You’re in Beijing for a week and you’ve visited our target spot for two days in a row, it gets monotonous and boring right? Here’s a guide to other places to visit around the target station.
Tiananmen Square
What is the most representative place in Beijing? The answers are various. But Tiananmen Square is unarguably on the top list. Lying in the heart of Beijing City, it is the place for massive parades and gathering. It boasts of the largest square of such kind in the world. This was the place when in 1949, from a rostrum on Tiananmen (the Gate of Heavenly Tiananmen Square Peace), Chairman Mao announced the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. Tiananmen Square is circled by Tiananmen (Gate of Heaven Peace) on its north; the Great Hall of the People on its west; on the east of Tiananmen Square lies the National Museum of China, there are Monument to the People’s Heroes and Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum on the south. At sunrise and sunset the raising and lowering ceremony of the Chinese National Flag is well worth seeing. The young troops perform very well. Make sure to be there 30 minutes earlier to get a good standing point.
Great Wall at Badaling
Climbing the Great Wall is a must for you no matter how buy you are! In Beijing there are mainly eight sections of the Great Wall crossing the northern part of Beijing for 600 kms. The eight sections are Badaling, Juyongguan, Huanghuacheng, Jiankou, Mutianyu, Gubeikou, Jinshanling, and Simatai. Most of the sections of the Great Wall in Beijing are well-preserved and mainly the relics dating from the Ming Dynasty, the time for huge construction. For the Great Wall hiking, get ready for strong footwear. For hot weather, please also prepare for Great Wall sunblock, sunglasses and water. For cold days, get ready for your hat and heavy coat.
Summer Palace
Regarded as the largest imperial garden in China, Beijing’s Summer Palace is in fact a park-styled royal retreat extending out over 10 square miles in northwest suburban Beijing. Once a summer resort for emperors, this 290-acre park-palace is still a retreat for visitors, who can take a rest here or wander around old pavilions, buildings, temples, bridges and the huge lake – Kunming Lake. Summer Palace is mainly comprised of Longevity Hill Summer Palace (Washoushan) and Kunming Lake. Much of the park is covered by Kunming Lake. With masterly design and artistic architecture integrating the highlight of Chinese garden arts, the Summer Palace has earned a title of “Royal Garden Museum”. It is a royal garden most completely preserved with richest landscapes and large compact buildings. The Summer Palace was listed as the world cultural heritage in 1998.
Temple of Heaven
Temple of Heaven is one of the real highlights of Beijing. It is situated in the southern Beijing City. It has been one of the most sacred sites for the whole country for the past five centuries. It worked as sacrificial compound buildings for the Ming and Qing emperors. It boasts of the largest sacrificial place in Beijing among a few imperial altars to Heaven, Earth, the Sun, the Moon super natures. What’s the intriguing by-production of the temple is that if you enter temple of Heavenhe Temple of Heaven in the early morning, you can find many people doing all types of kung fu and taiji and other morning exercises. Furthermore, many people happily play each other with music, songs or cards. You can also join them if you want. The most highlight part of the temple is the unique century-old trees – row upon row of Chinese cypress, Chinese juniper and scholar trees etc.
Ming Tombs
Located 50 kilometers northwest of the downtown Beijing, noted as the 13 Tombs , this is Ming Tombs the burial area of 13 out of 17 emperors of the Ming Dynasty, the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644. It was the final dynasty in China administered by ethnic Hans. At present there are only two tombs which have been dug and open to the public: Dingling Tomb and Changling Tomb. Changling Tomb is the first tomb to be excavated. It took two years for the digging and restoration, and was opened in 1958. Dingling has been excavated so completely that people now have to go into the burial chamber itself. However, it is a very deep climb down and people with problems of their heart or kneels are not advised to visit the underground tomb. Wheel-chair users or people with some difficulty of action, I advise them to visit the Changling Tomb instead.
Ahmad Raza is a frequent traveller and loves politics. He is a graduate in Journalism and works as Assistant Editor Travel for Kluchit.com
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