Heritage Sites

A globally celebrated historic and cultural city, Beijing has a more than 3,000-year history, 850 of which have been as the country's capital.  It is a city rich in cultural relics and its heritage sites, the Forbidden City, Great Wall, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Peking Man and Ming Tombs, are listed as some of the world's most important cultural heritage sites.

 

1. The Forbidden City 故宫

A testament to grandiosity, there are few sights in the world that will take your breath away, let alone live up to its reputation. The Forbidden City is one such place. Reading about it before you go will greatly enrich your experience and understanding China's imperial culture.

Passing through Tian'anmen to get there, chances are you will stop in your tracks, struck by the sheer scale of the place, China's largest and best-preserved set of ancient buildings. Home to two dynasties of emperors (Ming and Qing), and also known as the Imperial Palace, its basic layout was established between 1406 and 1420 by Emperor Yongle and it remained an imperial palace for 500 years ending in 1924. Most of what is now seen is post-18^th century construction, because a fire set by the Manchu in 1644 burnt almost all the original wooden structures to the ground.

The palace and pavilions sprawl over 720,000 square metres and contain a highly "auspicious" 9,999 rooms. The courtyards and pavilions of this historic complex of buildings need at least one full day's exploration. If lucky enough to visit it during Beijing's four seasons, you will get to see how the changing sunlight, perhaps even a snowfall, alters the character of this fated monument.

In ancient times, gongs and bells would sound around the massive Meridian Gate. Within, the emperor was protected by a massive staff, surrounded by many wives and members of his family. At night, no other men were allowed in the city except for the emperor's eunuchs.

The last emperor, Pu Yi (1906-67), left the Forbidden City in 1924.

Originally named to invoke the status of the emperor, and off limits to nearly everyone else, the Forbidden City was famously rarefied in the dying days of the Empire. Unfortunately, much of the sumptuous detail of those days has long been gone, leaving the city a place without a context, devoid of meaning. But a rented cassette tape, with narration by Roger Moore, will provide you with much of the information needed to fill in the gaps and probe the city's intriguing past.

Address: 4 Jingshan Qianjie, Dongcheng District

Tel: +86 10 6513 1892

Opening hours: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Admission: 60 yuan (peak season), 40 yuan (low season)

Buses: 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 20, 22, 37, 52, 54, 101, 103, 109, 124, 120, 726, 728, 802, 826, 810, 814, 846, subway

 

2. Temple of Heaven 天坛

Lying south of Tian'anmen Square and the Forbidden City, the park's circular Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests has become as much of a symbol of the city as those celebrated landmarks.

This near-perfect example of Ming architecture set in a 267-hectare park and marked by four gates at the points of the compass where emperors came to offer sacrifices and pray for good harvests in winter.

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is the apex of the park and mounted on a three-tiered marble terrace, dating back to 1420. The four central pillars denote the seasons while the "12" symbolizes the months of the year. Look up for the dragon, the emperor's symbol, carved into the ceiling.

Viewed from above, the temples (look for the Imperial Vault of Heaven) are round while their bases are square. The pattern is no coincidence, since it derives from the ancient Chinese belief that heaven was round and the earth square.

And if you are interested in numbers, you will be in a numerological seventh heaven. Everything here revolves around the imperial supreme number 9. The Round Altar (Yuan Qiu) is made up of white marble, in three tiers, with the top tier believed to symbolise heaven, with 9 rings of stones, each, in turn, made up of multiples of nine.

If you are lucky enough to enjoy this spectacle on a quiet day, check out the Echo Wall, north of the altar. It is said a whisper at one end can be clearly heard at the other end thanks to superb acoustics. Children love the experience.

Address: A1 Tiantanbei Lu, Chongwen District

崇文区天坛北路甲1号

Tel: +86 10 6702 8866

Opening hours: 6 a.m.-8 p.m.

Admission: 15 yuan (ordinary ticket), 35 yuan (set ticket)

Bus: 2, 6, 15, 16, 17, 20, 34, 35, 36, 43, 45, 54, 60, 106, 110, 116, 120

 

3. Summer Palace 颐和园

While understandably one of the city's most visited sites, the Summer Palace is a great place to escape Beijing's hustle and bustle for a day.

Another of the city's truly atmospheric spots, visitors soon get a feel for the royal garden's turbulent history while ambling around prime examples of Qing architecture and pretty Kunming Lake.

This is where residents of the Forbidden City would decamp in summer, escaping Beijing's summer heat. It's easy to understand the appeal as you stroll around its cooling water features, hills and beautiful gardens.

Kunming Lake (Kunming Hu) is the obvious centrepiece, taking up about three-quarters of the total area. This was once a popular skating area in winter and a source of ice for domestic purposes. In the poetically named Hall of Benevolence and Longevity (Ren Shou Dian), emperors would handle affairs of state. Look out for the hardwood throne and for the bronze animals in the courtyard.

Among the scores of photo opportunities available, you will find a particularly eye-catching boat, one made of marble at the command of the Empress Dowager Cixi. Popular with photographers, too, is the 700-metre-long Long Corridor (Chang Lang).

The best view of the park is from the artificially made Longevity Hill (Wanshou Shan) on which sits the Precious Clouds Pavilion (Baoyun Ge) and the Temple of the Sea of Wisdom (Zhihui Hai). It is a great place to rest, catch your breath and look out over the city.

Just the names of some of the attractions-Cloud Dispelling Hall, Buddhist Virtue Temple, Harmonious Interest Garden (Xiequ Yuan)-are enough to fire the imagination send the mind reeling back in time.

A 17-arch bridge takes you to South Lake Island and competes with the Jade Belt Bridge (Yudai Qiao) for the attention of photographers looking for the perfect backdrop. 

Address: Xiyuan, Haidian District

海淀区西苑

Tel: +86 10 6288 1144

Opening hours: 6:30 a.m.-6 p.m.

Admission: 30 yuan (ordinary ticket), 50 yuan (set ticket)

Buses: 330, 332, 333, 346, 394, 801, 808

 

4. Great Wall 长城

The Great Wall of China is the Eighth Wonder of The World and a must-see for any visitor to China.

You will see it reproduced everywhere in China, but nothing will prepare you for the thrill of seeing the Great Wall for the first time. Its serpentine twists, peaks and troughs extend as far as the eye can see, and a visit will remain a treasured memory of any trip to China.

Its stark beauty and spectacular scale remain staggering even in our technologically advanced age. Like so much of China, the Great Wall offers a stunning glimpse into the past. If these stones could talk, what tales they might tell!

In fact there are many sections, all with a different allure and all worth seeing for very different reasons. Those who can manage only a brief visit to Beijing often make a beeline for the Badaling stretch that is only some 70 kilometres northwest of the city. Restored in 1957, it is a solid, easy-to-reach section of the Wall that includes a theatre, a museum and assorted visitor facilities.

Equally well developed is the Mutianyu section that is also well served by tourist buses; it is less than 100 km from the centre of Beijing. Also within easy reach of Beijing is the 5^th century Juyongguan section that was extensively rebuilt during the Ming period.

Details for the four Walls are:

Badaling Great Wall  八达岭长城

Address: Yanqing County

延庆县

Tel: +86 10 6912 1737

Opening hours: 6 a.m.-10 p.m.

Admission: 45 yuan (peak season), 40 yuan (low season)

Buses: You* 1/2/3/4/5

Take the 919, 920 at Deshengmen; take long distance bus at Deshengmenwai Long Distance Bus Station (the bus sets off every half hour from 7 a.m. and returns early evening.)

 

Mutianyu Great Wall 慕田峪长城

Address: Mutianyucun, Huairou District

怀柔区慕田峪村

Tel: +86 10 6162 6505, 6162 6022

Opening hours: 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m.

Admission: 35 yuan

Buses: You* 6, 916

 

Simatai Great Wall 司马台长城

Address: Gubeikouzhen, Miyun County

密云县司马台古北口镇

Tel: +86 10 6903 1051

Opening hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Admission: 30 yuan

Buses: take You* 12 at Dongsishitiao or Xuanwumen Church

 

Juyongguan Great Wall居庸关长城

Address: Nankouzhen, Changping District

昌平区南口镇

Tel: +86 10 6977 1665

Opening hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Admission: 40 yuan (peak season), 35 yuan (low season)

Buses: You* 1/2/3/4/5

Take 345 at Deshengmen to Changping, and change to a long distance bus.

 

5.  Ming Tombs 十三陵

Extravagant burial chambers became the final resting places for 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

The importance of the tombs, an essential day trip for any serious visitor to Beijing, was fully recognized by UNESCO's World Heritage Committee and they were added to the hugely prestigious World Heritage List.

 The tombs are a shining example of funerary architecture and culture that for hundreds of centuries held sway across China. An impressive marble archway and 7-km road known as the Sacred Path herald the 40-sq.km area in which the tombs are found. In times gone by, officials would have to dismount at the Great Palace Gate.

The figures lead you to the Lingxing Gate. The first of the tombs to be excavated and opened to the public was Dingling Tomb. This was home to Emperor Wanli. Records suggest that it took half a million workers six years to build the tomb according to his very specific requirements. The Ding Ling Tomb was followed by two others, the Changling Tomb, the biggest of the three, and the Zhaoling Tomb.

Wan Li is said to have given a party in the funeral chamber to celebrate its completion. No fewer than 26 trunks of treasure were recovered there. Some of the original funerary objects have been left on the site, while others were taken for display in Beijing and replaced with copies. Changling Tomb, the resting place of Emperor Yongle, was begun in 1409 and took 18 years to complete. 

The beautiful surroundings in which the tombs are located make the area a popular day trip and a great site for a picnic.

Address: South of Tianshoushan, Changping District

昌平区天寿山南

Tel: +86 10 6076 1148, 6076 1422

Opening hours: 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Admission: Changling Tomb: 45 yuan (peak season), 30 yuan (low season)

Dingling Tomb: 60 yuan (peak season), 40 yuan (low season)

Zhaoling Tomb: 30 yuan (peak season), 20 yuan (low season)

Sacred Path: 30 yuan (peak season), 20 yuan (low season)

Bus/Subway: You* 1/2/3/4/5

 

6. The Remains of Peking Man in Zhoukoudian 周口店猿人遗址

The remains of Peking Man in Zhoukoudian are located on Dragon Bone Hill near the town of Zhoukoudian, Fanshan District. The place became world famous after the discovery of a human skull on December 2, 1929, which Chinese anthologists called Peking Man (Sinanthropus pekinensis, or early Homo erectus). The caves where Peking Man was found were recognized as a World Heritage site by the United Nations in 1987. More discoveries of ancient humans (Homo sapiens sapiens) from 1,000-11,000 years ago were made after 1929, and research at the site continues today.

The Peking Man skull is one of the world's most important archaeological discoveries. During the War of Resistance against Japan in the 1930s, the skull mysteriously disappeared. Its whereabouts remain unknown to this day, but experts are scouring the world in search of it.

Peking Man is believed to have been one of the earliest primitive men to use fire. Proof has been found in ashes and burnt animal bones found in the cave. Unearthed fossil remains in Zhoukoudian include 6 skulls, 15 mandibles, 157 teeth and countless fragmented bones belonging to 40 individual Peking Men, constituting important materials for the study of the early biological evolution of human beings and the development of early culture. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, Zhoukoudian became a great tourist attraction.

Address: 1 Zhoukoudian Dajie, Fangshan District

房山区周口店大街1号

Tel: + 86 10 6930 1287

Opening hours: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Admission: 30 yuan for adults, 15 yuan for children and old

Bus: take 917 at Tianqiao to Fangshan, or take 616 at Beijing West Railway Station to Liangxiang, then change Huan 2 to Zhoukoudian.