Forbidden City
The world’s
largest and best-preserved imperial palace is the Forbidden
City. It was home to the emperors and empresses of the
Ming and Qing dynasties.
While the Forbidden
City functioned as the administrative centre of the
country, it was off-limits to the public for 500 years, hence its title.
Great Wall
One of the
Eight Wonders of the World, this immense wall (6,700km to be exact) was
originally designed to defend against marauding nomads. The wall spans five
provinces, winding across deserts, grasslands and mountains.
Most visitors
see the Great Wall at Badaling, 70 kilometres northwest of Beijing. We
recommend visiting the Great Wall on a weekday, as it attracts huge crowds on
weekends.
Ming Tombs
The Ming Tombs,
about 50 kilometres northwest of Beijing. They
are the burial site of 13 of the 16 Ming Dynasty emperors (1368 - 1644).
Built over an
area of 40 sq km, each tomb is placed at the foot of a separate hill and links
with the other tombs by a road called the Sacred
Way.
The Sacred
Way is lined with 18 pairs of stone human figures and
animals, which symbolise royal power and eternal strength.
The only tomb
that has been excavated is Dingling Tomb, which holds Emperor Shenzong, the 13th
emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
Temple of Heaven
Built in 1420, Temple of Heaven was
heralded as an epitome of the evolution of the Chinese civilization and
subsequently declared a World Heritage Site in 1998.
It is
considered China’s
largest complex of sacrificial buildings, built originally for the use of the
royalty, but now valued by both local and foreign tourists.
The main
attraction at Temple of Heaven is the
original architect’s symbolic interpretation of heaven. Like the dark
blue-tiled roofs on each building and pillars which symbolizes the solar
system. It was often visited by the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasty for
annual ceremonies of prosperous harvest.
Temple of Heaven is
located in Beijing’s
Xuanwu district, which is near Traders Hotel, Beijing.
Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen
Square is an immense courtyard that holds the reputation of
being the world’s largest public square.
A variety of
historical edifices surround the square. This includes the Chinese Revolution History Museum,
Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum, the Great Hall of the People, and the Monument of the
People’s Heroes.
Every day, an
impressive flag-raising ceremony is performed at sunrise and sunset by a
specially trained military battalion.