Ancient Cultural City

Beijing was once the capital city of the Yuan (1279-1368), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. An aerial view of the city clearly shows the royal palaces, gardens, temples, tombs and other ancient buildings remain in their original, methodical arrangements hinting at a past of royal dignity and cultural significance.

 

    When it comes to the world's best-known palaces, the Forbidden City is second to none. Developed during the early Ming Dynasty, it served as a royal palace and seat of government during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is the largest existing palace complex in the world, and it is typical of the Chinese ancient architectural style.

The Summer Palace is a treasure house for ancient arts, and it features graceful landscapes and magnificent structures. It is an archetypal Chinese garden and is ranked among the most noted and classical gardens of the world.

 

    The Temple of Heaven is the most holy of Beijing's imperial temples. Here, emperors made sacrifices to heaven and prayed for good harvests during the first month of every New Year or for rain during times of drought.

 

    In addition to its imperial gardens, Beijing has many natural sites, such as Xiang Shan (Fragrant Hills Park), Zizhuyuan (Purple Bamboo) Park, Yuyuantan (the old Summer Palace) Park. Locals and tourists alike enjoy Beijing's hutong (alleyways lined with siheyuan and shops), courtyard residences (siheyuan), temples and clubs, which serve as symbols of old Beijing, many of which are located in four urban districts: Dongcheng, Xicheng, Chongwen and Xuanwu districts.

 

    In 2005, the State Council approved The General Urban Layout for Beijing (2004-2020), in which the idea of the "general protection of the old city" was brought forward for the first time. Detailed plans for protection are concerned with every yard and most trees within the ancient city of Beijing. Details of the urban plan call for the city's eight urban districts to be considered as four areas with an area of 1,088-square-metres for purposes of urban planning. These areas will concentrate on preserving their old neighbourhoods and inner-city "villages," modest and appropriate development around these old areas and cultural relics sites, somewhat more aggressive development in areas further away from old areas and cultural sites and with planned construction employing a more generous use of green space elsewhere in the central urban area. The heights of buildings, for instance, will be controlled to preserve the dignity of the old city, with the tallest buildings located southeast of the city centre.

 

    In addition to its six World Heritage List sites, the city has 60 nationally important, 264 city-level and 568 district- and county-level cultural relics protection units, 40 historical cultural protection areas and 36 cultural relics sites identified by archaeologists that have not been fully investigated. In 2005, there were 129 registered museums in Beijing, with collections including more than 3.24 million valuable items.

 

    Beijing is famous for the quality and richness of its antiquities. While strolling among its palaces and gardens or browsing its hutong and siheyuan, one can experience the typical Beijing style of life and gain an understanding of the true meaning of the culture of ancient Beijing.