Each country on Earth has its unique beauty and holds different histories. When we talk about New York, the first thing that comes to our minds is the Statue of Liberty. Similarly, when we talk about Paris, we think of the Eiffel Tower. And when we talk about Beijing, The Great Wall and so many other historical landmarks come to our mind that we have listed below.
Beijing is an excellent blend of old and new cultures, traditions, and architecture. Each year, it attracts millions of visitors, and it enjoys the reputation of being the most visited city in the world. Beijing was formerly known, as Peking and it is the world's most populous capital city.
Beijing, a city of for all seasons, is a blend of modern, innovative delights and China's traditional legacies. China is rich in history, and Beijing, as a 3,000-year-old city, holds so many historical places to visit and to discover. Some of the main tourist attractions are the world-famous Great Wall, the grand imperial palaces, and gardens.
Beijing is home to some of the country's best and most renowned tourist destinations. It has some great unique sightseeing opportunities, and with so many things to do, you can never get bored.
Below listed are some of the most historical landmarks that Beijing is home to.
1. The Great Wall
When people talk about China, it is no surprise that the first thing that comes to mind is the Great Wall. It is known as one of the most magnificent wonders of the world that is man-made.
It was initially built as an ancient military defense project of different boundaries by various dynasties. The Great Wall fundamentally conserves all the material and spiritual elements and historical and cultural knowledge that carry its exceptional value worldwide.
The Great Wall's complete route is over 20,000 kilometers, along with elements constructed in various different historical periods that have been preserved to date. The Wall is the only thing that can be seen in space, and as a cultural heritage, it is indeed said that the Wall belongs not only to China but to the world.
2. The Forbidden City
With a vast history of 600 years, the Forbidden City has played an integral role in Chinese history. It was the majestic palace of the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty from that of Emperor Yongle.
.png)
If you ever wanted to discover how these ancient emperors spent their lives, then visiting this palace might give you all the information you desire.
It is China's most significant palace, and it comprises over 8000 rooms. The palace area is divided into two sections: the Outer Court and the Inner Palace. The outer court is where the emperor received and met with his courtiers and led different magnificent ceremonies. The inner palace was where the living quarters were associated with the imperial residence. The Forbidden City symbolizes the essence of traditional Chinese architecture and culture.
3. The Summer Palace
The Summer Palace enjoys being the most extensive and best-preserved royal garden in China. It is a blend of breathtaking scenery and artistic landscape. Ancient pavilions, mansions, temples, bridges, and giant lakes form picturesque scenes that are amazingly beautiful. UNESCO acknowledged the Summer Palace as "a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design.
The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value." It is a popular tourist spot to explore and serves as an entertainment park for an excellent time to be spent.
4. Ming Tombs
The Ming Tombs are the mausoleums of 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644). The musical integration of great architectural groups in a natural environment, which is specifically chosen to meet the criteria of geomancy (Fengshui), makes the Ming Imperial Tombs work of art of human creative experts.
As of today, only three of them are open for the public to view. What are the Changling Tomb, Dingling Tomb, and Zhaoling Tomb. Dingling Tomb is the only tomb out of all the thirteen to be unearthed.
5. Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian
The Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian is geographically situated on the Long Mountain of Zhoukoudian Village in Fangshan District, 48km in Beijing's southwest.
It is a beautiful place where mountainous region limits upon the plain and North China Great Plain in the southeast and dazzling mountains situated in the northwest. The hills around Zhoukoudian are typically made up of limestone, which, under the corrosion of dripping water, resulted in forming up into caves of numerous sizes.
There is a natural cave about 140m long-running on these particular mountains from east to west, which the people mostly know as Peking Man Cave. Back in 1929, in this cave, remnants of ancient man were exposed for the first time, and the place was after then named Zhoukoudian First Site.
6. Yuanmingyuan Imperial Garden
The original Yuanmingyuan was situated southeast of the present Summer Palace and to the north of Peking University's campus. Creation began in the early Qing dynasty (1709), and that took approximately 150 years to wholly complete.
It was demolished in 1860 by the British and French troops in a three-day attack throughout the times of the Opium War. All that now remains is little columns and dispersed piles of marble rubble.
7. Drum & Bell Tower
The Drum and Bell Towers (Gulou & ZhongLou) are located at the northern end of the Inner City's central axis, to the exact east of HouHai.
Drum and Bell Towers are a typical feature of Chinese cities and that of Chinese temples. Bells and drums were musical instruments that were used in ancient China. Later, the primary purpose was to announce the time. The Bell Tower and Drum Tower were used for these purposes for a long time than during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties.
The times and patterns obviously varied according to the time, but overall, only the bell was used to ring during the time of the night. You can still hear the beats that used to run from the ancient Drum Tower today too.
8. Beijing Ancient Observatory
Beijing Ancient Observatory was first constructed in 1442 in the Ming Dynasty (1368—1644) and enjoyed the reputation of being the first national observatory in the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1644—1911).
It is about 14 meters high in height with eight planetary instruments made in Qing Dynasty. Its amusing history spans approximately more than five hundred years, making it one of the most archaeologically fascinating observatories that are known worldwide. It is also eminent for its intact and cohesive instruments.
Read Also
- Interesting Facts About Beijing You Will Amazed To Know
- Travel Back in Time by Visiting the Top Magnificent Historical Places in China
- Things To See In Beijing: Explore One Of The Oldest City In The World
