 | Great Wall of China
As a symbol of ancient Chinese civilization, Great Wall of China has stood for more than 2,000 years. The Great wall of China was built in stages from the 5th century BC up to the 16th century AD as protection against northern nomadic tribes. Stretching from the coast of the Bohai Bay in the east and ending at the Jiayu Pass in the west, it snakes along the back of mountains, deserts and valleys for 6,350km (3900 miles). It is said to be 1 of the only 2 human engineering projects visible by astronauts from space with the naked eye. Built of huge granite slabs and special sized bricks, the Great Wall at Badaling 75km (47 miles) north of Beijing is most typical part of the Wall during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). There the wall is wide enough for 5 horsemen to ride abreast or 10 men to walk side by side. |
 | Lama Temple
In the northeastern part of Beijing stands Yonghe Lamasery, a Yellow Hat Tibetan lamasery and one of the city finest and most celebrated temples. Its 5 main halls and many galleries are filled with exquisitely detailed tanka paintings and beautifully carved or cast Buddha images. The buildings encompass the Han, Mongol, Manchu and Tibetan architectural styles and the brilliance of the blue, green and gold detail on the sharp red pagodas is simply stunning. The temple is renown for its "3 matchless treasures". These include an 18 meter (60ft) sandalwood Maitreya Buddha statue sculpted from a single tree, a niche of Buddha carved from the nanmu tree and the "mountain of 500 arhats" made from precious stones and metal. |
 | Forbidden City
National Palace Museum located in the center of Beijing, formerly known as the Forbidden City. Is the Ming and Qing imperial palace of two generations, unparalleled masterpieces of ancient architecture, it was the largest remaining in the world and the most complete ancient buildings. Hailed as the world's first top-five Palace (Beijing Forbidden City, the Palace of Versailles, France, the United Kingdom Buckingham Palace, the White House, the Russian Kremlin).
The Forbidden City was commissioned by the third Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Yong Le. The palace was built between 1406 and 1420, but was burnt down, rebuilt, sacked and renovated countless times, so most of the architecture you can see today dates from the 1700’s and on wards. The Forbidden City was the seat of Imperial power for 500 years, and is now a major tourist attraction in China. The total area of the complex is 183 acres, so it takes quite a while to walk through, especially if you want to have a close look at everything. All together there are 9,999 1/2 rooms in the Museum, not all of which can be visited.
Opening Hours:
08:30 to 16:20 (Oct. 16 to Apr.15)
08:30 to 17:00 (Apr. 16 to Oct. 15) |