The history of one of the oldest capitals in the world began long before the onset of a new era. Back in the 11th century BC, historical chronicles mentioned the emergence of the city of Ji, which became the capital of the Yan kingdom. Ji and the kingdom in the 3rd century BC were absorbed by the Qin kingdom, which formed the first centralized empire of ancient China. The centuries-old history has left behind many evidences of the flourishing and oblivion, the rise and fall of the city, and therefore the answer to the question of what to see in Beijing will be ancient palaces and temples, defensive structures and parks and, of course, the richest museum exhibitions.
TOP 10 attractions in Beijing
Tiananmen Square
The largest square in the Chinese capital is called the heart of Beijing. It is here that thousands of tourists go every day to see the ceremony of raising the national flag, admire how the locals fly kites, get acquainted with the architectural monuments and feel the rhythm of Beijing - new and ancient at the same time.
The square is named after the gate that opens the entrance to the residence of the Chinese emperors. In translation "Tiananmen" is the Gate of Heavenly Peace. They were built in the 17th century and are the oldest attraction in the heart of the capital.
Other architectural symbols include the People's Assembly Building, the Opera House, Mao's Mausoleum and the People's Heroes Monument in the center of Tiananmen.
Despite its huge size (the area is 440 thousand square meters and 61 football fields can easily fit on it), there are always enough tourists in Tiananmen, and therefore the best photos can be taken in the early morning.
Forbidden City
The largest palace complex on the planet, the Chinese Forbidden City is also the most mysterious imperial residence in the world. It was built at the beginning of the 15th century and until 1912 served as the residence of the imperial family and the political and ceremonial center of the government.
In the Imperial Palace of Beijing, you can see many architectural landmarks and priceless treasures:
- The 8-meter-high wall surrounding the residence stretches for 3.5 km.
- The towers at the corners of the Forbidden City are decorated with 72 ribs each. They reproduce old pavilions from the Song Dynasty.
- Several gates lead to the city, decorated with rows of golden nails.
- The largest hall of the complex is the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The largest wooden structure in the PRC served as the ceremonial center of the imperial power.
- The Inner Palace housed living quarters and imperial gardens.
The design of all the premises and structures of the Forbidden City is thought out to the smallest detail. Each element of the complex reflects the religious and philosophical principles of the imperial power.
To get there: Beijing Metro L1, st. Tian'anmen West and Tian'anmen East.
the great Wall of China
The largest architectural monument not only in the PRC, but throughout the world, the Great Wall of China stretches for almost 9000 km, although its length with all its branches is more than 21 thousand km. It was built as a defensive structure.
The history of the wall began in the 3rd century BC. Its designers were tasked with fixing the boundaries of Chinese civilization and protecting the empire from the ancient Mongol nomads.
The thickness of the Great Wall is from 5 to 8 m, its height is about 7 m. The fortification is closest to Beijing in the Badaling region, where the wall was built during the reign of the Ming dynasty.
In the middle of the 17th century, the wall began to collapse and almost fell into decay. The Qing dynasty of Manchu, which came to power, did not treat the construction with due attention. Only in the 80s of the last century they began to restore it.
Summer palace
More than 3,000 buildings can be counted in Yiheyuan Park - the Summer Palace of the Qing Dynasty Emperors, located on the outskirts of Beijing.
Work on the creation of the Pure Ripple Garden began in the middle of the 18th century. The first appeared a man-made lake, then the Hill of Longevity, and on its top - the most beautiful Buddhist temples.
The main attraction of the park is the Guinness Book of Records holder, Long Corridor. It is 728 meters long and is the longest painted corridor known. Its walls are decorated with 8000 paintings, and around are symbols of the emperor's power - statues of dragons and lions, cast in bronze.
Sky Temple
The Harvest Temple in central Beijing is more commonly referred to as the Temple of Heaven. It was built in 1420 by the Ming Dynasty and served as a religious complex where they worshiped the sky.
For nearly five centuries, Chinese emperors have visited the Temple of Heaven every year on the winter solstice and made generous offerings to heaven. The Chinese firmly believed that only the emperor has a divine origin, and therefore has the right to turn to the gods with prayers. The gifts were intended to appease Heaven, so that it would send a good harvest and prosperity to the empire.
The round part of the building symbolizes the sky, the square part - the earth. You will find the complex southeast of the imperial palace.
Ming Dynasty Tombs
A square pavilion precedes the entrance to the burial complex, where thirteen emperors of the Ming dynasty, who ruled the country from the 15th to the 17th centuries, are buried. You can look at the mausoleums on the slopes of the Tianshou Mountains in the northern region of Beijing.
The place for the burial was chosen by Emperor Zhu Di. In his opinion, the mountain range protected the mausoleums from the northern winds. In the location of the graves, the principles of feng shui can be traced. The complex has a sacred road and is separated from the outside world by a high wall.
The Ming Dynasty Tombs are just a part of the World Heritage Site called the Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasty Emperors. The rest of the burials are located near Nanjing and in Manchuria.
Beihai park
The Beihai Imperial Garden is home to many historic buildings and other attractions to see on your Beijing tour. More than half of the park's territory is occupied by the lake of the same name, and the families of members of the Chinese government live in the mansions around it.
The buildings and landscapes of Beihai can be called masterpieces of landscape design, made in the classical tradition of Chinese gardens.
Among the attractions of the park are the White Stupa made of stone, the surface of which is decorated with engravings, the Pavilion of the Five Dragons of the Ming Dynasty, the Wall of the Nine Dragons, built of multicolored glazed bricks, and the Buddha statue in the Hall of Receiving Light, carved from white jade and inlaid with gems.
Yonghegong
The Tibetan religious building in the northeast of the capital is called the Palace of Peace and Harmony by the Beijing people. The Enkhegun Temple houses the school of Tibetan Buddhism, and its architecture is closely intertwined with the Chinese and Tibetan styles.
The construction of the temple began at the end of the 17th century as the residence of the palace eunuchs. He later served as the son of the emperor, and then was transferred to the monastery.
In the monastery complex, noteworthy are the statues of Buddha made of jade and bronze, the 26-meter sculpture of Maitreya made of sandalwood from the Guinness Book of Records and the Hill of 500 Arhats with statues made of five metals, including gold.
Gongwangfu
Gongwangfu Palace is second only to the imperial Gugong in scale. It was built for the favorite of Emperor Qianlong, whose name was Hashen. An influential statesman of the Qing era enjoyed unconditional authority at court and was even considered the de facto ruler of the state at the end of the 18th century. He is called the greatest corrupt official in the history of China.
Built in 1776, the palace turned out to be a match for its owner. The area of the palace and park complex is 60 thousand square meters.m., and on its territory there are three dozen architectural structures and ensembles built in a variety of architectural styles.
Tourists will be interested in visiting the Museum of Princely Palaces in Gongwangfu. It opened in 2008 and antiques were purchased from all over China to create its exposition. The plans of the palace, descriptions and paintings of that era were used to work on the interiors.
The theater building in the eastern part of the palace complex is of no less interest. Performances of the Beijing Opera Company are often staged on the stage, and circus performers perform. During the performances, spectators are provided with the most comfortable conditions - tea and light snacks are served.
To get there: bus. N13, 103 and 111, ost. Dianmen.
National Museum of China
The largest museum exposition of the PRC is annually visited by millions of foreign tourists. The collection of exhibits is no less interesting for local residents, because the museum presents all stages of the history of the state - from ancient times to the present day.
Several permanent exhibitions allow you to plunge into the most tragic and great pages of the history of the PRC. For example, "The Road to Rebirth" tells about the Opium War of 1840, the losses associated with it, and attempts to revive the nation and Chinese culture, undertaken in different years. The exhibition clearly demonstrates the leading and guiding role of the Communist Party of the PRC on the path to national prosperity.
In the halls dedicated to the history of Ancient China, priceless artifacts are collected that tell about the life of the country hundreds of years before the onset of a new era. The most famous exhibits of this department of the museum are the sacrificial bronze tripod Ding, which was made three thousand years ago, and a robe made of jade plates sewn with gold wire. In it in the II century BC. was buried Liu Sheng, Prince of Zhunshan State. Such funerary utensils have been used by the Chinese since the Neolithic period, and jade is still revered by them as a magical mineral.
