Beijing Travel Attractions

What are the popular Beijing travel attractions? China's capital is a lot more beautiful after the Olympics with a new stadiums and performance venues replacing the age old hutong of courtyard houses.

Ancient attractions like the Great Wall the Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City remains big tourist draws you wouldn't leave China without seeing them!

The Great Wall

The Great Wall is actually a collection of many massive defensive fortifications that span over 4,000 miles and were constructed, expanded and maintained for over two thousand years. Today much of the wall is in disrepair either through neglect or having been mined as sources of stone by nearby villages. However many carefully preserved sections exist near Beijing and other tourist centers.

Beijing travel: Forbidden City

Located in the heart of Beijing, just north of Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City was the seat of Chinese imperial power for five hundred years. After the abdication and eviction of Puyi, the last Emperor of China, it housed the Palace Museum. Since then the Palace Museum has survived major events including World War II and the Chinese Civil war to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Forbidden City is the largest standing palace complex in the world, covering nearly 180 acres of land. It contains over one million art object including collections of fine porcelain, paintings and jade pieces. It also has an extensive collection of ancient books and documents. The palace itself is a stunning example of Chinese architecture.

Beijing has a proud history demonstrated by monuments and museums amongst impressive modern structures. In this list of top ten (10) attractions , you will see the old mixed with the new - all part of the contrast which makes China's capital such an exciting, vibrant destination to visit.

Find out what a hutong looks like, take the latest hit tour among tourists to see how some old Beijingers live traditionally as they cling to the past? See the Drum and Bell Towers, two ancient architectural buildings from Yuan Dynasty. Still working as they did 700 years ago.

Visit one of Beijing's finest parks, the 267 hectare Temple of Heaven Park, which is located two kilometers south of Tiannanmen Square. Formerlly called the Temple of Heaven and Earth the temple was used to offer sacrifices to Heaven on the winter solstice and to Earth on the summer solstice.

The Temple of the Jade Buddha is located in a modern and busy area of Shanghai. The location itself creates a contrast; China's most venerated and historic Buddha statue is housed in a backdrop of modern development. This is the story of modern China where traditional culture flourishes side by side with economic progress and modernization. The temple was built in the year 1882 to house two Jade Buddha Statues that were brought to China from Burma by a monk named Huigen. The story behind the statue is equally captivating as its exquisite craftsmanship.

Beijing travel: Earth Altar Park - Initially built in 1533 to serve as the place where emperors of Ming and Qing dynasties offered (non human) sacrifices to the 'Supreme Ruler of the Earth', the Altar played an important role in the country's political life then. It was erected as the counterpart of the Altar of Heaven (or Temple of Heaven) that lies in the southern part of the town. In ruins for many years, the altar was restored a few years ago, and now offers a lovely venue to the locals.

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