TianAnMen Square
Initially built in 1417 during the Ming Dynasty (1368 A.D.- 1644 A.D.), the Square was the front door of the Forbidden City and considered the center of Beijing and the heart of the Chinese nation, Tian'anmen Square covers 44 hectares (102 acres) and is regarded as the world's largest public area, capable of holding 500,000 people. In fact, it is estimated that upward of one million people gathered here to witness the October 1, 1949 proclamation by the late Chairman Mao of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
The Forbidden City
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, it has 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 wall is 750 meters. There are delicately structured towers in each of the four corners of the curtain wall. These afford views over both the palace and the city outside.
The Great Wall
Despite the common assumption, the Great Wall can not be seen from the moon; it can, however, be viewed by astronauts in passing orbiters. It was also not built all at one time; it was built from the 5th to 16th centuries as a barrier against nomadic invaders from the north. The wall's origins date back at least to the 5th century B.C. when the rival kingdoms of the Warring States Period (453-221 B.C.) built defensive ramparts against their enemies. The First Emperor of unified China, Qin Shi Huang, fortified the barriers in the 3rd century B.C. Over a 10-year period, 300,000 conscripts, many of them were slaves, knitted the walls into a continuous rampart to protect the western frontier. New sections extended the wall east to the Yellow Sea.
The Temple of Heaven
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 as “The Sons of Heaven”, they dared not to build their own dwelling-'Forbidden City' bigger than a dwelling for Heaven.
Summer Palace
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.
Ming Tombs
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.
Beijing Hutong
A hutong is a unique form of community that exists only in China. If you are fed up with high buildings and wide streets, enter Beijing's hutongs then. Here, you will find “Hutong Culture” “Hutong” literally means a small street or a lane between two courtyards, although the word can also mean a community within the city consisting of hutongs and residences. Shanghai local people call it a “Nong”. There are thousands of hutongs in Beijing City. Most of them were built in Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties (1271-1911). Every hutong has a name. Some hutongs have had only one name since the hutong was formed, but some have had more than five names in the past.
Beihai Park
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).
Beijing Zoo
Beijing Zoo was initially named Ten Thousand Animal Garden which was built in 1908, proving that it already has had a history of more than 90 years. It is located in Xicheng District of Beijing City, beside Beijing Exhibition Hall, facing Beijing Astronomical Observatory. The Zoo was originally the imperial manor in the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). Plants were cultivated and animals were raised here during the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911). After the liberation, it was reconstructed and was known as the West Suburb Park. And in 1955, the name was changed to Beijing Zoo.