Beijing Guide

Forbidden City (The Palace Museum)

Imperial Concubines and Eunuchs As is famous in Chinese history, the emperor always had many concubines. Besides his wife, the highest ranks of concubines were: Guifei(second to the empress), and Bin(3rd to the empress). Not all the concubines had the chance to sleep with the emperor. Some even...

Tiananmen Square

Forming the exact heart and center of the city, Tiananmen Square (天安门广场) is usually a first port of call on any Beijing tourist’s itinerary.  Like the Forbidden City (紫禁城), the words Tiananmen Square are almost synonymous with Beijing.  It is worth a visit not just for its...

The Mutianyu Great Wall

The Mutianyu Great Wall is about 75 kilometers northeast of Beijing. It's the most famous section for foreigners .  Unlike Badaling Great Wall, Mutianyu has a beautiful landscape all the year round, but less tourists there. It was built in the Ming Dynasty, served as a very important ...

The Summer Palace

The Summer Palace is located on the northwest outskirts of Beijing, about 20 kilometers away from the center of the city. It is formed mainly of Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake ，covering a total area of over 290 hectares while Kunming Lake occupies three quarters of the whole area. As the best...

The Temple of Heaven (Tiantan)

The Temple of Heaven (Tiantan) is one of Beijing’s most distinctive landmarks and often appears on the cover of city and tourist guides.  The most impressive building in the park is the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. The structure’s three-tiered roof and golden dome are...

Hutong

Juyongguan Section of the Great Wall

  Due to its position as a link to Beijing, Juyongguan Pass was one of the most strategically important parts of the Great Wall of China.  Originally constructed during the fifth century, it was later rebuilt during the Ming dynasty.  Juyongguan was neglected during the Qing...

The Ming Tombs

The Ming Tombs are located in Changping District, about 50 kms to the northwest of Beijing. This imperial cemetery covers an area of 80 km2 with 13 Ming emperors, 23 empresses, many imperial concubines, princes and princesses buried here. These tombs are the best preserved of all Chinese...

Jinshanling Great Wall

The initial section of the wall has been restored to original condition, so I was totally amazed by its historic beauty and landscape. Unlike the bareness of Simatai section, Jinshanling is the real Great Wall in my heart. There was nobody on the Wall when we were hiking. The Great Wall is all...

Beijing National Stadium

The Beijing National Stadium, also known as the bird's nest will be the main track and field stadium for the 2008 Summer Olympics and will be host to the Opening and Closing ceremonies. In 2002 Government officials engaged architects worldwide in a design competition. Pritzker Prize-winning...