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Great Wall of China, Great Wall Guide, Great Wall Travel Tips, Great Wall Information.   The building of the Great Wall started in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods (7th to 8th century B.C.) in order to defend against northern nomads. After the Qin Dynasty unified China, it linked the walls in Qin, Yan and Zhao states to try to ward off invasion by the Huns, The linked-up wall is known as the Great Wall. It was reinforced and extended again and again in the ensuing Han Dynasty,…
Tian'anmen Square, Tian'anmen Square Guide, Tian'anmen Square Travel Tips, Tian'anmen Square Information. Tian'anmen Square is located right in the center of Beijing. It measures 880 meters north-south and 500 meters east-west, with a total area of 440,000 square meters, allowing one million people to gather there. It is the largest city square in the modern world. The square used to be an imperial square outside the Forbidden City during the feudal era, walled in on the eastern, western and southern sides, shutting out the common people. In 1958, to celebrate the 10th anniversary…
Forbidden City, Forbidden City Guide, Forbidden City Travel Tips, Forbidden City Travel Information   The Forbidden City, now called the Palace Museum, is located in the center ofBeijing. Extending 750 meters east-west and 960 meters north-south, the 720,000 square-meter city is the largest palatial complex in the world. The whole complex is tightly guarded by two defense lines. One is the moat, which is 52 meters wide and six meters deep, and the other is the city wall, which is 3 kilometers in length, 10 meters in height and 8.62…
Summer Palace, Summer Palace Guide, Summer Palace Travel Tips, Summer Palace Information. Fifteen kilometers from the city proper of Beijing is Yi He Yuan or the SummerPalace. Originally it was called Qing Ji Yuan, built in the 15th year (1750) of the reign of Emperor Qian Long, the fourth emperor of the Qing Dynasty.  China was in its heyday in the mid-18th century, when the society was secure and the state was rich. The country was at its peak of the 2,000 years of feudal society, politically, economically, militarily and culturally. The palace was built…
Temple of Heaven, Temple of Heaven Guide, Temple of Heaven Travel Tips, Temple of Heaven Travel Information. The Temple of Heaven was the place where the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties would worship Heaven and pray for bumper crops. The northern part of the outer surrounding wall is semi-circular in shape while the southern part square, 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 with the main structures in the inner one, covering…
Ming Tombs, Ming Tombs Guide, Ming Tombs Travel Tips, Ming Tombs Information Situated at the foot of Tianshou Mountains of Changping District, Beijing, the Ming Tombs is the cemetery of the 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Covering an area of 80 square kilometers, it is about 50 kilometers away from Beijing city proper. Construction of the Ming Tombs started in 1409 and ended in 1644, when the Ming Dynasty collapsed. It took 200 plus years to build the Ming Tombs from beginning to end. 13 imperial tombs, 7 concubines’ tombs are scattered in the…
Lama Temple (Yonghe Temple), Lama Temple (Yonghe Temple) Guide, Lama Temple (Yonghe Temple) Travel Tips. Introducing Beijing Lama Temple (Yonghe Temple)   The Lama Temple, or Yonghe Gong, is a famous lamasery located in the northeastern part of the old city of Beijing. It was a palatial residence built in 1694 by Qing Emperor Kangxi for his fourth son, Prince Yongzheng who later succeeded to the throne. This magnificent temple consists of five main buildings lying on the north-south axis, with annex halls standing on both sides. The temple is listed by…
Beihai Park, Beihai Park Guide, Beihai Park Travel Tips, Beihai Park Information Introducing Beihai Park   Beihai Park is the oldest and best-preserved imperial garden in China. It was first built during the Liao Dynasty(916-1125), then rebuilt an renovated continually during the Jin(1115-1234), Yuan(1279-1368), Ming(1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties that followed, eventually becoming the beautifully landscaped garden we see today. As a pleasure ground for the imperial family within the Imperial City, Beihai Park was built to be more magnificent than any imperial complex outside the capital, including the Summer…
Jingshan Park, Jingshan Park Guide, Jingshan Park Travel Tips, Jingshan Park Information. Introducing Jingshan Park   Jingshan Park (Prospect Hill) is situated just north of the Palace Museum. From the Yuan Dynasty onwards, this area was a "forbidden garden." Opened to the public in 1928, it formally became a park after 1949.    Prospect Hill was built up from mud dredged from the surrounding lakes and moats at the time of the construction of the Yuan capital Dadu. At that time it was known as Green Hill. During the Ming…
Prince Gong's Mansion, Prince Gong's Mansion Guide, Prince Gong's Mansion Travel Tips. Introducing Prince Gong's Mansion   Prince Prince Gong's Mansion is situated on a quiet and green street on the southwest corner of beautiful Shichahai in Beijing. It is presently the largest and best-preserved imperial residence in China. Before it became the Palace of Prince Kung, it used to be the private residence of He Shen, Emperor Qianlong's favorite minister and the personal residence of Yonglin, brother of Emperor Jia Qing.   Prince Gong's Mansion as the official residence…
Ancient Observatory, Ancient Observatory Guide, Ancient Observatory Travel Tips. Introducing the Ancient Observatory Beijing Ancient Observatory is located in the southwest side of Jianguomen crossroad at Dongcheng District. It is a special topic site museum of nature science displaying Chinese ancient astronomical equipment and astronomy. Now, it has been reformed to Beijing Ancient Astronomical Equipment Exhibition Hall, which belong to Beijing Astronomy Observatory and was officially opened in 1956.   Eight magnificent and excellent equipment that are made of bronze stand high and upright on the black brick platform. They…
Bell & Drum Tower, Bell & Drum Tower Guide, Bell & Drum Tower Travel Tips, Bell & Drum Tower Information. Introducing the Bell Tower and Drum Tower of Beijing   The Bell Tower and Drum Tower are situated at the northern end of the central axis of the Beijing Inner City to the north of Di' anmen Street.    The Drum Tower was built in 1272 during the reign of Kublai Khan, at which time it stood at the very heart of the Yuan capital Dadu. At that time it…
Old Summer Palace, Yuanmingyuan Park, Old Summer Palace Guide, Yuanmingyuan Guide. Introducing Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan Park) Old Summer Palace (named Yuanmingyuan in Chinese meaning Garden of perfect splendor) is renowned throughout the world for its fabled charms and association with Chinese modern history. Extolled as the "Garden of Gardens" and the "Versailles of the East" during its heyday, it was an imperial summer resort painstakingly built and repeatedly expanded under the personal supervision of five emperors of the Qing Dynasty. Located in the northern part of Haidian District in…
Shichahai Scenic Area, Shichahai Scenic Area Guide, Shichahai Scenic Area Travel Tips.  Introducing Shichahai Scenic Area   This scenic area contains the largest and best-preserved age-old block in the city. In the Yuan Dynasty it was the capital’s center for commerce. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was home to many high officials and men of many letters. After the Manchu takeover, the emperor-led Pure Yellow Banner Troops were stationed here. In 1992, the Standing Conference of the Beijing Government named it a scenic area of history and culture.…