Beijing

Beijing Travel Guide

Beijing, in northern China has also been known as Peking, has a population of almost 20 million and is the capital of the People’s Republic of China. It is divided into two rural counties and 14 suburban and urban districts and is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China. Much of the city’s architecture is as interesting as it is beautiful, including enormous palaces and temples as well as monuments.

Beijing Tourist Attractions

One of Beijing most visited attractions is the Forbidden City, listed by UNESCO as having the most comprehensive collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world. It was constructed between 1406 and 1420. This was once the palace compound to the home of the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties and is now the home of the Palace Museum containing the imperial collections of Chinese art.

Another very popular tourist attraction is The Temple of Heaven, a complex of buildings built for holding annual ceremonies of prayer for a good harvest. As well as temples and palaces, Beijing has more than one hundred different museums including the National Museum of China in Tiananmen Square and was recently re opened after a huge renovation project adding far more space and exhibition halls was finished in 2011.

Just outside Beijing is the lavish burial site of the Thirteen Tombs of the Ming Dynasty emperors, three of which are open to the public. One of the most popular outdoor attractions located in the centre of Beijing is Beihai Park. It is one of the best and oldest of the imperial gardens; first open in 1925, the park has an enormous lake, bridges, pavilions, temples and manmade hills.

Beijing Zoo has an area of more than 50,000 square meters of enclosures and habitats housing over 7,000 animals. The zoo is also home to the giant panda, the red panda and the golden monkey.