|
|
Day One
Home » China » Beijing - Three Day Itinerary » Day OneSpend day one exploring Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. They are next door to one another, which is practical considering Beijing’s horrific traffic and the challenge it can be to travel across town at certain times of the day.
If you are an early riser, try catching the flag-raising ceremony in Tiananmen Square, which occurs every morning at dawn. Once the ritual is complete, you can begin to explore the square. Its massive size alone will overwhelm you. It is the world’s largest public square and can hold 300,000 individuals at peak capacity. In the center of the square stands the 124-foot tall Monument to the People’s Heroes, a granite obelisk erected in 1958. The monument is engraved with scenes from famous uprisings and displays the phrase “the people’s heroes are immortal,” in the handwriting of Chairman Mao himself.
To see the entombed leader, head to Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum, just past the monument. Other sites on the square include the Great Hall of the People, the Museum of the Chinese Revolution, and the Museum of Chinese History. None of these sites would quality as “must-see” Beijing attractions, but certainly take the time to pop your head in if the subject matter is of interest to you.
When you are finished taking in the sites at Tiananmen Square, continue north to Beijing’s jewel, the Forbidden City. It stands at the city’s geographic center, with everything else radiating out from it. It is a massive complex of red-walled buildings and pavilions that will boggle your mind. It is the largest palace complex in the world, boasting 9,999 rooms at its largest (though that number is based on an Eastern method of counting where spaces between columns can count as individual rooms; Western counting yields 980 rooms).
The Forbidden City is currently under a massive $75-million dollar renovation scheduled for completion in two phases. The first phase will be finished in time for the 2008 Summer Olympics, while the second phase will not wrap up until 2020. But, there are still many wonderful areas to visit, despite the fact that some are closed to the public for now.
Admission to the palace is a modest $8.00 in the summer ($5 in the winter), which is a bargain for how much time you will spend ogling the sites. Audio tours are available for a small fee to guide you through the palace, or you can hire an English-speaking guide.
The most popular portion of the palace begins at the Qianqing Men (Gate of Heavenly Purity). The gate leads into the Inner Court, where only the emperor and his family, concubines, and palace eunuchs were allowed. Beyond the Inner Court is the Quinquig Gong (Palace of Heavenly Purity) where the Emperors lived until 1720. Next are the Jiaotai Dian (Hall of Union) and the Kunning Gong (Palace of Earthly Tranquility). The Imperial Garden lies in the back.
Other interesting portions of the palace complex include the Zhenbao Guan (Hall of Jewelry), where you can view all 25 of the Qing Imperial Seals. The Yangxin Dian (Hall of Mental Cultivation), southwest of the Imperial Garden, is where the family moved when they left the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Other notable sites include the Hall of Clocks and the Nine Dragon Screen.
Allow yourself several hours to tour the complex. You could spend days here, so pace yourself to make sure you see all the major sites.
Related Beijing - Three Day Itinerary Articles