Destination China
Beijing Excursions
Tian’men Square, Forbidden City and Panda Zoo
Tiananmen Square is the largest public square in the world. It has long been a gathering place for locals and visitors alike. On the north side of the square is Tiananmen Gate (the Rostrum). It was from the balcony of the Rostrum on October 1, 1949 where Mao Zedong, chairman of the Communist Party, proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
The Forbidden City (Imperial Palace), directly behind the Rostrum, was home to 24 emperors. The entire complex consists of 8,706 rooms in which an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 people lived including 3,000 eunuchs, as well as maids and concubines, all within 170 acres.
An essential highlight city tour to the Hutong area, this unique tour will be by pedicab (3-wheeled bicycle). The Hutong mostly built during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, are the narrow network of lanes created by closely built quadrangular homes.
Visit the Panda Section of Beijing Zoo.
Tour to the Great Wall
The Chinese name for the Great Wall is Wan Li Chang Cheng, or “the Long Wall of Ten Thousand Li.” The first sections were built as early as the fifth century B.C. when a number of Chinese states in the north were fighting against each other and occasionally against the northern “barbarian”. It was not until the unification of the empire under Qin Shi Huang Di in B.C. 221 that the various sections of the Wall were linked up. It is said that more than 300,000 men worked for ten years to complete it.
Drive to Northwest Beijing to visit The Summer Palace is one of the finest landmarks in Beijing. It has long been a royal garden and was considerably enlarged and embellished by Emperor Qianglong in the 18th century. It was later abandoned. Empress Dowager Cixi began rebuilding in 1888 using money that was supposedly reserved for the construction of a modern navy.
Tian’men Square, Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven
Tiananmen Square is the largest public square in the world. It has long been a gathering place for locals and visitors alike. On the north side of the square is Tiananmen Gate (the Rostrum). It was from the balcony of the Rostrum on October 1, 1949 where Mao Zedong, chairman of the Communist Party, proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
The Forbidden City (Imperial Palace), directly behind the Rostrum, was home to 24 emperors. The entire complex consists of 8,706 rooms in which an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 people lived including 3,000 eunuchs, as well as maids and concubines, all within 170 acres.
Visit Temple of Heaven where twice a year the emperor expressed thanks for the previous harvest, and on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar year, he begged the gods of sun and moon, clouds and rain, and thunder and lightening to bless the coming harvest.
Ming Tombs & Great Wall
The Ming Tombs – the general name given to the mausoleums of 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644). The mausoleums have been perfectly preserved, as has the necropolis of each of the many emperors.
The Chinese name for the Great Wall is Wan Li Chang Cheng, or “the Long Wall of Ten Thousand Li.” The first sections were built as early as the fifth century B.C. when a number of Chinese states in the north were fighting against each other and occasionally against the northern “barbarian”. It was not until the unification of the empire under Qin Shi Huang Di in B.C. 221 that the various sections of the Wall were linked up. It is said that more than 300,000 men worked for ten years to complete it.
Tian’men Square, Forbidden City and Olympic Stadia
Tiananmen Square is the largest public square in the world. It has long been a gathering place for locals and visitors alike. On the north side of the square is Tiananmen Gate (the Rostrum). It was from the balcony of the Rostrum on October 1, 1949 where Mao Zedong, chairman of the Communist Party, proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
The Forbidden City (Imperial Palace), directly behind the Rostrum, was home to 24 emperors. The entire complex consists of 8,706 rooms in which an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 people lived including 3,000 eunuchs, as well as maids and concubines, all within 170 acre.
Visit two of the architectural masterpieces of the 2008 Olympic, the Birds Nest Stadium and Bubble Aquatic Centre.
Lama Temple & Hutong Tour
The Lama Temple, or Yonghegong, is the most handsome and impressive Buddhist temple in the city. The Lama Temple was originally the residence of prince Yongzheng, who later became Emperor. His mansion was converted into a temple in 1744 after he ascended the throne. One of the most prominent features of the temple is a huge, 23-meter-tall Maitreya Buddha, which was carved from the trunk of a white sandalwood tree.
Beijing’s Hutongs are alleyways and houses of traditional Beijing. Riding in a pedicab through this area is taking a step back in time. In Imperial days everyone lived around the Imperial City in low-rise courtyard style houses – often with the whole extended family living in one courtyard compound.
