Any China tour would be incomplete without the visit to Beijing. Beijing is the political, cultural and economic capital of China. The city is around 300 years old and is home to 15-16 million people. Situated in northeast of China it has five rivers running through it. Beijing has adorned a completely new look but if one scratches its present, one would be surprised to see through its present, the magnificent past. Old city walls have been replaced with wide ring roads. The courthouses have given way to high rise sky scrapers. The city has retained its vibrancy over the so many years. The intermingling of present and past makes this Chinese city a top tourist destination of the world. China tour to Beijing will have to cover following top tourist destinations:
The Forbidden City: At the city center, one can notice the grand Imperial Palace of 24 Ming and Qing Dynasty emperors. During imperial times this was known as Purple Forbidden City. The major architecture of the building has been aligned on north-south axis that goes beyond the walls. Main entrance to the palace is through Meridian gate through which every year New Year was announced and sentences to prisoners were promulgated, ancient times.
Tiananmen Square: Another must see on China Tour is Tiananmen Square. It is situated on the south of Forbidden City and can accommodate close to one million people. This is the largest inner city square in the world. The place has great importance in China’s history. China’s imperial past and rich history is displayed in various forms at Tiananmen Square. History is depicted in Tiananmen Square in varying forms. Testimonials to the events that took place on 4th May, 1919, when a large demonstration was held to oppose the treaty of Versailles which Chinese students considered unfair to China, are prominently displayed.
Temple of Heaven: this is situated in south of city. It’s all halls are round which symbolizes heaven. Ancient kings used to perform heavenly rituals here to invoke gods.
Summer Palace: this is situated about 14 KM northwest of Beijing and was summer retreat of kings. Palace is spread in 716 acres and has a beautiful lake in its midst.
Great Wall of China: This is a mammoth structure and symbolizes China’s resilience.
The famed stretches of walls which are frequently visited by tourists on China Tours are Badaling and Mutianyu. These are the two locations, which more or less have withstood the times and remind people about the bravery and fortitude of Chinese people. The wall is 26 ft high and can accommodate six horses breadth wise on its top. After every 200-300 meter watch towers were constructed to keep watch over the invaders. The present sections of the wall are associated with Ming rulers however the construction of wall is credited to first rulers of China. China upon its unification decided to link to the wall, thus a China tour with Beijing leg would be incomplete without the visit to these monuments.
