Landmark Structures in Beijing

1. Forbidden City

The Forbidden City is the largest and most magnificent cluster of ancient buildings in China. It is a great achievement of Chinese architecture. Built between 1406 and 1420 during the Ming Dynasty, it was residence to two dynasties of emperors, the Ming and the Qing. From the palace the emperors governed China. The construction of the Forbidden City symbolized the supremacy of emperors.

2. Ming Tombs

This is an imperial tomb site where 13 Ming emperors were buried. The Dingling Tomb is the second-largest tomb, and it is the first of the 13 tombs to be excavated and opened to the public. It is an example of a typical imperial tomb.

3.Summer Palace

Located in a northwestern suburb of Beijing, the Summer Palace is an immense park containing some Chinese traditional architecture and arts. It was built and served as a royal garden during the Qing Dynasty. It exhibits the quintessence of the Chinese classical landscape gardening. The halls, the pavilions, the corridors, the pagodas, the bridges and the water were elaborately arranged. The long Corridor is one of the most exquisite structures in the garden. It is over 700 meters long and decorated with thousands of Chinese traditional paintings.

4. Tiantan (The Temple of Heaven)

The perfection of Ming architecture, Tiantan now symbolizes Beijing. It was considered highly sacred ground and it was here that the Ming and Qing emperors performed the major ceremonial rites of the year.

5. The Great Wall

The Great Wall stretches from Shanhaiguan Pass on the east coast of the Bohai Sea to Jiayuguan Pass in the West Bobi Desert, crossing five provinces and two autonomous regions. The undertaking was begun 2,000 years ago during the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC), when China was unified under Emperor Qin Shihuang. Separate sections of the walls, constructed by independent kingdoms during the Warring States period to keep out marauding nomads, were linked up.

6. Confucius Temple

The Confucius Temple was first built in the Yuan Dynasty (1302 AD). It is the largest in China after the one at Qufu in East China's Shandong Province. This magnificent group of buildings shows the importance of Confucius and his philosophy.