A Guide To Beijing China: 10 Things To Do In Beijing
You might be envisioning picture Beijing as the city under the rigid reign of Communist Party of China, but it’s completely a changed city now. It’s a metropolis that is all set to host the 2008 Summer Olympics. The Chinese capital certainly is a city worth visiting. You can do a myriad of things in Beijing; here are top 10 things that you can do in Beijing!
Certainly, the very first thing you can do in Beijing is to see the famous Tiananmen Square, which is one of the major attractions of Beijing. Located at the center of Beijing City, Tiananmen Square is a large square, originally constructed in 1417 in the Ming Dynasty (1368 A.D. – 1644 A.D.). Here, you can spectate Tiananmen Tower, Monument to the People’s Heroes, Great Hall of the People, Mao Zedong Memorial Hall, and the national flag raising ceremony.
Obviously, visiting the Forbidden City (Gu Gong in Chinese) is the second important thing to visit. Onetime the imperial palace of Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Forbidden City now houses the Palace Museum. Located in the center of Beijing, to the north of Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City is rectangular in shape and covers 74 hectares of area. It has served as the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government. Its construction was started in 1407 in the 5th year of the Yongle reign of the third emperor of the Ming family. It was finished fourteen years later in 1420.
The Great Wall Of China in Beijing is a "must visit" site. One of the wonders of the world, the wall is the most illustrious tourist attractions of China. The wall runs zigzagging across deserts, grasslands, mountains, and plateaus, about 6,700 kms from east to west of China. The wall, construction of which began in the Warring States Period on 7th century B.C, has over 2,500 years old history.
After a tiring site seeing session, you can have a highly enjoyable and relaxing foot massage and/or pedicure etc. from any of the professionals offering the service in central Beijing. The service is available for a fraction of the price in the West. It is also available in most of Beijing hotels.
Next, you can visit Temple of Heaven, located south east of Qianmen and the Tiananmen Square. The temple was the site where the emperor used to pray every year for good harvests and fair weather. Surrounded by a huge public park, the temple is beautiful sight. You can enjoy strolling in this lovely green place, home to many ancient trees. Just a short stroll away from the historical sights, you can reach peaceful woods, amazingly, solitude, especially toward the West Gate.
Located the eastern side of Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, the National Museum of China is the place that you can visit. The museum features the marvelous collection of things of arts and olden times of China. It is a four-storied building with two proportioned wings, running over 300 meters north and south beside the eastern side of Tiananmen Square. The museum is maintained by the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China.
You can also visit Yonghegong, also known as Lama Temple or Palace of Peace. Constructed by the Chinese emperors who harbored a deep fascination for the Tibetan (Tantric) version of Buddhism, the temple is famous for its 18m statue of Maitreya Buddha carved from a single piece of sandalwood. The temple has been the home to many Tibetan and Mongolian monks, who lived and taught here.
You can also visit the Beijing Zoo, situated to the west of the city. The zoo has great collection of animals, such as golden monkey, the giant pandas, polar bears, kangaroos and many others. The zoo covers up an area of over 50,000 sq mts and has more than 30 big hallways. The zoo is set in rich scenery of trees, hills and lakes, beside an inland waterway, which flows all the way to the Summer Palace. Additionally to its public education task, it is a well-known center of zoological research and conservation, inclosing several breeding programs.
Beijing certainly has plenty; you can visit lot more sites, such as Summer Palace, Beihai Park, Prince Gong’s Mansion, Legation Quarter, Fragrant Hills, Beijing Botanical Gardens, Hutongs, Military Museum of the Chinese People’s Revolution, China Aviation Museum, The Museum of History and the Museum of the Revolution, The Confucius Temple, St Joseph Church, etc.
So, if you are finished with your site seeing, you can enjoy Shooting Chinese Automatic Guns and other crazy military grade weapons at the International Shooting Range in the north of Beijing.
After a tiring day touring, a Beijing opera at the Laoshe Tea House near Qianmen station is good choice to relax in the evening. It’s always good to book a seat in advance, since the place is always crowded. You can also have some relaxing time at Spa Complex. It has a huge sauna, 3 different kinds of spas to soak in, a steam room, and showers.
Travel China—beijing—summer Palace
March 26, 2009 by admin
Filed under Restaurants
Originally known as the “Garden of Clear Ripples”, the Summer Palace(Yiheyuan) is a magnificent imperial garden located 12 km north-west of Beijing City. This is the largest ancient preserved garden in China and a former summer retreat for Emperors and the chosen few! The site includes more than 100 ancient style pavilions, mansions, towers, halls, temples, bridges and an enormous clear water lake. What is most enjoyable about the Summer Palace however, is that it is simply a gorgeous place to relax, escape the smoke and crowds of the city and spend an afternoon walking. That said however, one could just as easily spend one week out here as one afternoon! Given the sheer size of the place (occupying an area of 290 acres) the Summer Palace is as vast as it is spectacular. This is great though, as it means you get the rare chance in Beijing, to lose the crowds and clear the cobwebs from your mind!
The original Palace and grounds were destroyed by the allied forces of Great Britain and France in 1860. However, the Empress Dowager Cixi liked the site so much that she used the funds for creating a modern navy, to reconstruct her favorite retreat! The Empress didn’t have much luck however, and the Palace and grounds were destroyed again in 1900. Two years later the palace was restored to the scale and design it is today. The Eastern Palace Gate is the main entrance to the Summer Palace and the arrival point where buses and taxis stop. The opening in the center used to be exclusively for the emperor and empress. Entrance today is RMB 45 and you can now walk through any of the openings in the gateway!
The Summer Palace includes many interesting and spectacular sites. For detailed information on what to see and do at the Palace, click below! It’s best to spend at least an afternoon or morning here in order to really appreciate the beauty of the place and do it justice. There are also shops and various restaurants and tea-houses dotted about the Palace.
