Beijing - A City Portraying Centuries’ History(251 views)

Release date:2010-08-17 15:55:51

Beijing city is noted for its remarkable development by giving a respectful space for its history. The capital city is dotted with plenty of ancient buildings that speak about its long history to its visitors. Imperial palaces, city walls, gates, towers, temples etc maintained in excellent condition itself shows the country’s respect to its ancestors. In Chinese, Bei means north and Jing means capital making Beijing a capital city for many dynasties. Beijing was also one among the four ancient capitals of China.

If you want to experience the real oriental culture, Beijing offers the best in China. The main attractions well-known to the world are the Great Wall of China, Tianmen Square, and the Forbidden City.

The Great Wall of China, one among the ancient wonders of the world is the only thing that can be seen from the outer space. Centuries ago this great wall was built with a definite purpose of national security. Those who built it then would not have thought how popular it would become for the later generations. A great deal of construction materials and manpower consisting of local people, soldiers, prisoners were used for building this huge wall. The crenel stone that was used to construct the great wall was laid with calculated accuracy to withstand time, nature and most importantly foreign attacks. If climbing the great wall is a hard experience even today then you can imagine how hard the construction would have been then. According to the Chinese history, there was no great wall earlier but only different sections of wall built by three different states such as Yan, Zhao, and Qin. Later the Emperor Qing Shihuang joined all the sections of the wall in order to prevent attacks from Huns. The Great Wall now stands proudly as a monument of Chinese unity and strength against outside invaders. There are different sections of great wall such as Badaling Great Wall, Huanghuacheng, Simatai, Mutianyu, Gubeikuo and Jiankou that can satisfy different types of travelers. The Badaling Great Wall is the most frequented section of the great wall and it houses military facilities. It is always crowded especially during peak seasons. Travelers who prefer lesser crowd can visit beautiful Mutianyu Great Wall. Gubeikuo and Simatai sections remain as same as it was after construction and is well- maintained. Huanghuacheng and Jiankou sections of the great wall with steep peaks and riskier paths are a good choice for adventure lovers.

Tianmen Square with an area of 440,000 square meters is the largest square in the world where many significant events in Chinese history took place. The Square mainly serves as a ground for meetings, parades, and even for protests. Tianmen Square that was built in 1651 was enlarged to its current size in 1958. There is an important gate called Tianmen Gate near the Square. Named as 'Ming Gate' during Ming Dynasty and 'Qing Gate' during Qing Dynasty, it is a ceremonial gate with three arches similar to the characteristics of Ming tombs. Tianmen Square is bordered by Tianmen Gate to the north and Qianmen Gate to the south; the Great Hall of People to the west and National Museum of China to the east. It is in the Tianmen Square where mausoleum of Mao Zedong is situated. The most famous events square witnessed are the establishment of Peoples Republic of China by Mao Zedong on 1 October 1949, anniversary of Peoples Republic of China in 1999, Tianmen Square Protest in 1976 and Tianmen Square Protest in 1989. Tianmen Square Protest in 1989 led to the massacre of Chinese protesters and caught world-wide attention. A monument called Monument of Peoples' Heroes built in 1958 can also be seen on this controversial ground. Tianmen Square is often crowded with visitors despite of hot or cold climate. The flag- hoisting ceremony held every morning before sunrise should not be missed.

The Forbidden City is an excellent example of art, architecture, culture and lifestyle of royalty that lived centuries ago. The construction of the Forbidden City that started in 1406 was finished in 1420. Walking down the stone- carved steps, alleys, buildings where many Emperors of Ming and Qing Dynasties lived is a good experience. In ancient time Emperors were seen as the proxy of God and hence the city is modeled after God's supposed- to- be residence in Heaven. Due to its importance it is forbidden to commoners and got the name Forbidden City. The Forbidden City is one of the famous palace and also the best preserved palatial complex in the world. The 72 hectares of land consisting plenty of rooms, palaces, courtyards, gardens, temple etc is protected by ten- meter high wall and is surrounded by six- meter deep moat. It is indeed a city with all the requirements but enjoyed only by the royal family and palace staff. Yellow being the color of royalty, is the theme mainly seen everywhere from roof tiles to other adornments. The art and architecture of the Forbidden City is a fine example for the construction excellence and wisdom of the ancient Chinese. The Forbidden City otherwise known as the Palace Museum also displays ornaments, royal robes, and other valuable things from that time. The beautiful gardens with rockeries, ponds and pavilions throw light to the artistic minds of the ancient Chinese.
Beijing's ancient buildings and their stories continue to charm and lure travelers from around the world and it remains as the most favorite tourist destination.

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