Top 3 Must-Visit Places In Beijing

When visiting Beijing, here are 3 places you should definitely not miss out!

Forbidden City

Also called the Palace Museum, the Forbidden City is the world’s largest imperial palace and was once home to emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Thus, the Forbidden City houses five centuries’ worth of treasures. Listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, it is now hugely popular among tourists globally.

Aside from the immensity of the complex, the architectural details are also impressive as they show the features of traditional Chinese culture and construction style. An example would be the 9-by-9 arrangement of gilded door-studs decorated on the gates. The number nine in traditional Chinese culture represents long-life and dominance. Statues of dragons, lions, and phoenixes were positioned by the sides of major halls’ roof ridges in order to bring good luck.

Unbeknownst to most, the palace museum actually scores more visitors than the Great Wall annually, which is why queues are insane almost everyday. However, the Forbidden City is still a must-see for anyone who happens to be touring Beijing, therefore withstanding the pain of having to line up for hours should be tolerated.

Summer Palace

The Summer Palace is believed to be the largest and best-preserved imperial garden in the world. Listed as a World Heritage Site, its Chinese-style design was focused on the harmony and flow with surrounding nature. The Summer Palace has a few major highlights to explore, including Kunming Lake, the Garden Of Virtue And Harmony, the 17-Arch Bridge, the Long Corridor, and the Longevity Hill.

Situated in the heart of the park, Kunming Lake takes up roughly three quarters of the overall Summer Palace land area. Taking a boat cruise on Kunming Lake should not be missed as throughout the 10 minutes ride, one can experience pure serenity and also marvel at the jaw-droppingly beautiful lake and its surroundings. There is an extra toll required for taking the boat ride though.

The Garden Of Virtue And Harmony is essentially a three-storey tall best-preserved wooden theater stage which is used for entertainment shows.  Beijing Opera actors were known to perform for Empress Dowager in the garden. Some gifts sent by foreign states during the Qing Dynasty are still showcased in the garden.

One can try crossing the 17-Arch Bridge, which connects the western Nanhu Island to the Eastern bank of Kunming Lake. The 17-Arch Bridge is also the longest bridge within Summer Palace itself as it boasts an impressive length of 150m. The bridge was designed to resemble a rainbow arching over the calm waters. Take note that on both ends of the bridge, there will be a statue resembling a Kylin, a Chinese mythical creature known to bring good fortune.

The Long Corridor is 728m in length and is the longest corridor ever constructed within Chinese classic gardens. It links up a stretch of attractions, which allows visitors to take a sensational stroll while they immerse themselves in the incredible ambience coupled with breathtaking views of those attractions. One can head up to the gallery, an observation area that presents a solid view of Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill. The Long Corridor actually functions as a shelter from rain and snow and also for connecting attractions to prevent losing directions, as mentioned above.

An interesting highlight of the Long Corridor, is the Su-style colored paintings. Due to its incredible amount of colored paintings, the Long Corridor was actually a part of the 1900s Guinness World Records. Those paintings are the epitome of Chinese art culture and its mystifying beauty. A little challenge here: Visitors can try to figure out some of the many deep-rooted myths and insightful legends depicted in the pictures. Without the aid of any hand-written descriptions on those paintings, it will be extremely challenging to guess solely from the settings and actions.

Longevity Hill is situated right next to the stunning Kunming Lake. To truly enjoy a scenic route, make way to the Gate of Dispelling Clouds at the foot of the hill by strolling through the Long Corridor. Pass through the Hall of Dispelling Clouds: which lies behind the Gate of Dispelling Clouds, and the Tower Of Buddhist Incense should be soon in sight, perching in the middle of the hill. The three-storey tall octagon-shaped tower is actually deemed as the hill’s landmark. Both sides of the tower are the Revolving Archives and the Baoyun Bronze Pavillion. The Revolving Archives consist of a group of Buddhist buildings while the Baoyun Bronze Pavilion is a large well-preserved building.

At the peak of Longevity Hill, one can discover the Hall Of The Sea Of Wisdom, a double-storey Buddhist building. The hall’s outside walls are covered with bright enamel tiles and implanted rows of glossy Buddhist statues. After walking through the Hall of the Sea of Wisdom, the endmost of Longevity Hill will be seen, thus concluding the planned scenic route.

Temple Of Heaven

The Temple Of Heaven was used by emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties to worship the god of heaven. Famous for being the epitome of Chinese ritual architecture and its almost flawless magnificent design, the temple was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The most distinctive building in the Temple of Heaven, is the circular Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the main building of the temple itself. To the majority who do not know this fact; The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests was fully-constructed while refrained from using nails.

Other buildings worth checking out are the Imperial Vault of Heaven and Circular Mound Altar respectively. The Imperial Vault of Heaven was assigned to protect ‘the tablets belonging to God’, which were utilized during the harvest prayer ceremony. Meanwhile, the Circular Mound Altar was used to hold winter solstice ceremonies. The “Heart of Heaven” slate in the middle of the altar, was where the Emperor prayed for good weather.

The early mornings are actually the most ideal for paying a visit to the Temple of Heaven as it is possible to indulge in an interesting experience watching the locals carry out their routine Tai Chi and Wushu workouts.

In essence, the above three attraction sites must not be neglected. If in Beijing, make sure to set aside a minimum of a few hours to tour those places for a true, complete experience of China’s capital city.