Mutianyu Great Wall Day Tour

Your tour guide and driver will pick you up from the lobby of your hotel at 08:00 in the morning. Your private no shopping Mutianyu Great Wall tour will start with a visit to the remarkable Tiananmen Square, a landmark in the center of the Beijing city. After around 30 minutes' photo time in the square, we will walk through the Tiananmen Tower to the majestic Forbidden City, which used to be the imperial palace for about 600 years during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911). Lunch is on your own arrangement, and you can seek advice from your guide freely. In the afternoon, we will continue our trip from Beijing by a 1.5 hours' ride to Mutianyu Great Wall. A round-trip cable car has been included, or you may choose a chairlift up and a toboggan down. Once on top, you can take in the awe-inspiring view of the Great Wall which traverses the lush mountains with many watchtowers densely distributed along the ramparts. You will enjoy quite enough time on the Wall.

After the visit, we will drive you back to the hotel. Your Great Wall day tour comes to a happy end!

Tiananmen Square is the largest city square in the world that is located in the heart of Beijing. Occupying an area of 440,000 square meters (530,000 square yards), it can accommodate around one million people to hold grand rallies at a time. Walking on the square, you can admire some imposing buildings of both traditional and modern architectural styles. The Tiananmen Tower and Zhengyang Gate, with more than 600 years' history, are at the northern and southern ends respectively. The Monument to People's Heroes and the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall standing in the center of the square well reveal the history during 1840-1949. Besides, you can also take pictures of the National Museum and the Great Hall of the People located around the square. The Forbidden City, also named as the Palace Museum, was where the imperial family lived during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The construction work started in 1406 and it took 14 years to complete. It is a strictly symmetrical palace complex with a length of 961 meters (1,051 yards) and a width of 753 meters (823 yards), surrounded by the 10-meter (30-foot) high city wall and a 52-meter (57-yard) wide moat. There are over 70 palaces and more than 9000 rooms, some of which remain their original states and some have become the exhibition hall where to store the precious historical relics. You will visit the main palaces under the company of your guide, and when you visit, you can easily imagine how luxury the royal life was.

► Life for Ancient Officials after They Retired from Forbidden City

In ancient China, the most officials would go back to their hometown in retirement. After the emperor approved their resignation, they, especially those served in the central government, would leave the capital as soon as possible. For the high expense, it has always been hard to get a house in the capital, even in ancient times. When they were in service, the house was given by the government or rented by themselves; as they retired, the house would be taken back. Moreover, staying in the capital would invite suspicion of power plays from the emperor and cliques, and they might as well enjoy peaceful life in their old age.