Once in the capital of China, most independent travelers are somewhat lost: hieroglyphs, unusual speech and specific smells dizzy, and pre-planned excursion routes are lost in the abundance of colorful signs and thousands of cyclists. In fact, it turns out that Beijing in 2 days is quite possible to see, if you do not spray on trifles and focus on the main city attractions.
To the Temple of Heaven
The people themselves consider the Temple of Heaven, erected to the southeast of the Emperor's Palace at the beginning of the 15th century, to be the symbol of the Chinese capital. The UNESCO organization included this religious building in the World Heritage List, and the temple itself annually becomes a place of pilgrimage for millions of Chinese and guests of the country.
The Temple of Heaven has served as a place of prayer for five hundred years. The emperor here asked for the patronage of the heavenly forces on the day of the winter solstice, not forgetting to bring generous gifts to the temple.
Record holder among palaces
It is best to continue your tour of the Chinese capital towards the Forbidden City. This is the name of the palace complex that served as the residence of the imperial dynasty. It is the largest in the world, and its area exceeds 700 thousand square meters. m. For centuries, only members of the imperial family and people especially close to them could enter the Forbidden City, and therefore it was forbidden for the rest of the inhabitants of the country.
The palace was built in the first third of the 15th century. It has almost 900 rooms, and the Forbidden City was built by more than a million builders. The square in front of the masterpiece of Chinese architecture, also marked by UNESCO in the lists of world cultural values, is the largest in the world. It is called Tiananmen and the path from it to the palace lies through the Gate of Heavenly Peace.
Record holder in all respects
This is another architectural object that is worth visiting when you are in Beijing for two days. This is the summer residence of the Chinese emperors on the outskirts of the city, which is a park and three thousand different buildings:
- The Marble Boat is a pavilion on the lake, made partly of white marble. It is 36 meters long and was built in the middle of the 18th century.
- A long corridor that stretches for 728 meters and connects the objects of the Summer Palace. The walls and ceilings of the Changlan Gallery are hand-painted with scenes from the daily life of the Chinese and tales of military prowess. The structure is a worthy representative of the Guinness Book of Records.
- Lake Kunminghu with a magnificent arched bridge connecting the shore to the island in the reservoir.
