Lying at the center of Beijing, the Forbidden City, called Gu Gong, in Chinese, was the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Now known as the Palace Museum, it is to the north of Tiananmen Square. Rectangular in shape, it is the world's largest palace complex and covers 74 hectares. Surrounded by a six meter deep moat and a ten meter high wall are 9,999 buildings. The wall has a gate on each side. Opposite the Tiananmen Gate, to the north is the Gate of Devine Might (Shenwumen), which faces Jingshan Park. The distance between these two gates is 960 meters, while the distance between the gates in the east and west walls is 750 meters. There are unique and delicately structured towers on each of the four corners of the curtain wall. These afford views over both the palace and the city outside. The Forbidden City is divided into two parts. The southern section, or the Outer Court was where the emperor exercised his supreme power over the nation. The northern section, or the Inner Court was where he lived with his royal family. Until 1924 when the last emperor of China was driven from the Inner Court, fourteen emperors of the Ming dynasty and ten emperors of the Qing dynasty had reigned here. Having been the imperial palace for some five centuries, it houses numerous rare treasures and curiosities. Listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1987, the Palace Museum is now one of the most popular tourist attractions world wide.

Construction of the palace complex began in 1407, the 5th year of the Yongle reign of the third emperor of the Ming dynasty. It was completed fourteen years later in 1420. It was said that a million workers including one hundred thousand artisans were driven into the long-term hard labor. Stone needed was quarried from Fangshan, a suburb of Beijing. It was said a well was dug every fifty meters along the road in order to pour water onto the road in winter to slide huge stones on ice into the city. Huge amounts of timber and other materials were freighted from faraway provinces. Ancient Chinese people displayed their very considerable skills in building the Forbidden City. Take the grand red city wall for example. It has an 8.6 meters wide base reducing to 6.66 meters wide at the top. The angular shape of the wall totally frustrates attempts to climb it. The bricks were made from white lime and glutinous rice while the cement is made from glutinous rice and egg whites. These incredible materials make the wall extraordinarily strong.

Since yellow is the symbol of the royal family, it is the dominant color in the Forbidden City. Roofs are built with yellow glazed tiles; decorations in the palace are painted yellow; even the bricks on the ground are made yellow by a special process. However, there is one exception. Wenyuange, the royal library, has a black roof. The reason is that it was believed black represented water then and could extinguish fire.

Nowadays, the Forbidden City, or the Palace Museum is open to tourists from home and abroad. Splendid painted decoration on these royal architectural wonders, the grand and deluxe halls, with their surprisingly magnificent treasures will certainly satisfy "modern civilians".

The Temple of Heaven is a worthwhile visiting place in Beijing. It is much bigger than the Forbidden City and smaller than the Summer Palace with an area of about 2,700,000 square meters. The Temple was built in 1420 A.D. during the Ming Dynasty to offer sacrifice to Heaven. As Chinese emperors called themselves "The Son of Heaven" ,they dared not to build their own dwelling,"Forbidden City" bigger than a dwelling for Heaven.

The Temple of Heaven is enclosed with a long wall. The northern part within the wall is semicircular symbolizing the heavens and the southern part is square symbolizing the earth. The northern part is higher than the southern part. This design shows that the heaven is high and the earth is low and the design reflected an ancient Chinese thought of "The heaven is round and the earth is square".

The Temple is divided by two enclosed walls into inner part and outer part. The main buildings of the Temple lie at the south and north ends of the middle axis line of the inner part. The most magnificent buildings are The Circular Mound Altar (Yuanqiutan), Imperial Vault of Heaven (Huangqiongyu) and Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest (Qiniandian) from south to north. Also, there are some additional buildings like Three Echo Stones and Echo Wall.Almost all of the buildings are connected by a wide bridge called Vermilion Steps Bridge (Danbiqiao) or called Sacred Way.

The Circular Altar has three layered terraces with white marble. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368 A.D. - 1911 A.D.), the emperors would offer sacrifice to Heaven on the day of the Winter Solstice every year. This ceremony was to thank Heaven and hope everything would be good in the future. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest is a big palace with round roof and three layers of eaves. Inside the Hall are 28 huge posts. The four posts along the inner circle represent four seasons-spring, summer, autumn and winter; the 12 posts along the middle circle represent the 12 months; and 12 posts along the outer circle represent 12 Shichen (Shichen is a means of counting time in ancient China. One Shichen in the past equaled two hours and a whole day was divided into 12 Shichens). The roof is covered with black, yellow and green colored glaze representing the heavens, the earth and everything on earth. The Hall has a base named Altar for Grain Prayers which is made of three layers of white marble and has a height of six meters. Another important building in Temple of Heaven is Imperial Vault of Heaven. If you look at it from far away, you will find that the Vault is like a blue umbrella with gold head. The structure of it is like that of Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, but smaller in size. The structure was made of bricks and timber. The Vault was used to place memorial tablets of Gods. White marble railings surround the vault.

The Vermilion Steps Bridge connects the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest and the Imperial Vault of Heaven. The south end of the Bridge is lower than its north end. The emperors in the past believed that they could go to heaven through this Bridge, which is why this bridge is also called Sacred Way. A Yu Route and a Wang Route are on two sides of the Sacred Way. The former one is only for the emperors to walk on and the later one is for the princes and the high officials to pass.

Three Echo Stones is outside of the gate of the Imperial Vault of Heaven. If you speak facing the Vault while standing on the first stone, you will hear one echo; standing on the second and then the third stone, you will hear two and three echoes respectively.

Another interesting and famous place for you to visit is called Echo Wall owning special feature. The wall encloses the Imperial Vault of Heaven. Its perimeter is 193 meters.

If you and your friend stand at the east and the west roots of the wall respectively and you whisper a word, then your friend will hear clearly what you say. Isn't it interesting? The phenomenon utilizes the theory of sound wave.

Besides carefully designed buildings, there are also some other scenes that you can enjoy like Nine-Dragon Cypress. It got its name from branches which look like nine dragons wind with each other. It was said that the cypress was planted more than 500 years ago. Really, a grandfather tree!

The Temple of Heaven is a worthwhile visiting place in Beijing. It is much bigger than the Forbidden City and smaller than the Summer Palace with an area of about 2,700,000 square meters. The Temple was built in 1420 A.D. during the Ming Dynasty to offer sacrifice to Heaven. As Chinese emperors called themselves "The Son of Heaven" ,they dared not to build their own dwelling,"Forbidden City" bigger than a dwelling for Heaven.

Besides carefully designed buildings, there are also some other scenes that you can enjoy like Nine-Dragon Cypress. It got its name from branches which look like nine dragons wind with each other. It was said that the cypress was planted more than 500 years ago. Really, a grandfather tree!

Beside the Forbidden City and Jingshan Park , in the center of Beijing City is an imperial garden called Beihai Park. Initially built in the 10th century, it has a history of over a thousand years, including five dynasties, Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasty (916--1911).

The Park has an area of more than 700,000 square meters, with a water area that covers more than half of the entire Park. At the center of this Park is an island called Qionghua Island (Qiong Island for short). The perimeter of the Island is 1,900 meters and its highest point is 32 meters. In the north area of the park is a big pool called Taiye Pool connecting the other two pools with each other. As the other two pools are called Middle Sea and South Sea respectively, this Pool has another name of Beihai (North Sea).

There are many noticeable and important places in this Park that we suggest you to visit.

The first place is Bai Ta (White Dagoba). As you may find it in almost all the pictures that introduce Beihai Park, it could be called the symbol of Beihai Park. The body of the Dagoba is made of white stones which appear very pure and noticeable. It was built at the highest point on Qiong Island. The Dagoba has a height of 40 meters. Sun, moon and flame engravings decorate the surface of the tower. Destroyed in 1679 by an earthquake, it was rebuilt the following year. Again, in 1976 the top of the tower received damage by the effect of an earthquake which occurred at Tangshan City, near Beijing City. Hidden inside the tower are Scriptures, Buddhist monk's mantle and alms bowl, and Sheli (the bones of monks with good moral thought and behaviors left after they are burned).

On the north bank of Beihai lies a famous scene, Five-Dragon Pavilion. As five pavilions are connected with each other by bridges, floating on the surface of the water like five dragons playing on the water, so Five-Dragon Pavilion got its name. It was built in the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) and was repaired in the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911). It was an entertainment place for the emperors and their wives to go fishing or watch the moon.

Just to the north of Five-Dragon pavilion is Nine-Dragon Wall, one of three famous walls of its kind in China. Built in 1756 during the Qing Dynasty, the Nine-Dragon Wall was made of seven-color glaze bricks. Nine complete dragons playing in the clouds are decorated on both sides of the wall.

Also at the north bank of Beihai is Jingxin Room (Quieting Heart Room) is a garden in the garden. It covers an area of more than 4,000 square meters. Built in 1757,

it was rebuilt in 1885 during the Qing Dynasty. There is a brook behind the Room, which divides the garden into front garden and back garden. There are many towers, bridges, corridors, artificial hills and pavilions in the garden. During the Qing Dynasty, Jingxin Room was used by the emperors, their wives and crown princes to rest and study.

There is also a restaurant named "Fangshan Restaurant" ocated at the north side of Qiong Island."Fangshan" means that the foods and vegetables provided in this restaurant imitate those that were cooked in the court kitchen.Here, you can taste authentic palace foods. This restaurant was opened in 1925 by a worker that worked in the palace storeroom. That worker invited some cooks that worked in the kitchen in the Qing court to work together with him. In 1959, this restaurant was moved to the place where it now stands. It has received, from both home and abroad, many accolades from guests One important scene I very much want to introduce to you is "Tieying Wall"(Iron's Shadow Wall). It is 4 meters long and 2 meters high. Made in the Yuan Dynasty, the Wall was engraved with cloud and beast on both sides with the color and quality of iron. The Wall is located at the north-east end to Five-Dragon Pavilion.

And last, do not miss Tuancheng. It has a history of more than 800 years. It was the palace for the emperors only. Come to Tuancheng, you can visit Chengguang Palace and Yuweng Pavilion, and some other small scenes like hills, big stones, corridors and small pavilions. You can find Tuancheng at the south-west corner of Beihai Park.

Besides the above places, there are also many other interesting places to go. Perhaps you will spend two hours in this Park.

Wangfujing, a seven hundred-year-old commercial street, houses a wide variety of shops and boutiques where you can find all kinds of commodities, some of which are of world-famous brands. The Oriental Plaza (Dongfang Guangchang) is the biggest store in Wangfujing. Besides modern department stores, the Foreign Language Bookstore is also in this area.

The Old-Beijing-Street is now seated underground, which was built and decorated in Ming and Qing style. The outstanding characteristic of it is the centralized well-known longstanding stores selling shoes, caps, silk cloth, scissors, Chinese brushes and ink-stick, jade articles, tea, desserts, pickled vegetables, roast ducks and so on. The most popular sites for souvenir photos are the sculptures on both street sides, reflecting life of old Beijing.

Various kind goods you can buy here. because Wangfujing is a long street, that houses many shops.

The Pearl Market is in the permanent building at the northeast side of Tiantan Park (Temple of Heaven). You'll find pearls and cloisonnet ware at the top level shops. The first few floors are fabulous as well -- traditional Chinese clothing, knock-off handbags, luggage, beaded evening bags, shawls, children's shoes and clothing.

Shichahai is a famous scenic area that includes three lakes (Qian Hai, meaning Front Sea; Hou Hai, meaning Back Sea and Xi Hai, meaning Western Sea), surrounding places of historic interest and scenic beauty, and remnants of old-style Beijing residences, Hutong and Courtyard. It is located in the northwest part of Beijing, and covers a large area of 146.7 hectares (about 363 acres).

The history of Shichahai can be traced to as far back as the Jin Dynasty (1115 - 1234). During the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368), it was the terminal point of the Great Canal, which was a main reason for its prosperity. In the period of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), when the channels ceased to be as smooth as they used to be, Shichahai changed from a bustling hub to a place of leisure where people could stroll around to admire the vast scenery or enjoy the cool shade under willows trees.

Shichahai is always a good place for local Beijingers' recreational life, and in the last 200 years, many governmental officers, celebrities, monks and nuns chose to build mansions, temples and nunneries in Shichahai. Thus, Shichahai's attraction lies not only in its natural beauty, but also in the historical value of its architecture. The most famous ones among these historical buildings are Gong Wang Fu (Prince Gong's Mansion, Chun Wang Fu (Price Chun's Mansion), the Former Residence of Song Qing Ling, the Former Residence of Mei Lan Fang (the well-known Peking Opera master) and Guang Hua Temple.

The greatest point of interest in Shichahai today is its residences, Hutong and Courtyard . In and around Beijing City, Shichahai is one of the best places to view well-preserved Hutongs and courtyards. Visiting Hutongs by pedicab has become a popular activity for visitors from China and abroad. The most famous Hutong is Jin Si Tao, which actually includes 18 hutongs and keeps the original layout of Hutong Area. Another one is Yan Dai Xie Jie, meaning an oblique street which looks like a long-stemmed pipe. This street used to be a famous street selling long-stemmed pipes.

People can also find two Old Brands in Shichahai. One is Kao Rou Ji, a restaurant selling roast meat, which has a history of over 150 years. The other is Bao Du Zhang, which has sold cooked tripe of sheep for four generations.

By visiting Shichahai, visitors will get an authentic taste of the style and features of Old Beijing.

At the northeast corner of Beijing City the traveler will find an elegant and ancient temple known as the Yonghe Lamasery, which is the largest and most perfectly preserved lamasery in present day China.

Built initially in 1694 during the Qing Dynasty, this building was the residence of Emperor Yongzheng when he was just a prince. However, in 1744 the Qing Dynasty formally changed the status of the dwelling to that of a lamasery, and so Yonghe Lamasery became the national centre of Lama administration.

The following details describe the main buildings inside the Lamasery.

On arrival at the south end of Yonghe Lamasery, the visitor will enter a yard which contains a screen wall and three Paifangs (Gateways), and will observe the red walls and stone lions, symbols which show that this Lamasery was originally the dwelling of an Imperial Family member. Entering north from the Gateways, the visitor will be confronted by a wide straight road which was used for the carriages of the emperors and their wives during the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911). At the northern end of this road is Zhaotaimen (Gate of Peace Declaration), which comprises three large archways, the central one of which was for the exclusive use of the emperors.

Passing through Zhaotai Gate the visitor will enter the second yard which contains a Drum Tower on the western side and a Bell tower on the eastern side, and in front of these towers are two octagonal Stele Pavilions. Words by Emperor Qianlong were carved in the stele explaining the traditional and historical reasons that dwellings formerly used by Imperial Family members must later be changed to temples.

Yonghe Gate, originally the main entrance to the Lamasery is now called Devaraja Hall (Hall of the Heavenly Kings), as there are the statues of four very powerful Heavenly Kings located on both sides of the inner palace walls. The northern Heavenly King on the eastern side holds a snake and treasures; the southern King on the eastern side holds an umbrella and a silver mouse; the southern one on the western side holds a sword and the northern one on the western side holds a Pipa (a musical instrument used in ancient China). Located in the centre of the Palace is a smiling Maitreya.

On departing Devaraja Hall the visitor will immediately observe an ancient copper cooking vessel made in 1747 during the Qing Dynasty. This vessel, which appears to be black with white marble stone as its seat, has high artistic value and is among " the three rarest things in Beijing ". Six doors are inset into the upper part of the vessel, with two dragons playing with a ball cast on the doors, and there are three lions playing with a ball engraved on the seat. On the northern side of the vessel is the Great Stele Pavilion with the doors open on each of its four sides. Words by Emperor Qianlong of Qing in the stele inform of the origin and meaning of Lamaism. To the north of this Pavilion is an odd-shaped hill called Xuyu Hill, a sacred place of rich religious meaning which was built in the middle of a pool, and represents a place to which all Buddhists are eager to go.

Hall of Harmony and Peace (Yonghegong) is the main palace of Yonghe Lamasery and inside three bronze Buddhas are displayed - Sakyamuni in the middle, Kasyapa-matanga on the right and Maitreya on the left. There are 18 Arhats (statues of Buddha disciples) positioned on both sides of the Hall. The picture on the west wall is of Avalokitesvara with its thousands of hands and eyes.

North of the Hall of Harmony and Peace is Yongyoudian (Hall of Everlasting Protection), which was Emperor Yongzheng's living room when he lived there as a young prince and, at the time of his death his coffin was placed there. Now, a statue of Bhaisajya-guru is located there and sacrificial offerings are made to it.

From Yongyoudian continue north to the Falundian (Hall of the Wheel of the Law), which is the location for Lamas reading scriptures and holding Buddhist ceremonies. The Falundian comprises very special features as its structure contains the architectural styles of both Tibetan and Han Nationalities. It was formerly the dwelling of the Emperor's wives. A large statue of Tsong Kha-pa, an ancestor of Lamaism is displayed here in the centre of the Hall and also receives sacrificial offerings. Behind this statue is an Arhat Hill containing 500 Arhats made of five kinds of metals--gold, silver, copper, iron and tin. These Arhats have been shaped in different poses. In front of this Hill is a wooden basin which was said to have been used for washing the body of Emperor Qianlong three days after his birth. Elegant large frescos illustrating the life of Sakyamuni stretch around both the east and west walls.

Wanfuge (Pavilion of Ten Thousand Happinesses) is the last formal palace to be visited in this complex. This is the highest palace because it is three stories high. Inside this pavilion there are tens of thousands of Buddhas displayed along every level, and in the centre there is an enormous statue of Maitreya positioned on a white marble base.

Suggestion: Souvenirs may be purchased by negotiation in the Lamasery, and the incenses for sale here are perfect.

On the eastern side of the Embassy of the United States, you will find a couple of narrow lanes jammed with human traffic. That is the Silk Market, which is also known as “Silk Alley” or “OK Street,” but it has much more than just silk to offer. Shops along the narrow lanes are filled with silk products and other export-quality clothing at low, low prices. Cashmere garments, down jackets, leather goods, shoes, hats, watches and some handicrafts and trinkets can be found here.

Eastern European buyers are regulars at the Silk Market. They come with cash, big empty bags, hand calculators, and enough bartering English to get by. They leave with bags stuffed full of silk shirts, scarves, jackets, and lingerie. Jeans and denim products are also popular and profitable commodities for this crew.

Many newcomers to Beijing lose all common sense in the Silk Market. You may notice quite a few famous name-brand items, and you may wonder how a Timberland down jacket can sell for US$20. The answer is not clear. Sometimes the goods are counterfeit, but more often the merchant has a relative in a clothing factory that can get excess products or slightly imperfect products for super cheap prices. At least that is one theory. No matter what the case may be, it is a place for bargain shopping.

Silk and cashmere goods are also much cheaper than they would be in other stores or in other countries. These items make great gifts for friends back home, especially Silk Mickey Mouse boxer shorts which are a must-buy.

A large antiques market can be found at Panjiayuan. This is a multi-sectioned covered shopping area, which is full of antiques, art, books and general kitsch.

From works of Chinese calligraphy and paintings, the four treasures of the study, old watches and clocks, jewelry, ivory and wood carvings, carpets, to antiques from Tibet, there are definitely treasures to be found here, but it is hard to tell genuine antiques from worthless fakes. Real antiques are supposed to bear a red official seal that proves their authenticity, but, sometimes, real items are not marked and faked items are.

Do not worry if an item is fake or not. Many of the things on sale are not real antiques. On the other hand, recently a 50,000-year-old fossil was confiscated from one of the sellers there. The fossil was on sale for about US$150, so you never know. Here it is best to bargain down a price to a figure you can accept and go for it. Small jade articles and silver trinkets make great presents for people at home and they are easy to take on an airplane.

Situated in the western outskirts of Haidian District, the Summer Palace is 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from central Beijing. Having the largest royal park and being well preserved, it was designated, in 1960 by the State Council, as a Key Cultural Relics Protection Site of China. Containing examples of the ancient arts, it also has graceful landscapes and magnificent constructions. The Summer Palace is the archetypal Chinese garden, and is ranked amongst the most noted and classical gardens of the world. In 1998, it was listed as one of the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.

Constructed in the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), during the succeeding reign of feudal emperors; it was extended continuously. By the time of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), it had become a luxurious royal garden providing royal families with rest and entertainment. Originally called "Qingyi Garden" (Garden of Clear Ripples), it was know as one of the famous "three hills and five gardens" (Longevity Hill, Jade Spring Mountain, and Fragrant Hill; Garden of Clear Ripples, Garden of Everlasting Spring, Garden of Perfection and Brightness, Garden of Tranquility and Brightness, and Garden of Tranquility and Pleasure). Like most of the gardens of Beijing, it could not elude the rampages of the Anglo-French allied force and was destroyed by fire. In 1888, Empress Dowager Cixi embezzled navy funds to reconstruct it for her own benefit, changing its name to Summer Palace (Yiheyuan). She spent most of her later years there, dealing with state affairs and entertaining. In 1900, it suffered again, being ransacked by the Eight-Power Allied Force. After the success of the 1911 Revolution, it was opened to the public.

Composed mainly of Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, The Summer Palace occupies an area of 294 hectares (726.5 acres), three quarters of which is water. Guided by nature, artists designed the gardens exquisitely so that visitors would see marvelous views and be amazed by perfect examples of refined craftwork using the finest materials.

Centered on the Tower of Buddhist Incense (Foxiangge) the Summer Palace consists of over 3,000 structures including pavilions, towers, bridges, and corridors. The Summer Palace can be divided into four parts: the court area, front-hill area, front-lake area, and rear-hill and back-lake area.

Front-Hill Area: this area is the most magnificent area in the Summer Palace with the most constructions. Its layout is quite distinctive because of the central axis from the yard of Kunming Lake to the hilltop, on which important buildings are positioned including Gate of Dispelling Clouds, Hall of Dispelling Clouds, Hall of Moral Glory, Tower of Buddhist Incense, the Hall of the Sea of Wisdom, etc.

Rear-Hill and Back-Lake Area: although the constructions are fewer here, it has a unique landscape, with dense green trees, and winding paths. Visitors can feel a rare tranquility, and elegance. This area includes scenic spots such as Garden of Harmonious Interest and Suzhou Market Street.

Court Area: this is where Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu met officials, conducted state affairs and rested. Entering the East Palace Gate, visitors may see the main palace buildings: the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity served as the office of the Emperor, the Hall of Jade Ripples where Guangxu lived, the Hall of Joyful Longevity, Cixi's residence, the Hall of Virtue and Harmony where Cixi was entertained.

Front Lake Area: covering a larger part of the Summer Palace, opens up the vista of the lake. A breeze fluttering, waves gleam and willows kiss the ripples of the vast water. In this comfortable area there are the Eastern and Western Banks, the Seventeen-Arch Bridge, Nanhu Island, and so on. On the western bank float six distinct bridges amongst which the Jade-Belt Bridge is the most beautiful.

Just northeast of Summer Palace is the Ruins of Yuanmingyuan (the Perfection and Brightness Garden). It was also called the Old Summer Palace by Western tourists, and is distinguished from the Summer Palace in this way. With an area of 346 hectares, it had been built into the largest and most magnificent garden during the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing period, but it was destroyed by British and French troops in the late 19th century. It is now deserted.

The Garden originally had a Great Lake in the middle of it, and it was surrounded by Nine Islets. Various temples and pavilions are scattered around the islets. Artisans have borrowed various sights from all over the country, including garden architecture from Suzhou, mountain scenery from Huangshan and the temple and monastery buildings as well. So be prepared to do some walking and feast your eyes on all of this distinctive architecture.

The islets can be mainly divided into three gardens: the western section - Yuanmingyuan (the Garden of Perfection and Brightness),the southern Changchunyuang (the Garden of Eternal Spring) and the eastern Wanchunyuan (the Garden of Eternal Spring). You will find the European Garden with its Great Fountain Ruins in Changchunyuan (the Garden of Eternal Spring). It is considered the only and best-preserved relic in the palace.

Now the Garden is a place for people to promenade in summer.

Badaling is located at Yanqing County, more than 70 kilometers northwest from the center of Beijing City. It is a mountain pass of the Jundu Mountain. Badaling is at the highest point of north end of the Guan'gou gorge, in which the Juyongguan Pass lies. In the history, the function of Badaling was to protect the Juyongguan Pass. Along with Guan'gou gorge, there are several interests and historic sites. Badaling is a rare ancient military defense project. The elevation of it is about 1,000 meters.

The wall of Badaling has a total length of 3, 741 meters with an average height of 8 meters The highest part is 15 meters. The total area for a tour is 19, 000 square meters. The top of the wall can permit five horses to be ridden abreast. There are arched doors at the inner side of the wall with very little distance between each two doors. The arched doors lead you to the top of the wall by stone stairs.

Badaling became a very important military strategic place since the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC - 476 BC) and the Warring States Period (476 BC - 221 BC). Many incomplete parts of the wall were proved to be built in the Warring States Period.

Badaling was the earliest section to be open to the tourists among all the parts of the whole Great Wall. 130 million tourists from China and abroad have visited Badaling; 370 foreign leaders and very important persons have come to climb Badaling successively.

This section of the Great Wall was made by huge bar stones. Some of the stones have a height of two meters with a weight of hundreds kilograms. Inside the Wall are made of mud and stone block. The top floor of the Great Wall is paved with square bricks which made the floor very orderly and smooth. On the highest place, signal fire platforms were set to send warning signals in the ancient China. One fire with one smoke means the enemy is about 100 men; two fires with two smoke means 500 men, and three fires with three smoke means more than 1,000 men...... By this way, the persons who were warned were able to know the state of the enemy.

Near Badaling, there is a large-scaled Great-Wall-of-China Museum as well as the Great Wall National Theater from which you can get a full and complete view of the Great Wall.

In 1961, the State Council decided that Badaling was a national key protected culture relic unit. In 1987, Badaling became "World Cultural heritage" by the United Nation.

In the northern part of Huairou County some 70 kilometers north-east of Beijing City, this section of the Great Wall winds its way for over 2000 meters. This section is well preserved and is a good alternative for visitors who would like to avoid crowds along the highly popular Badaling section during holiday and peak seasons.

The construction of this section was started in the mid-6th century during China's Northern Dynasties (386 - 581) and what now remains is the main restoration made during the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). It has served as a northern barrier of what is now Beijing through the ages. Connected with Juyongguan Pass in the west and Gubeikou Gateway in the east, this section was built along steep ridges and deep valleys. Differing from that part of the Great Wall more widely visited, this section is renowned for its unique fortifications.

Wall Features- Solid wall and twenty-two blockhouses and watchtowers

The wall is seven-to-eight meters high and four-to-five meters wide at the top and five-to-six at the bottom. The brick wall is reinforced with a stone facing. Twenty-two watchtowers have been built at regular intervals along its 2250 meter span. They vary from being complex structures of more than one storey to simple beacons. Among these, the most famous is Zheng Bei Tai, a castle complex that consists of three inner-connected watchtowers. These combined three towers ensured the defending forces could control any attempt at an invasion.

Both the outer and inner parapets are crenelated with merlons.

Most parts of the Great Wall have outer defensive parapets to provide cover for the soldiers and a low parapet on the inner side (called Nu Qiang) to prevent soldiers or horses from falling. (See the photos of Badaling, to see the difference) However, in this section, both the outer and inner parapets have merlons, indicating its military importance. Also there is a 1000 meter long wall parallel to the main wall to enhance the defences.

You can mount steps to climb the wall but it is physically demanding, or you can take the cable for a single trip at 35 Yuan or a round trip at 50.

The surrounding natural environment is most attractive. Here the mountains are densely covered by verdant plants and tall ancient trees. In autumn, the maple leaves with their bright shades are truly amazing. In recent years, a garden party is usually held in autumn. Tourists can enjoy the sights of festive bonfires, performances in ancient costumes and other entertaining programs.

50 kilometers northwest from Beijing City lies the Ming Tombs - the general name given to the mausoleums of 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). The mausoleums have been perfectly preserved, as has the necropolis of each of the many emperors. Because of its long history, palatial and integrated architecture, the site has a high cultural and historic value. The layout and arrangement of all thirteen mausoleums are very similar but vary in size as well as in the complexity of their structures.

It was originally built only as Changling, the tomb of Emperor Zhuli and his empresses. This is the most magnificent of the tombs. The succeeding twelve emperors had their tombs built around Changling.

Only the Changling and Dingling tombs are open to the public. Changling, the chief of the Ming Tombs, is the largest in scale and is completely preserved. The total internal area of the main building is 1956 square meters. There are 32 huge posts, and the largest measures about 14 meters in height.It inhumes Emperor Zhudi, the fourth son of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. Travel China Guide recommends the Lingsi Palace in its second yard as really deserving a visit. This is unique as it is the only huge palace made of camphor wood. It covers about 1956 square meters. The ceiling is colorfully painted and supported by sixteen solid camphor posts. The floor was decorated with gold bricks.

Unlike Changling, Dingling is under ground and about 27 meters deep. It is the mausoleum of Emperor Zhu Yijun, the thirteenth emperor who occupied the throne the longest during the Ming Dynasty, and his two empresses. The main features are the Stone Bridge, Soul Tower, Baocheng and the Underground Place, which was unearthed between 1956 and 1958. The entire palace is made of stone. The Soul Tower is symbolic of the whole of Dingling and it forms the entrance to the underground chambers. The yellow glazed tiles; eaves, archway, rafters and columns are all sculptured from stone, and colorfully painted. The entire construction is stable and beautiful!

Served by three stone doors, it is divided into three Halls consisting of five high palaces - the front, the middle, the rear, the left and the right palaces. The Gate of the Tomb, the Gate of Eminent Favor and the Lingxing Gate all have the same structural form.

The front hall, considered the square of the Palace, has no building within it. No special artifacts remain in either the left and right palaces that are about 7 meters high, six meters wide, and 26 meters long. However, each has a centrally placed white marble coffin bed, the surface of which is covered with gold bricks. On each bed there is a square hole filled with loess. This is the so-called "Gold Well". A paved path leads to the central hall where there are three white marble thrones. Incense, candles and flowers were set in front of the thrones. Before each of them, there are glazed 'Five Offerings' and a blue china jar that would have been filled with sesame oil to be used for lamps. The rear hall is the main and biggest part of the Palace. The coffins of Emperor Zhu Yijun and his two empresses are in this palace. There are also some precious items displayed with these coffins; among them is the gold imperial crown, one of the world's most rare treasures.

We feel that it is necessary to remind visitors with heart problems to consider carefully whether they should enter the underground chambers. The atmosphere and dull lighting can be a problem. As always, do not hesitate to consult your guide, who will be able to offer advice.