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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 h...
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 had not one chance at all. But all of those women were not allowed to marry others. The emperor had so many concubines and maids, so he was afraid that some might have affairs woth the male servants. For this reason, the eunuch appeared to serve the emperor, the empress and the concubines.

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 T...
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 historical significance, but also for the sheer prominence of its size.  Said to be the largest public square in the world, this spotlessly clean, massive area of paved concrete can accommodate up to a million people.  It was here that Chairman Mao (毛主席) proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.   
 
 
 
You’ll probably find yourself visiting, or at least passing by, Tiananmen more than once due to its central location and close proximity to other tourist stops, namely the Great Hall of the People, the Museum of History and Revolution, the Mao Zedong Memorial Hall (毛泽东纪念堂), and Tiananmen Gate(天安门), the main entrance to the Forbidden City.  Above Tiananmen Gate hangs a huge portrait of Chairman Mao, supposedly the only public place in which Mao’s portrait is still displayed.  
 
Bar the incessant hawkers, Tiananmen Square is the perfect spot to people watch and soak up the Beijing atmosphere; it is also great if you’re a keen kite watcher.  Try and catch a glimpse of Tiananmen in the evening as it is beautifully lit at night.  

 
 
 

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  a...

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  and  strategic pass in the old days.  There are two unique features of the Mutianyu Great Wall.  The other parts of the Great  Wall have battlements on the outer sider only. But  the surroundding wall of the Mutianyu section with merlons on both sides. So, you can image  how  important strategic place it was .Sometimes,  the enemy came from  either side.  Another feature of Mutianyu Great Wall is the branch walls. Which was built on the mountain ridge but connected with the main wall. There was the watch tower on the branch wall also. 

   It's accessible by cable cars from below, and use the toboggan to slide down.

Bus No. 926 to Huai rou Country , and take a Mini bus ( 10 RMB or 20 RMB ) to the Great Wall.

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 pr...

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 preserved imperial garden in the world and one of the largest of its kind still existing in China today, it was placed on the List of World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 1998.

According to the legend ,there were supposed to be 3 islands called Penglai, Yingzhou and Fangzhang to the east of Bohai Bay, where people believed that the Gods lived. One of the island-Penglai Island was where a kind of Chinese herbal medicine grew which was supposed to prolong people’s lives. Emperor Qin Shihuang ,the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty and Emperor Wu Di in the Han Dynasty both sent lots of people to look for the herbal longevity medicine in Penglai Island but both of them failed . After the failure, Emperor Wu Di ordered people to dig a big pool at the back of his palace with 3 artificial hills representing the 3 Fairland Mountains of Penglai, Yingzhou and Fangzhang. Since Han Wu Di built a big pool with 3 artificial hills in his garden, this layout became a traditional legendary style of gardening followed by one dynasty after another. The Summer Palace was also built in this traditional style.

“Although it is artificial, it looks like the masterpiece from the hands of God.” This is a basic construction theory in our ancient Chinese Architecture . And the Summer Palace has been the most beautiful illustration of it.

East Gate of the Summer Palace (Dong-gong-men Stop):
Bus 330、331、332、346、394、712、718、726、732、737、801、808、817、826

North Gate of the Summer Palace (Bei-gong-men Stop):
Bus 303、330、331、346、375、384、393、634、716、718、737、801、808、817、834、Express 5

South Gate of the Summer Palace ( Xin-jian-gong-men Stop):
Bus 374、437、481、952、704、992

West Gate of the Summer Palace ( Xin-jian-gong-men Stop):
Bus 469

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...
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 certainly among Beijing’s most recognizable symbols.        
 
This beautiful temple is situated in the middle of one of Beijing’s biggest and most-beloved parks. The park can be entered through a number of gates, but most visitors enter through the East Gate.  The park is very tranquil and is an ideal place to stroll and escape the bustle of the city just outside the temple walls.  If you are lucky you may get to hear some impromptu traditional Chinese music as many locals often gather to play traditional musical instruments and sing. Others come to the park to engage in other activities such as dancing, flying kites, practicing tai chi or playing cards and board games. 
 
The temple was built in 1420 during the Ming Dynasty. It is said that on the day of the winter solstice the Emperors from the Ming and Qing dynasties would go from the Forbidden City to the Temple of Heaven to offer sacrifices such as jade, silk, porcelain and animals to the heavens as well as to pray for good harvests.  However, this system of sacrificial worship was abolished in 1912.  The northern part of the park is semi-circular and is said to represent the heavens. Conversely, the south part of the park is square and is said to represent the earth.
 
The Echo Wall and the Three Echo stones are known for their impressive acoustics. However, as hearing the echos requires silence, it is unlikely that you will actually hear your own echo as there are bound to be other visitors milling about at the same time as you.  The Echo Wall is under repair until November 30th, 2006.
 

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 durin...
 
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 Dynasty, but has since been renovated and opened to the public.
 
The renovated section forms a circle with the central entrance to the pass at the bottom of the valley.  Most visitors only walk up and down one half of the circle.  It is very steep at some points, but a half-circuit can still be done in 2 hours.  Guard towers are located on the mountains and Ming dynasty style iron cannons sit by the entrance to the pass.
 
 
How to Get There
 
Tourist Bus (recommended when available) - A simple and cheap option is to take a Beijing tourist bus.  They provide one route that visits Juyongguan and Dingling (定陵) which is one of the Ming Tombs.
 
Public Bus - Bus 919 快车 (kuai che) stops at Juyongguan.  It is just a short walk up the hill from the bus station.  Alternatively, you can take bus 919 支线 (zhi xian) to Nankou (南口), and then take a cab to Juyongguan for about 20 yuan.  Buses numbered 919 leave from the messy Deshengmen (德胜门) bus station which is about 500 meters east of the Jishuitan (积水潭) subway station (subway line 2).
 
It is not possible to walk from the Juyongguan section to the Badaling (八达岭) section of the wall.

Organized Tour - If you go with a tour group, try to pick one that not only gets you where you want to go, but also doesn't take you where you don't want to go.  Tourists are sometimes not allowed to leave "factories" or "galleries" until they buy something which is, of course, overpriced.
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

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 imperial...

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 imperial tombs. There are a total of 13 Ming emperors buried in this area, so it is called the “13 Ming Tombs” in Chinese. In 1961, the Chinese Government listed the 13 Ming Tombs as one of the important monuments under special preservation, and in 2003, the 13 Ming Tombs were listed as a world cultural heritage site by UNESCO.

So far, only 3 tombs are open to the public- Chang Ling, Ding Ling and Zhao Ling. And only the underground palace in Ding Ling was excavated.

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 y...

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 yours! More pictures in my mini-album in Synotrip.

Cable Way: CNY 50 (round-trip) ; CNY 30 (one-way) By Bus 1. Take a bus to Miyun County at Beijing Dongzhimen Long Distance Bus Station, and take the local tourist bus to Jinshanling Great Wall in Miyun County. 2. Take a bus to Chengde at Liuliqiao Long Distance Bus Station, the bus leaves at about every one hour between 08:00 and 18:00, and get off at Jinshanling Intersection, and take a taxi or walk to Jinshanling Great Wall.

Jingshan Park

Situated directly to the north of the Forbidden City, on the other side of the road. Jingsha Park is one of the most pleasant parks in Beijing. It doubles as an excellent viewpoint over the city centre, particularly the Forbidden City and its gilded roofs with Tian'an men Square in the background...

Situated directly to the north of the Forbidden City, on the other side of the road. Jingsha Park is one of the most pleasant parks in Beijing. It doubles as an excellent viewpoint over the city centre, particularly the Forbidden City and its gilded roofs with Tian'an men Square in the background.