Beijing's
Popular Attractions:
The Best Things to See in Beijing
Many tourist areas in Beijing
are under renovation for the 2008 Olympics. The Forbidden City and the
Summer Palace all had sections under renovation as of the middle of March
2006. Renovations on the Temple of Heaven are completed. As a plus, ticket
prices were reduced for sights under renovation. Just be aware that prior
to the Olympics there may be continued renovations.
Forbidden City
(also known as the Palace Museum). Get there when the gates open (around
8.30am) if you want to walk through the vast and spectacular courtyards
in relative peace. This is truly the spot to appreciate the might and
grandeur of the Imperial Chinese court during the height of its power in
the Ming and Qing dynasties. Despite the transformation of the city
around it, the Forbidden City remains mercifully relatively untouched. A
few years ago there was a lot of local fuss when a Starbucks coffee shop
opened in the Forbidden City, some interpreting this as a return to the
bad old days of colonial domination. However, in July 2007, Starbucks
decided to close the shop as part of the restoration of the Forbidden
City, which is in part toning down the commercial locations inside the
city walls. Only 2/5 area of the palace is opened, but some places are
under restorations and will be opened before 2008.
Tiananmen Square is the
largest square in the world. Built by Mao to
impress; his riposte to the Forbidden City, the square is surrounded by
Soviet-style monuments and government buildings, and houses Mao's
mausoleum at the end opposite the entrance to the Forbidden City. It
remains an astounding place and a spot to linger and see visitors from
all over China, many visiting their capital for the first time. There is
a flag raising and lowering ceremony at dawn and dusk. There are 4
marble lions in front of the Tiananmen gate, the northwest one has a
bullet hole on its stomach from the 1989 Tianamen Square massacre.
The Temple of Heaven,
south east of Qianmen and the Tiananmen Square. Not only a beautiful
sight, but also surrounded by a vast public park popular with local
residents practicing tai chi, dancing, and so on in the mornings and on
weekends. Home to many ancient trees, this is also the greenest place in
Beijing. Just a short stroll away from the historical sights will bring
you to peaceful woods and, amazingly, solitude (especially toward the West
Gate). The temple itself was the site where the emperor prayed every year
for good harvests and fair weather.
The
Summer Palace is the
extensive gardens and the ruins of palaces constructed by the Qing
emperors. Most visitors stay in the front hill area, but if you prefer
quiet places, the west bank and back hill areas are good choices. There
are some quiet and secret ruins, caves, and other fun stuff in the back
hill area.
Beijing Zoo (they do have Pandas, but displays are not great, your best
bet is to go to the Panda Breeding Centre in Chengdu, Sichuan Province).
Some think the Zoo is one of the worst you will ever see (partly because
of the way they treat animals), but the aquarium is one of the biggest
in the world, and very impressive. The Zoo was built on the sites of
some ancient gardens, has lakes, pounds, pavilions and other beautiful
old buildings. The Soviet revival Beijing Exhibition Hall is located
nearby and has a Russian restaurant, "Moscow Restaurant".
Beihai
Park - Beihai is a good place to take a glance at Zhongnanhai,
heart of Communist China. There's a big island and white pagoda which
was built in the 17th century. The giant buildings westward outside are PRC's Ministry of Defence and General Staff, which, to be honest, ruin
the scene of the west bank. On the north bank, you can visit some small
but beautiful gardens.
Yonghegong
- (also known as Lama Temple or Palace of Peace) The temple was built by
Chinese emperors who harbored a deep fascination for the Tibetan (Tantric)
version of Buddhism. Over the years many Tibetan and Mongolian monks
lived and taught here, and there are still monks in residence today. The
temple is famous for its 18m statue of Maitreya Buddha carved from a
single piece of sandalwood.
Prince Gong's Mansion - The garden is filled with Chinese tourists, and the
mansion will be opened as a museum before 2008, which will display the
life of princes during the Qing dynasty
Legation Quarter - east of
Tiananmen Square, once famous in the Boxer Rebellion, the legation
quarter is now occupied by government offices and army offices but can
still be seen from outside. There's a wonderful bakery store called
"Sapporo" near the legation quarter, famous for its breads and
cheesecakes.
Fragrant Hills, in the northwestern corner of Beijing. A good place for weekend
outings and picnics. Formerly a Qing imperial garden, today Fragrant
Hills makes an easy short climb in the suburbs of Beijing. It's also
home to the Fragrant Hills Hotel, designed by I.M. Pei (Louvre Museum
Pyramid).
Beijing Botanical Gardens,
just a few steps away from the east gate of Fragrant
Hill. Acres of greenery and flowers for those tired of urban smog and
traffic noise. Sir Johnston, teacher of the last emperor Puyi, had a
villa in Cherry Glen, a silent and beautiful retreat in the Gardens. In
the spring, the gardens hosts special exhibits of tulips, peach and plum
blossoms, peonies, and the like.
Hutongs are
Beijing's ancient alleyways, where you can find traditional Beijing
architecture. They date back to when Beijing was the capitol of the Yuan
dynasty (1266-1368). Most buildings in hutongs are made in the
traditional siheyuan, or courtyard, style. Many of these courtyard
homes were originally occupied by aristocrats, though after the
Communist takeover in 1949 the aristocrats were pushed out and replaced
with poor families. Hutongs can still be found throughout the area
within the 2nd Ring Road, though many are being demolished to make way
for new buildings and wider roads. Most popular among tourists are the
hutongs near Qianmen and Houhai.
Military Museum of the
Chinese People's Revolution
is a great place to read the official Chinese version of what happened in
Chinese military history, from ancient times up to 1949. There are also
airplanes, boats, guns, missiles, rockets and vehicles on display
(including U.S. military hardware evidently seized during the Korean
conflict). The exhibit in "The Hall of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression
and Aid Korea" was unfortunately inaccessible as of April 2007.
China Aviation Museum is a
must see for all aviation fans. It is located about 50 km outside
Beijing in Changping District and is probably better known by the name
Datangshan. Best way to get there is to arrange a taxi from your hotel.
The other more adventurous way is to take bus 912 from Andingmen bus
station, just remember that 912 has some branch lines and not all of
these go via museum. The museum hosts over 200 exhibits, many of them
very rare.
The Museum of History and
the Museum of the Revolution is on the east side of Tiananmen square. It
is undergoing
renovation from 2007 until 2010 and will not be accessible until
finished.
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