City Center Orientation Walk - PDF Free Download

Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 1 - City Center Orientation Walk Beijing has been a political, educational, cultural and economic center for centuries. Today, it is one of the greatest remnants of the Chinese Imperial past. Along with its famous City Wall and Forbidden City, this sightseeing tour will guide you through Beijing's most popular attractions in the heart of the city: Guide Location: China» Beijing # of Attractions: 8 Tour Duration: 3 hour(s) Travel Distance: 5.6 km Please note: This walk is also featured in the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" downloadable on itunes App Store and Google Play. The app provides turn-by-turn GPS navigation to guide you from one tour sight to the next, so you will never be lost. The apps offer additional walking tours in Beijing. Check them out! GPSmyCity offers self-guided walking tours in over 1,000 city around the world. Please visit https://www.gpsmycity.com for more walking tour offers. List of attractions included in this self-guided walking tour: A) Zhengyangmen B) The National Museum of China C) Tiananmen Square D) National Centre for the Performing Arts E) Imperial Ancestral Temple F) Forbidden City G) The Palace Museum H) Wangfujing Street Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 1 -

Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 4 - A) Zhengyangmen (must see) When you visit the historic Beijing city wall, do not miss out the Zhengyangmen, a gate on this wall. Popularly called the Qianmen, this wall was constructed during the Ming Dynasty in 1419. The gate featured a large barbican all with an archery tower, the side walls and the side gates. Direct entry to imperial city was guarded by this gate. Qianmen Station, the first railway station in the city was constructed just outside the gate. During the Boxer Rebellion of 1900, extensive damage was done to this gate. In 1914, the gate was completely reconstructed and restored to its original glory. In 1915, the Barbican side gates were completely damaged and torn down. The People s Liberation Army Beijing garrison occupied the Zhengyangmen gatehouse in 1949 after the victory of Communists. The gate became a major tourist attraction after the military vacated in 1980. This gate stands tall at 42 meters and is the highest gate in the city wall. On your trip to Beijing, make sure that a visit to Zhengyangmen gate house is in the itinerary. This is a must visit destination that offers visitors a deep insight into an interesting portion of Chinese history. Address: Zhengyangmen, Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Nagyman B) The National Museum of China (must see) The National Museum of China flanks the eastern side of Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. The museum's mission is to educate about the arts and history of China. It is directed by the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China. The museum was established in 2003 by the merging of the two separate museums that had occupied the same building since 1959: the Museum of the Chinese Revolution in the northern wing and the National Museum of Chinese History in the southern wing. The museum, covering Chinese history from the Yuanmou Man of 1.7 million years ago to the end of the Qing Dynasty (the last imperial dynasty), has a permanent collection of 1,050,000 items, with many precious and rare artifacts not to be found in museums anywhere else in China or the Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 4 -

Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 5 - rest of the world. Among the most important items in the National Museum of China are the "Simuwu Ding" from the Shang Dynasty (the heaviest piece of ancient bronzeware in the world, at 832.84 kg), the square shaped Shang Dynasty bronze zun decorated with four sheep heads, a large and rare inscribed Western Zhou Dynasty bronze water pan, a gold-inlaid Qin Dynasty bronze tally in the shape of a tiger, Han Dynasty jade burial suits sewn with gold thread, and a comprehensive collection of Tang Dynasty tri-colored glazed sancai and Song Dynasty ceramics. Operation hours: Tuesday - Sunday: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Address: East Chang'an Street 16, Dongcheng, Beijing, China Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Coolgene. Sight description based on Wikipedia. C) Tiananmen Square (must see) The name Tiananmen Square is immediately associated with Beijing. This popular square is at the centre of the city. Tourists flock from around the world to this square that features the Tiananmen tower, Mao Zedong Memorial Hall, the Monument to the People s Heroes and the Great Hall of the People. Functionally this square was Forbidden City s front door. Constructed during the Ming Dynasty in 1417, the square was used to inform people when there was change of ruling power. The tower located to the north of the square was accessible only to the aristocrats and royal family and was not open to public until 1911 when feudal rule came to an end. Monument of People s Heroes, constructed in 1952 is the largest in China. This granite monument is located at the centre of the square. Great Hall of the People is located to the west of the square. Constructed in 1959, this hall is an impressive site where prominent diplomatic activities and political meetings are held. To the south of the square, you can find the Memorial Hall of Chairman Mao. Chairman Mao s body is kept here in a crystal coffin and decorated with flowers. National Museum of China is located to the square s eastern side. This museum showcases the country s rich history. Above the Square, flying high in the sky, you will find the majestic Chinese national flag. It is indeed Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 5 -

Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 6 - a grand moment when the flag is raised by the guard of honor. To witness this moving moment, you must be at the Square very early in the morning. Address: Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China Image Courtesy of Flickr and d'n'c D) National Centre for the Performing Arts (must see) The National Centre for the Performing Arts, colloquially described as The Giant Egg, is an arts centre containing an opera house in Beijing. If you wish to enjoy the quintessence of China, you must not miss the Beijing Opera on your trip to Beijing. Also known as the Oriental Opera, this is the biggest form of Chinese opera in existence for the past 160 years. Beijing Opera has witnessed an abundance of repertoires, opera troupes, artists and spectators through ages. Developed from the Huiban, a local drama art of the 18th century China, Beijing Opera has grown into a scenic art that integrates literature, performance, music, face-painting and aria. Ever since it came into existence, Beijing Opera has had different names such as Pingju, Daxi, Jinghuang and Jingxi. Four artistic methods namely dancing, dialogue, singing and martial art are used by the artists in Beijing Opera to present dramatic figures and plays. Male characters, known as Xiao Sheng and Lao Sheng, are the two groups of male characters in the opera. Xiao Sheng refers to beardless young men and Lao Sheng to bearded middle-aged wise men. Dan or female characters, on the other hand, are subdivided into Laodan - a senior woman, Huadan - little girls at the bottom rung of society, Zhengdan - a middle aged, strong woman, and Wudan - a female fighter. Simple settings and stage properties based on real life experiences are used in Beijing Opera performances. On your visit to Chinese capital, do not miss out the unique and interesting opera experience. Address: Haihu West Lane 30, Fengtai District, Beijing, China. Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and N509FZ Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 6 -

Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 7 - E) Imperial Ancestral Temple (must see) Located to the east of Tiananmen Square, the Imperial Ancestral Temple is also known as the Working People s Cultural Palace. It was here that the Ming and Qing dynasties offered sacrifices to Earth and Heaven. This temple was built in 1420 during the Ming dynasty ruler Yongle s reign. Covering an area of 197,000 square meters, this temple has three red walls surrounding it. As you enter through the Halberd Gate, you will be struck by the solemn and imposing central structures. The roofs of the three halls in this structure are covered with yellow glazed tiles. The Sacrificial hall is where grand sacrificial ceremonies used to be held. The sumeru, three tiered base of this hall is made of white marble. Interior of the hall looks grand with sixty eight columns made of exquisite and expensive nanmu golden silk wood. The ceiling dazzles with its gilded colored paintings and is complemented by the golden brick paved floor. On each side of the hall, you will find long, spacious corridors leading to a compound at the southern end. Here you can see exquisite stone bridges over the Golden River. In 1951, on International Labor Day, the Imperial Ancestral Temple was named the Beijing Working People s Cultural Palace. On your trip to Beijing, visit this temple that takes you right back to those ancient times. Address: Imperial Ancestral Temple, Beijing, China Image Courtesy of Flickr and Gene Zhang F) Forbidden City (must see) A trip to Beijing is incomplete without a visit to Forbidden City, the huge, majestic and best preserved imperial Chinese palace. This impressive and gorgeous palatial structure is the very epitome of splendid architecture. Forbidden City in fact showcases the essence of traditional architecture of this country. This Palace Museum houses precious historical and cultural relics of China. In 1961, it was listed by the Chinese central government as a historical monument to be specially preserved. Forbidden City was declared by UNESCO as World Cultural Heritage in 1987. Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 7 -

Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 8 - This palace is listed along with four others as the five most important palaces in the world. It was home to 21 Ming and Qing dynasty emperors between 1368 and 1911. In keeping with the traditional beliefs, the palace was constructed to resemble the Purple Palace in heaven, believed to be the residence of God. Entry for ordinary people was forbidden and hence the name Forbidden City. This palace is built over an area of 72 hectares. There are 8704 rooms, 980 buildings and 90 palaces with a total of 150,000 square meter total floor space. Structures including the palace and all the gates of the Forbidden City are arranged around Beijing s south-north central axis. A ten meter high wall encloses this complex of 3,430 meter circumference. The moment you reach this impressive complex, you will be stunned by the magnificence of the four watchtowers at each corner and the moat that acted as the first line of defense. Address: Forbidden City, Beijing, China Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Kallgan G) The Palace Museum (must see) Enjoying the distinction of being the largest museum in China, The Palace Museum is located at the centre of the city of Beijing. It is also referred to as the Purple Forbidden City in Chinese and was a royal palace for at least twenty four emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Spanning an area of 720,000 square meters, the museum contains a number of ancient halls grouped architecturally. The Forbidden City has more than 9000 rooms and 70 halls of various sizes. Architecturally, the buildings are constructed in such a manner that they line up precisely and look completely imposing reflecting the unique Chinese architectural style. The Palace Museum or Forbidden City is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site since 1987. At least eight million tourists visit this museum every year to view the vast gardens, extensive collection of treasures and interesting pavilions. The Palace Museum was built by Yongle of Ming Dynasty between 1406 and 1420 when he shifted the capital to Beijing from Nanjing. 24 Ming and Qing Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 8 -

Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 9 - emperors lived here till the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911. The Palace Museum was opened to the public in 1925 displaying a well organized exhibit that featured over a million treasures. You can take the help of audio guides available at the Meridian Gate to ensure that you do not miss out any part of this exciting palace. Operation hours: April 1 October 31: 8:30 am 5:00 pm; November 1 March 31: 8:30 am 4:30 pm Address: Palace Museum, Forbidden City, Beijing, China Image Courtesy of Flickr and ehnmark H) Wangfujing Street (must see) Wangfujing Street is a very popular street in Beijing. This street is 1500 meters long and is well known for its combination of commerce, culture, modernity and tradition. Starting from the East Changan Street, Wangfujing Street extends to the China Art Museum. On Wangfujing Street you can find a symbolically restored ancient well after which the street was named. Some of the prominent tourist attractions close to the street include the Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. As you walk around this charming and attractive street, enjoy browsing around the 200 odd shops. Some of the most popular shopping spots here include Wangfujing Book Store, Beijing Department Store, Sun Dong An Market and Donghuamen Night Fair. The Catholic Church on this street was originally built in 1905. This church was refurbished in 2000 and today stands in all its glory lit by bright lights. There are many luxury hotels around Wangfujing Street where tourists prefer to stay. Some of the popular hotels include The Grand Hotel Beijing, Beijing Hotel, Taiwan Hotel, Peace Hotel, Palace Hotel and Tianlun Dynasty Hotel. A visit to this street is a must on your trip to Beijing. Shop to your heart s content for exclusive Chinese artifacts and enjoy delicious food at any of the fine dining restaurants here. Address: Wangfujing Street, Beiging, China Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 9 -