Beijing 北京 is the capital of the People’s Republic of China, and is widely considered as the political, cultural and historical centre of China. With a history of more than 3,000 years, Beijing has been the capital city for six dynasties in Chinese history. Due to its historical background, Beijing has conserved many royal palaces and parks of the ancient Chinese emperors and is famous for its cultural heritage.
Here are just a few must see locations that we highly recommend during your visit to Beijing; The Forbidden City, The Great Wall of China, Jingshan Park, The Summer Palace, The Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square
The Forbidden City is a palace complex in central Beijing. It houses the Palace Museum, and was the former Chinese imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty. The Forbidden City served as the home of emperors and their households as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government for almost 500 years.
Photo: Jumping at the Forbidden City from Benjamin Lau
Many of our students choose to join our optional weekend trip to visit the Mutianyu 慕田峪 section of the Great Wall of China. Mutianyu is one of the best preserved sections of the Great Wall of China.
Photo: The Great Wall of China with Lara Briechle
Jingshan Park is located in the center of Beijing, directly at the north of the Forbidden City. It’s a beautiful, Royal landscape garden on Jingshan hill, and the highest point in Beijing is at the mid summit of Jingshan. From the park, you can get a clear full view of the Forbidden City.
Photo: 景山公园 by Boyuan Zhang (Evan)
The Summer Palace is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces. It was an imperial garden in the Qing Dynasty. UNESCO declared the Summer Palace "a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value".
Photo: Summer Palace by Rebecca Wang
The Temple of Heaven is an imperial complex of religious buildings situated in the southeastern part of central Beijing. The complex was visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for good harvest.
Photo: Temple of Heaven by Boyuan Zhang (Evan)
Tiananmen Square 'Gate of Heavenly Peace' contains the Monument to the People's Heroes, the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum of China, and the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong. Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China in the square on 1 October 1949.
Photo: Tiananmen Square at night by Boyuan Zhang (Evan)