Major Tourist Cities

Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.
Confucius

There are many famous tourist cities and scenic spots all over China, among which the following are particularly mentioned.

Beijing

Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, is the nation's political and cultural center. Beijing is situated at 40 degrees north latitude and 116 degrees east longitude. It is 43 meters above sea level and 183 kilometers from the sea. Beijing covers an area of 16,800 square kilometers, 38% of it is flat land and 62% mountains. Beijing has a continental climate. Annual rainfall averages nearly 700 millimeters; most of it comes in July and August. Winter is dry and cold and has little snow; the frost-free period is 185 days. The best time to visit Beijing is May, September and October, when people enjoy bright sunny skies. Beijing has a population of 11. 08 million, about 5 million live in the city proper and the rest on the outskirts. It is divided into 12 districts and 6 counties.

Some 500,000 years ago, Peking Man lived at Zhoukoudian, 48 kilometers southwest of Beijing.

A small town appeared on the present site of southwestern Beijing in 1045 BC. It was named Ji and later changed to Yan. At the beginning of the 10th century, it was the second capital of the Liao Dynasty. From then on, the city had been the capital of the Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties until 1911. In the early 1920s, Beijing became the cradle of China's new democratic revolution. The May 4 Movement against imperialism and feudalism began here in 1919. On October 1, 1949, Chairman Mao proclaimed to the whole world the founding of the People's Republic of China in Beijing.

A long history has left numerous famous historical sites, which possess great aesthetic and cultural values. The Great Wall, a huge project begun more than 2,000 years ago, meanders through mountains and valleys for hundreds of kilometers in the region of Beijing. The Forbidden City, the largest ancient architectural complex in existance today, is a splendid example of ancient Chinese architectural art. Walking in the city, one may find many places worth a second visit. These include mansions, gardens, gate towers, temples, former residences of celebrities and places where many historical events took place. Every day, hundreds of thousands of people, domestic and foreign, come to BeiJing to visit its grand palaces and graceful gardens and to enjoy its marvelous art.

The Imperial Palace

The Imperial Palace, also known as the Purple Forbidden City, was the imperial residence of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is the largest and most well preserved imperial palace group in China today. The Imperial Palace was first built in the Ming Dynasty and was the residence of 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The palace has some 9,000 halls of different sizes.

The Meridian Gate (Wu Gate), the front gate Of the Imperial Palace, takes a U shape in layout and has on top five magnificent towers, commonly known as Wufeng Towers.

The buildings inside the Imperial Palace are divided mainly into two groups. The front group centers on the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Complete Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony, flanked by the Hall of Literary Glory and the Hall of Military Prowess. All these halls were used by the emperors to hold important ceremonies and handle state affairs. The main hall, the Hall of Supreme Harmony, which is also known as the "Hall of the Golden Throne", is the largest imperial hall of ancient China. It sits on a three-tier platform, fenced with carved white marble railings. It is as wide as 11 standard rooms (each is 3.3 meters wide) and as long as 5 standard rooms, covering a floor space of 2,300 square meters. With a double-eared roof and golden-glazed tiles, it looks exceptionally magnificent. It has luxurious decorations inside, including the throne with gold lacquer and carved dragons, which is placed precisely on the central point of old Beijing City.

Beyond the three main halls is the inner palace, which includes the Hall of Heavenly Purity, the Hall of Union and the Hall of Earthly Tranquility, as well as 6 eastern and 6 western courtyards. The inner palace was where emperors conducted daily routine work and lived with their empresses, concubines and children. Beginning with Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty, later emperors all lived in the Hall of Character Cultivation. During the late period of the Qing Dynasty Empress Dowager Cixi, who ruled China for 48 years, and lived in the Palace of Concentrated Beauty and the Palace of Eternal Spring Halls and palaces along the central and western routes in the inner palace which are now open in their original forms of the Ming Dynasty.

Halls and palaces along the eastern route have been turned into exhibition halls, including a gold and jade article exhibition hall, a clock and watch exhibition hall, and a Ming and Qing Dynasty crafts and arts exhibition hall. On display is a whole range of precious articles collected in the Imperial Palace.

In 1987, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization recognized the Forbidden City as a world cultural legacy.

Tiananmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace)

Tiananmen, the symbol of New China, was built in 1417 and renovated in i981. It was originally called the Gate of Heavenly Succession. The gate was where important ceremonies, such as enthroning an emperor or granting the title of empress, were held. The late Chairman Mao proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China on the rostrum on October 1, 1949. With five arched doorways, red pillars, yellow glazed tiles and a double-eared roof, it looks magnificent and gracious.

Tiananmen Square, the largest of its kind in the world, occupies an area of 49 hectares (122 acres), big enough to hold half a million people. The square has witnessed the Chinese people's struggle against foreign aggression and reactionary rule at home. In the center of the square is the 37-meter-high Monument to the People's Heroes. In the southern part of the square is the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, which has a crystal coffin containing the late Chairman's remains. The square is flanked by the Great Hall of the People on the west, and the Museum of Chinese History and the Museum of the Chinese Revolution on the east. Now Tiananmen Square is the symbol of both Beijing and China. A solemn flag-raising ceremony has become a sacred daily celebration in the square.

The Great Wall

The Great Wall, symbol of China's ancient civilization, is one of the world's most renowned projects. It is a distance of 75 kilometers northwest of Beijing. It is said that astronauts can see the Great Wall from the moon with the naked eye.

The Great Wall is a wonder in human history for its massive scale and the determination of the builders who overcame numerous difficulties in construction. Construction of the Wall first began during the Warring States Period. Formerly, walls were built at strategic points by different kingdoms to protect their northern territories. In 221 BC after the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty unified China, he decided to have the walls linked up and extended. Historical records show that about 1 million people, one-fifth of China's population at the time, were involved in the project, which took more than ten years. When it was finished they call it "Wanli Changcheng", which means "Ten Thousand-Ii-Long Wall". Now, nature has taken over most of the Great Wall.

The Great Wall which we can visit was rebuilt during the Ming Dynasty in the 16th century. It extends from Shanhaiguan Pass, a seaport along the coast of Bohai Bay, to Jiayuguan Pass in Gansu Province. Its total length is more than 6,700 kilometers.

The Summer Palace

The Summer Palace, located in Beijing's northwestern suburbs, is the largest imperial garden in China. First built in 1750, it was used by Qing Dynasty emperors as a summer resort. In 1888, Empress Dowager Cixi reconstructed the garden on the same site and renamed it the Garden of Nurtured Harmony (Summer Palace).

The Summer Palace covers an area of 3.4 square kilometers, with water surface taking three-fourths of the space, dotted with islets against a backdrop of rolling hills. Three are 3,000 building on and around the lake. The principal one, the Tower of Buddhist Incense, is poised on a high granite platform. With 8 sides and 3 stories, the 61-meter-high tower looks as if it is in the air. The Summer Palace has China’s largest ancient stage –the Great Stage at the Garden of Harmonious Interest, which was one of the four major buildings constructed during the reign of Qing Emperor Guangxu. Winding in the palace, the 1.5-kilometer exquisite Long Corridor, with numerous color paintings, is the most beautiful and longest of its kinds in China. The Seventeen-Arch Bridge on Kunming Lake is longest and biggest decorative bridge in ancient China, while the two decorative Jade Belt Bridge have the biggest radian.

Characterized by its vast and rich cultural embodiments, the Summer Palace has become one of the most famous tourist sites in the world.

The Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven, lying in the southeastern part of the city proper, is one of the most strictly protected and preserved culture heritages of China. It was a holy place where emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties worshipped the heaven and prayed for good harvests.

The Temple of Heaven was built in 1420 during the reign of Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty. This grand set of structures covers an area of 273 hectares. To better symbolize the ancient belief that heaven is circular and the earth is square, the northern part of the temple is circular while the southern part is square. The whole compound is encircled by two walls, a square wall outside a round one. The outer area is characterized by suburban scenery, while the inner part was used for sacrifices. The inner enclosure consists of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest and the Circular Mound Altar.

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest in the temple was where the memorial tablet of the God of Heaven was enshrined and worshipped. The largest circular hall of wooden structure, it has a beautiful shape and harmonious colors. This masterpiece of ancient Chinese buildings has neither beams nor nails.

The Ming Tombs

The Ming Tombs, located in Beijing's suburban Changping County, is where 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty and their empresses and concubines were buried. The area is hemmed in by imposing mountains on 3 sides. With 5 doors and 6 pillars of superb carvings, the stone memorial archway at the area's southern gate is the oldest and largest of its kind preserved today in China. The Immortal Road on the area's central line, which leads to the tombs, is flanked by 18 pairs of giant stone statues.

Ding Ling, one of the tombs, has been excavated and is known as a magnificent underground palace, which consists of 5 connected chambers built with huge stones covering a combined floor space of 1,195 square meters. On show at the Ding Ling Museum are 3,000 unearthed burial objects.

Hutong

Hutong is one of the unique features of Beijing, which means small lanes. The life of ordinary people in these lanes contributes greatly to the charm of this ancient capital. In these small lanes, you'll find many siheyuan, or quadrangles which are the living quarters of ordinary local Beijing people. No one knows exactly how many lanes or hutongs there are in Beijing, a capital of China for five dynasties. But one thing is certain, if we connect all these lanes, their total length will be longer than the famous Great Wall, which is more than 6,700 kilometer long!

Dwelling compounds or quadrangles (Siheyuan)

Dwelling compounds or quadrangles (siheyuan) in Beijing are one important aspect of the city's architectural heritage. Beijing's dwelling compounds are generally rectangular, with the four sides squarely facing the cardinal points. Almost every dwelling compound is surrounded by high walls, with an open courtyard in the center. The building on four sides are usually one story high.

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