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Forbidden City |
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The Forbidden City houses the best preserved cluster of ancient Chinese buildings which had been shun from the public for 500 years. Most of them are post 18th century and are worth visiting. The location is directly opposite Tiananmen Square.
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Lama Temple |
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Beijing's history dates back to 500,000 years ago when the Peking men, the ancestors of modern Homo Sapiens, still roamed over the area and lived in caves. Beijing has been an inhabited city for more than 3,000 years, and survived through many devastations and pillages. In consequence, this Chinese gem has emerged to be a strong and vibrant city. Although in recent years Beijing appears to be adapting to the spirit of modernity, several sights that reflect its inheritant glory as well as traditional festivals full of nostalgic vitality can still be seen and appreciated.
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Summer Palace (Yiheyuan) |
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The Summer Palace was used as a summer resort for the royal families to escape the Forbidden City's scorching heat. This dominion is full of architectural wonders such as the palace temples, gardens, pavillions, lakes and impossibly long corridor, although regrettably many of them suffered damages by the Second Opium War and the Boxer Rebellion.
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Confucius Temple |
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This rustic temple was built during the Yuan Dynasty in 1306 and houses a stone stele carved with the names of successful candidates from the imperial civil service examinations.
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Temple of Heaven Park |
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The park is an important meeting place and also a good spot for visitors to observe the Beijingers' lives in the morning as they start a day with tai chi, dancing or game-playing in the park. The Temple of Heaven itslef is an icon of monumental value as it spans over the area of 267-hectare park and was used as a hall for solemn rites and rituals in the past.
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The Great Wall of China |
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The Qing Dynasty gave birth to this Great Wall of China over 2000 years ago, projecting it to be an impassable barrier to the neighboring kingdoms. Visitors are recommended to take a walk on the Huanghua (Yellow Flower Fortress) section which is 60km north of Beijing and exhibits a well-preserved example of Ming defence.
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Simatai Great Wall
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A large number of visitors overlook Simatai and flock to Badaling to climb the Great Wall of China, although this section of the stretching wall is closer to Beijing proper and offers a view of the wall in its authenticity minus the glossy patina resulted from restoration as seen in Badaling.
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Tiananmen Square |
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Tiananmen Square is both physically and symbolically the heart of Beijing. It is the world's largest urban plaza and is intrinsically the heart of Chinese politics as it had overseen many political rallies in the past decades. The square is surrounded by many important museums and monuments such as the Gate of Heavenly Peace, the Museum of Chinese History, the Museum of the Chinese Revolution, the Great Hall of the People, and the Chairman Mao Mausoleum.
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Beijing Underground City |
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The impending threat of Soviet invasion in the 1960s had prompted the Beijing's citizens to drill a shadow city underground. Withinn 10 years, about 2000 people had contributed to the creation of this subterranean network which has become a place for warehouses, hotels and restaurants.
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Drum Tower |
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The Drum Tower was originally built in 1273 to mark the center of the old Mongol capital Dadu. It has survived several destructions and restorations and has become the city's protected treasure. The view from the top provides a stunning panorama of the Beiing's rooftops.
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Beihai Park |
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Beihai Park is located on the northwest of the Imperial Palace and Jingshan Park. It was originally built for Kublai Khan in 1265. In the center of Beihai Lake sits a Tibetan-style white dagoba, built in 1651 in honor of the Dalai Lama's visit.
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The Ming Tombs |
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These tombs are the final resting place of 13 of the 17 Ming Dynasty emperors along with their wives and concubines. The site faces south according to the Chinese principle of Fengshui.
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Tianjin
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Officially a special municipality belonging to no province, this fourth largest city in China is Beijing's port. It served as a foreign concession port in the past, and today it provides a cornucopia of European style buildings as well as an antique market and the Ancient Culture Street.
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Fragrant Hills Park
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This park is about 30km northwest of Beijing, and is one of the most favorite resorts in the city's outskirts. The Jin Dynasty comissioned the construction of the Fragrant Hills Temple in 1186, and other features of the temple were subsequently added by the consecutive dynasties. The park was later named the Park of Tranguility and Pleasure, and has many fabulous shrines and temples.
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This article is authored and copyrighted by
Royal Exclusive Travel
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