The
city has been the successive throne of power to the Jin, Yuan, Ming and the
Qing dynasties. Beijing, the capital city of the People's Republic of China,
is the center of national politics, economics, culture, transportation and
tourism.
Beijing has radically grown-up as a metropolitan city, parallel to the
standards of Hong Kong and Shanghai. The city has come a long way from the
filthy stronghold of Communism of seventies.
Elevated buildings almost reaching the horizon with hyper- markets,
shopping malls thronged by tourists and the locals are the common view of
the city.
Beijing holds the attraction of the most astounding archetype of Chinese
architecture, quite apparent in its old structures, which inspirit amazement
in the spectator. The city is also the gateway to the Great Wall of China --
one of the seven wonders of the world.
Best time to Visit
Being remained capital of China for successive dynasties and has spurts as
an affluent bonanza of tourist attractions. The marvelous panorama of
Beijing will definitely leave you spellbound. Autumn is the best time when
one can enjoy the charisma of the city up to its full magnitude, during this
period the weather is mild and pleasant with clear blue sky.
Beijing Temptations
The Great Wall of China
The main attraction of the Beijing City is the World Heritage Site - the
Great Wall of China. It is the common myth that the wall is the only man
made object on the earth that is visible from space and moon. The Great Wall
of China is part of the cultural heritage of mankind and takes its pride
place in the seven wonders of the world. For every tourist to China, it
always remains the top destination in its itinerary.
The
Forbidden City (Museum)
The place has been opened to the public as the Imperial Palace Museum, once
ruled by the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The museum is adorned with the
architecture splendor of traditional palace, artifacts and the treasures of
by gone era keptsafe in the palace. One also comes to know about the legends
and the lifestyle of the imperial family.
Summer Palace
Another Forbidden City of Beijing also called as ‘Yiheyuan’ in
Chinese. It is famous for its most beautiful imperial garden that is best
maintained and preserved in China. The garden is also the symbol of ‘Nurtured
Harmony’ and is visited by thousands of tourist every year, definitely
a must visit sight.
Tian’anmen
It is an open area in the heart of the city quite famous for holding many
ceremonies and demonstrations for more then 100 years. It is the largest
square, with an area of 440,000 sq. meters; the center of the square is
adorned by the colossal “Monument to the People's Heroes” - the 36
meters monolith, constructed out of Qingdao granite.
The area is embellished with the majestic Tiananmen Gate also known as the
Heavenly Peace Gate, with the Great Hall of the People on the western side
and the Museum of the Chinese Revolution and the Museum of Chinese History
to its east and west.
Temple of Heaven
The temple is located in the Chongwen town in the southern part of Beijing.
The structure is called as the ‘Temple of Heven’ due to its unique
architecture and construction. The circular upper northern half of the
temple represents Heaven and the square southern half represents the Earth,
contemporary with the sought Chinese saying "Round Heaven and Square
Earth". Other renowned structures of the north south zones are ‘The
Hall of Prayer’ for good harvest at the northern zone and the Imperial
Vaulted Heaven and the Circular Altar at the southern zone. At the central
point one can also view the heavenly gates of the temple. The Vermilion
Steps Bridge or the Divine Path-- a 2.5-m high and 360-m long path is the
joining medium of the two zones.
Mode of Transportation
By Air:
Beijing airport is the biggest airport in whole of China almost 25-km from
the city center. Many airlines operate through the airport, 21 domestic
airlines, 1 Hong Kong airline and 1 Macao airline operate flights to and
from Beijing. One can take the facilities of airport shuttle from the
airport to reach the city that runs every half an hour. Meter taxies are
also easily available from the airports.
By Train:
The city is well connected to other parts of china by the well-developed
mode of transport. Beijing enjoys the 4 major railway stations - Beijing
Railway Station (in eastern Beijing), Beijing West Railway Station (in the
southwest of the city), Yongdingmen Station (in the south) and Xizhimen
Station (in the north).
By Road:
The city is also connected by the well-developed road transport network to
all the major parts of the country. The four major long-distance bus
stations are- Dongzhimen (northeast; Dongzhimenwai Xiejie), Muxiyuan (south;
Haihutun, Fengtai District), Beijiao (north; Deshengmenwai) and Majun or
Guangqumen (east; Guangqumenwai).
Pedi-cabs:
Pedi-cabs are best means for sightseeing, although they are a bit costly.
Try to hire a legally registered pedi-cab to avoid being cheated.
Waterways:
Another exciting way to view the magnificent way of the city is through its
waterway transport. Changhe course and Kunyuhe course are best known ways,
the 9 km long Changhe course runs from lake Kunmen Hu to the lake Beizhanhou
Hu and the Kunyuhe course is about 10km long, stretching from Kunmen Hu to
Yuyuan Tan.
Besides this tourist boats are also available for the water cruiser.
Beijing as a Major Shopping Hub
Shopping in Beijing is a real excitement and fun ever since the time of
Marco Polo. It was from here that Marco Polo introduced silk and noodles in
Europe.
Today Beijing offers vast variety of temptations like --
Cloisonné, a traditional handicraft made of bronze and porcelain;
ivory carvings Yadiao; Jade objects; carved lacquer wares; colorful kites,
delicate paper-cut, Chinese knots and much more.
Chinese medicinal herbs are world famous as they have their magic power to
heal the sufferers.
Wangfujing, is the most famous shopping joint. It is almost 700-year-old
Commercial Street located to the east of Tiananmen Square that offers all
kinds of commodities.
Xidan Commercial Street, on Xidanbei Dajie to the west of Tiananmen Square
another important shopping area.
Liulichang Culture Street, at a walking distance from the south of
Hepingmen subway station, is a traditional cultural market selling jewelry,
antiques and ancient calligraphy and paintings.
Popular entertainment / Hang outs in Beijing
Acrobatics: One can enjoy the marvelous art acrobats at
the Wansheng Theatre in Xuanwu district. It is one of the special places for
the performances of Beijing Acrobatic Troupe.
Ballet and Opera: Madame Butterfly and Carmen are some of
the famous Ballet and Opera performed by the Central Ballet Troupe of China.
One can also enjoy the Italian
Operas. The Beijing Opera: a principle of Chinese national culture
is a rich amalgam of singing, dancing, musical dialogue, martial arts,
facial makeup and colorful attires.
The Puppet Show: The shows are based on the folk tales and dances. These
puppet shows are almost 2000-year-old art and are still the great source of
attraction among the tourist.
Popular Hangouts:
The Teahouse: Teahouses are common meeting place where
people enjoy the traditional tea along with traditional snacks. Teahouse is
a favorite joint for all sorts of people whether dealing in business and
entertaining friends. Here one can also know about the folk culture of
Beijing.
