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Tian'anmen Square - the symbol of the People’s Republic and the center of Beijing’s landmarks. The flagstones of Tiananmen cover a staggering 440,000 square meters, enough space to allow a million people to gather there. The Tiananmen Gate Tower sites at the north, the Five-Star Red Flag flies high on the square, the Monument to the People’s Heroes dominates the center, the Great Hall of the People and the Museum of the Chinese Revolution and the Museum of Chinese History to the east and west of it, as well as The Chairman Mao Memorial Hall and the Qianmen gate, sit in the south of the square. |
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Forbidden City - The Forbidden City (known officially as the Imperial Palace Museum) was commissioned by the third Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Yong Le. The palace was built between 1406 and 1420, but was burnt down, rebuilt, sacked and renovated countless times, so most of the architecture you can see today dates from the 1700’s and on wards. The Forbidden City was the seat of Imperial power for 500 years, and is now a major tourist attraction in China. |
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National Center for the Performing Arts is a dynamic new icon to the arts in the heart of old Beijing. The Center's ultra-modern architecture is in sharp contrast to its neighbors, the Great Hall of the People, Tian'anmen Square and the ancient Forbidden City. The National Center for the Performing Arts is far more than a spectacular and futuristic building. It is China's new face on the performing arts. It is a stage for the world's greatest artists. It will showcase China's burgeoning international stars and celebrate the creativity of its many ethnic cultures. |
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Beijing National Stadium or colloquially as the "Bird's Nest" was designed for use throughout the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. Located in the Olympic Green, the US$423 million stadium is the world's largest steel structure. The design was awarded to a submission from the Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron in April 2003, after a bidding process that included 13 final submissions. The design, which originated from the study of Chinese ceramics, implemented steel beams in order to hide supports for the retractable roof; giving the stadium the appearance of a "Bird's nest". The stadium officially opened in June 2008.
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The Beijing National Aquatics Center, known as the Water Cube, is an aquatics center that was built alongside Beijing National Stadium in the Olympic Green for the swimming competitions of the 2008 Summer Olympics. Despite its nickname, the building is a cuboid (rectangular box), not a cube. Swimmers at the Water Cube broke 25 world records during the 2008 Olympics. |
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The Summer Palace -The Summer Palace is a favorite among tourists sightseeing in Beijing. Indeed, it is one of the best parks in the city. Originally it was a retreat for emperors to escape the scorching summer heat of Beijing. The Summer Palace was used by emperors for 800 years, but fell into disuse in the 18th century. Then in the 19th century, the Empress Dowager Cixi made massive renovations and restored many buildings using money funneled out from the state treasury. The Summer Palace is huge, most of it being taken up by Kunming Lake. The dirt that was dug up to make the lake was piled up and made into Longevity Hill. On top of Longevity Hill are several Buddhist temples, which, on clear days, offer good views of the lake. |
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Lama Temple is one of the key historic sites under national protection. It is the largest one of the lamaseries of Tibetan Buddhism that remains in Beijing. At first it was the residence of Emperor Yongzheng before he was crowned. In the years of Qianlong it was changed into a lamasery, and began to serve as the headquarters of the Qing government’s administration of Tibetan Buddhism affairs. The complex covers an area of about 66,440 square meters. It is well-known for its great Buddhist architecture, places for emperors to conduct religious activities, and its special importance for linking the upper class of the Mongolians and the Tibetans. |
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The Hutong Area - A hutong is an ancient city alley or lane typical in Beijing, where hutongs run into the several thousand. Surrounding the Forbidden City, many were built during the Yuan (1206-1341), Ming (1368-1628) and Qing (1644-1908) dynasties. In the prime of these dynasties the emperors, in order to establish supreme power for themselves, planned the city and arranged the residential areas according to the etiquette systems of the Zhou Dynasty. This tour takes you back to the old days of Beijing, where neighborhoods were made up of traditional courtyard-style homes. Ride in an old-fashioned pedicab through the Hutong district during this guided tour. |
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Temple of Heaven - Located in the eastern section outside the Zheng Yang Gate, the Temple of Heaven was the place where the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties would worship Heaven and pray for bumper harvests. The northern part of the outer surrounding wall is semi-circular in shape while the southern part is square. This is a pattern symbolic of the ancient belief that Heaven was round and the earth square. The double surrounding wall separates the temple into two parts–the inner and outer temples. The whole area is 273 hectares. |
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Silk Market - Apart from the almost real-looking designer wear which was present at the old market, you can now enjoy shopping for a wealth of traditional Chinese knick knacks to bring home for your family. If you don't have too much time for shopping in Beijing, this could be the only place you need to visit. In this new market, the store assistants are much better trained in both customer service and language skills, most sporting a bright red jacket with the Xiu Shui logo on it and an official looking ID badge. Their English often goes way beyond the old days of "cheaper ...", "your price ...” But the numbers is still often typed out on a calculator to be clear and to avoid other customers hearing how much you paid. |
