Beijing, the heart of China, is always the first choice of travelers who are willing to know a time-honored and developed city of China. It has been the political, economic and cultural center of China for over 800 years from the Yuan Dynasty. The numerous royal buildings with long history endow Beijing with incomparable charm, not only the 'Nation's Best' but also the 'World's Best'. On the other hand, as the host city of the 2008 Olympic Games, this oriental ancient city presented her best fashion fascination to the world.

 Top Attractions

Forbidden City The magnificent Forbidden City is the largest and the best-preserved imperial palace complex in the world. It has 9,999 rooms in flourishing period with just a single room short of the number that ancient Chinese belief represents 'Divine Perfection' and surrounded by a moat six meters deep and ten-meter high wall. For five centuries, this palace functioned as the administrative center of the country.

Great Wall in Beijing The Great Wall of China is one of the 'Eight Wonders of the World' and is enlisted in the World Heritage Directory. This immense wall was built to keep out invaders as well as to retain the inhabitants. It spans five provinces from Shanhaiguan Pass in the east to Jiayuguan Pass in the west, looking like a gigantic dragon across deserts, grasslands and mountains. In the downtown area of Beijing, it is possible to climb Badaling Great Wall.

Tiananmen Square The solemn and respectful Tiananmen Square is the largest central city square in the world, which serves not only Beijing's symbol but also the whole of China. This immense courtyard is surrounded by a variety of significant edifices such as the Tiananmen Tower, Great Hall of the People, Mao Zedong Memorial Hall, Monument to the People's Heroes and National Museum of China.

 Imperial Gardens & Mausoleums

Beijing is the capital city of several Dynasties. Therefore, besides the spectacular imperial palaces, it also possesses the most luxurious royal gardens—the well-preserved Summer Palace with an area of 727 acres,  the elegant Beihai Park and the destroyed Old Summer Palace. On the other hand, those Emperors also constructed spectacular mausoleums for themselves. The Ming Tombs of the 13 emperors  should be the most excellent necropolis.  Summer Palace      Ming Tombs
Beihai Park	Eastern Qing Tombs	Old Summer Palace	Ritan Park
Yuetan Park	Western Qing Tombs

 Temples

Due to religion was always related with the supreme imperial power, Beijing at one time served as the focus of religious life with lots of beautiful temples. The Temple of Heaven, where the Emperors paid homage to the glory of heaven, is the largest group of structures in the country dedicated to rituals. To be opposite, the Altar of Earth was used to worship the God of the Earth. The Great Bell Temple, where the Emperor prayed for rainfall in the Qing Dynasty.   Temple of Confucius    Temple of Heaven    Yonghe Lamasery
Altar of Earth	Badachu Park	Dajue Temple	Five Pagoda Temple
Big Bell Temple	Guangji Temple	Jietai Temple	Niujie Mosque
Temple of Azure Clouds	Tanzhe Temple	Temple of Recumbent Buddha	White Cloud Temple
White Dagoba Temple	Yunju Temple

 Historical Beijing

If you would like to experience the local life, there is a great deal of Beijing's Hutongs and Courtyards distributed for your choice. The Prince Gong's Mansion should be the most magnificent courtyard, which was the residence of an official and then a prince. Other famous historical sites include the Bell and Drum Towers, the Liulichang Street for people interested in Chinese calligraphy, painting or other artwork, the Lugou Bridge carved with marvelous stone lions.  Hutongs & Courtyards    Prince Gong's Mansion    Shichahai
Ancient Observatory	Beijing Guozijian	Bell and Drum Tower	Dashilan Street
Lingjing Hutong	Liulichang Street	Lugou Bridge	Nanluogu Xiang
Peking Man Site	Qianmen Street	Yandai Xiejie

                                                                    
 Modern Beijing

Thanks for the 29th Summer Olympics, Beijing has been well-known for travelers all over the world. This hospitable metropolis of China has been mixed with lots of modern elements, which is also a new part for its mysterious orient civilization. There are so many representative buildings displaying this international metropolis, such as the Beijing National Stadium and the National Aquatics Center for 2008 Olympics and the China Century Monument.  Beijing National Stadium   National Aquatics Center
Beijing 798 Art Zone	Beijing Aquarium	Beijing Happy Valley
Beijing Museum of Natural History	Beijing Zoo	Capital Museum
CCTV Tower	China Century Monument	Chinese Ethnic Culture Park
Grand View Garden	National Centre for Performing Arts	North Putuo Film & TV City
World Park

                                          
 Natural Beauties

For a peaceful and interesting stroll, please visit Beijing's beautiful parks. Located at the back of the Forbidden City, the Jingshan Park is an ideal place for an overview of Beijing, which was also an imperial garden in ancient time. The Fragrant Hills Park has the most beautiful red maple leaves in every autumn. The Taoranting Park is a wonderful workmanship of Chinese ancient and modern architectural skills. The Stone Flower Cave is an astonishing karst park of Beijing.  Fragrant Hills Park      Jingshan Park      Jingdong Grand Canyon
Beijing Botanical Garden	Fenghuangling Nature Park	Chaoyang Park	Stone Flower Cave
Taoranting Park	Xishan National Forest Park	Yuyuantan Park	Purple Bamboon Garden

Useful Resources:
360 panoramas of Beijing: 360 panoramas Interactive virtual tour of Beijing.