Beijing, China

                              

The capital of the People's Republic of China, Beijing (formerly Peking), is a very modern and exceedingly busy city (nearly 14 million people call it home) with high-rise buildings, international hotels and sprawling suburbs. The city is abuzz and bristling with cranes on the skyline as construction projects give rise to new skyscrapers and modernisation proceeds apace.

                               

However, Beijing also encompasses numerous attractions of cultural and historical interest, of which some, such as the Great Wall of China, the former Imperial Palace (known as the Forbidden City), the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace and the remains of Peking Man at Zhoukoudian, are UNESCO-endorsed World Heritage Sites. Chinese history and culture fascinates Western visitors, and Beijing is a great place to start exploring it.

                               

The city abounds in palaces, temples, mansions, gardens and tombs that epitomise classical Chinese architecture. It also has roughly 120 museums and more than 100 public gardens.

Beijing Attractions Forbidden City The Forbidden City is possibly the foremost attraction of Beijing. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has been declared the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world. Lying at the centre of Beijing, the Forbidden City, called Gu Gong...  see full details Tiananmen Square The famous square at the heart of Beijing, recently renovated, is still not much to look at, but it attracts curious tourists simply because it was the scene of so many historic events and is the largest city square in the world. In...  see full details Great Wall of China The Great Wall of China, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a perennial favorite among tourists and with very good reason. As an attraction it is beautiful, awe-inspiring, daunting and exciting. The Great Wall, stretching 4,000 miles (6,350km), was built in stages from the...  see full details Summer Palace The magnificent Summer Palace at Kunming Lake, in northwest Beijing, was built in 1750 by the Emperor Qianlong, and continued to be an imperial residence until the Empress Dowager Cixi died in 1908. It is the largest and most well-preserved royal park in China,...  see full details Zhoukoudian Cave About 25 miles (40km) south of Beijing, in the Fangshan District, is the Zhoukoudian Cave, source of the largest collection of Homo erectus fossils from any single site in the world. The fossils recovered from Zhoukoudian represent about forty individuals. Most famous of these...  see full details Chairman Mao Mausoleum Although Chairman Mao Zedong requested to be cremated, it was decided hours after his death in 1976, that he would be embalmed. Moa Zedong was Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China from 1945 until his death. It is...  see full details Beihai Park A place of tranquility and grand imperial beauty, the Beihai Park is one of the great attractions of Beijing. The park is centrally located and close to the Forbidden City and Jingshan Park. It provides a peaceful, natural haven after a long morning...  see full details 798 Space Beijing's prominent art district is home to 798 Space, an art gallery housed in a former electronics factory that built components for China's first atomic bomb and early satellites. The gallery is large and airy, capable of comfortably holding more than a thousand people,...  see full details Great Bell Temple The Qing Temple is home to the Ancient Bell Museum (Gu Zhong Bowuguan) and is a must see for travellers en route to the Summer Palace. The temple, originally known as 'Awakened Life Temple', apparently wasn't experiencing enough 'awakening' and a 47-ton bell, with...  see full details Beijing Aquarium Located within the Beijing Zoo, the Beijing Aquarium is the world's largest inland aquarium. It's an absolute must see for visitors with features such as an imaginative Amazon rainforest, complete with piranhas and pandas, as well as an exquisite shark aquarium where the very...  see full details The Beijing National Stadium The Beijing National Stadium, also known as The Bird's Nest due to its appearance, was the hub of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, hosting all of the track and field events as well the opening and closing ceremonies. The unique-looking steel support structures framing...  see full details