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Top Historical Sites of Beijing
top places of Beijing tour
- The main historical sites in Beijing covers Great Wall, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer palace, Ming Tombs, Sacred Way, Confucius Temple, Beihai Park, Beijing Hutong, etc.
Beijing 4 days private tour may cover the most popular historcial sites.
Introduction
Long history of the city left numerous famous historical sites in Beijing, which offers great aesthetic and cultural values for both local people as well as travelers.
The most popular historical sights covers Great Wall, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer palace, Ming Tombs, and Beijing Hutong.
A huge project begun more than 2,000 years ago, meanders through mountains and valleys for hundreds of kilometers in the region of Beijing.
Great Wall is a must visit place when you plan a trip to Beijing, because there are several famous sections of Great Wall near Beijing, such as Badaling, Mutianyu, Jinshanling, etc.
Forbidden City, the largest ancient imperial architectural complex of Ming and Qing Dynasty. Being the splendid crystallization of ancient Chinese architectural art, Forbidden City should be included in Beijing trip of each traveler.
The tickets of Forbidden City needs to be reserved in advance; and the number of tickets is limited.
Summer Palace lies 20 kilometers northwest of the center of Beijing. It is the largest imperial garden in existence in China. The whole Summer Palace covers an area of over 290 hectares including more than 3,000 buildings, such as halls, pavilions, towers and so on. Summer Palace used to be called the Garden of Clear Ripples.
Built in 1420 during Ming Dynasty, Temple of Heaven is the best preserved and largest sacrificial building complex in the world. The emperor came to the temple every winter to pray for ample harvests and good weather. Strictly built on the basis of philosophical requirements, the temple in many ways features the relationship between Heaven and Earth.
Beijing Hutongs are lanes or alleys formed by lines of Siheyuan (a compound with houses around a courtyard). They show the culture of old Beijing and the old lifestyle of Beijingers. Many famous operas and dramas are based on the themes of hutong life.
Beihai Park was first dug out in the 12th century, with the excavated earth used to form a central island. It is the oldest and best-preserved imperial garden in China. The park covers an area of 69 hectares including a 39-hectare lake. In the park, lakes and hills wind along pavilions and towers, trees and flowers.
Confucius Temple
Confucius Temple in Beijing is the second largest one in China. Built in 1302, the temple was a venue where people pay respects to Confucius, the greatest thinker and educationist in ancient China.
Ming Tombs
Surrounded by mountains on three sides, Ming Tombs is the final resting place of 13 Ming Dynasty emperors, along with 23 empresses and a number of concubines. Located on the same direction with Badaling Great Wall, it is regarded as one of the most popular attractions in Beijing.
Lama Temple
Lama Temple is a large and well preserved Tibetan monastery in Beijing. It features five large halls and five courtyards with beautifully decorative archways, upturned eaves and carved details.
Sacred Way
Stretcheing 7 kilometers from south to north through the center of the Ming tombs, Sacred Way is the main road leading to the mausoleum area. Stone Statues are composed of 24 stone animals followed by 12 stone human figures along the Sacred Path.
Being a museum focused on nature science of Chinese astronomy, Beijing Ancient Observatory display ancient astronomical equipment and building in downtown Beijing.
Bells and drums were musical instruments in ancient China. Later they were used to tell time and became watches for the officials and common people as well.
Also called Lugou bridge, Marco Polo Bridge is about 15 kilometers away from downtown. The Bridge is one of earliest segmented stone arch bridge, which was recorded in the travelogue of Marco Polo, an Italian professional traveler who went all the way to China during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).
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- Top Historical Sites of Beijing
https://www.beijingservice.com/beijingdiscover/historicalsite.htm
Beijing historical sites name and a brief introduction are presented.