Beijing Top Attractions-Forbidden City (Palace Museum)
A Brief History of the Palace Museum
Established in 1925, the Palace Museum was installed in the imperial palace of two consecutive dynasties - the Ming (1368-1644) and the Qing (1644-1911). The magnificent architecture, also known as the Forbidden City, and the vast holding of the imperial collections of paintings, calligraphy, ceramics, and decorative objects make it one of the most prestigious museums in China and the world at large. In 1961 the imperial palace was designated by the State Council as one of China's foremost-protected cultural heritage sites, and in 1987 was made a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Location, Area, and Layout.
Situated at the heart of Beijing, the Palace Museum is approached through the Gate of Heavenly Peace (Tian'an men). Immediately to the north of the Palace Museum is Prospect Hill (also called Coal Hill), while on the east and west are Wangfujing and Zhongnanhai neighborhoods. The location was endowed with cosmic significance by ancient China's astronomers. They correlated the emperor's abode, which they considered the pivot of the terrestrial world, with the Pole Star (Ziwei yuan), which they believed to be at the center of the heavens. Because of its centrality as well as restricted access, the palace was called The Forbidden City. It was built from 1406 to 1420 by the third emperor of the Ming dynasty, the Yongle Emperor (r. 1403-1420) who, upon usurping the throne, determined to move his capital northward from Nanjing to Beijing. The Ming dynasty fell to the Manchu Qing in 1644 and in 1911 the Qing dynasty was overthrown by the republican revolutionaries. The last emperor Puyi (ruled from 1909 to 1911 under the reign name Xuantong) continued to live in the palace after his abdication until he was expelled in 1924. During nearly six hundred years, twenty-four emperors lived and ruled from this palace.
The Forbidden City is surrounded by 10-metre-high walls and a 52-metre-wide moat. Measuring 961 meters from north to south and 753 meters from east to west, it covers an area of 720,000 square meters. Each of the four sides is pierced by a gate: the Meridian Gate (Wu men) on the south, the Gate of Divine Prowess (Shenwu men) on the north, the Eastern and Western Prosperity Gates (Donghuamen and Xihuamen). Once inside, visitors will see a succession of halls and palaces spreading out on either side of an invisible central axis. The buildings' glowing yellow roofs levitating above vermilion walls is a magnificent sight. The painted ridges and carved beams all contribute to the sumptuous effect.
Known as the Outer Court, the southern portion of the Forbidden City centers on three main halls - Hall of Supreme Harmony (Taihe dian), Hall of Central Harmony (Zhonghe dian), and Hall of Preserving Harmony (Baohe dian) - with Belvedere of Embodying Benevolence (Tiren ge) and Belvedere of Spreading Righteousness (Hongyi ge) flanking them. It was here in the Ourter Court that the emperor held court and conducted grand audiences.
Mirroring this arrangement is the Inner Court comprising the northern portion of the Forbidden City. The Palace of Heavenly Purity (Qianqing gong), the Hall of Union (Jiaotai dian), and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility (Kunning gong) straddle the central axis. On the east and west are residences called the Six Eastern Palaces and the Six Western Palaces. An Imperial Garden is laid out at the north end. Other major buildings in the Inner Court include the Hall for Abstinence (Zhai gong) and Hall of Sincere Solemnity (Chengsu dian) in the east, and the Hall of Mental Cultivation (Yangxin dian), the Belvedere of Raining Flowers (Yuhua ge), and the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility (Cining gong) in the west. The Inner Court is comprised of not only the residences of the emperor and his consorts but also venues for religious rituals and administrative activities.
In total, the buildings of the two courts account for an area of some 163,000 square meters. These were precisely designed in accordance with a code of architectural hierarchy, which designated specific features to reflect the paramount authority and status of the emperor. No ordinary mortal would have been allowed or would even have dared to come within close proximity to these buildings.
Founding of the Palace Museum.
The Xinhai revolution in 1911 ended with the abdication of the last emperor Puyi. The provisional government allowed him to continue to live in the Inner Court of the Forbidden City. Meanwhile, all of the imperial treasures from palaces in Rehe (today's Chengde in Hebei province) and Mukden (today's Shenyang in Liaoning province) were moved to the Forbidden City for public display in the Outer Court in 1914. While confined to the Inner Court, Puyi continuously used such vestiges of influence as still remained to plot his own restoration. He also smuggled or pawned a huge number of art works under the pretext of granting them as rewards to his courtiers and minions or taking them out for repair.
In 1924, during a coup launched by the warlord Feng Yuxiang, Puyi was expelled from the Forbidden City. The management of the palace fell to a committee that was set up to deal with the concerns of the deposed imperial family. The committee also counted and audited the imperial collections. After a year of intense preparations, on 10 October 1925, the committee arranged a grand ceremony in front of the Palace of Heavenly Purity to mark the inception of the Palace Museum. News of the opening flashed across the nation, and such was the scramble of visitors on the first day that traffic jams around Beijing brought the city almost to a standstill.
According to an inventory of twenty-eight volumes published in 1925, the treasure trove left by the Qing numbered more than 1,170,000 items including sacrificial vessels and ancient jade artifacts from the earliest dynasties; paintings and calligraphy dating to as early as the seventh century; porcelain from the Song and Yuan; a variety of enamel and lacquer ware; gold and silver ornaments; antiques made of bamboo, wood, horn and gourds; religious statues in gold and bronze; as well as thousands of imperial robes and ornaments; textiles; and furniture. In addition, there were countless books, literary works, and historical documents. All these were divided into separate collections that were placed under teams of staff to sort and collate. Exhibition halls were opened to display some of the treasures, while writers and editors worked away at publishing in book or journal form all the new areas of research and academic inquiry that the establishment of the museum had ushered in. The Palace Museum was soon a hive of activity.
Collection Evacuation during World War II and the Ensuing Split.
Shortly before the outbreak of World War II, the Japanese, having annexed territory in China's northeast, proceeded to march on Beijing. With this looming threat, the museum authorities decided to evacuate its collection rather than let it fall into enemy hands or risk destruction in battle. For four frantic months between February and May 1933, the most important pieces in the collection were packed into 13,427 crates and sixty-four bundles and sent to Shanghai in five batches. Another six thousand some crates were assembled from the Antiquities Exhibition Institute, the Summer Palace, and Imperial College. In 1936 they were dispatched to Nanjing where a depository had been built and a branch of the Palace Museum was to be established.
On 7 July 1937 shots fired at the Marco Polo Bridge west of Beijing heralded the eruption of the Sino-Japanese War. Within a year, the Japanese had penetrated to most of eastern China. Then the treasures stored in Nanjing had to be moved again, this time by three routes to Sichuan, where they were secreted in three locations, Baxian, Emei and Leshan. Only at the end of the war were they consolidated in Chongqing, whence they were returned to Nanjing in 1947. By then the Kuomintang were considerably weakened, and with the imminent takeover by the Communist armies of areas south of the Yangtze River, they began their retreat to Taiwan. Between the end of 1948 and the dawn of 1949, the Kuomintang selected 2,972 crates for shipping across the Strait to storage in Taichong. A rival Palace Museum was built in Taipei to display these antiquities, opening to the public in 1965. Most of crates left in Nanjing were gradually returned to Beijing, although to this day 2,221 crates remain in storage in Nanjing.
During this tumultuous decade of war and revolution, none of the treasures was lost or damaged even though the volume involved was enormous. This was largely due to the dedication of the Palace Museum staff, whose achievement in preserving these treasures was nothing short of heroic. But it was also as a result of this long period of upheaval that the treasures were dispersed. Yet the rationale for keeping the collection together, representative as it is of traditional culture, seems so incontestable that most people believe the treasures will be re-united one day.
In the early 1950s, shortly after the establishment of the People's Republic, the Palace Museum staff worked with a new will and enthusiasm to restore the Forbidden City to its former glory. Where previously the dirty and dilapidated halls and courts lay under weeds and piles of rubbish, some 250,000 cubic meters of accumulated debris were now cleared out, giving the palace a sparkling fresh look. A policy of comprehensive restoration was also launched, and in time the crumbling palace buildings, repaired, and redecorated, once again looked resplendent. All the tall buildings were equipped with lightning rods, while modern systems of fire protection and security were installed. It has been a priority of the government, particularly since the beginning of the reform era in the early 1980s, to keep the surrounding moat dredged and clean.
Collections.
The collections of the Palace Museum are based on the Qing imperial collection - ceramics, paintings and calligraphy, bronze ware, timepieces, jade, palace paraphernalia, ancient books and historical documents. During the 1950s and 1960s, a systematic inventory was completed redressing the legacy of inaccurate cataloguing. After the founding of the Museum, the collection was moreover augmented, for example by the salvage of a number of precious artifacts from a jumble of apparently worthless objects. After more than a decade of painstaking efforts, some 710,000 objects from the Qing palace were retrieved. At the same time, through national allocations, requisitions and private donations, more than 220,000 additional pieces of cultural significance were added, making up for such omissions from the original Qing collections as colored earthenware from the Stone Age, bronzes and jades from the Shang and Zhou dynasties, pottery tomb figurines from the Han dynasty, stone sculpture from the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and tri-color pottery from the Tang dynasty. The ancient paintings, scrolls and calligraphy added to the collections were particularly spectacular. These included, from the Jin dynasty, Lu Ji's A Consoling Letter (Pingfu tie) in cursive script, Wang Xun's Letter to Boyuan (Boyuan tie) and Gu Kaizhi's Nymph of the Luo River (Luoshenfu tu); from the Sui dynasty, Zhan Ziqian's landscape handscroll Spring Excursion (Youchun tu); from the Tang dynasty, Han Huang's Five Oxen (Wuniu tu), Du Mu's running-cursive script handscroll Courtesan Zhan Haohao (Zhang haohao shi); from the Five Dynasties, Gu Hongzhong's The Night Revels of Han Xizai (Han Xizai yeyan tu) "; from the Song dynasty, Li Gonglin's Painting after Wei Yan's Pasturing Horses (Lin Wei Yan mufang tu), Guo Xi's Dry Tree and Rock, Level Distance Landscape (Keshi pingyuan tu), and Zhang Zeduan's Life along the Bian River at the Pure Brightness Festival (Qingming shanghe tu) - all masterpieces without exception.
Unremitting though this attempt at recovery has been, however, there have been further exertions to acquire such works as Zhang Xian's Illustrating Ten Poems (Shiyong tu) (Song dynasty), Nai Xian's calligraphy Poems Reflecting on the Past in the Southern City (Chengnan yonggu shi) (Yuan dynasty), Shen Zhou's landscape handscroll After Huang Gongwang's Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains (Fang Huang Gongwang fuchun shanju tu) (Ming dynasty), Shi Tao's ink bamboo Loudly Calling Yuke (Gaohu Yuke tu) (Qing dynasty). The first two were spirited out of the palace by Puyi on the excuse of bestowing them on his brother Pujie; they fell into the hands of others and it was not until the 1990s were they returned to their rightful place in the Palace Museum collections.
Development and Efforts at Accessibility.
From the 1950s onwards, the museum's existing storehouses were completely overhauled to provide a damp-proof and insect-proof environment for the treasures. In the 1990s a new storehouse with a capacity of over 600,000 items was built, equipped with controls for maintaining constant temperature and humidity, as well as safeguards against fire and theft. A workshop was established in the 1950s and expanded in the 1980s into the conservation department. These not only continued traditions of craftsmanship, but also drew upon scientific discoveries to facilitate the restoration of damaged artworks. In the past few decades the conservation department has treated as many as 110,000 objects from the Palace Museum and other public collections. Besides its continuous refurbishment of the main courts and halls, the museum has opened galleries to display bronzes, porcelain, crafts, paintings and calligraphy, jewelry, and clocks to expand the scope of its exhibitions. A number of thematic shows have been held in galleries devoted to temporary exhibitions. Traveling exhibitions have also graced various museums home and abroad. Since the beginning of the economic-reform era, an increasing number of exhibitions have been mounted in Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and Oceania. All of them have aroused great interest and admiration and played a key part in the promotion of international understanding and cultural exchange.
General interest has been further stimulated by the Palace Museum's range of publications touching on both the architecture of its buildings and its vast cultural holdings. Published works include Famous Historical Paintings in the Palace Museum Collection, Selected Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, National Treasures, Palaces of the Forbidden City, Daily Life in the Forbidden City, A Collection of National Treasures, and The Complete Palace Museum Collection (in 60 volumes). There are also two periodicals: The Palace Museum Bulletin and The Forbidden City.
Although the Forbidden City used to be unapproachable, now having been converted into a public museum, it never stops making itself more accessible by means of digital technologies. The website of the Palace Museum, established in 2001, is dedicated to presenting a digital Palace Museum by which the cultural messages of the Forbidden City can be effectively disseminated world wide.
Established in 1925, the Palace Museum was installed in the imperial palace of two consecutive dynasties - the Ming (1368-1644) and the Qing (1644-1911). The magnificent architecture, also known as the Forbidden City, and the vast holding of the imperial collections of paintings, calligraphy, ceramics, and decorative objects make it one of the most prestigious museums in China and the world at large. In 1961 the imperial palace was designated by the State Council as one of China's foremost-protected cultural heritage sites, and in 1987 was made a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Location, Area, and Layout.
Situated at the heart of Beijing, the Palace Museum is approached through the Gate of Heavenly Peace (Tian'an men). Immediately to the north of the Palace Museum is Prospect Hill (also called Coal Hill), while on the east and west are Wangfujing and Zhongnanhai neighborhoods. The location was endowed with cosmic significance by ancient China's astronomers. They correlated the emperor's abode, which they considered the pivot of the terrestrial world, with the Pole Star (Ziwei yuan), which they believed to be at the center of the heavens. Because of its centrality as well as restricted access, the palace was called The Forbidden City. It was built from 1406 to 1420 by the third emperor of the Ming dynasty, the Yongle Emperor (r. 1403-1420) who, upon usurping the throne, determined to move his capital northward from Nanjing to Beijing. The Ming dynasty fell to the Manchu Qing in 1644 and in 1911 the Qing dynasty was overthrown by the republican revolutionaries. The last emperor Puyi (ruled from 1909 to 1911 under the reign name Xuantong) continued to live in the palace after his abdication until he was expelled in 1924. During nearly six hundred years, twenty-four emperors lived and ruled from this palace.
The Forbidden City is surrounded by 10-metre-high walls and a 52-metre-wide moat. Measuring 961 meters from north to south and 753 meters from east to west, it covers an area of 720,000 square meters. Each of the four sides is pierced by a gate: the Meridian Gate (Wu men) on the south, the Gate of Divine Prowess (Shenwu men) on the north, the Eastern and Western Prosperity Gates (Donghuamen and Xihuamen). Once inside, visitors will see a succession of halls and palaces spreading out on either side of an invisible central axis. The buildings' glowing yellow roofs levitating above vermilion walls is a magnificent sight. The painted ridges and carved beams all contribute to the sumptuous effect.
Known as the Outer Court, the southern portion of the Forbidden City centers on three main halls - Hall of Supreme Harmony (Taihe dian), Hall of Central Harmony (Zhonghe dian), and Hall of Preserving Harmony (Baohe dian) - with Belvedere of Embodying Benevolence (Tiren ge) and Belvedere of Spreading Righteousness (Hongyi ge) flanking them. It was here in the Ourter Court that the emperor held court and conducted grand audiences.
Mirroring this arrangement is the Inner Court comprising the northern portion of the Forbidden City. The Palace of Heavenly Purity (Qianqing gong), the Hall of Union (Jiaotai dian), and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility (Kunning gong) straddle the central axis. On the east and west are residences called the Six Eastern Palaces and the Six Western Palaces. An Imperial Garden is laid out at the north end. Other major buildings in the Inner Court include the Hall for Abstinence (Zhai gong) and Hall of Sincere Solemnity (Chengsu dian) in the east, and the Hall of Mental Cultivation (Yangxin dian), the Belvedere of Raining Flowers (Yuhua ge), and the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility (Cining gong) in the west. The Inner Court is comprised of not only the residences of the emperor and his consorts but also venues for religious rituals and administrative activities.
In total, the buildings of the two courts account for an area of some 163,000 square meters. These were precisely designed in accordance with a code of architectural hierarchy, which designated specific features to reflect the paramount authority and status of the emperor. No ordinary mortal would have been allowed or would even have dared to come within close proximity to these buildings.
Founding of the Palace Museum.
The Xinhai revolution in 1911 ended with the abdication of the last emperor Puyi. The provisional government allowed him to continue to live in the Inner Court of the Forbidden City. Meanwhile, all of the imperial treasures from palaces in Rehe (today's Chengde in Hebei province) and Mukden (today's Shenyang in Liaoning province) were moved to the Forbidden City for public display in the Outer Court in 1914. While confined to the Inner Court, Puyi continuously used such vestiges of influence as still remained to plot his own restoration. He also smuggled or pawned a huge number of art works under the pretext of granting them as rewards to his courtiers and minions or taking them out for repair.
In 1924, during a coup launched by the warlord Feng Yuxiang, Puyi was expelled from the Forbidden City. The management of the palace fell to a committee that was set up to deal with the concerns of the deposed imperial family. The committee also counted and audited the imperial collections. After a year of intense preparations, on 10 October 1925, the committee arranged a grand ceremony in front of the Palace of Heavenly Purity to mark the inception of the Palace Museum. News of the opening flashed across the nation, and such was the scramble of visitors on the first day that traffic jams around Beijing brought the city almost to a standstill.
According to an inventory of twenty-eight volumes published in 1925, the treasure trove left by the Qing numbered more than 1,170,000 items including sacrificial vessels and ancient jade artifacts from the earliest dynasties; paintings and calligraphy dating to as early as the seventh century; porcelain from the Song and Yuan; a variety of enamel and lacquer ware; gold and silver ornaments; antiques made of bamboo, wood, horn and gourds; religious statues in gold and bronze; as well as thousands of imperial robes and ornaments; textiles; and furniture. In addition, there were countless books, literary works, and historical documents. All these were divided into separate collections that were placed under teams of staff to sort and collate. Exhibition halls were opened to display some of the treasures, while writers and editors worked away at publishing in book or journal form all the new areas of research and academic inquiry that the establishment of the museum had ushered in. The Palace Museum was soon a hive of activity.
Collection Evacuation during World War II and the Ensuing Split.
Shortly before the outbreak of World War II, the Japanese, having annexed territory in China's northeast, proceeded to march on Beijing. With this looming threat, the museum authorities decided to evacuate its collection rather than let it fall into enemy hands or risk destruction in battle. For four frantic months between February and May 1933, the most important pieces in the collection were packed into 13,427 crates and sixty-four bundles and sent to Shanghai in five batches. Another six thousand some crates were assembled from the Antiquities Exhibition Institute, the Summer Palace, and Imperial College. In 1936 they were dispatched to Nanjing where a depository had been built and a branch of the Palace Museum was to be established.
On 7 July 1937 shots fired at the Marco Polo Bridge west of Beijing heralded the eruption of the Sino-Japanese War. Within a year, the Japanese had penetrated to most of eastern China. Then the treasures stored in Nanjing had to be moved again, this time by three routes to Sichuan, where they were secreted in three locations, Baxian, Emei and Leshan. Only at the end of the war were they consolidated in Chongqing, whence they were returned to Nanjing in 1947. By then the Kuomintang were considerably weakened, and with the imminent takeover by the Communist armies of areas south of the Yangtze River, they began their retreat to Taiwan. Between the end of 1948 and the dawn of 1949, the Kuomintang selected 2,972 crates for shipping across the Strait to storage in Taichong. A rival Palace Museum was built in Taipei to display these antiquities, opening to the public in 1965. Most of crates left in Nanjing were gradually returned to Beijing, although to this day 2,221 crates remain in storage in Nanjing.
During this tumultuous decade of war and revolution, none of the treasures was lost or damaged even though the volume involved was enormous. This was largely due to the dedication of the Palace Museum staff, whose achievement in preserving these treasures was nothing short of heroic. But it was also as a result of this long period of upheaval that the treasures were dispersed. Yet the rationale for keeping the collection together, representative as it is of traditional culture, seems so incontestable that most people believe the treasures will be re-united one day.
In the early 1950s, shortly after the establishment of the People's Republic, the Palace Museum staff worked with a new will and enthusiasm to restore the Forbidden City to its former glory. Where previously the dirty and dilapidated halls and courts lay under weeds and piles of rubbish, some 250,000 cubic meters of accumulated debris were now cleared out, giving the palace a sparkling fresh look. A policy of comprehensive restoration was also launched, and in time the crumbling palace buildings, repaired, and redecorated, once again looked resplendent. All the tall buildings were equipped with lightning rods, while modern systems of fire protection and security were installed. It has been a priority of the government, particularly since the beginning of the reform era in the early 1980s, to keep the surrounding moat dredged and clean.
Collections.
The collections of the Palace Museum are based on the Qing imperial collection - ceramics, paintings and calligraphy, bronze ware, timepieces, jade, palace paraphernalia, ancient books and historical documents. During the 1950s and 1960s, a systematic inventory was completed redressing the legacy of inaccurate cataloguing. After the founding of the Museum, the collection was moreover augmented, for example by the salvage of a number of precious artifacts from a jumble of apparently worthless objects. After more than a decade of painstaking efforts, some 710,000 objects from the Qing palace were retrieved. At the same time, through national allocations, requisitions and private donations, more than 220,000 additional pieces of cultural significance were added, making up for such omissions from the original Qing collections as colored earthenware from the Stone Age, bronzes and jades from the Shang and Zhou dynasties, pottery tomb figurines from the Han dynasty, stone sculpture from the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and tri-color pottery from the Tang dynasty. The ancient paintings, scrolls and calligraphy added to the collections were particularly spectacular. These included, from the Jin dynasty, Lu Ji's A Consoling Letter (Pingfu tie) in cursive script, Wang Xun's Letter to Boyuan (Boyuan tie) and Gu Kaizhi's Nymph of the Luo River (Luoshenfu tu); from the Sui dynasty, Zhan Ziqian's landscape handscroll Spring Excursion (Youchun tu); from the Tang dynasty, Han Huang's Five Oxen (Wuniu tu), Du Mu's running-cursive script handscroll Courtesan Zhan Haohao (Zhang haohao shi); from the Five Dynasties, Gu Hongzhong's The Night Revels of Han Xizai (Han Xizai yeyan tu) "; from the Song dynasty, Li Gonglin's Painting after Wei Yan's Pasturing Horses (Lin Wei Yan mufang tu), Guo Xi's Dry Tree and Rock, Level Distance Landscape (Keshi pingyuan tu), and Zhang Zeduan's Life along the Bian River at the Pure Brightness Festival (Qingming shanghe tu) - all masterpieces without exception.
Unremitting though this attempt at recovery has been, however, there have been further exertions to acquire such works as Zhang Xian's Illustrating Ten Poems (Shiyong tu) (Song dynasty), Nai Xian's calligraphy Poems Reflecting on the Past in the Southern City (Chengnan yonggu shi) (Yuan dynasty), Shen Zhou's landscape handscroll After Huang Gongwang's Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains (Fang Huang Gongwang fuchun shanju tu) (Ming dynasty), Shi Tao's ink bamboo Loudly Calling Yuke (Gaohu Yuke tu) (Qing dynasty). The first two were spirited out of the palace by Puyi on the excuse of bestowing them on his brother Pujie; they fell into the hands of others and it was not until the 1990s were they returned to their rightful place in the Palace Museum collections.
Development and Efforts at Accessibility.
From the 1950s onwards, the museum's existing storehouses were completely overhauled to provide a damp-proof and insect-proof environment for the treasures. In the 1990s a new storehouse with a capacity of over 600,000 items was built, equipped with controls for maintaining constant temperature and humidity, as well as safeguards against fire and theft. A workshop was established in the 1950s and expanded in the 1980s into the conservation department. These not only continued traditions of craftsmanship, but also drew upon scientific discoveries to facilitate the restoration of damaged artworks. In the past few decades the conservation department has treated as many as 110,000 objects from the Palace Museum and other public collections. Besides its continuous refurbishment of the main courts and halls, the museum has opened galleries to display bronzes, porcelain, crafts, paintings and calligraphy, jewelry, and clocks to expand the scope of its exhibitions. A number of thematic shows have been held in galleries devoted to temporary exhibitions. Traveling exhibitions have also graced various museums home and abroad. Since the beginning of the economic-reform era, an increasing number of exhibitions have been mounted in Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and Oceania. All of them have aroused great interest and admiration and played a key part in the promotion of international understanding and cultural exchange.
General interest has been further stimulated by the Palace Museum's range of publications touching on both the architecture of its buildings and its vast cultural holdings. Published works include Famous Historical Paintings in the Palace Museum Collection, Selected Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, National Treasures, Palaces of the Forbidden City, Daily Life in the Forbidden City, A Collection of National Treasures, and The Complete Palace Museum Collection (in 60 volumes). There are also two periodicals: The Palace Museum Bulletin and The Forbidden City.
Although the Forbidden City used to be unapproachable, now having been converted into a public museum, it never stops making itself more accessible by means of digital technologies. The website of the Palace Museum, established in 2001, is dedicated to presenting a digital Palace Museum by which the cultural messages of the Forbidden City can be effectively disseminated world wide.
Beijing Top Attractions-Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square is the geographical center of Beijing City. It is the largest city square in the world, occupying an area of 440,000 square meters (about 109 acres), and able to accommodate 10,000,000 people at one time. The square is a conglomeration of splendid and beautiful flowers and the red national flag which flutters in the wind. The raising of the national flag is something which should not be missed by visitors to Tiananmen Square.
With the towering Monument to the People's Heroes at the center, Tiananmen Square has the magnificent Tiananmen Tower in the north, the solemn Mao Zedong Memorial Hall in the south, the National Museum of China in the east and the Great Hall of the People in the west. Surrounded by these lofty buildings, the Square looks most splendid and majestic and attracts many tourists every day.
In the center of the Square stands the Monument to the People's Heroes, which commemorates the martyrs who devoted their lives to the Chinese people. It reaches 37.94 meters (124 feet) which makes it the biggest monument in Chinese history. The body is made of hardy granite and is surrounded by white balusters. Engraved is the epigraph written by Mao Zedong, the founder of People's Republic of China. Eight reliefs depict the crucial events which took place in modern times, showing a part of the centuries-old history of China.
Tiananmen Tower in the south was built in 1417 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). During this dynasty and the following Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) it was where proclamations were issued to the whole nation. The common people were prohibited from entering the tower, but now tourists with tickets are permitted to climb it. It has five arched gates and nine principle hall columns. With the delicately carved white marbles on its base and yellow tiles on the roof, the tower is quite resplendent. Under the tower flows the limpid Jinshui River, across which seven exquisite bridges are perched, named the Golden Water Bridges.
In the south of the Square is the Mao Zedong Memorial Hall. Mao Zedong, the first chairman of the People's Republic of China (PRC), is greatly admired by the Chinese People. The hall was built in 1977. It is divided into three halls: the main hall, the north hall and the south hall. The remains of Mao Zedong are laid in a crystal coffin in the main hall. From the exhibit in the north hall, you can learn something about Chairman Mao, Zhou Enlai and other founders of the state. While visiting the main hall, it is necessary to observe a respectful silence.
In the east of the Square is the National Museum of China which is a great treasure trove. This museum was officially opened in 2003. Its predecessors are the National Museum of Chinese History and the National Museum of the Chinese Revolution. It is a comprehensive museum with an emphasis on Chinese art and history. The National Museum of Chinese History has more than 3,000,000 precious articles which provide a vivid portrayal of Chinese history. In the National Museum of the Chinese Revolution there are displays of over 4,500 articles, including literature, pictures, drawings and sculptures. These depict the people's revolutions and movements to save China, which happened after the Opium War in 1840.
In the west of the Square is the Great Hall of the People which was built in 1959 and occupies a construction area of 170,000 square meters (42 acres). It is so called because the National People's Congress is held in this hall. When entering the building you will see the central hall which is decorated with white marble columns and crystal lights. At the back of the hall is the great hall which can hold 10,000 people. The banqueting hall in the north has 5,000 seats and grand banquets are conducted on important occasions. In the south are the offices of the National People's Congress Standing Committee.
Names: Admission Fee: Opening Hours: Tiananmen Tower CNY 15 08:30-17:00 Great Hall of the People CNY 30 09:00-14:00 (December 1-March 31) 08:15-15:00 (April 1-June 30) 07:30-16:00 (July 1-August 31) 08:30-15:00 (September 1-December 30) Mao Zedong Memorial Hall Free 08:30-11:30, 14:00-16:00 (Tuesday & Thursday) 08:30-11:30 (Tuesday-Sunday)
With the towering Monument to the People's Heroes at the center, Tiananmen Square has the magnificent Tiananmen Tower in the north, the solemn Mao Zedong Memorial Hall in the south, the National Museum of China in the east and the Great Hall of the People in the west. Surrounded by these lofty buildings, the Square looks most splendid and majestic and attracts many tourists every day.
In the center of the Square stands the Monument to the People's Heroes, which commemorates the martyrs who devoted their lives to the Chinese people. It reaches 37.94 meters (124 feet) which makes it the biggest monument in Chinese history. The body is made of hardy granite and is surrounded by white balusters. Engraved is the epigraph written by Mao Zedong, the founder of People's Republic of China. Eight reliefs depict the crucial events which took place in modern times, showing a part of the centuries-old history of China.
Tiananmen Tower in the south was built in 1417 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). During this dynasty and the following Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) it was where proclamations were issued to the whole nation. The common people were prohibited from entering the tower, but now tourists with tickets are permitted to climb it. It has five arched gates and nine principle hall columns. With the delicately carved white marbles on its base and yellow tiles on the roof, the tower is quite resplendent. Under the tower flows the limpid Jinshui River, across which seven exquisite bridges are perched, named the Golden Water Bridges.
In the south of the Square is the Mao Zedong Memorial Hall. Mao Zedong, the first chairman of the People's Republic of China (PRC), is greatly admired by the Chinese People. The hall was built in 1977. It is divided into three halls: the main hall, the north hall and the south hall. The remains of Mao Zedong are laid in a crystal coffin in the main hall. From the exhibit in the north hall, you can learn something about Chairman Mao, Zhou Enlai and other founders of the state. While visiting the main hall, it is necessary to observe a respectful silence.
In the east of the Square is the National Museum of China which is a great treasure trove. This museum was officially opened in 2003. Its predecessors are the National Museum of Chinese History and the National Museum of the Chinese Revolution. It is a comprehensive museum with an emphasis on Chinese art and history. The National Museum of Chinese History has more than 3,000,000 precious articles which provide a vivid portrayal of Chinese history. In the National Museum of the Chinese Revolution there are displays of over 4,500 articles, including literature, pictures, drawings and sculptures. These depict the people's revolutions and movements to save China, which happened after the Opium War in 1840.
In the west of the Square is the Great Hall of the People which was built in 1959 and occupies a construction area of 170,000 square meters (42 acres). It is so called because the National People's Congress is held in this hall. When entering the building you will see the central hall which is decorated with white marble columns and crystal lights. At the back of the hall is the great hall which can hold 10,000 people. The banqueting hall in the north has 5,000 seats and grand banquets are conducted on important occasions. In the south are the offices of the National People's Congress Standing Committee.
Names: Admission Fee: Opening Hours: Tiananmen Tower CNY 15 08:30-17:00 Great Hall of the People CNY 30 09:00-14:00 (December 1-March 31) 08:15-15:00 (April 1-June 30) 07:30-16:00 (July 1-August 31) 08:30-15:00 (September 1-December 30) Mao Zedong Memorial Hall Free 08:30-11:30, 14:00-16:00 (Tuesday & Thursday) 08:30-11:30 (Tuesday-Sunday)
Beijing Top Attractions-Temple of Heaven
The Temple of Heaven (also Tiantan Park) is the grandest cult architecture complex in the world and a masterpiece of the Chinese people created in ancient times. It covers 2,700,000 square meters (667 acres), which is nearly four times the area of the Forbidden City. The temple was constructed in 1420 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and was enlarged during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Emperors of the two dynasties used to worship the heaven and pray for rich harvests, as the feudal emperors thought they were the son of the heaven.
This complex has two parts: the inner temple and the outer temple and is surrounded by two high walls. The two walls are elaborately constructed: the north section of walls is semicircular while the south section is square. This layout of walls reflects the ancient Chinese concept of the cosmogony: the sky is round and the earth is square. The primary buildings in the temple are the Altar of Prayer for Good Harvests in the north and Circular Mound Altar in the south. They are lined in the central axis of the whole temple and connected by a 36-meter-long bridge. Subsidiary buildings include Imperial Vault of Heaven, the Hall of Abstinence, a Bell Tower and relatively small halls.
Altar of Prayer for Good Harvest
The Altar of Prayer for Good Harvest was where the emperors prayed for favorable weather and ample harvest. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, the principle building of the altar, is thirty-eight meters (125 feet) high. It was built on a three-tiered circular terrace which measures six meters (twenty feet). The roof of the hall is covered with dark blue glazed tiles which represent the color of the sky. With three circular balusters on the terrace, the grand hall seems much loftier.
The structure of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest is a wonder. The pavilion-style hall was built entirely of wood, but it has no crossbeam or purlin inside. Twenty-eight pillars support the three-tier building, with the four in the centers symbolizing four seasons of a year. Twelve pillars on each side to present twelve months and twelve Shichens of a day (a unit of time used by the ancient Chinese, one Shichen is equal to two hours).
Circular Mound Altar
The Circular Mound Altar was where the sacrificial rite was held on the winter solstice. It was constructed in 1530, younger than the Altar of Prayer for Good Harvest. The Circular Mound is a three-tier round platform which was built with bluestone. Each terrace is edged by white marble balusters. The number of both flagstones in a circle and baluster posts is multiple of nine, as nine represents infinity which is the characteristic of the heaven. If you stand on the flagstone in the center and speak in a quite low voice, you will hear the echo in 0.07 seconds.
To the north of the Circular Mound is the Imperial Vault of Heaven in which the tablet of God of Heaven is placed. The main hall is built to be a round pavilion with dark blue roof symbolizing heaven. The East Assistant Hall worships the gods of stars including the sun, the dipper, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars and Saturn. In the West Assistant Hall, enshrined are the gods of natural phenomenon including wind, rain, thunder and lightning. This courtyard is encircled by a round wall with a length of 193 meters (633 feet). The wall is the famous 'Echo Wall'. If one whispers into the hall, another person who is standing at the wall with a distance 100 to 200 meters (328-656 feet) can hear the speaker clearly.
Admission Fee: CNY 15 April 1-October 31 CNY 10 November1-March 31 Opening Hours: 08:00-17:30 March 1-June 30 08:00-18:00 July 1-October 31 08:00-17:00 November1-Feburary 28 Bus Route: 17, 36, 120, 203, 803 to Tiantan (Temple of Heaven, 天坛) 2, 20, 35, 54, 707, 729, 744, 826 to Tiantan Ximen (天坛西门) 53, 122, 208, 610, 814, 958 to Tiantan Nanmen (天坛南门) 6, 34, 106, 110, 743, 822 to Tiantan Beimen (天坛北门)
This complex has two parts: the inner temple and the outer temple and is surrounded by two high walls. The two walls are elaborately constructed: the north section of walls is semicircular while the south section is square. This layout of walls reflects the ancient Chinese concept of the cosmogony: the sky is round and the earth is square. The primary buildings in the temple are the Altar of Prayer for Good Harvests in the north and Circular Mound Altar in the south. They are lined in the central axis of the whole temple and connected by a 36-meter-long bridge. Subsidiary buildings include Imperial Vault of Heaven, the Hall of Abstinence, a Bell Tower and relatively small halls.
Altar of Prayer for Good Harvest
The Altar of Prayer for Good Harvest was where the emperors prayed for favorable weather and ample harvest. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, the principle building of the altar, is thirty-eight meters (125 feet) high. It was built on a three-tiered circular terrace which measures six meters (twenty feet). The roof of the hall is covered with dark blue glazed tiles which represent the color of the sky. With three circular balusters on the terrace, the grand hall seems much loftier.
The structure of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest is a wonder. The pavilion-style hall was built entirely of wood, but it has no crossbeam or purlin inside. Twenty-eight pillars support the three-tier building, with the four in the centers symbolizing four seasons of a year. Twelve pillars on each side to present twelve months and twelve Shichens of a day (a unit of time used by the ancient Chinese, one Shichen is equal to two hours).
Circular Mound Altar
The Circular Mound Altar was where the sacrificial rite was held on the winter solstice. It was constructed in 1530, younger than the Altar of Prayer for Good Harvest. The Circular Mound is a three-tier round platform which was built with bluestone. Each terrace is edged by white marble balusters. The number of both flagstones in a circle and baluster posts is multiple of nine, as nine represents infinity which is the characteristic of the heaven. If you stand on the flagstone in the center and speak in a quite low voice, you will hear the echo in 0.07 seconds.
To the north of the Circular Mound is the Imperial Vault of Heaven in which the tablet of God of Heaven is placed. The main hall is built to be a round pavilion with dark blue roof symbolizing heaven. The East Assistant Hall worships the gods of stars including the sun, the dipper, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars and Saturn. In the West Assistant Hall, enshrined are the gods of natural phenomenon including wind, rain, thunder and lightning. This courtyard is encircled by a round wall with a length of 193 meters (633 feet). The wall is the famous 'Echo Wall'. If one whispers into the hall, another person who is standing at the wall with a distance 100 to 200 meters (328-656 feet) can hear the speaker clearly.
Admission Fee: CNY 15 April 1-October 31 CNY 10 November1-March 31 Opening Hours: 08:00-17:30 March 1-June 30 08:00-18:00 July 1-October 31 08:00-17:00 November1-Feburary 28 Bus Route: 17, 36, 120, 203, 803 to Tiantan (Temple of Heaven, 天坛) 2, 20, 35, 54, 707, 729, 744, 826 to Tiantan Ximen (天坛西门) 53, 122, 208, 610, 814, 958 to Tiantan Nanmen (天坛南门) 6, 34, 106, 110, 743, 822 to Tiantan Beimen (天坛北门)
Beijing Top Attractions-Summer Palace
The Summer Palace (Yiheyuan), located in the northwestern outskirts of Beijing, is the largest and most famous imperial garden in China. The palace features hundreds of architecturally distinct buildings, halls, pavilions, pagodas, bridges and corridors dispersed among magnificent and elegant gardens. It has an area of 290 hectares (717 acres), three quarters of which is water. The palace has three unique areas: Court Area, Longevity Hill Area and Kunming Lake Area.
The garden was originally named the Garden of Clear Ripples (Qingyi). It was a summer resort for the emperors in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). In 1860, the garden was burnt down by the Anglo-French Allied Forces. In 1866, Empress Dowager Cixi rebuilt the garden using embezzled funds from the imperial navy and named it the Summer Palace (Yiheyuan). In 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion, the Eight-Power Allied Force ransacked the palace. After another reconstruction in 1903, the garden was restored to its original beauty and magnificence. As the grandest garden in China, it was added to the World Culture Heritage list in 1998.
Court Area
The East Palace Gate (Donggongmen) opens into the Court Area. Inside is a group of typical courtyard houses connected by porches. The center building is the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity (Renshoudian) where Emperor Guangxu, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, held court and conducted official business during his stay at the garden. Now, an exquisitely carved screen, a bronze dragon and bronze phoenix are on display. To the northwest are three halls: the Hall of Jade Ripples (Yulantang) where Guangxu lived; the Hall of Virtue and Harmony (Deheyuan), the biggest theater in the Qing Dynasty; and the Hall of Joyful Longevity (Leshoutang), a splendid residence of Empress Dowager Cixi. To the northeast is the Garden of Harmony and Enchantment. This was where the emperors spent their leisure time fishing.
Longevity Hill Area
The Longevity Hill Area faces the Kunming Lake in the south and is backed by the Rear Lake (Houhu) in the north. In the front hill, grand halls are built along a north-south axis. The halls are the Hall of Dispelling Clouds (Paiyundian), Tower of Buddhist Incense (Foxiangge) and the Hall of the Sea of Wisdom (Zhihuihai). The Hall of Dispelling Clouds, with red pillars and yellow tiles, is the most splendid building of the whole palace. The grand Tower of Buddhist Incense, towering 41 meters (134.5 feet), is the symbol of the Summer Palace. The Hall of the Sea of Wisdom on the top of the Longevity Hill is a Buddhist hall. The outside of the hall is decorated with glazed tiles. There is a Suzhou Market Street (Suzhoujie) at the Rear Lake. With waterway passing through and shops perching on banks, the street looks like the very scene of 'Water Country' in the south region of the Yangtze River.
Kunming Lake Area
Along the south bank of the attractive lake, a 728-meter-long corridor (Changlang) is the longest and most famous corridor in China. It serves as a link between the Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake. Around 14,000 impressive paintings of historical figures, landscapes, birds and flowers adorn this corridor, making it into a fantastic gallery. There is a Marble Boat at the west bank. This boat was built in 1755, in the hope that the governance of the Qing Dynasty would be impregnable under any circumstance. The south part of this natural lake is modeled after the West Lake in Hangzhou. A western bank divides the lake into two parts. Six graceful bridges act as connecters of the entire western bank, among which the Jade Belt Bridge is a favorite of the Emperor Qianlong and Empress Dowager Cixi. The spectacular Seventeen-Arch Bridge (Shiqikong Qiao) connects the eastern bank and Nanhu Island. The bridge is 150 meters (492 feet) long and eight meters (twenty-six feet) wide. 564 stone lions with different expressions and gestures on the balusters are strikingly life-like.
Fees: Entrance Charge of the palace: CNY30 April 1-October 31 CNY20 November1-March 31 Combined Ticket: CNY60 April 1-October 31 CNY50 November1-March 31 A combined ticket includes entrance charge for the palace and charges for several famous parks in the palace Opening Hours: Entrance: 06:30-18:00 April 1-October 31 07:00-17:00 November1-March 31 Inside scenic spots: 08:30-17:00 April 1-October 31 09:00-16:00 November1-March 31 Bus Route: 209, 330,331, 332, 346, 394, 718, 726, 732, 737, 801, 817, 826 to Yiheyuan (Summer Palace, 颐和园)
The garden was originally named the Garden of Clear Ripples (Qingyi). It was a summer resort for the emperors in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). In 1860, the garden was burnt down by the Anglo-French Allied Forces. In 1866, Empress Dowager Cixi rebuilt the garden using embezzled funds from the imperial navy and named it the Summer Palace (Yiheyuan). In 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion, the Eight-Power Allied Force ransacked the palace. After another reconstruction in 1903, the garden was restored to its original beauty and magnificence. As the grandest garden in China, it was added to the World Culture Heritage list in 1998.
Court Area
The East Palace Gate (Donggongmen) opens into the Court Area. Inside is a group of typical courtyard houses connected by porches. The center building is the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity (Renshoudian) where Emperor Guangxu, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, held court and conducted official business during his stay at the garden. Now, an exquisitely carved screen, a bronze dragon and bronze phoenix are on display. To the northwest are three halls: the Hall of Jade Ripples (Yulantang) where Guangxu lived; the Hall of Virtue and Harmony (Deheyuan), the biggest theater in the Qing Dynasty; and the Hall of Joyful Longevity (Leshoutang), a splendid residence of Empress Dowager Cixi. To the northeast is the Garden of Harmony and Enchantment. This was where the emperors spent their leisure time fishing.
Longevity Hill Area
The Longevity Hill Area faces the Kunming Lake in the south and is backed by the Rear Lake (Houhu) in the north. In the front hill, grand halls are built along a north-south axis. The halls are the Hall of Dispelling Clouds (Paiyundian), Tower of Buddhist Incense (Foxiangge) and the Hall of the Sea of Wisdom (Zhihuihai). The Hall of Dispelling Clouds, with red pillars and yellow tiles, is the most splendid building of the whole palace. The grand Tower of Buddhist Incense, towering 41 meters (134.5 feet), is the symbol of the Summer Palace. The Hall of the Sea of Wisdom on the top of the Longevity Hill is a Buddhist hall. The outside of the hall is decorated with glazed tiles. There is a Suzhou Market Street (Suzhoujie) at the Rear Lake. With waterway passing through and shops perching on banks, the street looks like the very scene of 'Water Country' in the south region of the Yangtze River.
Kunming Lake Area
Along the south bank of the attractive lake, a 728-meter-long corridor (Changlang) is the longest and most famous corridor in China. It serves as a link between the Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake. Around 14,000 impressive paintings of historical figures, landscapes, birds and flowers adorn this corridor, making it into a fantastic gallery. There is a Marble Boat at the west bank. This boat was built in 1755, in the hope that the governance of the Qing Dynasty would be impregnable under any circumstance. The south part of this natural lake is modeled after the West Lake in Hangzhou. A western bank divides the lake into two parts. Six graceful bridges act as connecters of the entire western bank, among which the Jade Belt Bridge is a favorite of the Emperor Qianlong and Empress Dowager Cixi. The spectacular Seventeen-Arch Bridge (Shiqikong Qiao) connects the eastern bank and Nanhu Island. The bridge is 150 meters (492 feet) long and eight meters (twenty-six feet) wide. 564 stone lions with different expressions and gestures on the balusters are strikingly life-like.
Fees: Entrance Charge of the palace: CNY30 April 1-October 31 CNY20 November1-March 31 Combined Ticket: CNY60 April 1-October 31 CNY50 November1-March 31 A combined ticket includes entrance charge for the palace and charges for several famous parks in the palace Opening Hours: Entrance: 06:30-18:00 April 1-October 31 07:00-17:00 November1-March 31 Inside scenic spots: 08:30-17:00 April 1-October 31 09:00-16:00 November1-March 31 Bus Route: 209, 330,331, 332, 346, 394, 718, 726, 732, 737, 801, 817, 826 to Yiheyuan (Summer Palace, 颐和园)
Beijing Top Attractions-Mutianyu Great Wall
The Mutianyu Great Wall lies in Huairou District, 73 kilometers (45.4 miles) from Beijing proper. It is a superb location to appreciate the grandness of the Great Wall as well as to avoid the crowds at Badaling. The Mutianyu section, 2,500 meters (2,734 yards) long, connects the Juyongguan Pass in the west and Gubeikou in the east. Rimmed by mountains, it is filled with beautiful flowers in spring; abundantly verdant in summer; charming with red-leafed maple trees in autumn and enchanting covered in pure white snow in winter.
The wall was reconstructed during the early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) on the ruins of the wall built during the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-557). Hence, the wall has a history of over 1400 years. In 1404, the Mutianyu Pass was added to the wall and in 1569 it was restored again. This fortified section was the site of many battles which took place during the Ming Dynasty. The wall, which stands seven to eight meters (23-26 feet) high and four to five meters (13-16 feet) wide, is mainly made of slabs of granite, which make it extremely strong.
The Mutianyu section has its own characteristics. The coping on both sides of the wall has parapets and battlements, which made it possible to repel foes from either side. The bases of the indented battlements have square holes arched at the top from which soldiers shot at the besiegers. Additional walls with watchtowers were built in order to relieve the enemy's assault on the main wall which is densely distributed with watchtowers, twenty-two in total. The wall runs up and down following the contours of the steep mountainsides. In one section it rises with a gradient of nearly 90 degrees on bare rock posing a challenge to any climbers. In Zhengguantai, three watchtowers stand on the same terrace, a rare occurrence in the structure of the Great Wall.
Comfortable cable cars are available to facilitate climbing this section of the wall. A single trip cost CNY40 and a round trip enjoys a favorable price at CNY65.
Admission Fee: CNY 40 Bus Route: 916 from Dongzhimen to Huairou International Conference Center (东直门-怀柔国际会议中心), and then take a small bus to the Mutianyu Great Wall (慕田峪长城). Take a tourist bus from Tiananmen (天安门) or Xuanwumen (宣武门) to the Mutianyu Great Wall (available on weekends and Chinese legal holidays from April 7 to October 15)
The wall was reconstructed during the early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) on the ruins of the wall built during the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-557). Hence, the wall has a history of over 1400 years. In 1404, the Mutianyu Pass was added to the wall and in 1569 it was restored again. This fortified section was the site of many battles which took place during the Ming Dynasty. The wall, which stands seven to eight meters (23-26 feet) high and four to five meters (13-16 feet) wide, is mainly made of slabs of granite, which make it extremely strong.
The Mutianyu section has its own characteristics. The coping on both sides of the wall has parapets and battlements, which made it possible to repel foes from either side. The bases of the indented battlements have square holes arched at the top from which soldiers shot at the besiegers. Additional walls with watchtowers were built in order to relieve the enemy's assault on the main wall which is densely distributed with watchtowers, twenty-two in total. The wall runs up and down following the contours of the steep mountainsides. In one section it rises with a gradient of nearly 90 degrees on bare rock posing a challenge to any climbers. In Zhengguantai, three watchtowers stand on the same terrace, a rare occurrence in the structure of the Great Wall.
Comfortable cable cars are available to facilitate climbing this section of the wall. A single trip cost CNY40 and a round trip enjoys a favorable price at CNY65.
Admission Fee: CNY 40 Bus Route: 916 from Dongzhimen to Huairou International Conference Center (东直门-怀柔国际会议中心), and then take a small bus to the Mutianyu Great Wall (慕田峪长城). Take a tourist bus from Tiananmen (天安门) or Xuanwumen (宣武门) to the Mutianyu Great Wall (available on weekends and Chinese legal holidays from April 7 to October 15)
Beijing Top Attractions-Beijing National Stadium(Bird's Nest)
Beijing National Stadium, also known officially as the National Stadium, or colloquially as the Bird's Nest (鸟巢), is a stadium in Beijing, China. The stadium was designed for use throughout the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.
Located in the Olympic Green, the stadium cost US$423 million. The design was awarded to a submission from the Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron in April 2003 after a bidding process that included 13 final submissions. The design, which originated from the study of Chinese ceramics, implemented steel beams in order to hide supports for the retractable roof; giving the stadium the appearance of a "Bird's nest". Leading Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was the artistic consultant on the project. The retractable roof was later removed from the design after inspiring the stadium's most recognizable aspect.Ground was broken in 24 December 2003 and the stadium officially opened in 28 June 2008. A shopping mall and a hotel are planned to be constructed to increase use of the stadium, which has had trouble attracting events, football and otherwise, after the Olympics.
Bidding In 2001, before Beijing had been awarded the right to host the 2008 Summer Olympics, the city held a bidding process to select the best arena design. Multiple requirements including the ability for post-Olympics use, a retractable roof, and low maintenance costs, were required of each design.The entry list was narrowed to thirteen final designs. Of the final thirteen, Li Xinggang of China Architecture Design and Research Group (CADG), said after he placed the model of the "nest" proposal at the exhibition hall and saw the rival entries he thought to himself, "We will win this."The model was approved by as the top design by a professional panel; however, it was later exhibited for the public. Once again, it was selected as the top design. The "nest scheme" design became official in April 2003.
The eastern and western stands of Beijing National Stadium are higher than northern and southern stands, in order to improve sightlines. A 24-hour per day rainwater collector is located near the stadium; after water is purified, it is used throughout and around the stadium. Pipes placed under the playing surface gather heat in the winter to warm the stadium and coldness in the summer to cool the stadium.The stadium's design originally called for a capacity of 100,000 people; however 9,000 were removed during a simplification of the design. The new total of 91,000 would be shaved further when 11,000 temporary seats were removed after the 2008 Olympics; bringing the stadium's capacity to 80,000.The farthest seat is 460 feet (140 metres) from center field. Temperature and airflow of every surface were optimized to increase ventilation.
Beijing National Stadium hosted the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, athletic events, and football final of the 2008 Summer Olympics from 8 August to 24 August 2008.The stadium also hosted the Opening and Closing ceremonies and athletic events of the 2008 Summer Paralympics from 6 September to 17 September 2008.Though designed for track & field events of the Olympics, the stadium will continue to host sporting events, such as football, afterwards.A shopping mall and a hotel, with rooms overlooking the field, are planned to help increase use after the Olympics.Li stated, "This will become the most important public space in Beijing."
On the first anniversary, 8 August 2009, the stadium hosted a performance of the opera Turandot, and the 2009 Supercoppa Italiana (Italian Super Cup) final, the traditional curtain raiser to the Italian football league season. The Beijing Guo’an football club was scheduled to play at the stadium, but later backed out of their agreement, citing the embarrassment of using an 80,000+ seat venue for games that routinely draw only slightly more than 10,000.
On 12 January 2009 the venue's owners announced plans for the stadium to anchor a shopping and entertainment complex. These plans, being developed by operator Citic Group, are projected to take three to five years to achieve. The stadium will also continue to function as a tourism attraction, while seeking sports and entertainment events.
The stadium hosted the 2009 Race of Champions. In July 2010, the stadium hosted a friendly football match between Premier League team Birmingham City and Chinese side Beijing Guoan as a part of Birmingham's pre-season trip to China, the homeland of the clubs owner Carson Yeung. Birmingham City recorded a 1-0 victory in the game.
In spite of the lack of significant events, the stadium appears to be quite profitable, drawing some 20,000 to 30,000 people a day at the price of a 50 yuan admission. Recently it has been used as a snow theme park.The venue costs approximately $9 million to maintain per year.Due to a lack of use, paint is already peeling in some areas.
On 1 November 2010 the IAAF announced that the 2015 World Championships in Athletics will take place at the Beijing National Stadium.
In August of 2011, the Bird's Nest once again hosted the Supercoppa Italiana, the stadium's second in three years.
Located in the Olympic Green, the stadium cost US$423 million. The design was awarded to a submission from the Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron in April 2003 after a bidding process that included 13 final submissions. The design, which originated from the study of Chinese ceramics, implemented steel beams in order to hide supports for the retractable roof; giving the stadium the appearance of a "Bird's nest". Leading Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was the artistic consultant on the project. The retractable roof was later removed from the design after inspiring the stadium's most recognizable aspect.Ground was broken in 24 December 2003 and the stadium officially opened in 28 June 2008. A shopping mall and a hotel are planned to be constructed to increase use of the stadium, which has had trouble attracting events, football and otherwise, after the Olympics.
Bidding In 2001, before Beijing had been awarded the right to host the 2008 Summer Olympics, the city held a bidding process to select the best arena design. Multiple requirements including the ability for post-Olympics use, a retractable roof, and low maintenance costs, were required of each design.The entry list was narrowed to thirteen final designs. Of the final thirteen, Li Xinggang of China Architecture Design and Research Group (CADG), said after he placed the model of the "nest" proposal at the exhibition hall and saw the rival entries he thought to himself, "We will win this."The model was approved by as the top design by a professional panel; however, it was later exhibited for the public. Once again, it was selected as the top design. The "nest scheme" design became official in April 2003.
The eastern and western stands of Beijing National Stadium are higher than northern and southern stands, in order to improve sightlines. A 24-hour per day rainwater collector is located near the stadium; after water is purified, it is used throughout and around the stadium. Pipes placed under the playing surface gather heat in the winter to warm the stadium and coldness in the summer to cool the stadium.The stadium's design originally called for a capacity of 100,000 people; however 9,000 were removed during a simplification of the design. The new total of 91,000 would be shaved further when 11,000 temporary seats were removed after the 2008 Olympics; bringing the stadium's capacity to 80,000.The farthest seat is 460 feet (140 metres) from center field. Temperature and airflow of every surface were optimized to increase ventilation.
Beijing National Stadium hosted the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, athletic events, and football final of the 2008 Summer Olympics from 8 August to 24 August 2008.The stadium also hosted the Opening and Closing ceremonies and athletic events of the 2008 Summer Paralympics from 6 September to 17 September 2008.Though designed for track & field events of the Olympics, the stadium will continue to host sporting events, such as football, afterwards.A shopping mall and a hotel, with rooms overlooking the field, are planned to help increase use after the Olympics.Li stated, "This will become the most important public space in Beijing."
On the first anniversary, 8 August 2009, the stadium hosted a performance of the opera Turandot, and the 2009 Supercoppa Italiana (Italian Super Cup) final, the traditional curtain raiser to the Italian football league season. The Beijing Guo’an football club was scheduled to play at the stadium, but later backed out of their agreement, citing the embarrassment of using an 80,000+ seat venue for games that routinely draw only slightly more than 10,000.
On 12 January 2009 the venue's owners announced plans for the stadium to anchor a shopping and entertainment complex. These plans, being developed by operator Citic Group, are projected to take three to five years to achieve. The stadium will also continue to function as a tourism attraction, while seeking sports and entertainment events.
The stadium hosted the 2009 Race of Champions. In July 2010, the stadium hosted a friendly football match between Premier League team Birmingham City and Chinese side Beijing Guoan as a part of Birmingham's pre-season trip to China, the homeland of the clubs owner Carson Yeung. Birmingham City recorded a 1-0 victory in the game.
In spite of the lack of significant events, the stadium appears to be quite profitable, drawing some 20,000 to 30,000 people a day at the price of a 50 yuan admission. Recently it has been used as a snow theme park.The venue costs approximately $9 million to maintain per year.Due to a lack of use, paint is already peeling in some areas.
On 1 November 2010 the IAAF announced that the 2015 World Championships in Athletics will take place at the Beijing National Stadium.
In August of 2011, the Bird's Nest once again hosted the Supercoppa Italiana, the stadium's second in three years.
Beijing Top Attractions-Beijing Hutong
When strolling in the Forbidden City or the Summer Palace, you can't help imagining the life of the imperial family. While visiting the hutongs in Beijing, you will gain a greater understanding of the common people as well as the history of the ancient yet modern Beijing. Hutongs are in fact, alleys or lanes that exist only in Beijing. The origins of the word 'Hutong' is still under discussion, but it is generally believed that the word came from the Mongolian meaning of 'a well', for long ago, when there was a well, there were also residents nearby.
The hutongs came into existence in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) when Kublai Khan (first emperor of the Yuan Dynasty) founded Beijing as the capital. In the residential area, all closed courtyards were built in a neat layout, and hutongs served the purpose of going around. During that period, hutongs were all 9.3 meters (30.5 feet) in width which let the sunshine in all the year round. In the later dynasties, small ones were formed within the existing hutongs, as a result, hutongs now vary in width and length and some even have many turnings.
In Beijing, hutong alleys are formed by lines of Siheyuan, old Beijing residences, called courtyard or quad in English. Thus, hutong also refer to the neighborhood formed by lines of hutong alleys and Siheyuan houses. Hutong was the origin of Beijing culture and hutong culture could reflect the old face of Beijing. Some hutongs have been designated as protected areas though most of hutongs are demolished to make way for new roads and buildings in the modern times.
Each Hutong has a name and is named in various ways: some are named by place names, such as Inner Xizhimen Hutong; some by temples, such as Guanyinsi Hutong, some by people’s names, such as Mengduan Hutong.
The Qianshi Hutong in the Qinamen Area is only 40 centimeters (16 inches) at its narrowest. This narrowest hutong of Beijing certainly poses a challenge for a plump man. The Jiudaowan Hutong has more than twenty turnings zigzagded like labyrinth where even the locals can get lost, let alone foreigners. Even if you have a very good sense of directions, you may not well manage without consulting the signposts.
Most of the hutongs run from the due east to west or from the north to south, thus forming the neat layout of the city. In order to allow the main house to get more sunshine, the courtyards lined alongside the hutongs were all built facing south, so hutongs running east to west are superior in number. But there are also slanting hutongs which are always overshadowed.
Hutong has become a general name for all the lanes and streets in Beijing. Recent record shows that there are over 6,000 hutongs and that alleys with a name of such-and-such Hutong have reached 1,300 or so. The ancient hutong area takes up most of the urban district where one third of the people living in the urban area reside. The residents there retain their old way of life and deem hutongs as their indispensable part of Beijing culture.
During the urban transformation of recent years, some of the ancient courtyards have been replaced with skyscrapers, and some hutongs subsequently have now disappeared. Fortunately, a lot of the important hutongs have been preserved as a cultural relic. A Hutong Tour is now very popular in the Shichahai area (Xicheng District). Sitting in a pedicab or a boat, you can visit courtyards of both former aristocrat and local people who are happy to chat to you about their unique experience of living in Hutongs.
The hutongs came into existence in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) when Kublai Khan (first emperor of the Yuan Dynasty) founded Beijing as the capital. In the residential area, all closed courtyards were built in a neat layout, and hutongs served the purpose of going around. During that period, hutongs were all 9.3 meters (30.5 feet) in width which let the sunshine in all the year round. In the later dynasties, small ones were formed within the existing hutongs, as a result, hutongs now vary in width and length and some even have many turnings.
In Beijing, hutong alleys are formed by lines of Siheyuan, old Beijing residences, called courtyard or quad in English. Thus, hutong also refer to the neighborhood formed by lines of hutong alleys and Siheyuan houses. Hutong was the origin of Beijing culture and hutong culture could reflect the old face of Beijing. Some hutongs have been designated as protected areas though most of hutongs are demolished to make way for new roads and buildings in the modern times.
Each Hutong has a name and is named in various ways: some are named by place names, such as Inner Xizhimen Hutong; some by temples, such as Guanyinsi Hutong, some by people’s names, such as Mengduan Hutong.
The Qianshi Hutong in the Qinamen Area is only 40 centimeters (16 inches) at its narrowest. This narrowest hutong of Beijing certainly poses a challenge for a plump man. The Jiudaowan Hutong has more than twenty turnings zigzagded like labyrinth where even the locals can get lost, let alone foreigners. Even if you have a very good sense of directions, you may not well manage without consulting the signposts.
Most of the hutongs run from the due east to west or from the north to south, thus forming the neat layout of the city. In order to allow the main house to get more sunshine, the courtyards lined alongside the hutongs were all built facing south, so hutongs running east to west are superior in number. But there are also slanting hutongs which are always overshadowed.
Hutong has become a general name for all the lanes and streets in Beijing. Recent record shows that there are over 6,000 hutongs and that alleys with a name of such-and-such Hutong have reached 1,300 or so. The ancient hutong area takes up most of the urban district where one third of the people living in the urban area reside. The residents there retain their old way of life and deem hutongs as their indispensable part of Beijing culture.
During the urban transformation of recent years, some of the ancient courtyards have been replaced with skyscrapers, and some hutongs subsequently have now disappeared. Fortunately, a lot of the important hutongs have been preserved as a cultural relic. A Hutong Tour is now very popular in the Shichahai area (Xicheng District). Sitting in a pedicab or a boat, you can visit courtyards of both former aristocrat and local people who are happy to chat to you about their unique experience of living in Hutongs.
Beijing Top Attractions-Shichahai
Shichahai is a scenic area consisting of three lakes in the north of Beijing in China. They are located to the north-west of the Forbidden City and north-west of the Beihai Lake. Shishahai consists of the following three lakes: the Front Sea, the West Sea and the Back Sea. In former times it was called Riverbank.Shichahai consists of 147 hectares and dates back to the Jin Dynasty. From the time of the Yuan Dynasty it was the northernmost part of the Grand Canal linking Hangzhou in the south to Beijing in the North of China. Because of this the Shichahai area used to be the most important commercial district with all kinds of activities going on. It harbors several temples and mansions.
Attraction Features Shichahai Shadow Art Performance Hotel
Highlights
Around the lake there are ten famous Taoist and Buddhist temples. In the vicinity there are also other temples. Around the lake are also several formal royal mansions and gardens. The most well known is the Prince Gong Mansion and the Prince Chun Mansion The borders of the lakes are surrounded by large trees.Shichahai is a scenic spot in Beijing, near the north-gate of the Beihai-park.In the summer tourists can rent boats to peddle on the lakes. In the winter a lot of people come to ice-skate.In 1992 the municipal government of Beijing declared the district an "Historical and Cultural Scenic District".
1. Yinding Bridge
The eight scenic attractions in Beijing designated by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) were: Autumn Winds on Taiye (current Zhongnanhai), Jade Islet in Shady Springtime, the Golden Terrace in the Glow of the Setting Sun, Trees Enveloped in Mist at the Ancient City of Jizhou, the Western Hills Shimmering in Snow, the Rainbow Floating over the Jade Spring, the Moon over the Lugou Bridge at Dawn and the Great Wall Surrounded by Lush Greenery at the Juyong Pass. The sight of Observing Mountains from Yinding Bridge was not included. Since the Republic of China (1912-1949), few of these eight attractions have remained. But native Beijingers have been inclined to include Observing Mountains from Yinding Bridge among them. Today when you stand on the Yinding Bridge, you can hardly believe the magnificent sight of observing the Western Hills in the distance, the vast stretches of water and reeds, and ships in the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal busy transporting grain. But Yinding Bridge remains a scenic attraction of importance at Shichahai.
Written records show that Yinding Bridge was a wooden bridge at the beginning and got its name from looking like a silver ingot. In later years, it underwent repeated renovation and was finally transformed into a stone bridge with a white marble arch.
In the evening, standing on the Yinding Bridge provides the best view of Shichahai Lake. The no longer wide waters meet under Yinding Bridge from two directions. In summer, visitors prefer to go boating on the lake and songs and music can be faintly heard coming from them. Some young people like to float small paper boats with lit candles inside on the water. All of sudden, it gives the feeling of boating on the Qinhuai River in Nanjing. Although the pleasure boats and tourists bring noise to the peaceful Shichahai Lake, it's perhaps the way it is.
2. Yandaixiejie Hutong
Yandaixiejie is one of the most age-old streets in Beijing. Located near by the Houhai, the street is endowed with a flavor of modernization with some bars and restaurants. 300 meters around though the street is, the history could be dated back to Ming dynasty which is named as Dayuting East street at that time. It changed to be Yandaixiejie later. The story is people who are living in the north of the city have the hobby of tobacco and water pipe. Some people in the street are very smart in doing business so they open the shop of China tobacco pipe (Yandai). Gradually the street changed the name as Yandaixiejie. In addition to the story, the street itself looks like a Yandai. Very interesting coincidence. Nowadays, it has developed into a business street for antiques, artware and so on. The architecture is austerity and elegant full of Beijing features.
3. Mao'er Hutong
Mao’er Hutong is an interesting place because of its location, hidden in plain sight and in close proximity to well-known places, plus the fact there are four spots on this one alleyway identified as cultural relics none of which are officially open to the public.
Mao’er Hutong is generally translated as Hat or Hat Maker Lane. The area dates from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) when it was called the Wenchang Gong, a Taoist temple honoring the spirit belonging to the sixth of China’s 28 constellations. The current name came into usage during the succeeding Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
The hutong runs west to east from Di’anmenwai Dajie to Nanluogu Xiang in the Jiaodaokou sub-district. The best way to find it is from Di’anmen; it’s the first alleyway northeast of the old bridge to the east of Qianhai.
4. Nanluoguxiang Hutong
Located several kilometers north of the Forbidden City and just east of HouHai Lake is NanLuoGuXiang, an 800-meter long North-South alleyway filled with cafes, bars, and shops all designed in classical Chinese ‘hutong’ style.
NanLuoGuXiang has a history of over 800 years. Once a flourishing commercial street during the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368), the NLGX area became a popular residential area for government officials and elites during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties. Organized in the traditional Chinese courtyard style, many of these residences still stand today.
NanLuoGuXiang is intersected by eight East-West hutongs, each with its own unique bit of story to tell. Amidst the destruction of many old Beijing historical neighborhoods in recent years, NanLuoGuXiang was spared and designated by the Beijing government as a historical site for preservation and showcase for Chinese culture. The area received a face lift in early 2006 – the hutong road was paved with grey bricks, storefronts were renovated, and cafes and shops were opened – and the area has since evolved into a favorite spot for local hipsters, musicians, freelancers, and tourists.
5. Ju’er Hutong
Capped by Jiaodaokou South Main Street to the east and Nanluoguxiang to the west, the 400-meter Ju’er Hutong, like many other lanes around this area, dates back to the Yuan dynasty. Because this hutong is narrow and long, like a centipede, Ju’er is also called Centipede Lane.
During the Qing Dynasty, this was the gathering place of the Xiang Huang bannermen, an upper class brigade of the eight banners commanded by the emperor. For an additional elite historical claim, addresses No. 3, 5 and 7 held the former residence of Rong Lu, the provincial governor and minister of war during the late Qing Dynasty.
6. The former residence of China’ s last empress – Wanrong
The former residence of China’ s last empress, Wanrong, is located in Xicheng District nowadays. The site recorded Wanrong’s life with the last emperor of Qing Dynasty, Puyi outside of the Forbidden City. When the royal family was expelled from the Forbidden City in 1924, Wanrong had spent a few days in the residence, before her exile life with her husband Puyi.
Westerners will be familiar with Wanrong. She was played in the 1987 movie The Last Emperor. She was a sacrifice of feudal system in China. Her residence shows some of her most classic moments by photo and introductions.
7. Prince Gong’s Mansion
Beijing Prince Gong’s Mansion is located in the northern shore of Prince Gong’s Mansion Shichahai is the world’s largest courtyard, but also today, Beijing, more than 60 blocks in the Qing Dynasty palace to save the most complete one. Divided into two parallel east, central and western three-way. Road building is the three main sites, one hall, second, the rear and the third is the extension floor. Floor, 160 meters from east to west extension, there are more than 40 houses. Road East and West have three courtyards, and the Road echoed. The last part of the palace garden, more than 20 scenic spots vary.
As the Prince Gong’s Mansion has some of the “Dream of Red Mansions” in the scene depicted, it was stated that Prince Gong’s Mansion Garden, Grand View Garden is a blueprint. However, many people also put forward different views.
Prince Gong’s Mansion is the sixth son of the Qing Emperor Daoguang residence of Prince Kung-chung. Formerly known as the Qianlong reign of Dizhai scholar and Shen, Jiaqing four years (1799) and Shen convicted, Dizhai into the officer, Jia Qingdi be part of the Prince of Wales has given his younger brother, Yong-Qing Xi phosphorus, is a Qing Palace. Xianfeng the Qing Palace later recovered thanks to his brother to switch Yi Yi is to Prince Gong’s Mansion. Xianfeng, Tongzhi years have been renovated, and the government building after the Tim Garden. Prince Gong’s Mansion buildings, sites and gardens can be divided into two parts. Sites covering 46.5 acres, is divided into East and West in three-way, each headed by multi-component into the courtyard, behind the ring holding more than 160 m long ridge of the pass after the cover floor, two-story. House of a garden, covers an area of 38.6 acres, the park construction is also roughly what the formation of three-way, garden rockery loose the Stones, Qulang pavilions, ponds, flowers and trees.
Woodland v. palace owner is a first-class aristocracy, so he’s not only the large sites, but the construction is the highest grid system, indicating an insurmountable level, was marked by the number of Menlian and housing. Wales Government has Menlian 5, main hall 7, the rear 5, 7, after sleep, so there is wind-room. Lower than the official residence of the Princes of Wales levels must not exceed these figures. Housing in the form of roof tiles of the color is not for more of. Prince Gong’s Mansion the previous owner of a big Jian Xiang-Kun, who built Qing Yi Tang Ning Shougong imitation of the emperor, the emperor, “Gahan gift to make himself”, this is one of a count.
8. Beijing Bell and Drum Towers
The bell and drum were originally used as musical instruments in China. Afterward, however, they were used for telling time. As early as in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220), there was 'a morning bell and a dusk drum'. Telling the time by bell and drum played an important role in helping people live and work regularly when there was no other means to keep track of the time. As a result, bell and drum towers became public architectures, and were widely constructed in almost every city throughout the country since the Han Dynasty. In the history of their construction, the bell and drum towers of Beijing are the largest and highest. Their layout is unique, in that they were placed fore-and-aft, not as the traditional sense of standing right-and-left horizontally. Lying to the north of Beijing-south axis line in Dongcheng District, the bell and drum towers are visibly prominent constructions and represent the symbol of this old city. They were built in 1272, and rebuilt twice after two fires. At one period in history they were the time-telling center of the capital city during the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties (1271-1911).
Bell Tower
This brick and stone towers have two floors: there is an arched door on all four sides of the tower on the first floor, and you can go up to the second floor through stone stairs. The same exists on the first floor. An arched door was also built on the four sides of the second floor. Additionally, there is a stone window on each side of the four doors. Hanging on an eight-square wooden frame of the second floor, the bell in this tower is the largest and heaviest in China. It is 7.02 meters (23 feet) high including the pendants, with a weight of 63 tons (138,891 pounds). The bell was made of copper, and you can hear its round and clear sound from far away. The two 2-meter-long (2 yards) wooden logs hanging sideward are used to ring the bell.
Drum Tower
Located 100 meters (109 yards) south to the bell tower, the drum tower was placed on a 4-meter-high (13 feet) stone and brick base. It is 46.7 meters (153 feet) high, a little bit lower than the bell tower that is 47.9 meters high (157 feet). This tower is also a two-storey building; the first floor contains the China Committee for the Promotion of the Minority Art. The second floor contains the exhibition area. Originally, there was one big drum and 24 smaller drums, but only the big drum remains. The method of beating the drum is to beat it quickly for 18 times and then slowly for 18 times. Altogether there are three rounds and 108 tollings. People knock the bell and the drum 108 times, because 108 times represent one year in ancient times.
Telling time by ringing the bell and beating the drum was abolished after Pu Yi, the last emperor of China, left the Forbidden City. Since the New Year's Eve of 1990, the sweet sound of the bell that had disappeared for a long time began to ring out in Beijing. Being drowsy for nearly a century, the drum was also beaten again on the New Year's Eve of 2001. It has been beaten four times a day, for 15 minutes at a time since January 1st in 2002. From then on, every New Year Eve, the drum is beaten with the bell 108 times to send a blessing to the people.
The area of the bell and drum towers has been flourishing since the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), when they were just standing behind the imperial palace. It was the busy downtown district there then, full of storefronts and businesses. Thanks to the further developing of the businesses, the street in front of the drum tower became the busiest shopping street in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties. During the Republican Period of China (1911-1949), many have-nots (impoverished people), along with merchants selling handcrafted items (handicraftsmen) and vendors selling snacks and local food items (snack stands) swarmed the place between the bell and drum towers, which attracted people from all walks of life at that time.Today, when visiting, you can climb onto the bell tower and drum towers to have a birds-eye view to admire the entire city, and even take part in the activity of knocking the bell and drum, appreciating all kinds of folk-customs, such as the dragon and lion dance, and other folk-custom exhibitions.
Attraction Features Shichahai Shadow Art Performance Hotel
Highlights
Around the lake there are ten famous Taoist and Buddhist temples. In the vicinity there are also other temples. Around the lake are also several formal royal mansions and gardens. The most well known is the Prince Gong Mansion and the Prince Chun Mansion The borders of the lakes are surrounded by large trees.Shichahai is a scenic spot in Beijing, near the north-gate of the Beihai-park.In the summer tourists can rent boats to peddle on the lakes. In the winter a lot of people come to ice-skate.In 1992 the municipal government of Beijing declared the district an "Historical and Cultural Scenic District".
1. Yinding Bridge
The eight scenic attractions in Beijing designated by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) were: Autumn Winds on Taiye (current Zhongnanhai), Jade Islet in Shady Springtime, the Golden Terrace in the Glow of the Setting Sun, Trees Enveloped in Mist at the Ancient City of Jizhou, the Western Hills Shimmering in Snow, the Rainbow Floating over the Jade Spring, the Moon over the Lugou Bridge at Dawn and the Great Wall Surrounded by Lush Greenery at the Juyong Pass. The sight of Observing Mountains from Yinding Bridge was not included. Since the Republic of China (1912-1949), few of these eight attractions have remained. But native Beijingers have been inclined to include Observing Mountains from Yinding Bridge among them. Today when you stand on the Yinding Bridge, you can hardly believe the magnificent sight of observing the Western Hills in the distance, the vast stretches of water and reeds, and ships in the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal busy transporting grain. But Yinding Bridge remains a scenic attraction of importance at Shichahai.
Written records show that Yinding Bridge was a wooden bridge at the beginning and got its name from looking like a silver ingot. In later years, it underwent repeated renovation and was finally transformed into a stone bridge with a white marble arch.
In the evening, standing on the Yinding Bridge provides the best view of Shichahai Lake. The no longer wide waters meet under Yinding Bridge from two directions. In summer, visitors prefer to go boating on the lake and songs and music can be faintly heard coming from them. Some young people like to float small paper boats with lit candles inside on the water. All of sudden, it gives the feeling of boating on the Qinhuai River in Nanjing. Although the pleasure boats and tourists bring noise to the peaceful Shichahai Lake, it's perhaps the way it is.
2. Yandaixiejie Hutong
Yandaixiejie is one of the most age-old streets in Beijing. Located near by the Houhai, the street is endowed with a flavor of modernization with some bars and restaurants. 300 meters around though the street is, the history could be dated back to Ming dynasty which is named as Dayuting East street at that time. It changed to be Yandaixiejie later. The story is people who are living in the north of the city have the hobby of tobacco and water pipe. Some people in the street are very smart in doing business so they open the shop of China tobacco pipe (Yandai). Gradually the street changed the name as Yandaixiejie. In addition to the story, the street itself looks like a Yandai. Very interesting coincidence. Nowadays, it has developed into a business street for antiques, artware and so on. The architecture is austerity and elegant full of Beijing features.
3. Mao'er Hutong
Mao’er Hutong is an interesting place because of its location, hidden in plain sight and in close proximity to well-known places, plus the fact there are four spots on this one alleyway identified as cultural relics none of which are officially open to the public.
Mao’er Hutong is generally translated as Hat or Hat Maker Lane. The area dates from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) when it was called the Wenchang Gong, a Taoist temple honoring the spirit belonging to the sixth of China’s 28 constellations. The current name came into usage during the succeeding Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
The hutong runs west to east from Di’anmenwai Dajie to Nanluogu Xiang in the Jiaodaokou sub-district. The best way to find it is from Di’anmen; it’s the first alleyway northeast of the old bridge to the east of Qianhai.
4. Nanluoguxiang Hutong
Located several kilometers north of the Forbidden City and just east of HouHai Lake is NanLuoGuXiang, an 800-meter long North-South alleyway filled with cafes, bars, and shops all designed in classical Chinese ‘hutong’ style.
NanLuoGuXiang has a history of over 800 years. Once a flourishing commercial street during the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368), the NLGX area became a popular residential area for government officials and elites during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties. Organized in the traditional Chinese courtyard style, many of these residences still stand today.
NanLuoGuXiang is intersected by eight East-West hutongs, each with its own unique bit of story to tell. Amidst the destruction of many old Beijing historical neighborhoods in recent years, NanLuoGuXiang was spared and designated by the Beijing government as a historical site for preservation and showcase for Chinese culture. The area received a face lift in early 2006 – the hutong road was paved with grey bricks, storefronts were renovated, and cafes and shops were opened – and the area has since evolved into a favorite spot for local hipsters, musicians, freelancers, and tourists.
5. Ju’er Hutong
Capped by Jiaodaokou South Main Street to the east and Nanluoguxiang to the west, the 400-meter Ju’er Hutong, like many other lanes around this area, dates back to the Yuan dynasty. Because this hutong is narrow and long, like a centipede, Ju’er is also called Centipede Lane.
During the Qing Dynasty, this was the gathering place of the Xiang Huang bannermen, an upper class brigade of the eight banners commanded by the emperor. For an additional elite historical claim, addresses No. 3, 5 and 7 held the former residence of Rong Lu, the provincial governor and minister of war during the late Qing Dynasty.
6. The former residence of China’ s last empress – Wanrong
The former residence of China’ s last empress, Wanrong, is located in Xicheng District nowadays. The site recorded Wanrong’s life with the last emperor of Qing Dynasty, Puyi outside of the Forbidden City. When the royal family was expelled from the Forbidden City in 1924, Wanrong had spent a few days in the residence, before her exile life with her husband Puyi.
Westerners will be familiar with Wanrong. She was played in the 1987 movie The Last Emperor. She was a sacrifice of feudal system in China. Her residence shows some of her most classic moments by photo and introductions.
7. Prince Gong’s Mansion
Beijing Prince Gong’s Mansion is located in the northern shore of Prince Gong’s Mansion Shichahai is the world’s largest courtyard, but also today, Beijing, more than 60 blocks in the Qing Dynasty palace to save the most complete one. Divided into two parallel east, central and western three-way. Road building is the three main sites, one hall, second, the rear and the third is the extension floor. Floor, 160 meters from east to west extension, there are more than 40 houses. Road East and West have three courtyards, and the Road echoed. The last part of the palace garden, more than 20 scenic spots vary.
As the Prince Gong’s Mansion has some of the “Dream of Red Mansions” in the scene depicted, it was stated that Prince Gong’s Mansion Garden, Grand View Garden is a blueprint. However, many people also put forward different views.
Prince Gong’s Mansion is the sixth son of the Qing Emperor Daoguang residence of Prince Kung-chung. Formerly known as the Qianlong reign of Dizhai scholar and Shen, Jiaqing four years (1799) and Shen convicted, Dizhai into the officer, Jia Qingdi be part of the Prince of Wales has given his younger brother, Yong-Qing Xi phosphorus, is a Qing Palace. Xianfeng the Qing Palace later recovered thanks to his brother to switch Yi Yi is to Prince Gong’s Mansion. Xianfeng, Tongzhi years have been renovated, and the government building after the Tim Garden. Prince Gong’s Mansion buildings, sites and gardens can be divided into two parts. Sites covering 46.5 acres, is divided into East and West in three-way, each headed by multi-component into the courtyard, behind the ring holding more than 160 m long ridge of the pass after the cover floor, two-story. House of a garden, covers an area of 38.6 acres, the park construction is also roughly what the formation of three-way, garden rockery loose the Stones, Qulang pavilions, ponds, flowers and trees.
Woodland v. palace owner is a first-class aristocracy, so he’s not only the large sites, but the construction is the highest grid system, indicating an insurmountable level, was marked by the number of Menlian and housing. Wales Government has Menlian 5, main hall 7, the rear 5, 7, after sleep, so there is wind-room. Lower than the official residence of the Princes of Wales levels must not exceed these figures. Housing in the form of roof tiles of the color is not for more of. Prince Gong’s Mansion the previous owner of a big Jian Xiang-Kun, who built Qing Yi Tang Ning Shougong imitation of the emperor, the emperor, “Gahan gift to make himself”, this is one of a count.
8. Beijing Bell and Drum Towers
The bell and drum were originally used as musical instruments in China. Afterward, however, they were used for telling time. As early as in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220), there was 'a morning bell and a dusk drum'. Telling the time by bell and drum played an important role in helping people live and work regularly when there was no other means to keep track of the time. As a result, bell and drum towers became public architectures, and were widely constructed in almost every city throughout the country since the Han Dynasty. In the history of their construction, the bell and drum towers of Beijing are the largest and highest. Their layout is unique, in that they were placed fore-and-aft, not as the traditional sense of standing right-and-left horizontally. Lying to the north of Beijing-south axis line in Dongcheng District, the bell and drum towers are visibly prominent constructions and represent the symbol of this old city. They were built in 1272, and rebuilt twice after two fires. At one period in history they were the time-telling center of the capital city during the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties (1271-1911).
Bell Tower
This brick and stone towers have two floors: there is an arched door on all four sides of the tower on the first floor, and you can go up to the second floor through stone stairs. The same exists on the first floor. An arched door was also built on the four sides of the second floor. Additionally, there is a stone window on each side of the four doors. Hanging on an eight-square wooden frame of the second floor, the bell in this tower is the largest and heaviest in China. It is 7.02 meters (23 feet) high including the pendants, with a weight of 63 tons (138,891 pounds). The bell was made of copper, and you can hear its round and clear sound from far away. The two 2-meter-long (2 yards) wooden logs hanging sideward are used to ring the bell.
Drum Tower
Located 100 meters (109 yards) south to the bell tower, the drum tower was placed on a 4-meter-high (13 feet) stone and brick base. It is 46.7 meters (153 feet) high, a little bit lower than the bell tower that is 47.9 meters high (157 feet). This tower is also a two-storey building; the first floor contains the China Committee for the Promotion of the Minority Art. The second floor contains the exhibition area. Originally, there was one big drum and 24 smaller drums, but only the big drum remains. The method of beating the drum is to beat it quickly for 18 times and then slowly for 18 times. Altogether there are three rounds and 108 tollings. People knock the bell and the drum 108 times, because 108 times represent one year in ancient times.
Telling time by ringing the bell and beating the drum was abolished after Pu Yi, the last emperor of China, left the Forbidden City. Since the New Year's Eve of 1990, the sweet sound of the bell that had disappeared for a long time began to ring out in Beijing. Being drowsy for nearly a century, the drum was also beaten again on the New Year's Eve of 2001. It has been beaten four times a day, for 15 minutes at a time since January 1st in 2002. From then on, every New Year Eve, the drum is beaten with the bell 108 times to send a blessing to the people.
The area of the bell and drum towers has been flourishing since the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), when they were just standing behind the imperial palace. It was the busy downtown district there then, full of storefronts and businesses. Thanks to the further developing of the businesses, the street in front of the drum tower became the busiest shopping street in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties. During the Republican Period of China (1911-1949), many have-nots (impoverished people), along with merchants selling handcrafted items (handicraftsmen) and vendors selling snacks and local food items (snack stands) swarmed the place between the bell and drum towers, which attracted people from all walks of life at that time.Today, when visiting, you can climb onto the bell tower and drum towers to have a birds-eye view to admire the entire city, and even take part in the activity of knocking the bell and drum, appreciating all kinds of folk-customs, such as the dragon and lion dance, and other folk-custom exhibitions.
