Must-visit attractions in Beijing

1. The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City in Beijing was the royal palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties in China. It was formerly known as the Forbidden City. It is located at the center of Beijing’s central axis and is the essence of ancient Chinese palace architecture. The Forbidden City in Beijing is centered on the three main halls, covering an area of ??720,000 square meters, with a construction area of ??about 150,000 square meters. There are more than 70 large and small palaces and more than 9,000 houses. It is one of the largest and best preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.

The Forbidden City in Beijing is known as the first of the five major palaces in the world. It is a national AAAAA tourist attraction. It was listed as one of the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units in 1961 and a world cultural heritage in 1987.

2. The Great Wall

The Great Wall, also known as the Great Wall, is a military defense project in ancient China. It is a tall, strong and continuous long wall used to Limit the movement of enemy cavalry. The Great Wall is not a simple and isolated city wall, but a defense system with the city wall as the main body and a large number of cities, barriers, pavilions and signs.

On March 4, 1961, the Great Wall was announced by the State Council as one of the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units. In December 1987, the Great Wall was listed as a World Cultural Heritage.

3. Zhoukoudian Peking Man Ruins

The Zhoukoudian Ruins Museum is located at the foot of Longgu Mountain in Zhoukoudian, Fangshan District, southwest of Beijing. It is an ancient human ruins museum founded in 1953. In 1929, Chinese paleoanthropologist Mr. Pei Wenzhong unearthed the first complete skull fossil of "Peking Man" in Longgu Mountain, which shocked the world. It is a world cultural heritage, a national AAAA-level scenic spot, a national key cultural relics protection unit, and one of the top 100 patriotism education demonstration bases in the country. It is about 48 kilometers away from Beijing city.

4. Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven is a world cultural heritage, a national key cultural relics protection unit, a national AAAAA tourist attraction, and a national civilized scenic tourist area demonstration site.

The Temple of Heaven is located in the south of Beijing, on the east side of Yongdingmennei Street in Dongcheng District. It covers an area of ??approximately 2.73 million square meters. The Temple of Heaven was built in the 18th year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1420), and was rebuilt during the Qianlong and Guangxu reigns of the Qing Dynasty. It was a place where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties offered sacrifices to the emperor and prayed for a good harvest.

5. Summer Palace

The Summer Palace, a royal garden during the Qing Dynasty in China, formerly known as Qingyi Garden, is located in the western suburbs of Beijing, 15 kilometers away from the city, covering an area of ??about 290 hectares, and is similar to the Old Summer Palace adjacent. It is a large-scale landscape garden built on the basis of Kunming Lake and Wanshou Mountain, based on the West Lake in Hangzhou, and drawing on the design techniques of Jiangnan gardens. It is also the most complete preserved royal palace garden and is known as the "Royal Garden Museum" , is also a key national tourist attraction.

6. Ming Tombs

The Ming Tombs are a world cultural heritage, a national key cultural relic protection unit, a national key scenic spot, and a national AAAAA-level tourist attraction. The Ming Tombs are located at the foothills of Tianshou Mountain in Changping District, Beijing, with a total area of ??more than 120 square kilometers and about 50 kilometers away from Tiananmen Square.

Extended information:

Beijing is an ancient capital with a history of more than 3,000 years. It has different names in different dynasties. In total, it has more than 20 nicknames.

The capital of Yan, according to historical records, in 1122 BC, after King Wu of Zhou destroyed the Shang Dynasty, he was granted the title of Duke Zhao in Yan. Yandu got its name from the fact that it was the capital of Yan State in ancient times. Among the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period was the State of Yan. It is said that the country got its name because of its proximity to Yanshan Mountain, and its capital was called "Yandu".

Youzhou, one of the nine states in ancient times. The name of Youzhou was first seen in "Shang Shu Shun Dian": "Yan said Youzhou." Youzhou was established in the Han, Wei, Jin and Tang dynasties, and it was all governed in the area around today's Beijing.

Jingcheng generally refers to the capital of the country. After Beijing became the capital of the country, it was often called the capital.

Nanjing, in the first year of Emperor Taizong of the Liao Dynasty (938), the original Youzhou was promoted to Youdu Prefecture, named Nanjing, also known as Yanjing, as the companion capital of the Liao Dynasty. At that time, the capital of Liao was Shangjing.

Dadu, in the Yuan Dynasty, the new city was rebuilt with Jin's Palace in Beihai Park as the center. In the ninth year of the Yuan Dynasty (1272), it was renamed Dadu, commonly known as Yuan Dadu.

Beiping, the first year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1368), after Zhu Yuanzhang destroyed the Yuan Dynasty, in order to record the achievements of pacifying the north, the capital of the Yuan Dynasty was renamed Beiping.

Beijing, in the first year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1403), after Emperor Yongle, Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, obtained the throne, he changed his fiefdom of Beiping Prefecture when he was King Yan to Shuntian Prefecture, built Beijing City, and prepared to move the capital. This is the beginning of the official name Beijing, which has a history of more than 600 years.

The capital of the Ming Dynasty was moved to Beijing in the 18th year of Yongle (1420) and renamed the capital until the Qing Dynasty.

Jingzhao, Shuntianfu was abolished in the second year of the Republic of China (1913), and Jingzhao Prefecture was established in the next year, directly under the central government. Its scope included most of today's Beijing. It was abolished in the seventeenth year of the Republic of China (1928). In the Jingzhao area, Beijing was renamed Peking.

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Beijing