Category: Beijing

The Fragrant Hill, as the most beautiful sight in autumn Beijing, wins its fame all over the world with its maple leaves. The park is beautiful in other seasons too. The park has a long history. Palace were built up here for the royal sojourns in Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. In the 10th…

Tiananmen was the front entrance of the Im-perial City of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In the Ming Dynasty. it was first known as Chengtianmen, meaning “Monarchical Power Coming from Heaven” to rule the country.Later renamed “Tiananmen”, it was renovated repeatedly. Also called the “National Gate”, it was one from which the emperor came in…

Construction of the Palace commenced in 1406, during the Ming Dynasty and was completed in 1420. From completion to now, for over 570 years, the palace endures turmoil rises and falls of dynasties. In 1420, Ming emperor Zhu Di moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijing-formerly known as Peking. In 1911 civil revolution led to…

It’s more than 2,000 years old, but the Great Wall of China remains one of the greatest wonders of the world, an engineering feat rarely matched in the 22 centuries since its construction began. Stretching 4,500 miles, from the mountains of Korea to the Gobi Desert, it was first built to protect an ancient Chinese…

Beijing’s city walls have a long history. Kublai Khan of the Yuan Dynasty built his capital at the present site, which he called Dadu. Rebuilding and extension operations were carried out on the city during the Ming Dynasty. The city acquired a ermanent shape in the middle of the 16th century. The constructionof the city…

With a total area of 440,000 square meters, Tiananmen Square is the largest square in the center of Beijing. For over a hundred years, many ceremony and demonstrations have been held here. The grandeur of Tiananmen Gate (Heavenly Peace Gate) is a national symbol, with the Great Hall of the People on the western side…

Though the square itself is not particularly good-looking, it is immense(covering 44 hectares, it is the largest square in the world) and filled with tourists from all parts of China every day. In the middle of the square is the Monument to the People’s Heroes. Directly north is Chang’an Avenue, Beijing’s main drag. Acorss the…

Providing all information on the famous attraction in Beijing-the Temple of Heaven. The Temple of Heaven is situated in the southern part of the city in Chongwen district. As famous as the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace, it is a “must” for every visitor. In ancient China, the emperor was regarded as the “Son…

The Temple of Heaven : legitimising the Emperor’s rule The Temple of Heaven is the most holy of Beijing’s Imperial temples. For this is where the Emperor came every winter solstice to worship heaven and to solemnly pray for a good harvest. Since his rule was legitimised by a mandate from heaven, a bad harvest…

About one bus stop, or half a kilometer to the west of the north gate of the Forbidden City is the famous Beihai Park. It is used to be the former palace of the emperors in successive dynasties, called the Winter Palace by Westerners. Early in the 10th century, the Liao dynasty a secondary imperial…

Palace Architecture – its incorporation of the occult sciences Home of the Emperor, the Forbidden Palace was constructed in accordance with the laws of geomancy or fengshui. Every element was considered according to its prescriptions, the most fundamental being the positioning of the palace along a north-south axis. The occult art of numerology similarly played…

Zhongshan Park is located to the west of Tian’anmen Rostrum in the heart of the Inner City. It is the site of the former Altar of Land and Grain. Entering through the main southern entrance, one comes to a large vestibular pavilion with long corridors running off to the east and west. In front of…

Immediately to the west of the Forbidden City is a large lake area which court officials of the Qing Dynasty called the Western Lake (Xihaizi) or the Pool of Great Secretion (Taiyechi). Centuries ago, this stretch of water was divided into three sections- North Lake (Beihai), Central Lake (Zhonghai) and South lake (Nanhai). The area…

The Temple of the Poor and the Wild Mulberry was first built in the Western Jin and Eastern Jin dynasties (265-420), when it was known as the Temple of Excellent Blessings. In the Tang Dynasty it was renamed the Dragon Spring Temple and in the Jin Dynasty rebuilt as the Temple of Longevity. Additions were…

The Miaoying Monastery is situated on the north side of Fuchengmennei Street in the West City District of Beijing. The Whiter Dagoba in the monastery was first built in 1096 of the Liao Dynasty and was considerably expanded and elaborately redecorated in 1271 during the reign of Emperor Shizu (Kubla Khan) of the Yuan Dynasty.…