Great Wall

Badaling Great Wall is the most impressive and the most visited section of the Great Wall of China. Constructed in 1502 during the Ming Dynasty, the Badaling Great Wall once served as an important military fortification. Many leaders from China and around the world, like Richard Nixon, Margaret Thatcher…all visited this section of the wall. In 1987, it was listed as the World Heritage Site by UNESCO. View Photos

Forbidden City

Located in the middle of Beijing, Forbidden City was the Chinese royal palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. Also called Palace Museum, the Forbidden City is recognized as the most magnificent and splendid palace complex in China and one of the five world-famous palaces with the Palace of Versailles in France, Buckingham Palace in England, the White House in United States and the Kremlin in Russia. View Photos

Tiananmen Square

Tiananmen Square has been built for large public gatherings. This square is situated south of Tiananmen. Tiananmen, named the Gate of Heavenly Peace in English, is the original gate of the Imperical Palace, commonly known as the Forbidden City. Now, it is one of the entrances for tourists visiting the Forbidden City. View Photos

Summer Palace

The Summer Palace, situated in the western suburbs of Haidian District, is 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from downtown area of Beijing. With the largest royal park and being well preserved now, in 1960, it was designated by the State Council as a Key Cultural Relics Protection Site of China. Containing examples of the ancient arts, it also has graceful landscapes and magnificent constructions. The Summer Palace is the traditional Chinese garden, and is one of the most well-known and classical gardens of the world. It was listed as the World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1998. View Photos

Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven was constructed between 1406 and 1420, during the period of which Ming Emperor Yongle reigned. During the same period of time, the Forbidden City was also created. The Temple of Heaven (called “Tiantan” in Chinese) was where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties would offer sacrifices to heaven and pray for good harvests. View Photos

Yonghe Palace

Yonghe Palace, the famous Lama temple, is located in the northeast corner of the old city of Beijing. This temple is listed as significant historical site protected by the national government.
View Photos

Ming Tombs

The Ming Tombs lie in a broad valley to the south of Tianshou (Longevity of Heaven) Mountain in Changping County, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) northwest from the urban area of Beijing. It is actually a tomb cluster of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), including thirteen emperor's mausoleums, seven tombs for concubines and one grave for eunuchs. This cemetery is world famous because thirteen emperors were buried here. Covering an area of more than 120 square kilometers and sitting at the foot of Mt. Yan, it appears extremely spectacular. It was listed as the World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2003. View Photos

Drum Tower and Bell Tower

The Bell Tower and Drum Tower, located at the north end of Dianmenwai Street, are a group of ancient buildings at the north end of the central axis from south to north in the ancient capital of Beijing. Bells and drums were musical instruments in ancient China. Later, they were used to announce the time - the Bell Tower and Drum Tower had this function during the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. The times and patterns varied, but in general only the bell was rung during the night. You can still hear the beats from the ancient Drum Tower even now. The Bell Tower and Drum Tower of Beijing were listed among the first batch of cultural relics under municipal protection in 1957 and listed as a cultural relic under state-level protection in 1996.

View Photos

Beihai Park

Beihai Park located in central Beijing, is one of the oldest and most authentically preserved imperial gardens in China. It has a history of 1000 years. Built in the 10th century, it is amongst the largest of Chinese gardens, and contains numerous historically important structures, palaces and temples. Beihai has existed throughout the Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. Most of the buildings now standing were constructed during Emperor Qianlong's rein in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 A.D.). View Photos

Fragrant Hills Park

Fragrant Hills Park is located on the eastern sides of the Western Hills, approximately 10 kilometers to the west of Beijing. Covering an area of 160 hectares, the Fragrant Hills Park is surrounded by green hills stretching up and down; its highest peak is 557 m in altitude and is shaped in an incense burner.
View Photos

Grand View Garden

Dream of Red Mansions, written by Cao Xueqin in the 18th century, is regarded as one of the four ancient Chinese classic masterpieces. Daguanyuan in this well-known Chinese novel refers to a magnificent garden of an imperial family. Followed by the description of Daguanyuan in this novel, the present Grand View Garden was constructed between 1984 and 1989 in Beijing. The TV series "A Dream of Red Mansions" use it as the setting to shoot garden scenes. Now, this garden has become an important tourist attraction in Beijing. View Photos

Lugou Bridge

The Lugou Bridge, also known as the Marco Polo Bridge, is a famous stone bridge located in the southwest outskirts of Beijing. This bridge spans the ancient Lugou River, hence the name of the Lugou Bridge. As the extant oldest multi-arch stone bridge, it was constructed in the 29th year of Emperor Dading's Reign in the Jin Dynasty (1189).
View Photos

Sacred Way

The Sacred Way meaning the road leading to Heaven is part of the Ming Tombs complex. The emperor, known as the “Son of Heaven” went through the sacred road to the sacrificial altar to converse Heaven during his reign, naturally, after his death, he would also go through the Sacred Way back to heaven. It is a road usually built in front of an ancient Chinese mausoleum, which symbolically led emperors to Heaven. The Sacred Way in the Ming Tomb is a typical one.
View Photos

Beijing National Stadium

Beijing National Stadium, also nicknamed as the "Bird's Nest", is a stadium in Beijing, China. The stadium was designed for use throughout the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. It hosts the opening and closing ceremonies of the 29th Olympiad, as well as athletic track and field events. The Stadium is located in the Olympic Green, the focal point for the Beijing Games.
View Photos

Great Bell Temple

Located on the western outskirts of Beijing, the Great Bell Temple was built in 1733. Its original name is Juesheng Temple. There houses the largest bell in China, which is known as China's "King of Bells".

View Photos

Peking Man Site

The Peking Man Site is located at Zhoukoudian Village, 48 kilometers southwest of Beijing. In 1929, archaeologists discovered teeth, bones and a complete skull of an ape-man in a cave of Longgu Mountain, providing concrete evidence for the existence of primitive man in the Beijing area and marking a milestone in the history of paleo-anthropology. In 1987, Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian has been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

View Photos