Beijing

As a capital, Beijing casts a long shadow over the rest of China. Regardless of time meridians, Beijing time is followed nationwide; around the country, the Beijing dialect - putonghua - is spoken; and places such as Tibet and Ürümqi are forced to refer to the central government on all matters. For Beijing, the dictum that a nation's capital doesn't reflect the nature of the country as a whole is especially true. Instead it's a People's Republic of China (PRC) showpiece and a city of orderly design, with long, straight boulevards crisscrossed by lanes.Places of interest are easy to find if they're located on these avenues - and nearly impossible to find if they're buried down the narrow alleys. The city's central core was once a walled enclosure, and it still maintains its ancient symmetry based on a north-south axis passing through Qianmen (Front Gate). 

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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 and on wards. The Forbidden City was the seat of Imperial power for 500 years, and is now a major tourist attraction in China. The total area of the complex is 183 acres, so it takes quite a while to walk through, especially if you want to have a close look at everything. All together there are 9,999 1/2 rooms in the Museum, not all of which can be visited. Click here for more details !

The Summer Palace: 
The Summer Palace is a favorite among toursts 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. Small boats are available for rent and you can motor or paddle about the lake. Which is especially comfortable on really hot days. Along the shore is the famous Long Corridor, next to which a sign boasts that it is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest painted corridor in the world. The Long Corridor features painted scenes from various Chinese mythical and traditional tales. Also on the shore of the lake is the Marble Boat, a large, sort of boatshaped marble pavilion which lies in the shallow water just off the shore. Empress Dowager Cixi liked to have dinner there, and then watch an opera at the outdoor theater. You can dine on Qing courtstyle dishes at the restaurant inside the Ting Li Guan (the pavilion for Listening to the Orioles). 

Another part of the park, called suzhou street, requires a separate ticket, unless you buy the comprehensive 30 yuan ticket at the main gate. Suzhou street is supposed to be a model of what the city of Suzhou looked like in the Qing Dynasty. The listless workers in the overpriced souvenir shops are all decked out in Qing costumes, and there are also tea houses and snack shops that you can visit. The street encircles a short canal, which you can go up and down in a gondola-like boat. 

Great Wall:
The incredible Great Wall of China began construction almost 2,500 years ago under the direction of one of the most notorious, shortlived, and influential of China' s Emperors, Qin Shihuang. The Wall was completed over a period of more than 1,000 years, perhaps due 

to conflicting dynastic zoning regulations and building codes, not to mention workers dying on the job. It was a massive project involving countless millions of hands building the Wall stone by stone, the original purpose was to keep out barbarian invaders from the North. In the end, the barbarians just went around it and got in anyway. 

Today, barbarians from the eight directions all flock to the Great Wall to walk on the only man-made structure visible from space. To look out from one of the guard towers out at the barren mountains and the Wall snaking off into the distance is a view not to be forgotten. The oldest sections of the Wall have all but crumbled into nothing. But some sections were built in the Ming Dynasty or restored more recently. In these sections you can get a good feel for what the Wall was all about. 

The Wall extends for a good 3,000 miles from its origin at the seaside in Shanhaiguan (the Old Dragon Head),all the way to jiayu Pass in Gansu Province. 

The section cosest to Beijing city proper is Badaling. This section offers awesome views, but it is also the most crowded, as it is the main Wall featured on all tour routes. Mutianyu is another restored section to the east of Badaling. This section requires a more rigorous climb, however, both Mutianyu and Badaling have cable cars to help you reach the top. 

A wilder an less crowded option is to go to the section known as Simatai. This section is much farther away, over 100 kilometers northeast of Beijing, so you will have to make a whole day of a trip here, all of these sections have tours which go there, but the most popular is Badaling, as it is closest. You can also take a bus or rent out a taxi for the day, but if you do this, ask a Chinese friend of help so you don' t get ripped off. Click here for more details !


Temple of Heave:
Built between 1409 and 1420, the Temple of Heave is one of Beijing' s most impressive parks in terms of Heaven is one of Beijing' s most impressive parks in terms of architecture, color and significance. The Temple is basically a huge communications terminal which the Emperor used to communicate directly with Heaven. Several times a year, the Emperor would come here to pray for good harvests, enough rain and other heavenly boons. The construction of the Temple is based around the number nine, the largest of the single digits, which is divine in Chinese numerology. The Temple consists of four basic parts: the Round Altar, the Echo Wall, the Imperial Vault of Heaven, and the Hall of prayer for Good Harvests.

Ruins of Yuanmingyuan:
Now in ruins, the Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan) was once hailed as the garden of all gardens. The site originally of featrued elaborate gardens, statues and fountains, which were created by the best artisans from all over the country Yuanmingyuan was built over a period of 150 years starting in 1709. 

The spacious park consists of three main sections;Yuanmingyuan(Garden of Perfection and Brightness) , Wanchunyuan(Garden of 10,000 Springs) and Changchunyuan(Garden of Eternal Spring), centered around the lake, Fuhai(Lake of Happiness). Changchunyuan is the site of the best preserved ruins, that of the Great Fountain in the European Garden. 

The original Yuanmingyuan was composed of 145 buildings and 40 scenic sposts. It was also home to some of the most valuable treasures in China. In 1860, the British and French armies stormed the garden, burned down most of the buildings and took all of the treasures. Then, in 1900, the Eight Allied Powers came again and destroyed the rest of the buildings. All that remains today are some of the marble archways and fountains. Despite the fact that the treasures and the buildings are gone, Yuanmingyuan is still a great park to visit. It is a good walk, and the peaceful ruins offer a welcome respite from the crazy buzz of the city. 

Fragrant Hills:
The feudal Emperors of ancient China had on lack of places to rest, play and retreat to. One more place on this long list of Imperial Recreational Grounds is the Fragrant Hills. Situated 28 kilometers northwest of Beijing, the Fragrant Hills are the tail end of the larger Western Hills range. 

In the 12th century the area was a royal hunting park. Its focal point is Incense Burner Peak, 557 meters above sea level and named for the huge rock on top of the mountain that supposedly resembles an incense burner. You can climb to the top, or take a cable car up. As early as 1186 there was a temple here, and in 1745 the Garden of Tranquility and Pleasure (Jingyiyuan) was laid out around the hill. 

Ming Tombs:
Some 50 kilometers northwest of the capital, the Ming Tombs are generally combined with a visit to the Great Wall. 

Otherwise known as the "13 Tombs", this is the burial site of 13 out of 17 emperors of the Ming Dynasty. However, the only one you can get a good look at is the tomb of Emperor Wanli, who reigned from 1537 to1620. This tomb was unearthed in 1956. There are two others that have been uncovered, but the rest remain illusive.

A trip to the Ming Tombs is a standard part of the Great Wall tour package. But don't get your hopes up. The best part of the Ming Tombs is the road there. The spirit Way is the path leading to the mouth of the tomb. Along the path are bizarre, mythical stone monsters standing guard. To get to the tomb itself, you have to walk down many flights of stairs till you are deep inside the mountain. It is kind of creepy and cool to go down and down, but the actual tomb chambers are a little disappointing. There is not much in there, just a couple of stone rooms, excavated treasures.