BEIJING — Ancient and Modern Capital
Beijing, China's capital city for over 700 years, is rich in history, both ancient and modern.
Beijing is home to some of the finest remnants of China's imperial past, most famously
the Great Wall of China, China's legendary line of defense;
the Forbidden City, the largest and best-preserved ancient imperial palace complex in the world;
the Temple of Heaven, fascinating site of imperial worship;
and the Summer Palace, a lovely imperial garden.
There is also Tian'anmen Square where the People's Republic of China was inaugurated by Chairman Mao, whose body still resides there in its show casket.
Beijing has a glorious past, but is by no means stuck in the past. Standing side-by-side with old Beijing's crimson palace complexes are the city's modern buildings, the super-modern Olympic Village, with the Bird’s Nest Stadium and Water Cube; the dazzling shopping malls in Wangfujing Street and the colorful entertainment center of Houhai.
Despite all the changes in recent years, traditional lifestyle has been well-preserved in the oldest neighborhoods of the city — the Hutongs, which are mazes of narrow alleyways and old traditional courtyard houses. A tour by rickshaw through the Hutongs will give travelers a glimpse of old Beijing.
The Forbidden City
The Forbidden City, which housed 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368–1911), is the best preserved imperial palace in China and the largest ancient palatial structure in the world. The design and the layout of the 870 buildings in the palace represent the essence of traditional Chinese architecture.
Tian'anmen Square (FREE)
Tian'anmen Square is the largest public square, and can accommodate a million people. It is where the ceremony for the founding of the People’s Republic was held.
The Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China extends 4,000 miles. Construction of the wall began over 2,000 years ago and lasted for over 1,000 years. There are several Great Wall sections around Beijing, including restored sections and rugged sections.
The Summer Palace
The Summer Palace is the best-preserved imperial garden in the world, and the largest of its kind still in existence in modern China. It is a representative of traditional Chinese garden and a charming place to appreciate the artificial landscape first created hundreds of years ago.
The Hutongs
The Beijing hutongs are mazes of narrow alleyways linking old single-story traditional courtyard houses. Hutongs give a wonderful glimpse into the world of yesterday in Beijing. Visiting a hutong family living in a traditional quadrangle dwelling is a nice way to discover traditional Beijing life.
The Temple of Heaven
The Temple of Heaven, the royal altar where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped heaven, is seen as the most holy of Beijing's imperial temples. It has been described as "a masterpiece of architecture and landscape design".
Beihai Park
Located to the west of the Forbidden City and Jingshan Park, Beihai Park is the oldest existing imperial garden in China. First built in the Liao Dynasty (907—1125), you will see how Chinese garden were built based on fairy stories.
Yonghe Lama Temple
Yonghe Temple is used to be the mansion of the third emperor of the Qing Dynasty. It is an active Tibetan Buddhist temple containing a massive statue of Buddha carved from sandalwood (26 meters high, with 8 meters buried underground). It is highly recommended unless you are totally "templed out".
Tasting Beijing Roast Duck
Beijing roast duck is the epitome of Beijing cuisine and also one of the eight most popular Chinese dishes. The dish is mostly prized for the thin, crispy skin, with authentic versions of the dish serving mostly the skin and little meat.
Watching Beijing Opera
Beijing Opera is regarded as Chinese cultural treasure. The make up, the face masks, the gorgeous costumes, the unique vocal style, and the demanding actions make Beijing opera a high-class performance entertainment.
Watching a Kungfu Show
Watching kungfu shows is an exciting way to spend a free night. The Legend of Kungfu Show is the best one. It is visually stunning with a fast-paced plot and impressive martial art skills. Children might like it.
Delicious Food:
"A Bite of China"《舌尖上的中国》, That's the name of a new TV show, and is sparked a wave of food buying among gourmet-seeking gastronomes, who eager to taste something new. The CCTV Channel One show began just two weeks ago, featuring traditional regional specialty dishes. And more importantly, the unusual ingredients are needed to make them ! It's causing a spending storm。
Specialist food sales have gone through the roof, since the TV series "A Bite Of China" launched on May 14th. Millions have descended on food websites - all looking for those same hard-to-find ingredients。
Searches for "Mao Tofu", a snack popular in Anhui Province, have gone up by a wok-shattering 100 times. Nuodeng Ham from Yunnan Province is also seeing huge sales increases。
And there's been another impact - online food buying trends have shifted - from the afternoon, to after 10 p.m. - just after the show airs。
For those planning to stick to a strict diet, the night-time show is a sweet seduction that's hard to resist. And many end up making a beeline for the kitchen to recreate the on-screen temptations right away。
Online sellers have also reported a rise in cooking equipment - sales of pots and pans have increased by 20 percent。
"A Bite of China" is causing a culinary craze that continues long after the program credits roll. For China's countless delicious dishes, and its vast population of food-lovers, it proves that one bite is never enough。
《舌尖上的中国》(A Bite of China)为中国中央电视台播出的美食类纪录片，主要内容为中国各地美食生态。通过中华美食的多个侧面，来展现食物给中国人生活带来的仪式、伦理等方面的文化；见识中国特色食材以及与食物相关、构成中国美食特有气质的一系列元素；了解中华饮食文化的精致和源远流长。
