A brief and useful travel guide of Beijing.

Beijing is the capital of China. Beijing’s deeply rich cultural heritage, from its thousand-year history to the burgeoning economic progress of today, creates an grand impression on the occasion of a travel to the capital.

Where do we should visit in Beijing for a good trip? Let me tell you.
1.Tian’anmen Square.
It is the largest open square in the world. It is possible to gather half a million people there. At the middle of the square is an obelisk of the heroes of China. The mausoleum of Chairman Mao also stands here. At the southernmost of the square is the Qianmen gate. The northern end of Tian’anmen Square is surrounded by the Great Hall of the People, The Historical Museum of China and the Revolutionary Museum of China. The impressive Tian’anmen gate that face Tian’anmen square is one of Beijing’s landmarks.

2.The Forbidden City.
The Forbidden City was built in the Ming Dynasty. The central part of the Forbidden City is the imperial palace. Starting from the moat at the southern end is the mighty Meridian Gate. Then the landscaped Golden Stream runs in front of the Gate of Highest Harmony.

3. The Temple of Heaven.
The Temple of Heaven was erected by Emperor Yongle in 1420. The temple was built without the use of nails.

4.The Old Summer Palace and Summer Palace.
Beijing’s Old Summer Palace was originally an enormous complex of palace buildings and gardens built during 1700s and 1800s.It was almost burnt to the ground, in 1860 at the second Opium War, by English. Today, only the ruins of the European palace buildings are left for it was built by stone.

The imperial Summer Palace was originally an imperial garden which has a beautiful surrounding created during the reign of Emperor Qianlong in 1750.
Kunming Lake which located in the central of it is a copy of the Western Lake in Hangzhou.

5. The Ming Graves(Shisanling).
North of Beijing Lies the great burial ground of the Ming emperors. There was 13 Ming emperors are buried in the hilly area. The entire burial ground was selected very carefully according to geomantic principles.

6. The Great Wall
The Great Wall of China is the world’s largest construction. It covers a length of no less than 6350 kilometers. In the north of Beijing there is a part of it.The Wall was built over several periods. The purpose of the Wall was to keep China’s northern border safe from invasion by nomad tribes. But it was no longer important for the defense from Qing dynasty.
There are many arranged tours available that will take you to one or more places on the Wall. The closest places available are Badaling and Juyong.