ChinaTravelScene

The Capital City - BEIJING

Beijing is the capital of the People's Republic of China and it is China's political and cultural center. It covers an area of 16,808 square kilometers and has a population of over 11 million. Archaeological discovery has shown that Beijing is a cradle of the Chinese nation. It is here that the "Peking Man" -- an ancestor of the ancient Chinese nation -- multiplied about half a million years ago. About 3,000 years ago, Beijing became an important town in North China. In the 11th century B.C., a northern kingdom called Yan established its capital in Beijing, which was then known as "Yanjing". Later, the Kin, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties (1115-1911) all made Beijing their capital, so that it served as China's political center for 700 years. Construction during various feudal dynasties has left Beijing a host of historical and cultural relics, imperial palaces and gardens, imperial residences, temples, pavilions, archways and stone carvings. These, unique in the world, have earned Beijing the name of a historical and cultural treasure house. Since New China was founded in 1949, Beijing has undergone new changes and become a modern city.

TIAN'ANMEN SQUARE
was the front gate of the Imperial Palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Originally built in 1417. It was rebuilt in 1651 and renamed Tian'anmen. Ming and Qing emperors would issue decrees from the gate tower and pass through it when they went to the Temple of Heaven . The gate has five openings and nine tiers of eaves. After the founding of new China in 1949 reviewing stands were built on the two sides of the gate. In spring and autumn flowers in front of the reviewing stands attract many visitors. Five white marble bridges span the Golden Water River which flows in front of the Tian'anmen. In front of the gate is the world’s largest open ground in the city - the Tian'anmen Square.

BEIHAI PARK
situated to the northwest of Palace Museum , is a typical imperial garden dating back to more than 800 years ago. Buildings are clustered around the famed White Pagoda on Qionghua ( Jasper Flower) Island on the lake in the park's bosom. The island provides a vantage point for observing the landscape of Beijing.

BIG BELL TEMPLE
is a famous Buddhist temple has been converted into the Chinese Museum of Ancient Bells. Among the hundred or so ancient bells on display is the Yongle Bell cast during the Ming. Weighing 46.5 tons, it is extolled as China's "King of Bells".

YONGHEGONG LAMASERY
in Eastern District had been the mansion of Emperor Yongzheng during his days as the crown prince. After he ascended the throne he had it converted into a lamasery which has remained as such to this day. Yonghegong Lamasery consists of three finely crafted archways and five imposing halls laid out tastefully over an area of 66,400 square meters. Among the treasures in these halls is a 26-meter-tall statue of Maitreya ( the smiling Buddha), which is carved out of a single sandalwood trunk.

THE HOME OF PEKING MAN,
an abundance of paleo-fossils has been unearthed along with ruins of the world's earliest fire using primitive man. It is located at Zhoukoudian in Fangshan District of Beijing.

None of these finds, however, are more important than the fossils of Peking Man and Upper Cave man and more than 10,000 stone tools, which qualify Zhoukoudian as a world cultural heritage site.

WOFO TEMPLE,
or temple of Recumbent Buddha, is a Tang Buddhist establishment enshrined with China's largest statue of a recumbent image of Sakyamuni cast of 54 tons of bronze and 5.3 meters in length .

TOUR OF HUTONGS,
are back alleys where old traditions remain very much alive and kicking. There are about 4,550 of them in Beijing. Ubiquitous in these hutongs are quadrangle dwellings. Close by Prince Gong's Mansion are some of Beijing' s best-preserved hutongs. Touring these hutongs by the traditional pedicab is a special travel program of Beijing.