 miles long and was built section by section between the 5th century BC and 16th century AD. The section we are going to visit is called Badaling, mainly built in Ming Dynasty (1368 -1644), it averages 7.8 metres in height, and is 6.5 metres wide at the base and 5.5 metres wide at the top.
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The Forbidden City
Officially known as Palace Museum or ‘Gugong' in Chinese, it was the imperial palace during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. Most foreigners however prefer to use Forbidden City as this indicates that only the emperor's court and minister - plus the occasional ambassador bearing tribute - were allowed into this small ‘city' until 1920s. The vast, exotic grandeur of the Forbidden City was brilliantly captured in ‘The Last Emperor' which was filmed there. It is an architectural masterpiece, with a breathtaking symmetry of palatial pavilions, courtyards, gates, treasure halls and gardens.
Tian'anmen Square
Located in the centre of the city, Tian'an men (Gate of Heavenly Peace) Square covering an area of 440,000 sq m, is the largest public square in the world. In the centre of the square, stands the Monument to the People's Heroes, Chairman Mao's Memorial Hall is to the south of the monument. The square is flanked by Tian'an men Rostrum in the north, the Zhenyangmen Gate Watchtower in the south, the Great Hall of the People in the west, and the Museum of Chinese History and the Museum of Chinese Revolution in the east. In Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, Tian'an men was the front gate of the royal city - Forbidden City.
The Summer Palace
Located 15km from Beijing, the Summer Palace is the largest and best-preserved royal garden in China and covers an area of 294 hectares. It mainly consists of Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake. The halls, towers, galleries, pavilions, bridges and islands are dotted all over the palace. Blending southern China style garden architecture with northern China's national landscapes, the gardens are the best of their kind in Chinese garden architecture.
The Temple of Heaven
The Temple of Heaven is the largest temple complex in China, and represents the Golden Age of Chinese architecture. The main hall consists of 28 carved wooden pillars supporting a 125-feet high tower of three conical roofs that are all covered with blue glazed tiles to reflect the colour of the sky. Around the Imperial Vault of Heaven is the Echo Wall (Whispering Wall).
The Ming Tombs
Located about 50 kilometres northwest of Beijing, the Ming Tombs cover an area of over 40 kilometres in circumference. Thirteen of the sixteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) were buried here. At the gate of the tomb area stands a marble archway which leads to the Sacred Way lined by 12 pairs of stone animals followed by 6 pairs of stone civil and military officials on both sides of the way.
Lama Temple
Lama Temple, known as Yonghegong in Chinese, or Palace of Peace and Harmony Lama Temple, is the lamasery for the Yellow Hat Sect of Lamaism and situated in the northeast part of Beijing city.
Peking Roast Duck
Peking Duck has the reputation of being the most delicious Beijing food. Some find this traditional dish ‘greasy' whilst others say they have never tasted Duck like it! Whatever your taste, a Peking roast duck dinner is an essential part of your visit to Beijing - another one is climbing the Great Wall.
Peking Opera
It has existed for over 200 years. It is widely regarded as the highest expression of the Chinese culture. Peking Opera combines singing, musical dialogue, martial arts and fantastic costumes. There are three roles: female (dan), male (sheng) & clown (chou), each of which, depending on age and disposition, is identified by its facial makeup.
Hutong
Beijing's hutong, siheyuan in Chinese (a compound with houses around a courtyard) is an old architecture style for Beijing residents to live in. Hutong means a lane or alley and originally comes from the world ‘hutong' which means ‘well' in Mongolian.
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