| Beijing
briefing |  Beijing
is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is not only the nation's
political centre, but also its cultural, scientific and educational heart as well
as a key transportation hub. Beijing has served as a capital of the country for
more than 800 years. The city has many places of historic interest and scenic
beauty, including the Forbidden City--the largest and best-preserved ancient architectural
complex in the world; the Temple of Heaven--where Ming and Qing emperors performed
solemn rituals for bountiful harvests; the Summer Palace--the emperors' magnificent
garden retreat; the Ming tombs--the stately and majestic mausoleums of 13 Ming
Dynasty emperors; and the world-renowned and genuinely inspiring Badaling section
of the Great Wall. Large-scale construction has brought great changes to Beijing
since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 that adds more and
more new attractions to the mysterious old city. | | Tian'an
men Square |  Large
enough to hold 1 million people, the 440,000-square-metre Tian'anmen Square in
the center of Beijing is the world's largest city square, where sunrises and sunsets
are observed solemnly with national flag hoisting and lowering ceremonies. Tian'an
men Gate on the northern edge of the square sued to be the front gate of the Ming
and Qing Imperial Palace. The rostrum atop the gate, where national leaders review
mass rallies or gala celebrations on important occasions, is open to tourists.
The Monument to the People's Heroes stands in the center of the square. Behind
Zhengyang Gate to the south sprawls Mao Zedong Memorial Hall; to the east is the
complex which houses the Museum of Chinese Revolution and the Museum of Chinese
History. The Great hall of the People stands on the western side. The night scene
of Tian'anmen Square is definitely a MUST for any visitor to Beijing. | | Great
Wall |  As
an emblem of Chinese civilization, a cultural phenomenon of world caliber,and
another UNESCO=endorsed world cultural heritage site, the 6350km Great Wall was
in China's feudal years a mammoth defense bulwark that serpentines its way across
mountains and valleys in the northern part of the country. The Great Wall came
under construction in the 7th century BC. But it was Qinshihuang, the founding
emperor of the Qin, who brought it to completion. Repeated extensions were done
in later dynasties until the Ming. The 600-year-old Badaling Fortification in
Yanqing county in northwest Beijing is representative of Ming sections of the
Great Wall. The Great Wall looks equally breathtaking at such sections as Jinshanling,
Mutianyu and Simatai. | | Forbidden City |  At
the city center is the imperial palace complex of 24 Ming and Qing dynasty emperors.
In imperial times it was called as the Purple Forbidden City from the association
of the emperors with the color of the Pole Star. Surrounded by 10 meter (32 feet)
high walls and gates and a 50m (164 ft.) wide moat, it was inaccessible to ordinary
people, but well populated by imperial family members, their servants and staffs,
officials, and guards. At the city center is the imperial palace complex of 24
Ming and Qing dynasty emperors. In imperial times it was called as the Purple
Forbidden City from the association of the emperors with the color of the Pole
Star. Surrounded by 10 meter (32 feet) high walls and gates and a 50m (164 ft.)
wide moat, it was inaccessible to ordinary people, but well populated by imperial
family members, their servants and staffs, officials, and guards. | | Summer
Palace |  The
Summer Palace (Yiheyuan) in the northwestern suburb of Beijing was built in 1750.
by far the best-preserved imperial garden in China, it was endorsed by the UNESCO
in 1998 as a world cultural heritage site. As a paragon of Chinese gardens, this
huge garden includes Longevity Hill, whose beauty is set off by a multitude of
halls, kiosks and trees, and Kunming Lake, a huge body of liquid silver. Major
tourist attractions are Tower of Buddhist Incense, 17-Span Bridge, Long Gallery,
Cloud Dispelling Hall, Marble Boat, Beamless Hall, Garden of Harmonious Delights,
the theatre in the Garden of Moral Harmony, and Suzhou Street. The entire place
is a de facto museum of China's classical architecture. Housed in these buildings
are an immense collection of treasures and cultural artifacts. | |
Temple Of Heaven |  Located
in the southern part of the city, close to the main north-south axis leading to
the Forbidden City, is the Temple of Heaven complex of ritual buildings. The halls
and altars here are round, symbolic of heaven. A counterpart Earth Altar in the
north of the city uses the square profile symbolic of earth; temples of the sun
(in the east) and moon (west) complete a ceremonial surround for Beijing that
made it not only a political capital but also a ritual center, shaped in the form
of a cosmic diagram. The emperor, as Son of Heaven, performed priestly as well
as ruling functions. Each year on the day of the winter solstice, following three
days of fasting and meditation, the emperor would offer sacrifices and pray for
a good harvest at the Altar of Heaven, a three-tiered round white marble structure,
built in 1530 and reconstructed in 1740. The round altar sits on a square base,
symbolic of the meeting of heaven and earth, a theme carried through in the shape
of the complex as a whole, a semicircle atop a square. Just north of the
Altar of Heaven is the octagonal Imperial Vault of Heaven building, which contained
tablets of the imperial ancestors and astronomical plaques of the constellations
and meteorological occurrences. The outer wall of the Vault of Heaven Hall is
known as the Echo Wall, from its ability to transmit even whispered voices around
its length. Farther north is the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, originally
built in 1420, remodeled in 1545, destroyed by lightning in 1889, and rebuilt
in the following year, in part using Oregon fir wood for the supporting pillars.
West of these buildings is the Altar of Farming, where each year in spring
the emperor personally ploughed eight furrows to symbolically assure a good harvest.
The Hall of the Year Gods (now housing the Museum of Chinese Architecture) was
where the emperor sacrificed to the gods of the year and asked for a good harvest.
| | Beihai Park |  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. Major
attractions are Circular City, Painted Boat Studio, Studio of the Tranquil Heart,
Nine-Dragon Screen Wall and Five-Dragon Pavilions. | | | |
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