As the capital of the People's Republic of China, Beijing is located
in northern China, close to Tianjin Municipality and partially surrounded
by Hebei Province. The city covers an area of more than 16,410 square
kilometers (6336 square miles) and has a population of 14.93 million
people.
Beijing is a city with four distinct seasons. Its best is late
spring and autumn. But autumn is taken as the golden tourist season
of the year since there is sometimes in the spring of recent years,
a yellow wind. We suggest tourists visit Beijing during the months
of May, September, and October when people can enjoy bright sunshine
and blue skies. An abundance of international class performances
are presented in May. If you like winter, you will have other chances
to appreciate another landscape of Beijing. After skiing in Beihai
and viewing the snowy sights on West Hill, enjoying the steaming
hotpot is the best choice, which is really the fun of tour in Beijing.
Please keep warm and remember to bring your down garments and sweaters
when you visit Beijing in the winter.
How can one city boast so many phenomenal places? Beijing's long
and illustrious history started some 500,000 years ago. It is here
that the ancestors of modern Homo sapiens, Peking men, lived in
caves. Records show that Beijing has been an inhabited city for
more than three thousand years and has endured invasions by warlords
and foreign powers, devastating fires, the rise and fall of powerful
imperial dynasties and has emerged each time as a strong and vibrant
city. For more than 800 years, Beijing was a capital city - from
the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368) to the Ming (1368 - 1644) and Qing
(1644 - 1911) dynasties. Thirty-four emperors have lived and ruled
the nation in Beijing and it has been an important trading city
from its earliest days.
Although now Beijing is a modern and fashionable city complete
with a full 21st Century vitality, you can experience authentic
Beijing life and become acquainted with 'old Beijing' by exploring
its many teahouses, temple fairs, Beijing's Hutong and Courtyard
and enjoy the Peking Opera. Add any or all of these to your Beijing
tour and you will leave with a feeling of special appreciation in
your heart for this ancient city that has truly seen it all and
tells its story with matchless grace, charm and vigor.
With the biggest central square in the world - Tian'anmen Square,
the Forbidden City that is the largest and best-preserved imperial
palace complex, a superbly preserved section of the Great Wall,as
well as the largest sacrificial complex in the world - the Temple
of Heaven, Beijing attracts both domestic and foreign visitors who
all come to wonder at its century-old history and unique cultural
relics.
Dwelling too much on the historical past of Beijing may give tourists
the false impression that it is little more than an ancient city
in style but this is definitely not so! Strolling around Beijing,
you'll find it has much in common with any other great metropolis
elsewhere in today's world. There are towering skyscrapers; busy
shopping malls and an endless stream of traffic that makes the city
much the same as others. The most famous and popular commercial
circles and commercial pedestrian streets are predominantly located
near the Yansha Shopping Mall, Tiananmen and Wangfujing Street,
Guomao Shopping Mall, Qianmen Street and Xidan Street, etc. However,
although you will find multinational chains with their own brands
to offer, nowhere else on earth will you find such a variety of
gourmet Chinese restaurants offering the very best of the eight
different styles of Chinese cuisine as well as western style dishes.
Modern hotels abound, each offering the highest standards of service
and convenience.
After a day's Beijing tours, nighttime can hold other surprises
for you. These can vary from traditional performances such as the
Beijing Opera, acrobatics and martial arts to modern ones including
concerts, ballroom dancing, pubs and clubs. Each and every one has
its individual enchantment for the tourist. No description of our
capital city is complete without mention of the friendly people
who throng the streets. Everywhere you will encounter smiling faces
and a warm welcome, especially from the children who love to say
'Hello!' All these things add up to truly make your visit a cultural
experience of a lifetime.
Beijing is one of the four ancient cities of China (together with
Xian, Luoyang, Nanjing), the best preserved, and famous around the
world. Beijing is also known as a cradle of humanity. As early as
700,000 years ago, Peking Man lived in Zhoukoudian area of Beijing.
Beijing City was established over 3,000 years ago and was called
Jin City in the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century BC - 771 BC).
Ever since Emperor Qin united China in 221 BC, Beijing has played
an important role in north China. It was the capital city in the
Liao (916-1125), Jin (1115-1234), Yuan (1271-1368), Ming (1368-1644)
and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. During these 800 years, 34 emperors
lived and ruled here. The world renowned Forbidden City was built
during this period. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, World War I
broke out. Beijing became the focus of invaders. The war disrupted
the society. Many residences of royal families were robbed and burned
down. After that, the whole country was reduced to the status of
semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. It wasn’t until October 1st,
1949 that the People’s Republic of China was founded. Beijing is
known as the capital city of the prosperous new country which has
flared into importance in Asia.
Brief Intro: Changping District, one of the 11 plan-to-establish
new cities, is the high-tech and science base of Beijing.
Location: Northwest of Bejing, joining point of the Taihang Mountain
and Mt. Yanshan
Geography: It is located in a connection area of plains and mountain.
The latter in the northwest, occupy about 59% of the whole area.
Area: 1,344 sq kms (519 sq miles)
Population: 829,000
Administrative Division: 2 Municipal Streets (Chengbei and Chengnan);
15 Towns (Nankou, Machikou, Shahe, Huilongguan, Dongxiaokou, Yangfang
Xiaotangshan, Nanshao, Cuicun, Baishan, Beiqijia, Xingshou, Changling,
Liucun and Shisanling)
Postal Code: 102200
Dialing Code: 010
Local Highlights: high-tech, sports venue, universities, agricultural
science and hot springs
Local Products: apples and strawberries
Cultural and Historical Sites: Juyongguan Pass, Ming Tombs, Yinshan
Silver Pagoda Forest, Yanshou Temple, Heping Temple, Shenlu Park
Scenic Spots: Gouya Scenic Area, Duijiuyu Scenic Area, Mt. Dayangshan
Scenic Area, Tianlongtan Scenic Area, Huyu Scenic Area, Mt. Mangshan
National Forest Park, Tianchi Scenic Area
Amusement: Snow World Ski Park, Ming Emperors' Waxwork Palace, Beijing
International Golf Club, China North International Shooting Range,
Jiulong Amusement Park, Beijing Crocodile Farm
Museums: China Tank Museum, China Aviation Museum
Special Tours: Xiaotangshan Hot Springs, Xiaotangshan Modern Agricultural
Park and another 50 folk cultural tourism villages.
Acting as the north gate of Beijing, Changping District is one
of the most important transportation junctions of the city. National
highways, ring roads and light rail transit conveniently connect
Changping with its neighboring cities and counties. Its science,
education, culture civilization and tourism industry are well developed.
Star level hotels, travel agencies, tourist restaurants and shopping
sites provide a good tourism environment for visitors. In addition,
the qualifying event for the cycling section of the 2008 Olympic
Triathlon will be held around the Ming-tomb Reservoir.
High-tech Parks: Zhong Guan Cun Science Park Changping Sector, Zhongguancun
Life Science Park
Famous Universities: China University of Political Science and Law,
China University of Petroleum, North China Electric Power University,
Beijing University of Chemical Technology
Useful Numbers
Tourist Information: 010-89740051
Tourist Complaints: 010-69704656
Consumer Complaints: 010-69744996
Taxi Complaints: 010-68351150
Ambulance: 010-69742549
Traffic Accidents: 010-69742627
Other Numbers
Brief Intro: Daxing District abounds in greenery and is famous
for its ecological agriculture and tourism.
Location: south suburb of Beijing
Geography: mainly plains
Area: 1,031 sq kms (398 sq miles)
Population: 566,000
Administrative Division: Municipal Streets (Xingfeng, Linxiaolu,
Qingyuan), 4 Municipal Areas (Jizhuang, Huangcun, Jiugong, Xihongmen),
10 Towns (Qingyundian, Caiyu, Anding, Lixian, Yufa, Panggezhuang,
Beizang, Weishanzhuang, Changziying, Yinghai)
Two 'Satellite' Towns: Huangcun and Jizhuang
Postal Code: 102600
Dialing Code: 010
Local Highlights: ecological agriculture and tourism
Local Products: edible chrysanthemum, watermelon, mulberry
Amusement: Dongfangqishi Horse Riding Paradise, Beijing Fishing
Park, Youlong Chinese Culture Park, Jingcheng Golf Club, Beijing
Wild Animals Zoo, Beiputuo Film City
Museums: China Printing Museum, Beijing Elk Museum
Ecological Rural Tours: Mulberry Garden in Anding Town, Beijing
New Concept Pear Flower Garden in Panggezhuang Town, Liuminying
Village Holiday Resort in Changziying Town, Grape Garden in Caiyu
Town
Huangcun Town is an important transportation center of Daxing District.
Four railways connect there, providing quite easy access to Beijing,
Tianjin, Shanghai and other cities. In addition, city bus lines
such as No.366, No.901, No.410, No.937, No.957 and No.962 shuttle
from Beijing urban area directly to Daxing. More than 50 highways
in the district form a convenient communication net extending to
every corner of the area.
Brief Intro: Dongcheng District is the heart of Beijing; the cultural,
political and commercial center of the city.
Location: east of Beijing, southwest to Chaoyang District, north
to Chongwen District, east to Xicheng District
Area: 25.38 sq kms (9.80 sq miles)
Population: 612,000
Administrative Division: 10 Municipal Districts (Dong Hua Men, Jing
Shan, Jiao Dao Kou, An Ding Men, Bei Xin Qiao, Dong Si, Chao Yang
Men, Jian Guo Men, Dong Zhi Men, He Ping Li )
Postal Code: 100010
Dialing Code: 010
Historical Sites: Ancient Observatory, Bell and Drum Towers, Imperial
Palace, Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) City Wall Site, Temple of Earth,
Tiananmen Square
Hutongs and Courtyards: Guoxiang Hutong, Ma Huitang Garden, Mao'er
Hutong, Shijin Garden, Keyuan Garden, Yu'er Hutong
Old Residences of Famous Chinese People: Mao Zedong's Old Residence,
Sun Yat-sen's Old Residence, Lao She's Old Residence, Mao Dun's
Old Residence
Temples: Songzhu and Zhizhu Temple, Temple of Confucius, Tongjiao
Temple, Dongsi Mosque, Zhihua Temple
Brief Intro: Fangshan, one of the four 'satellite cities' of Beijing,
is a town of architecture, mineral resources, trees and fruits as
well as tourism spots in suburban Beijing.
Location: southwest of Beijing
Geography: mountains, highlands and plains
Area: 2,019 sq kms (780 sq miles)
Population: 870,000
Administrative Division: 8 Municipal Streets (Chengguan, Xinzhen,
Xiangyang, Dongfeng, Yingfeng, Xingcheng, Gongchen, Xilu), 3 Municipal
Districts (Liangxiang, Zhoukoudian, Liulihe), 11 Towns (Yancun,
Doudian, Shilou, Changyang, Hebei, Changgou, Dashiwo, Zhangfang,
Shidu, Qinglonghu, Hancunhe), 6 Counties (Xiayunling, Nanjiao, Fozizhuang,
Daanshan, Shijiaying, Puwa)
Postal Code: 102400
Dialing Code: 010
Local Highlights: profound history and amazing scenic spots
Local Products: Mopan persimmon, white marble
Cultural and Historical Sites: Zhoukoudian Peking Man Site Yunju
Temple, Yan Capital Site of Western Zhou Dynasty (11 century BC-
711 BC), Zhangfang Ancient Plank Road, 107 ancient pagodas of many
dynasties
Karst Caves: Shihua Cave, Yinhu Cave, Xianqi Cave, Tangren Cave,
Longxian Cave, Yunshui Cave
Scenic Areas: Shidu, Baicaopan, Mt. Shangfang National Forest Park,
Qinglong Lake, Mt. Shenglian
Amusement Resorts: Juma Paradise, Jinghui Golf, Yaoshang Countryside
Golf, Haotian Amusement Park, Tianlong Hunting Center, Bofeng Green
Island Ecological Garden
Rural Folk Custom Villages: Hancunhe, Tangshang, Qidu, Xihe, Xizhuang,
Baoshui, Zhangfang, Simatai, Jiudu, Banbidian, Dongganchi, Beiganchi,
Sishangmin, Mujiakou, Shangshibu, Changyang Grape Orchard, Dashiwo
Chinese Dates Orchard, Liulihe Pear Orchard
Brief Intro: Fengtai District is one of the four suburb districts
of Beijing. It is the interflow center of goods in southwest Beijing,
as well as a historical and cultural tourism destination.
Location: southwest of Beijing, neighboring Chaoyang, Chongwen,
Xuanwu, Shijingshan, Fangshan District and Daxing County
Geography: mountains in the west, plains in the east
Area: 304 sq kms (117 sq miles)
Population: 974,000
Administrative Division: 16 Municipal Streets (Fengtai, Changxindian,
Nanyuan, Dongtieying, Youanmen, Xiluoyuan, Donggaodi, Lugouqiao,
Taipingqiao, Xincun, Yungang, Heyi, Majiabu, Dahongmen, Fangzhuang,
Wanping), 3 Municipal Counties (Lugouqiao, Huaxiang, Nanyuan), 2
Towns (Changxindian, Wangzuozhen)
Postal Code: 100071
Dialing Code: 010
Local Highlights: revolutionary tourism spots ('red tourism')
Red Tourism Spots: Lugou Bridge, Wanping City, Changxindian February
7th Revolutionary Site, Memorial Museum of Chinese People's Anti-Japanese
War, Memorial Statue Garden of Chinese People's Anti-Japanese War
Historical Sites: Shuiguan Ancient City Site, Dabaotai Western Han
Dynasty Tomb Museum, Lotus Pool, Zhengang Pagoda, Nangangwa Bridge
Famous Parks: Beijing World Park, Qinglonghu Park, Yingshan Forest
Park, World Flowers Park, World Terrestrial Heat Park
Brief Intro: Huairou, the 'Back Garden of Beijing', is the most
famous holiday resort in suburban Beijing.
Location: northeast of Beijing, neighboring Shunyi and Changping
District, Yanqing County and Chicheng, Fengning, Luanping County
in Hebei Province.
Geography: a narrow strip from high north to low south, with mountains
and plains mixed.
Area: 2,128.7 sq kms (827.9 sq miles)
Population: 273,000
Administrative Division: 2 Municipal Streets (Quanhe, Longshan);
3 Municipal Districts (Huairou, Yanqi, Miaocheng); 9 Towns (Beifang,
Yangsong, Qiaozi, Huaibei, Tanghekou, Bohai, Jiuduhe, Liulimiao,
Baoshan); 2 Manchu Towns (Changshaoying, Labagoumen)
Postal Code: 101400
Dialing Code: 010
Local Highlights: one of the earliest areas to develop rural tourism
in Beijing
fresh water reserve area of Beijing
one of the most important film bases in northern China
Local Products: Chinese chestnut, ginseng, small red bean, sturgeon,
salty duck egg, Hometown Sausage and Hongluo Preserved Fruit, replicated
ancient china wares
Special Tours: Fruit Picking (in season), Rural Tour, Great Wall
Tour
Scenic Spots: Mutianyu Great Wall, Huanghuacheng Great Wall, Longtanjian
Natural Scenic Spot, Yougu Shentan Natural Scenic Spots, Mt. Linlong,
Xiangshui Lake Scenic Spot, Tianchi Canyon, Lantian Pasture, Eden
Happiness Forest
Holiday Resorts: Qinglong Gorge, Mt. Wofo, Tianhua Cave, Hongluo
Temple
Amusement Parks: Primitive Tribe Park, Yanqi Lake Park, Beijing
Huairou Internation Ski Run, Caribbean Lagoon WaterPark
Picking Gardens: Huisheng Picking Garden, Lvhu Picking Garden, Chinese
Dates Garden in Qiaozi Town
Rural Tour Villages:
Beizhai Customs' House in Huairou area
Weidian Village in Bohai Town
Dongyu Village in Liulimiao Town
Baichazi Folk Culture Village in Liulimiao Town
Changshaoying Manchu Town
Labagoumen Manchu Town
Annual Local Tourism Festivals:
Hongluo Temple Flower Admiring Festival: April 15th - May 15th
Mutianyu Great Wall Flower Admiring Festival: April 15th - May 15th
Yanqi Lake Spring Outing Fair: May 1st - May 7th
Hongluo Temple Red Maple Admiring Festival: middle of October
Yanqi Lake National Day Festival: October 1st - October 5th
Mutianyu Great Wall Red Maple Admiring Festival: September to October
Huairou Golden Autumn Picking Festival: September 15th - October
30th
Huairou Tourism & Drink Culture Festival: April 20th - April
22nd
Hongluo Temple Fair: January 1st - January 5th in Chinese lunar
calendar
Brief Intro: Mentougou District is a historically revolutionary
area of Beijing. It has profound history and abundant tourism resources.
Location: west of Beijing, neighboring Haidian, Shijingshan, Fangshan,
Fengtai, Changping districts and Laishui, Zhuolu counties in Hebei
Province.
Geography: mainly mountains, high in the northwest and low in the
southeast
Area: 1,455 sq kms (562 sq miles)
Population: 238,000
Administrative Division: 4 Municipal Streets (Dayu, Chengzi, Dongxinfang,
Datai); 1 Municipal Area (Wangping); 8 Towns (Tanzhesi, Yongding,
Longquan, Junzhuang, Yanchi, Zhaitang, Qingshui, Miaofengshan)
Postal Code: 102300
Dialing Code: 010
Local Highlights: revolutionary tourism (red tourism), rural tourism
and mountain scenery
Local Products: Jingbai pear, Gai persimmon, big cherry and walnut
Red Tourism: Pingxi Anti-Japanese War Base in Zhaitangchuan Village,
Exhibition Hall of Zhaitangchuan Revolutionary History, Wanping
Anti-Japanese Martyrs Monument
Scenic Spots: Mt. Baihua, Mt. Lingshan, Mt. Miaofeng, Yongding River
Temples: Tanzhe Temple, Jietai Temple, Xifeng Temple
Fruits Picking Gardens: Fairy Deer and Peach Garden, Weidian Fruits
Garden, Green Inlet and Red Persimmon Garden, East Mountain Pear
Blossom Garden, Muchuan Fushi Apple Garden, Linggui Golden Apple
Garden, Miaofeng Cherry Garden, Fairy Pond and Bird Garden, Lingyan
Ecological Garden
Folk Custom Villages: Jiangshuihe, Hongshuikou, Bamuyan, Cuandixia,
Jiuyuan, Dongmagezhang, Pingyuan, Zhaojiatai, Lingjiao, Jian'gou
Local Tourism Festivals
Beijing Mt. Baihua Forest Tourism Festival: from July to October
each year
Mt. Lingshan Tibetan Custom Festival: in July each year
More than 20 city bus routes shuttle from Beijing urban area to
Mentougou. The Apple Orchard Subway Station is where buses to every
village of Mentougou start. In addition, there are national highways,
railways and eight tourism bus lines. All provide quite convenient
transportation way for visitors. For dinning, Donglaishun Instant
Boiled Mutton can not be missed.
Useful Numbers
Tourist Consultation: 010-69836677
Tourist Complaint: 010-69843710
Consumer Complaint: 010-69844940
Ambulance: 010-69842951
Other Numbers
Miyun Travel Guide
Brief Intro: Miyun, a suburban county of Beijing, has a beautiful
natural environment and a rich history.
Location: northeast of Bejing, at the junction of the North China
Plain and Yanshan Mountain, neighboring Pinggu, Shunyi and Huairou
districts and Luanping, Chengde, Xinglong counties in Hebei Province
Geography: Mountains in the north, east and west; Miyun Reservoir
in the middle; plains in the southwest
Area:2,226.5 sq kms (860 sq miles)
Population: 425,000
Administrative Division: 2 Municipal Streets (Gulou, Guoyuan); 17
Towns (Miyun, Xiwongzhuang, Xitiange, Shilibu, Henanzhai, Jugezhuang,
Mujiayu, Taishitun, Gaoling, Bulaotun, Fengjiayu, Gubeikou, Dachengzi,
Dongshaoqu, Beizhuang, Xinchengzi, Shicheng); 1 Ethnic Minority
Groups Area (Tanying Manchu and Mongolian Area)
Postal Code: 101500
Dialing Code: 010
Local Highlights: fishing culture, natural beauty and rural tours
Local Arts: Talking and Singing Band with Five Different Musical
Instruments (Wuyin Da Gu), Butterfly Dance (Hudie Hui)
Local Products: mulberry, persimmon, plum and chestnut
Cultural and Historical Sites: Simatai Great Wall, Gubeikou Cultural
Relic Tourism Town
Scenic Spots: Mt. Yunmeng National Forest Park, Mt. Wuling, Mt.
Longyun, Black Dragon Pool, Top Waterfall of Beijing, Nine Waterfall
Eighteen Pool Scenic Area, Yunxiu Valley Scenic Area, Qinglianggu
Scenic Area, Jiudaowan Grand Canyon, Jinglinggu Valley, Mt. Yunfo
Grand Karst Caves, Taoyuanxiangu Scenic Area
Amusements: Nanshan Ski Resort, Mt.Yunfo Ski Resort, Beijing Aolei
International Outdoor Sports Club
Folk Custom Towns: Xiwongzhuang, Taishitun, Gubeikou, Xinchengzi,
Shicheng
Harvest Festivals:
Golden Spring Chestnut Festival: September 18th - October 18th (Black
Dragon Pool)
Mt. Yunmeng Fruits Picking Festival: September 1st - October 20th
(Mt. Yunmeng National Forest Park)
Jiudaowan Grand Canyon Autumn Picking Festival: September 15th -
October 31st (Jiudaowan Grand Canyon)
Taoyuanxiangu Picking Festival: September 15th - October 23rd (Taoyuanxianggu
Scenic Area)
Qinglianggu Picking Festival: September 1st - October 31st (Qinglianggu
Scenic Area)
Miyun has developed transportation facilities in recent years.
From Beijing Dongzhimen, there are city buses running directly to
Xiwongzhuang and Taishitun towns. From Miyun County to its mountain
area towns, there are also shuttle buses. Twelve county ring roads
and other highways to the neighboring districts provide convenient
transport routes for visitors. More than 50 high rated restaurants
and holiday resort villages, 20 star rated hotels and thousands
of folk custom houses provide a sound service for travelers. For
dining, the famous Shuiku Yu (fish in Miyun Reservoir) and various
peasant dishes are a must.
Useful Numbers
Tourist Consultation: 010-69027774
Consumer Complaint: 010-69057315
Other Numbers
Pinggu Travel Guide
Brief Intro: Pinggu District, 'China's Hometown of Peach', is one
of the main agricultural bases in Beijing.
Location: northeast of Beijing, neighboring Miyun County, Shunyi
District and boarding Sanhe of Hebei Province.
Geography: flat plain encircled with mountains which occupies two
thirds of the whole district
Area: 1,075 sq kms (415 sq miles)
Population: 395,000
Administrative Division: 2 Municipal Streets (Bin He and Xing Gu);
4 Municipal Districts (Yu Yang, Yu Kou, Ma Fang and Jin Hai Hu);
10 Towns (Dong Gao Cun, Shan Dong Zhuang, Nan Du Le He, Da Hua Shan,
Ma Ge Zhuang, Ma Chang Ying, Wang Xin Zhuang, Da Xing Zhuang, Liu
Jia Dian and Zhen Luo Ying); 2 Folk Towns (Huang Song Yu and Xiong'er
Zhai)
Postal Code: 101200
Dialing Code: 010
Local Highlights: rural tourism, primitive folk culture and special
seasonal festivals
Local Products: agricultural products including peaches, persimmon
and seedless watermelon
souvenirs including Jinhai strange stones, Xuanyuan strange stones,
and peach duramen handicrafts
Sixteen most famous tourism spots: Shentao Peak, Taohua Hai (Sea
of Peach Flowers), Jinhai Lake, Jingdong Grand Canyon, Jingdong
Grand Karst Cave, Hudongshui Stream, Jingdong Shilin Canyon, Feilong
Valley, Xuanyuan Tai (Xuanyuan Tomb), Mt. Yahuan, Guajia Resort,
Jiangjunguan Folk Tourism Village, Bolitai Folk Tourism Village,
Laoxiang Peak, Wenfeng Pagoda, Mt. Qinglong
Special Tours: Canyon Tour, Food Base Tour, Snow and Ice Tour (in
season), Great Wall Tour, Geological Tour, Flower Admiring Tour
(in season), Fruit Picking Tour (in season), Cultural & Historical
Sites Tour and Rural Tour.
Local Festivals:
Pinggu International Peach Flower & Catharine Festival: middle
of April, around April 20th
Pinggu Summer Heat Escaping Festival: from June to September each
year
Golden Autumn Peach Picking Festival: from August to October each
year
Silver Winter Ice Tourism Festival: from December to February the
next year
Rural Tourism:
Guajiaxu Folk Culture Village, Huashan Town
Diaowo Folk Culture Village, Huangsongyu Town
Haizi Folk Culture Village, Jinhaihu Town
Huangcaowa Folk Culture Village, Jinhaihu Town
Yuzishan Folk Culture Village, Shandongzhuang Town
Dongsiling Folk Culture Village, Zhenluoying Town
Laoquankou Folk Culture Village, Xiong'erzhai Town
Brief Intro: Shijingshan is the heavy industry center, national
sports center and a major recreational venue in Beijing.
Location: west of Beijing, west part of Chang An Jie, 16 kms (10
miles) from Tian'anmen Square, neighboring Haidian, Fengtai, Mentougou
districts
Geography: plains and mountain areas
Area: 86 sq kms (33 sq miles)
Population: 350,000
Administrative Division: 10 Municipal Streets (Babaoshan, Laoshan,
Bajiao, Gucheng, Pingguoyuan, Jindingjie, Beixin'an, Guangning,
Wulituo, Lugu)
Postal Code: 100043
Dialing Code: 010
Local Highlights: Shougang Steel Group
Amusement: Shougang Steel Industry Area, Shijingshan Amusement
Park, Badachu Park, Beijing International Sculpture Park, Beijing
Shooting Range Hall
Museums: Beijing Eunuch Culture Exhibition Hall, China Quaternary
Glacier Exhibition Hall
Temples: Fahai Temple, Cheng'en Temple, Cishan Temple, Huanggu Temple,
Shifang Pujue Temple
Brief Intro: Shunyi District is Beijing's important green food
production base and agricultural science demonstration area.
Location: Northeast of Beijing, west to Pinggu District, south to
Huairou District and Miyun County, east to Changping and Chaoyang
District, north to Tongzhou District and Sanhe City in Hebei Province.
Geography: consisting mainly of plains
Area: 1,016 sq kms (392 sq miles)
Population: 562,586
Administrative Division: 3 Municipal Streets (Shengli, Guangming,
Shiyuan), 7 Municipal Areas (Renhe, Houshayu, Tianzhu, Yangzhen,
Niulanshan, Nanfaxin, Mapo), 12 Towns (Gaoliying, Liqiao, Lisui,
Nancai, Beiwu, Dasungezhuang, Zhangzhen, Longwantun, Mulin, Beixiaoying,
Beishicao, Zhaoquanying)
Postal Code: 101300
Dialing Code: 010
Local Highlights: agricultural sightseeing and holiday resort
Local Products: crabs and famous fruits including 'Xinshuanghe'
cherry, 'Jiujianpeng' pear and 'Koutoufu' grape
Agricultural Sightseeing Sites & Towns: Shunyi High Technology
Agricultural Pilot Zone, Liqiao Town, Beiwu Town, Beishicao Town
Folk Culture Tourism Villages: Jiaozhuanghu Village, Yudi Village,
Huangmuchang Village, Beilangzhong Village
Holiday Resorts: Shunxin Holiday Resort, Yishengyuan International
Congress Center, Dazhong Golf Club, Country Golf Club, Mapo Fishing
Palace, Qiaobo Indoor Skiing Resort, Lianhuashan Ski Resort
Scenic Spots: Chaobai River, Jingdong Reed Sea, Hanshiqiao Marsh,
Mt. Tangzhi Scenic Area
Historical Sites: Jiaozhuanghu Tunnel Warfare Site, Yuansheng Palace,
Qin (221 BC - 24) and Han (206 BC- 220) Ancient City Sites
Annual Local Tourism Festivals:
Shunyi Chinese Scholartree Flower Festival: May 10th - May 25th
Shunyi Yanhe Melon Picking Festival: April 28th - May 28th
Beiwu Melon and Vegetable Picking Festival: May 1st - May 25th;
September 22nd - October 22nd
Brief Intro: Tongzhou is the doorway connecting Beijing with North
and Northeast China. It is also an important agricultural base of
Beijing.
Location: Southeast of Beijing at the north end of the Grand Canal
of China, neighboring Chaoyang, Daxing and Shunyi District.
Geography: alluvial plain
Area: 912 sq kms (352 sq miles)
Population: 629,000
Administrative Division: 4 Municipal Street (Zhongcang, Xinhua,
Beiyuan, Yuqiao), 10 Towns (Yongshun, Liyuan, Songzhuang, Zhangjiawan,
Huoxian, Majuqiao, Xiji, Taihu, Yongledian, Lucheng), 1 Hui Ethnic
Minority Group Town (Yujiawu)
Postal Code: 101149
Dialing Code: 010
Local Highlights: the Grand Canal of China
Local Products: Three treasures including Fried Catfish of the Xiaolou
Restaurant, Sweetened Baked Wheaten Cake of Dashunzhai Restaurant,
Tongzhou Fermented Beancurd
Holiday Resorts: Xihaizi Park, Daying Tourism Resort, Xinghu Green
Ecological Sightseeing Garden, Canal Ecological Park, Tongshun Jockey
Club, Huatang International Golf Club
Historical Site: Great Wall of North Qi Dynasty (550-577), Imperial
Tongzhou Stone Tablet, Yongtong Bridge, Tongyun Bridge, Tongzhou
Mosque, Randeng Pagoda, Yingpan Ancient Barrack
Brief Intro: Yanqing County, the summer escape resort of suburban
Beijing, is also the agricultural base of the city.
Location: northwest of Beijing, 74 kms (46 miles) from the urban
city, neighboring Huairou, Changping districts and Huailai, Chicheng
counties in Hebei Province
Geography: a small basin with mountains in north, south and east
and Guanting Reservoir in the west
Area: 2,000 sq kms (772 sq miles)
Population: 276,000
Administrative Division: 11 Towns (Yanqing, Kangzhuang, Badaling,
Yongning, Jiuxian, Zhangshanying, Sihai, Qianjiadian, Shenjiaying,
Dayushu, Jingzhuang); 4 Municipal Shires (Dazhuangke, Liubinbu,
Xiangying, Zhenzhuquan)
Postal Code: 102100
Dialing Code: 010
Local Highlights: the Great Wall culture, ecological and rural tours
Local Products: apple and grape
Cultural and Historical Sites: Badaling Great Wall, Ancient Cliff
Cave Residence
Scenic Spots: Longqing Gorge, Kangxi Grassland, Mt. Songshan, Mt.
Yudu, Mt. Lianhua, Wild Duck Lake, Petrified Wood National Geologic
Park
Amusement: Badaling Ski Resort, Shijinglong Ski Resort, Badaling
Wild Animals Zoo, Gui River Cruise
Rural Tour: Shangmo Folk Custom Village, Lipaohong Apple Orchard
Although a small county, Yanqing has developed transportation and
communication facilities. Railways, national highways and countryside
highways form a road net. Travel from Beijing to Yanqing, takes
less than one hour. Yanqing County is the transition center of the
whole area, from where tourists can change or charter buses to other
tourism spots. Hotels ranging from four stars to two stars provide
comfortable accommodation for visitors. For dining, genuine rural
dishes made of potherbs and wild game are a must.
The Forbidden City is largest of China’s most complete existing
ancient buildings. In addition, The Great Wall of China is one of
the Eight Wonders of the world, which is said to be visible from
the moon.
In recent years, Beijing has been advancing very quickly. It will
be hosting the 2008 Olympic Games. Autumn is always the best season
to visit Beijing. In Autumn you will see the best view, because
of the cool weather and beautiful colours of the city. Come and
visit Beijing, and you will be surprised how beautiful the city
is with its past and present, and also how friendly the people of
Beijing are.
Great changes have taken place since the founding of the People's
Republic of China in 1949. The city walls were demolished to facilitate
transportation and allow for general expansion. By 2001, the population
exceeded 12.5 million, and the total municipal area was increased
to over 17,800 square kilometers. The city is presently divided
into 16 districts: Dongcheng, Xicheng, Chongwen, Xuanwu, Chaoyang,
Haidian, Shijingshan, Fengtai, Shunyi, Changping, Mentougou, Tongzhou,
Fangshan, Daxing, Huairou and Pinggu. In addition to these urban
districts, the municipality is comprised of two counties: Miyun
and Yanqing.
Plans for future development retain the symmetrical layout of the
old city on its north-south axis, extending out into the suburban
districts.
From Dingfuzhuang in the east to Shijingshan in the west and from
Qinghe in the north to Nanyuan in the south, the overall plan covers
an area of 1,000 square kilometers. A traffic network of four concentric
beltways, 28 radial roads, and underground and suburban railways
are being further developed to link the city center with outlying
areas and surrounding towns.
With Tian'anmen at the center, offices along 38-kilometer-long
Chang'an Boulevard will concentrate on state, political and economic
affairs. The areas around the Palace Museum (Imperial Palace or
Forbidden City) and city gates as well as the lakes -- Zhongnanhai,
Beihai and Housanhai -- have been designated landmark districts.
And with a look to the future, an increasing number of historical,
cultural and revolutionary sites are being renovated and opened
to the public.
The Great Wall at Badaling
The Great Wall was the greatest manmade military defense structure
in ancient China. Its construction started during Ancient Spring
and Autumn Period and the Warring Stated Period (770-221 B.C.) At
that time, walls were built by some warring states to protect their
own territories. In 221 B.C., Qin Shihuang, who became the first
emperor of a unified China, linked the separate walls into a ?°ten-thousand-li
wall?± to defend against invaders from the North. From then on,
the Great Wall was continuously extended and repaired by following
dynasties. Most of wall has deteriorated badly; at present, the
best preserved is the wall built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)).
The Ming Dynasty Wall stretches from the Yalu River in Liaoning
Province in the east to Jiayuguan Pass in Gansu Province in the
west, a length of more than 6,000 kilometers. It runs through 5
provinces, 2 autonomous regions and 2 municipalities in the Northern
China.
The Great Wall at Badaling is the best representative section of
the Great Wall. It is more than 7 meters high and 5 meters wide.
It was the strategic point of Juyongguan Pass in ancient times.
Many other fortresses and beacon towers were constructed at the
strategic points.
1. Beijing is China’s vibrant capital city. It is a combination
of ancient and modern China.
2. Beijing is a city with a long history and a melting pot of Chinese
ethnic culture.
3. Beijing attracts millions of tourists every year. Without doubt
one of the world’s greatest tourist attractions is the Great Wall.
4. There is a unique feeling about shopping in Beijing that cannot
be found anywhere else.
5. There are thousands of eating places in Beijing, serving more
than half a dozen different Chinese cuisines.
6. Peking Duck is the most delicious food Beijing has to offer.
7. There are changes in Beijing every day.
8. A: How about some Peking Duck?
B: Great. I love Peking Duck.
9. A: How do you like Beijing?
B: I think it’s nice place. People here are very friendly.
10. A: Where is the Silk Street?
B: It’s over there. I’d be glad to show you the way.
Beijing is a city with world fame and historical significance.
It served as the capital for the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties.
The Great Wall protects the north border of Beijing. Haidian district
is well known for imperial gardens such as the Summer Palace and
the Yuanming Palace, the Fragrant Mountain and renowned universities.
Many embassies of foreign countries locate in Chaoyang District.
The Xiushuijie Mall and Bars of Sanlitun are frequented by foreigners.
The Forbidden Palace, North Sea Garden and Jingshan Garden lie in
the inner part of Beijing. Tian An Men is the symbolic front gate
of Beijing. Famous dishes such as the roast duck can be found in
Dashilan. Liulichang Street is a must for finding treasures or antiques
and experiencing the Hutong culture. Right now, Beijing is fully
prepared to welcome the 2008 Olympic Games.
Tiananmen Square 天安门广场
Located at the center of Beijing City is Tiananmen Square, where
you can visit Tiananmen Tower, Monument to the People's Heroes,
Great Hall of the People, Mao Zedong Memorial Hall and see the national
flag raising ceremony. Thousands of people come to the Square every
day. It is the must place to visit in Beijing City.
At the north end of the Square is Tiananmen Tower. Initially built
in 1417 during the Ming Dynasty (1368 A.D.--1644 A.D.), the Square
was the front door of the Forbidden City. The most important use
of it in the past was to declare in a big ceremony to the common
people who became the emperor and who became the empress. Until
1911 when the last feudal kingdom was over, no one could enter the
Tower except for the royal family and aristocrats.
The granite Monument to the People's Heroes is just at the center
of the Tiananmen Square. Built in 1952, it is the largest monument
in China's history. " The People's Heroes are Immortal "
written by Chairman Mao is engraved on the monument. Eight unusually
large relief sculptures show to the people the development of Chinese
modern history. Two rows of white marble railings enclose the monument,
simple and beautiful.
West of the Square is the Great Hall of the People. This building,
erected in 1959, is the site of the China National People's Congress
meetings and provides an impressive site for other political and
diplomatic activities.Twelve marble posts are infront of the Hall
which has three parts--the Central Hall, the Great Auditorium and
a Banqueting Hall.The floor of the Central Hall is paved with marble
and crystal lamps hang from the ceiling. The Great Auditorium behind
the Central Hall seats 10,000. The Banqueting Hall is a huge hall
with 5,000 seats.
Mao Zedong Memorial Hall is at the south side of the Square. This
Hall is divided into three halls and our dear Chairman Mao's body
lies in a crystal coffin in one of the halls surrounded by fresh
bouquets of various famous flowers and grasses.
Another important place for the tourist to visit is the China National
Museum at the east side of the Square. It just came into existence
in 2003 and is a combination of Chinese History Museum and Chinese
Revolutionary Museum. This National Museum faces the Great Hall
of the People. Inside the Chinese Revolutionary Museum are a lot
of material objects, pictures, books and models to present the development
of modern China. The Chinese History Museum shows a large number
of cultural relics illustrating the long history and glorious culture
of China from 1,700,000 years ago to 1921 when the last emperor
left the throne.
Five Star Red Flag-the Chinese national flag, flies high in the
sky above the Square. To see the guard of honor raise the Flag is
a must for the tourist visiting Beijing City. You have to get up
very early and arrive at the Square before sunrise. Only by doing
so can you see the ceremony clearly as there are crowds of people
attending the ceremony every day.
The present Tiananmen Square has an area of 440,000 square meters
and has become a relaxing place for the common people to fly kites
and walk. On a holiday, the whole square is covered with fresh flowers.
北京紫禁城 Forbidden City
明清两代皇帝居住的宫城叫做紫禁城。紫禁城有两座，一在北京，一在南京。南京紫禁城是明太祖朱元璋和建文帝朱允缮钇鹁拥牡胤健１本┳辖蔷幼」鞔 4位皇帝和清代10位皇帝。他们在这里君临天下，统治中国491年，将近五个世纪。
这座故宫为什么称为紫禁城呢？原来，中国古代天文学说，根据对太空天体的长期观察，认为紫微星垣居于中天，位置永恒不变，是天帝所居。因而，把天帝所居的天宫谓之紫宫，有“紫微正中”之说。
封建皇帝自称是天帝的儿子，是真龙天子；而他们所居住的皇宫，被比喻为天上的紫宫。他们更希望自己身居紫宫，可以施政以德，四方归化，八面来朝，这到江山永固，以维护长期统治的目的。
明清两代的皇帝，出于维护他们自己的权威和尊严以及考虑自身的安全，所修建的皇宫，既富丽堂皇，又森严壁垒。这座城池，不仅宫殿重重，楼阁栉比，并围以10米多高的城墙和52米宽的护城河，而且哨岗林立，戒备森严。平民百姓不用说观赏一下楼台殿阁，就是看一看门额殿角，也是绝对不允许的。
明清皇帝及其眷属居住的皇宫，除了为他们服务的宫女、太监、侍卫之外，只有被召见的官员以及被特许的人员才能进入。这里是外人不能逾越雷池一步禁区。因此，明清两代的皇宫，既喻为紫宫，又是禁地，故旧称紫禁城。
北京紫禁城占地面积724250平方米，还没把护城河和护城河与城墙的绿化带计算在内。宫殿房屋建筑面积为155000平立米。紫禁城是一座长方形的城池，南北长961米，东西宽753米，四周有高10米多的城墙围绕，城墙的外沿周长为3428米（城墙外有宽52米的护城河，是护卫紫禁城的重要设施）。城墙四边各有一门，南为午门，北为神武门，东为东华门，西为西华门。城墙的四角有四座设计精巧的角楼。
北京紫禁城筹建于明成祖永乐(公元1404年～公元1424年)五年，兴建于永乐十五年至十八年。整个营造工程由侯爵陈圭督造，具体负责是规划师吴中。紫禁城位于都城正中，中轴线穿过皇城正中，也就是穿过紫禁城中三大殿、三大宫。紫禁城正门为正南门午门，午门是宫城中最高的门座，朝中大赦、献俘等重大仪式都在午门举行。其北门为神武门，东门为东华门，西门为西华门。
紫禁城作为明清两代的宫城，也分为外朝、内廷两个部分。外朝是皇帝办公的地方。举凡国家的重大活动和各种礼仪，都在外朝举行。外朝由天安门——端门——午门——太和殿——中和殿——保和殿组成的中轴线和中轴线两旁的殿阁廊庑组成。内廷是皇帝后妃生活的地方，包括中轴线上的乾清宫、交泰殿、坤宁宫、御花园和两旁的东西六宫等宫殿群组成。
Lying at the center of Beijing, the Forbidden City, called Gu
Gong, in Chinese, was the imperial palace during the Ming and
Qing dynasties. Now known as the Palace Museum, it is to the north
of Tiananmen Square. Rectangular in shape, it is the world's largest
palace complex and covers 74 hectares. Surrounded by a six meter
deep moat and a ten meter high wall are 9,999 buildings. The wall
has a gate on each side. Opposite the Tiananmen Gate, to the north
is the Gate of Devine Might (Shenwumen), which faces Jingshan
Park. The distance between these two gates is 960 meters, while
the distance between the gates in the east and west walls is 750
meters. There are unique and delicately structured towers on each
of the four corners of the curtain wall. These afford views over
both the palace and the city outside. The Forbidden City is divided
into two parts. The southern section, or the Outer Court was where
the emperor exercised his supreme power over the nation. The northern
section, or the Inner Court was where he lived with his royal
family. Until 1924 when the last emperor of China was driven from
the Inner Court, fourteen emperors of the Ming dynasty and ten
emperors of the Qing dynasty had reigned here. Having been the
imperial palace for some five centuries, it houses numerous rare
treasures and curiosities. Listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural
Heritage Site in 1987, the Palace Museum is now one of the most
popular tourist attractions world wide.
Construction of the palace complex began in 1407, the 5th year
of the Yongle reign of the third emperor of the Ming dynasty.
It was completed fourteen years later in 1420. It was said that
a million workers including one hundred thousand artisans were
driven into the long-term hard labor. Stone needed was quarried
from Fangshan, a suburb of Beijing. It was said a well was dug
every fifty meters along the road in order to pour water onto
the road in winter to slide huge stones on ice into the city.
Huge amounts of timber and other materials were freighted from
faraway provinces. Ancient Chinese people displayed their very
considerable skills in building the Forbidden City. Take the grand
red city wall for example. It has an 8.6 meters wide base reducing
to 6.66 meters wide at the top. The angular shape of the wall
totally frustrates attempts to climb it. The bricks were made
from white lime and glutinous rice while the cement is made from
glutinous rice and egg whites. These incredible materials make
the wall extraordinarily strong.
Since yellow is the symbol of the royal family, it is the dominant
color in the Forbidden City. Roofs are built with yellow glazed
tiles; decorations in the palace are painted yellow; even the
bricks on the ground are made yellow by a special process. However,
there is one exception. Wenyuange, the royal library, has a black
roof. The reason is that it was believed black represented water
then and could extinguish fire.
Nowadays, the Forbidden City, or the Palace Museum is open to
tourists from home and abroad. Splendid painted decoration on
these royal architectural wonders, the grand and deluxe halls,
with their surprisingly magnificent treasures will certainly satisfy
"modern civilians".
Temple of Heaven
资料：
北京天坛1998年11月被列入《世界遗产名录》。
天坛位于北京城南端，是明清两代皇帝祭祀天地之神和祈祷五谷丰收的地方。它的严谨的建筑布局，奇特的建筑结构，瑰丽的建筑装饰，被认为是我国现存的一组最精致，最美丽的古建筑群，天坛不仅是中国古建筑中的明珠，也是世界建筑史上的瑰宝。
天坛东西长1700米，南北宽1600米，总面积为273万平方米。天坛包括圜丘和祈谷二坛，围墙分内外两层，呈回字形。北围墙为弧圆形，南围墙与东西墙成直角相交，为方形。这种南方北圆，通称“天地墙”，象徵古代“天圆地方”之说。外坛墙东、南、北三面均没有门，只有西边修两座大门－－圜丘坛门和祈谷坛门（也称天坛门）。而内坛墙四周则有东、南、西、北四座天门。内坛建有祭坛和斋宫，并有一道东西横墙，南为圜丘坛，北为祈谷坛。
除祈谷坛和圜丘坛之外，天坛还有两组与众不同的建筑群，即斋宫和神乐署。 斋宫实际是座小皇宫，是专供皇帝举行祭祀礼前斋戒时居住的宫殿，也有城河围护。
神乐署则是隶属于礼部太常寺之下，专门负责祭祀时进行礼乐演奏的官署。它是一个常设机构，拥有数百人的乐队和舞队，平时进行排练，祭祀时负责礼乐。署衙的位置在外坛西部，与斋宫隔墙相邻，是一组标准的衙署建筑。
天坛面积辽阔，相当于紫禁城的四倍。在极小占地的建筑周围种植着苍松翠柏，深绿颜色在古代表示崇敬、追念和祈求之意。这也是在坛、庙、陵寝种植松柏的原因。
进入天坛，树木葱郁，尤其在南北轴线和建筑群附近，更是古柏参天，树冠相接，把祭坛烘托得十分肃穆。据统计，天坛仅古柏就有4000株。
祈谷坛上为祈年殿。殿高33米，直径24.2米，宏伟壮观，气度非凡，是昔日北京的最高建筑之一。祈年殿建于明永乐十八年（1420年）取名大祀殿，为宽12间，纵深36间的黄瓦玉陛重檐垂脊的方形大殿。大祀殿与其说是祭坛，不如说是一座宫殿，后来嘉靖皇帝旨意拆除，并于1545年在大祀殿原址上建成大享殿，清王朝建立后，用它来举行祈谷礼。1751年，正式将大享殿更名为祈年殿。清干隆十六年（1751年）重修祈年殿，更换蓝瓦金顶。光绪十五年（1889年）八月二十四日，雷雨交加，祈年殿不幸被雷电击中，焚烧。因楹柱为檀香木，香飘数里。
据传，北京古建筑材料中有着名的四宝，即祈年殿沉香木楹柱，太庙前殿正中三间沉香木梁柱，颐和园佛香阁内铁梨木通天柱，谐趣园中涵远堂内沉香木装修格扇。现在所看到的祈年殿，是雷击后重修的，其形状和结构都与原来的一样。
祈年殿是一座宏伟而又极具民族风格的独特建筑，鎏金宝顶三层出檐的圆形攒尖式屋顶，覆盖着象徵“天”的蓝色琉璃瓦，层层向上收缩，檐下的木结构用和玺彩绘，坐落在汉白玉石基座上，远远望去，色彩对比强烈而和谐，上下形状统一而富于变化。它的构造比皇穹宇复杂，外部是三层高阁，内部则是层层相叠而环接的穹顶式，仿佛像砖砌的券殿，但又没有一砖一石，全部采用木结构，28根大柱支撑着整个殿顶的重量。内外楹柱各12根，中间四根楹柱叫通天柱或龙井柱，高18.5米，大头直径1.2米，古镜式的柱础，海水宝相花的柱身，沥粉堆金，支撑着殿顶中央的“九龙藻井”。
三音石：皇穹宇殿门外是一条由大长方石铺成的甬路，站在甬道第三块石板上，敝开殿门，并将全殿窗户紧闭，使殿门到殿内正中神龛之间没有任何障碍物，然后面对殿门说话，就可以听到非常洪亮的三声回声，而且站在殿外任何地方都可以听到。由于这声音是在供奉“皇天上帝”的建筑里发出来的，而且回声很大，因而就有“人间偶语，天闻若雷”之说。于是又称这些石板为“天闻若雷石”。还称这些石板为“三才石”，即取天、地、人三才之意。人们必须是站在人石上说话，为让“皇天上帝”听到，还必须打开殿门，而说话的回声便是“皇天上帝”的回答。
其实，这种奇妙的现象，正是因为皇穹宇的殿门高，而石阶下面的第三块石板和殿门以及殿内神龛上面的殿顶形成一条直角三角形的斜边。站在第三块石板上说话，声波可以沿着斜线直接传入殿内，碰到圆形殿壁、殿顶后再返回殿外。又因第三块石板位于垣墙的中心，所以站在这里击掌，都能听到它的回声，只是由于声波传播的距离不同，所以才会听到次数不同的回声。由于其他石板与殿门和殿内的壁三点之间难以形成直角三角形的斜线，所以即使站在那里的其它石板上击掌或说话，就不可能听到回声。
回音壁就是皇穹宇的围墙。墙高3.72米，厚0.9米，直径61.5米，周长193.2米。墙壁是用磨砖对缝砌成的，墙头覆着蓝色琉璃瓦。围墙的弧度十分规则，墙面极其光滑整齐，对声波的折射是十分规则的。只要两个人分别站在东、西配殿后，贴墙而立，一个人靠墙向北说话，声波就会沿着墙壁连续折射前进，传到一、二百米的另一端，无论说话声音多小，也可以使对方听得清清楚楚，而且声音悠长，堪称奇趣，给人造成一种“天人感应”的神秘气氛。所以称之为“回音壁”。
圜丘坛在天坛南半部，始建于嘉靖九年（1530年），坐北朝南，四周绕以红色宫墙，上饰绿色琉璃瓦，俗称“子墙”。子墙四周各有一大门。北门叫成贞门，也称北天门；东门叫泰元门，也称东天门；西门叫广利门，也称西天门。南面正门叫昭亭门，也称南天门。每座门上题有满汉合璧门额。将各门名称的第二个字顺序排列为元、享、利、贞。这种排列据是据《周易》的“干卦四德”而定。“元”，代表始生万物，天地生物无偏私；“享”为万物生长繁茂享通；“利”，为天地阴阳相合，从而使万物生长各得其宜；“贞”，为天地阴阳保持相合而不偏，以使万物能够正固而持久。
皇帝每年祭天时，都从西边牌楼下轿，然后步入昭亭门，进昭亭门到圜丘坛。四周绕有两层名叫 墙的蓝色琉璃瓦矮墙。第一层墙为方形叫外；第二层墙为圆形叫内
，象徵“天圆地方”。 内中央处，就是祭天台(也叫拜天台)，即圜丘台。
台面墁嵌九重石板，是象徵九重天的意思。所谓九重天，即：第一重日天；第二重月天；第三重金星天；第四重木星天；第五重水星天；第六重火星天；第七重土星天；第八重二十八宿天；第九重为宗动天，即上帝的起居室。每当祭天时，在坛台中央的太极石上供奉着皇天上帝牌，外面支搭蓝色缎幄帐，象徵皇天上帝居住在九天之上。古代中国认为天属阳，地属阴，引申开来，奇数属阳，偶数属阴。圜丘之所以都用奇数去构筑，就是因为它们都是阳数。而在10以下，最大的阳数是9，引申下去，9就是最大、无限、至极的意思。中国过去皇帝称为“九五之尊”，中国古诗词中也有“九霄”、“九天”、“九重天”……其中的“九”都是这个意思。圜丘在建筑设计中使用奇数，而且反复使用其中“九”的倍数，正是中国古代匠师对这种概念的运用和发挥，使“天”的观念能在祭祀建筑中更好地体现。
圜丘台中心是一块呈圆形的大理石板，称作天心石，也叫太极石。从中心向外围以扇形石。上坛共有九环，每环扇形石的数目都是“九”的倍数。一环的扇面石是9块、二环18块、三环27块，……九环81块取名九九。中层坛从第十环开始，即90块扇面石，直至十八环，为126块九组成，下层坛从十九环开始，至第二十七环，扇面石243块。三层坛共有378个“九”，合计用扇面石3402块。
站在圜丘台中间的圆心石上轻轻唤一声，就立即从四面八方传来回声，好似众人齐鸣，一呼百应。封建帝王附会说这是皇天上帝在向凡人发出“圣谕”。其实，这种现象是声波被阻的回音。从圆心石发出的声波传到四周的石栏以后，就同时从四周迅速反射回来，声波振动较大；又由于圜丘坛的半径较短，所以回声很快。据测试，从发音到声波返回到圆心的时间，总共只有0.07秒，所以站在圆心石上的人听起来，声音格外响亮。因此，圜丘坛上的圆心石又称为“亿兆景从石”。
The Temple of Heaven is a worthwhile visiting place in Beijing.
It is much bigger than the Forbidden City and smaller than the
Summer Palace with an area of about 2,700,000 square meters. The
Temple was built in 1420 A.D. during the Ming Dynasty to offer
sacrifice to Heaven. As Chinese emperors called themselves "The
Son of Heaven" ,they dared not to build their own dwelling,"Forbidden
City" bigger than a dwelling for Heaven.
The Temple of Heaven is enclosed with a long wall. The northern
part within the wall is semicircular symbolizing the heavens and
the southern part is square symbolizing the earth. The northern
part is higher than the southern part. This design shows that
the heaven is high and the earth is low and the design reflected
an ancient Chinese thought of "The heaven is round and the
earth is square".
The Temple is divided by two enclosed walls into inner part and
outer part. The main buildings of the Temple lie at the south
and north ends of the middle axis line of the inner part. The
most magnificent buildings are The Circular Mound Altar (Yuanqiutan),
Imperial Vault of Heaven (Huangqiongyu) and Hall of Prayer for
Good Harvest (Qiniandian) from south to north. Also, there are
some additional buildings like Three Echo Stones and Echo Wall.Almost
all of the buildings are connected by a wide bridge called Vermilion
Steps Bridge (Danbiqiao) or called Sacred Way.
The Circular Altar has three layered terraces with white marble.
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368 A.D. - 1911 A.D.), the
emperors would offer sacrifice to Heaven on the day of the Winter
Solstice every year. This ceremony was to thank Heaven and hope
everything would be good in the future. The Hall of Prayer for
Good Harvest is a big palace with round roof and three layers
of eaves. Inside the Hall are 28 huge posts. The four posts along
the inner circle represent four seasons-spring, summer, autumn
and winter; the 12 posts along the middle circle represent the
12 months; and 12 posts along the outer circle represent 12 Shichen
(Shichen is a means of counting time in ancient China. One Shichen
in the past equaled two hours and a whole day was divided into
12 Shichens). The roof is covered with black, yellow and green
colored glaze representing the heavens, the earth and everything
on earth. The Hall has a base named Altar for Grain Prayers which
is made of three layers of white marble and has a height of six
meters. Another important building in Temple of Heaven is Imperial
Vault of Heaven. If you look at it from far away, you will find
that the Vault is like a blue umbrella with gold head. The structure
of it is like that of Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, but smaller
in size. The structure was made of bricks and timber. The Vault
was used to place memorial tablets of Gods. White marble railings
surround the vault.
The Vermilion Steps Bridge connects the Hall of Prayer for Good
Harvest and the Imperial Vault of Heaven. The south end of the
Bridge is lower than its north end. The emperors in the past believed
that they could go to heaven through this Bridge, which is why
this bridge is also called Sacred Way. A Yu Route and a Wang Route
are on two sides of the Sacred Way. The former one is only for
the emperors to walk on and the later one is for the princes and
the high officials to pass.
Three Echo Stones is outside of the gate of the Imperial Vault
of Heaven. If you speak facing the Vault while standing on the
first stone, you will hear one echo; standing on the second and
then the third stone, you will hear two and three echoes respectively.
Another interesting and famous place for you to visit is called
Echo Wall owning special feature. The wall encloses the Imperial
Vault of Heaven. Its perimeter is 193 meters.
If you and your friend stand at the east and the west roots of
the wall respectively and you whisper a word, then your friend
will hear clearly what you say. Isn't it interesting? The phenomenon
utilizes the theory of sound wave.
Besides carefully designed buildings, there are also some other
scenes that you can enjoy like Nine-Dragon Cypress. It got its
name from branches which look like nine dragons wind with each
other. It was said that the cypress was planted more than 500
years ago. Really, a grandfather tree!
北京人遗址英文介绍
Peking Man was discovered in Zhoukoudian village, on the Longgu
Mountain, Fangshan district, Beijing, which was listed as a world
cultural heritage site in 1987. In the 1920s archaeologists discovered
a complete skull of an ape-man dating back 600,000 years which
was later named as Peking Man. Stone tools and evidence of Peking
Man's use of fire were later found on the mountain. Studies have
shown that Peking Man walked on his feet and lived 690,000 years
ago. His society lived in groups in caves and survived by hunting.
The group could make use of rough stone tools and knew how to
use fire for heating and cooking.
The discovery included six complete skulls of Peking Man, 12
skull fragments, 15 mandibles(1), 157 teeth and some sections
of broken femur(2), shinbone(3), and upper arm bones belonging
to more than 40 individuals of different ages and sexes. In addition
100,000 fragments of stone tools were found together with sites
used for fire and burnt bones and stones.
Peking Man created a unique Old Stone Culture which had much
influence to the Old Stone Culture of north China. Stone tools
are the principal relics of this remote culture. Also discovered
in Zhoukoudian are stone points, a new production tool then, and
bone articles made and used by Peking Man. Found in the caves
were such tools as the larger end of an antler that had been used
as a hammer and the sharp end of an antler used as a digging tool.
The use of fire was a milestone of the development of civilization
and the discovery of Peking Man has pushed back the time that
man first used it by tens of thousands of years. The largest ash
pile discovered in the caves is six meters thick. Fire allowed
people to eat cooked food instead of raw food and promoted the
development of the brain and improved health. With his rough tools
and simple living conditions Peking man created a unique and very
ancient culture.
Included in the UNESCO(4) world heritage list in 1987.
Notes:
1. mandible 下鄂骨
2. femur 大腿骨
3. shinbone 胫骨
4. UNESCO 联合国教科文组织（United Nationals Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization)
北京-故宫英文导游辞
FORBIDDEN CITY (紫禁城)
(In front of the meridian gate)
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I am pleased to serve as your guide today.
This is the palace museum; also know as the Purple Forbidden
City. It is the largest and most well reserved imperial residence
in China today. Under Ming Emperor Yongle, construction began
in 1406. It took 14years to build the Forbidden City. The first
ruler who actually lived here was Ming Emperor Zhudi. For five
centuries thereafter, it continued to be the residence of23 successive
emperors until 1911 when Qing Emperor Puyi was forced to abdicate
the throne. In 1987, the United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization recognized the Forbidden City was a
world cultural legacy.
It is believed that the Palace Museum, or Zi Jin Cheng (Purple
Forbidden City), got its name from astronomy folklore, The ancient
astronomers divided the constellations into groups and centered
them around the Ziwei Yuan (North Star) . The constellation containing
the North Star was called the Constellation of Heavenly God and
star itself was called the purple palace. Because the emperor
was supposedly the son of the heavenly gods, his central and dominant
position would be further highlighted the use of the word purple
in the name of his residence. In folklore, the term “an eastern
purple cloud is drifting” became a metaphor for auspicious events
after a purple cloud was seen drifting eastward immediately before
the arrival of an ancient philosopher, LaoZi, to the Hanghu Pass.
Here, purple is associated with auspicious developments. The word
jin (forbidden) is self-explanatory as the imperial palace was
heavily guarded and off-explanatory as the imperial palace was
heavily guarded and off-limits to ordinary people.
The red and yellow used on the palace walls and roofs are also
symbolic. Red represents happiness, good fortune and wealth. Yellow
is the color of the earth on the Loess Plateau, the original home
of the Chinese people. Yellow became an imperial color during
the Tang dynasty, when only members of the royal family were allowed
to wear it and use it in their architecture.
The Forbidden City is rectangular in shape. It is 960 meters
long from north to south and 750 meter wide from east west. It
has 9,900 rooms under a total roof area 150,000 square meters.
A 52-meter-wide-moat encircles a 9. 9-meter—high wall which encloses
the complex. Octagon —shaped turrets rest on the four corners
of the wall. There are four entrances into the city: the Meridian
Gate to the south, the Shenwu Gate (Gate of Military Prowess)
to the north, and the Xihua Gate (Gate of military Prowess) to
the north, and the Xihua Gate (Western Flowery Gate ) to the west,
the Donghua (Eastern Flowery Gate) to the east.
Manpower and materials throughout the country were used to build
the Forbidden City. A total of 230,000 artisans and one million
laborers were employed. Marble was quarried from fangshan Country
Mount Pan in Jixian County in Hebei Province. Granite was quarried
in Quyang County in Hebei Province. Paving blocks were fired in
kilns in Suzhou in southern China. Bricks and scarlet pigmentation
used on the palatial walls came from linqing in Shandong Province.
Timber was cut, processed and hauled from the northwestern and
southern regions.
The structure in front of us is the Meridian Gate. It is the
main entrance to the forbidden City. It is also knows as Wufenglou
(Five-Phoenix Tower). Ming emperors held lavish banquets here
on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar year in
honor of their counties. They also used this place for punishing
officials by flogging them with sticks.
Qing emperors used this building to announce the beginning of
the new year. Qing Emperor Qianlong changed the original name
of this announcement ceremony from ban li (announcement of calendar)
to ban shou (announcement of new moon) to avoid coincidental association
with another Emperor's name, Hongli, which was considered a taboo
at that time. Qing Dynasty emperors also used this place to hold
audience and for other important ceremonies. For example, when
the imperial army returned victoriously from the battlefield,
it was here that the Emperor presided over the ceremony to accept
prisoners of war.
(After entering the Meridian Gate and standing in front of the
Five Marble Bridges on Golden Water River)
Now we are inside the Forbidden City. Before we start our tour,
I would like to briefly introduce you to the architectural patterns
before us. To complete this solemn, magnificent and palatial complex,
a variety of buildings were arranged on a north-south axis, and
8-kilometer-long invisible line that has become an inseparable
part of the City of Beijing. The Forbidden City covers roughly
one –third of this central axis. Most of the important buildings
in the Forbidden City were arranged along this line. The design
and arrangement of the palaces reflect the solemn dignity of the
royal court and rigidly –stratified feudal system.
The Forbidden City is divided into an outer and an inner count.
We are now standing on the southernmost part of the outer count.
In front of us lies the Gate of supreme Harmony. The gate is guarded
by a pair of bronze lions, symbolizing imperial power and dignity.
The lions were the most exquisite and biggest of its kind. The
one on the east playing with a ball is a male, and ball is said
to represent state unity. The other one is a female. Underneath
one of its fore claws is a cub that is considered to be a symbol
of perpetual imperial succession. The winding brook before us
is the Golden Water River. It functions both as decoration and
fire control. The five bridges spanning the river represent the
five virtues preached by Confucius: benevolence, righteousness,
rites, intelligence and fidelity. The river takes the shape of
a bow and the north-south axis is its arrow. This was meant to
show that the Emperors ruled the country on behalf of God.
(In front of the Gate of Supreme Harmony)
The Forbidden City consists of an outer courtyard and an inner
enclosure. The out count yard covers a vast space lying between
the Meridian Gate and the Gate of Heavenly Purity. The “three
big halls” of Supreme Harmony, Complete Harmony and Preserving
Harmony constitute the center of this building group. Flanking
them in bilateral symmetry are two groups of palaces: Wenhua (Prominent
Scholars) and Wuying (Brave Warriors). The three great halls are
built on a spacious “H”-shaped, 8-meter-high, triple marble terrace,
Each level of the triple terrace is taller than the on below and
all are encircled by marble balustrades carved with dragon and
phoenix designs. There are three carved stone staircases linking
the three architectures. The hall of supreme Harmony is also the
tallest and most exquisite ancient wooden-structured mansion in
all of China. From the palace of Heavenly Purity northward is
what is known as the inner court, which is also built in bilaterally
symmetrical patterns. In the center are the Palace of Heavenly
Purity, the Hall of Union and Peace and Palace of Earthly Tranquility,
a place where the Emperors lived with their families and attended
to state affairs. Flanking these structures are palaces and halls
in which concubines and princes lived. There are also three botanical
gardens within the inner count, namely, the imperial Garden, Caning
garden and Quailing garden. An inner Golden Water River flows
eastwardly within the inner court. The brook winds through three
minor halls or palaces and leads out of the Forbidden City. It
is spanned by the White Jade Bridge. The river is lined with winding,
marble –carved balustrades. Most of the structures within the
Forbidden City have yellow glazed tile roofs.
Aside from giving prominence to the north-south axis, other
architectural methods were applied to make every group of palatial
structures unique in terms of terraces, roofs, mythical monsters
perching on the roofs and colored, drawing patterns. With these,
the grand contour and different hierarchic spectrum of the complex
were strengthened. Folklore has it that there are altogether 9,999
room-units in the Forbidden City. Since Paradise only has 10,000
rooms, the Son of Heaven on earth cut the number by half a room.
It is also rumoured that this half –room is located to the west
of the Wenyuange Pavilion (imperial library) . As a matter of
fact, although the Forbidden City has more than 9,000 room-units,
this half-room is nonexistent. The Wenyuange Pavilion is a library
where “Si Ku Quan Shu”- China's first comprehensive anthology-was
stored.
(After walking past the Gate of Supreme Harmony)
Ladies and Gentlemen, the great hall we are approaching is the
Hall of Supreme Harmony, the biggest and tallest of its king in
the Forbidden City. This structure covers a total building space
of 2,377 square meters, and is know for its upturned, multiple
counterpart eaves. The Hall of Supreme Harmony sits on a triple
“H”-shaped marble terrace is 8 meters high and linked by staircases.
The staircase on the ground floor has 21 steps while the middle
and upper stairways each have 9.
The construction of the Hall of Supreme Harmony began in 1406.
It burned down three times and was severely damaged once during
a mutiny. The existing architecture was built during the Qing
Dynasty. On the corners of the eaves a line of animal-nails were
usually fastened to the tiles. These animal-nails were later replace
with mythical animals to ward off evil spirits. There are altogether
9 such fasteners on top of this hall. The number nine was regarded
by the ancients to be the largest numeral accessible to man and
to which only the emperors were entitled.
There was a total of 24 successive emperors during the Ming
and Qing dynasties who were enthroned here. The ball was also
used for ceremonies which marked other great occasions: the Winter
Solstice, The Chinese Lunar New Year, the Emperor's birthday,
conferral of the title of empress, the announcement of new laws
and policies, and dispatches of generals to war. On such occasions,
the Emperor would hold audience for his court officials and receive
their tributes.
This area is called the Hall of Supreme Harmony Square, which
covers a total of 30,000 square meters, Without a single tree
or plant growing here, this place inspires visitors to feel its
solemnity and grandeur. In the middle of the square there is a
carriageway that was reserved for the Emperor. On both sides of
the road the ground bricks were laid in a special way seven layers
lengthwise and eight layers crosswise, making up fifteen layers
in all. The purpose of this was to prevent anyone from tunneling
his way into the palace. In the count yard there are iron vats
for storing water to fight fires. In the whole complex there are
altogether 308 water vats. In wintertime, charcoal was burned
underneath the vats to keep the water from freezing. Why so vast
a square? It was designed to impress people with the hall's grandeur
and vastness. Imagine the following scene. Under the clear blue
sky, the yellow glazed tiles shimmered as the cloud-like layers
of terrace, coupled with the curling veil of burning incense,
transformed the hall of supreme Harmony into a fairyland. Whenever
major ceremonies were held, the glazed, crane-shaped candleholders
inside the hall would be it, and incense and pine branches burnt
in front of the hall. When the Emperor appeared, drums were beaten
and musical instrument played. Civilian officials and generals
would kneel know in submission.
The last Qing emperor Puyi assumed the throne in 1908, at the
age of three, His father carried him to the throne. At the start
of the coronation, the sudden drum-beating and loud music caught
the young emperor unprepared. He was so scared that he kept crying
and shouting, “I don't want to stay here. I want to go home.”
His father tried to soothe him, saying, “It'll all soon be finished.
It'll all soon be finished” The ministers present at the event
considered this incident inauspicious. Coincidentally, the Qing
dynasty collapsed three years later and there with concluded China’s
feudal system that had lasted for more than 2,000 years.
(On the stone terrace of the Hall of Supreme Harmony)
This is a bronze incense burner. In it incense made of sandalwood
would be burnt on important occasions. There are altogether 18
incense burners, representing all of the provinces under the rule
of the Sing monarchs. On either side of the Hall, 4 bronze water-filled
vats were placed in case of fire. Next to the terrace on either
side, there is a bronze crane and tortoise, symbols of longevity.
This copper-cast grain measure is called “jialiang.” It served
as the national standard during the Qing dynasty. It was meant
to show that the imperial ruler were just and open to rectification.
On the other side there is a stone sundial, an ancient timepiece.
The jialiang and the sundial were probably meant to show what
the Emperor represented: that he was the only person who should
possess the standards of both measure and time.
In the very forefront of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, there
are 12 scarlet, round pillars supporting the roof. The hall is
63 meters from east to west and 37 meters from north to south.
It is 35 meters in height. In front of this architecture, there
stands a triple terrace with five staircases leading up to the
main entrance. It has 40 gold doors and 16 gold-key windows with
colored drawings on the pillars and beams. In the middle of the
hall, a throne carved with 9 dragons sits on a 2-meter-high platform.
Behind the throne there is a golden screen and in front of it,
there is an imperial desk. The flanks are decorated with elephants,
Luduan (a legendary beast), cranes, and incense barrels. The elephant
carries a vase on its back that holds five cereals (i. e. rice,
two kinds of millet, wheat and beans), which was considered a
symbol of prosperity. As ancient legend has it that luduan can
travel 18,000 li (9,000 kilometers ) in one day and knows all
languages and dialects. Only to a wise adjust monarch will this
beast be a guardian.
The Hall of Supreme Harmony is also popularly known as Jinluan
Dian (gold bell hall or the throne hall). The floor of the hall
is laid with bricks that turn it into a smooth, fine surface as
if water has been sprinkled on it. The so-called golden brick,
in fact, has nothing to do with gold. Reserved exclusively for
the construction of the royal court, it was made in a secretive,
and complex way, and, when struck, sounds like the clink of a
gold bar. Each brick was worth the market price of one dan (or
one hectoliter) of rice.
The hall is supported by a total of 72 thick pillars. Of these,
6 are carved in dragon patterns and painted with gold and surround
the throne. Above the very center of this hall there is a zaojing,
or covered ceiling, which is one of the Specialities of China's
ancient architecture. In the middle of the ceiling is a design
of a dragon playing with a ball inlaid with peals. This copper
ball, hollow inside and covered with mercury, is known as the
Xuanyuan Mirror and is thought to be made Xuanyuan, a legendary
monarch dating back to remote antiquity. The placing of the caisson
above the throne is meant to suggest that all of China's successive
emperors are Zuanyuan's descendants and hereditary heirs. Now
you might have noticed that the Xuanyuan mirror is not directly
above the throne. Why? It is rumored that Yuan Shikai, a self-acclaimed
warlord-turned emperor moved the throne further back because he
was afraid that the mirror might fall on him. In 1916 when Yuan
Shikai became emperor, he removed the original throne with a Western-style,
high-back chair. After the foundation of the People's Republic
of China in 1949 the throne was found in a shabby furniture warehouse.
It repaired and returned to the hall.
(Leading the tourist to the bronze vats either on the east or
the west)
the water vats in front of the palaces or house were called
“menhai,” or sea before the door by the ancient Chinese. They
believed that with a sea by the door, fire could not wreak havoc.
The vats served both as a decoration and as a fire extinguisher.
They were kept full of water all year round.
During the Qing Dynasty, they were altogether 308 vats in the
palace enclosure. They were made of gilt bronze or iron. Of course,
the gilt bronze vats were of the best quality. When the allied
forces (Britain, Germany, France, Russia, the United States, Italy,
Japan and Austria) invaded Beijing in 1900 under the pretext of
suppressing the Boxer Rebellion, the invaders ransacked the imperial
compound and scraped and gold off the vats with their bayonets.
During the Japanese occupation of Beijing, many vats were trucked
away by the Japanese to be made into bullets.
(In front of the Hall of Complete Harmony)
The square architecture before us is called the Hall of Complete
Harmony. It served as an antechamber. The Emperor came here to
meet with his countiers and add his final touches to the prayers
which would be read at the ancestral Temple. The seeds, snowers
and prayer intended for spring sowing were also examined here.
The two Qing sedan chairs here on display were used for traveling
within the palace during the reign of Emperor Qianlong.
(In front of the hall f Preserving Harmony)
This is the Hall of Preserving Harmony. During the Qing Dynasty,
banquets were held here on New Year's eve in honour of Mongolian
and Northwestern China's xingjiang princes and ranking officials.
The Emperor also dinned here with his new son-in-law on the wedding
day. Imperial examinations were also held here once every three
years. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were three levels
of exams: the county and prefectural level, the provincial level
and national level. The national exam was presided over by the
emperor. The civil service exam in ancient China started during
the Han Dynasty. It served the purpose of recruiting Confucian
scholars to the ministers and high officials. During the Tang
and Qing dynasties reinstituted and ancient system. Once every
three years, three hundred scholars from all over the country
came to Beijing and took exams for three day and night. This system
was abolished in 1905.
(Behind the hall of preserving harmony)
this is the largest stone carving in the palace. It is 16. 73
meters long, 3. 07 meters wide and 1. 7 meters thick. It weighs
about 200 tons. The block was quarried in Fangshan County, roughly
70 kilometers away. To transport such a huge block to Beijing,
laborers dug wells along the roadside half a kilometer apart,
and used the groundwater to make a road of ice in the winter.
Rolling blocks were used in the summer. In 1760, Emperor Qianlong
of the Qing Dynasty ordered the carving of the existing cloud
and dragon design in place of the old one which dated back to
the Ming Dynasty.
Note : From here, the tour can be conducted via three different
routes: a western route (Route A), a central route (Route B) or
an eastern route (Route C) . The commentary for each follows.
Route A
Ladies and Gentlemen:
You have seen the three main halls of the Forbidden City. Now
I 'd like to show you around the hall of mental cultivation and
the imperial garden. The hall of mental cultivation is situated
is in the western part of the innermost enclosure and is symmetrical
to Fengxian (enshrinement of forebears) Hall in the east. This
hall was built during the Ming Dynasty. IT is a H-shaped structure
consisting of an antechamber and a main building. The hall is
surrounded by corridors. In front of the hall is the Office of
Privy Council.
Before Emperor Kangxi of Qing the Dynasty came to power the
Hall of Heavenly Purity served as the living quarter of the emperors.
Emperor Yongzheng chose to live in this hall and attended to every
day state affairs from here. For the sake of protecting cultural
relics, this hall is not open to the public. You can have a look
at the inside from the door. The central hall was the audience
chamber where the emperor read memorials, granted audience to
officials and summoned his minsters for consultation. The western
chamber of the hall was where the emperor read reports and discussed
military and political affairs. The hall consists of many inner
rooms and is decorated with images of Buddha and miniature pagodas.
On the screen wall there hangs a picture of two emperors in the
Han costume. In a southern room there three rare calligraphic
scrolls, hence the name of the room “Sanxitang” (Room of Three
Rare Treasures) . The room on the eastern side is of historical
interest because it was here that Empress Dowager Cixi usurped
power and made decisions on behalf of the young emperor. A bamboo
curtain was used to separate them.
Empress Dowage Cixi was born in 1835 in Lu'an Prefecture of
shanxi province. She's of Manchurian nationality and her father
was a provincial governor from south China. When she was 17 years
old, she was selected to become a concubine of Emperor Xianfeng
and moved into the Forbidden City. She gave birth to a son when
she was 21years old and was made a concubine the following year.
When the emperor passed away in the summer of 1861, her son ascended
the throne and title of Cixi, meaning “Holy Mother” was conferred
upon her and she became the Empress Dowager. In that same year
Empress Dowager Cixi carried out a count coup d'etat and ruled
behind the scenes with another empress dowager, Ci'an, for 48
years. She passed away in 1908 at the age of 73. It was in reference
to this situation that the term “attending to state affairs behind
a bamboo curtain” developed. In 1912, Empress dowager Longyu declared
the abdication of the last Qing emperor Puyi. They were allowed
to remain in the Forbidden City for the next 13 years. The royal
family was forced to move out permanently in 1924.
Behind the central hall were the living accommodation of 8 successive
Qing emperors. Three of them actually passed away here. The side
rooms flanking the hall were reserved for empresses and concubines.
Now let's continue with our tour. It will take us to the Hall
of heavenly purity, the hall of union and peace, the palace of
earthly tranquility, and the imperial garden.
Route B
(Inside the Hall of heavenly Purity)
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We are now entering the inner court. From the Gate of Heavenly
Purity northward lies the inner court where the emperors and empresses
once lived. The Hall of heavenly Purity is the central hall of
the inner court, and was completed during the Reign of Emperor
Yongle of the Ming Dynasty. There are 10 pillars supporting the
entire structure and the hall is 20 meters in height. In the center
of the hall there is a throne. Above it hangs a plaque with an
inscription that reads “Be open and above-board,” written by Shenzhi,
the first emperor of the Qing Dynasty. Beginning with Qianlong's
reign, the name of the successor to the throne was not publicly
announced. Instead, it was written on two pieces of paper, one
to be kept on the emperor's person throughout his reign, and the
other placed in a small strongbox that was stored behind his plaque.
The box was opened only after the emperor passed away. Altogether
there where 4 emperors who ascended the throne in this way, namely
Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang and Xian feng.
The hall of heavenly purity was where the emperors lived during
the Ming and Qing dynasties. According to tradition, extravagant
annual banquets were held here on New Year's Eve in honour of
royal family members. Foreign ambassadors were received here during
the late-Qing period. Two important “one thousand old men's feasts”
of the Qing Dynasty were also held here. All the invitees had
to be at least 65 years of age. This hall was also used for mourning
services.
(Inside the Palace of Union and Peace)
this hall sits between the Hall of heavenly Purity and the Palace
of Earthly Tranquility, symbolizing the union of heaven and earth,
as well as national peace. It was first built in 1420 and reconstructed
in 1798. The hall is square in shape, and is smaller than the
Hall of complete Harmony. You will see a plaque here inscribed
with two Chinese characters, wu wei, which were handwritten by
Emperor Qianlong. A throne sits in the middle of the hall with
a screen behind it. Above the throne there hangs a caisson, or
covered ceiling. The emperor held birthday celebrations and other
major events here.
In 1748 during Emperor Qianlong's reign, 25 jade seals representing
imperial authority were kept in this hall. No seals were allowed
out of the room without the prior consent of the emperor. On each
flack there is a water clock and a chiming clock.
(Inside the palace of earthly tranquility)
This used to be the central hall where successive Ming empresses
lived. During the Qing dynasty, it was converted into a place
where sacrifices and wedding ceremonies were held. The room on
the western side was used for sacrifices and the room on the east
was the seeding chamber.
Route C
Ladies and Gentlemen:
You have seen the three main halls of the Forbidden City. Now
I'd like to show you around scenes of interest along the eastern
route. The first is the Treasure Hall. This mansion is called
the Hall of Imperial Zenith. This is where Sing Emperor Quailing
lived after abdication. Nearly 1,000 artifacts and treasures are
on display here, among which the Golden Hair Tower is one of the
most famous. This tower is 1. 53meters in height and its base
is 0.53 meters in circumference. It was built under the order
of Emperor Quailing to be used to collect fallen hair in commemoration
of his mother. There is also a “Day harnessing Water Jade Hill”
on display here. Yu was a legendary monarch of the remote Ixia
dynasty. Under his leadership, the people learned how to harness
the Yellow River. This jade assemblage, 224 centimeters in height
and 5 tons in weight, is the largest jade artwork in China. This
mat was woven with peeled ivory. These artifacts are among China's
rarest treasures.
(In front of the Nine-Dragon Screen)
This is the Nine-Dragon Relief Screen. Erected in 1773,it is
3.5 meters in height and 29. 4 meters in width. Underneath is
a foundation made of marble. The surface of the screen is laid
with a total of 270 colored, glazed tiles in the design of 9 dragons,
some rocky mountains, clouds and the sea. It was meant to ward
off evil spirits The ancient Chinese regarded 9 dragons, some
rocky mountains, clouds and the sea. It was meant to ward off
evil spirits. The ancient Chinese regarded 9 as the largest numeral
and the dragon as a auspicious beast. The 9 dragons are different
in color and posture and all are made of glazed tiles. Interestingly
a piece of the third dragon from the left is made of wood. It
is believe that when the Nine-dragon Screen was almost finished,
a piece of glazed tile was damaged. Emperor Qianlong was scheduled
to inspect the work the following day. Using quick wits, the craftsman
in question molded the missing piece with clay and sailed through
the imperial inspection. Later, he asked a carpenter to carve
a wooden one to replace the one made of clay.
(Approaching the Imperial Garden)
Behind the Palace of Earthly Tranquility and trading the north-south
axis is the imperial Garden. There are old trees, rare flowers
and exotic rock formation in this garden. It cover a space of
11,700 square meters, or roughly 1. 7 percent of the Forbidden
City. Most of the structures in the garden are symmetrically arranged.
However, each is different in terms of pattern and decoration.
Woods clumps of bamboo screen off the garden and strengthens its
deep and serene atmosphere.
There main structure of the Imperial Garden is the Qin'an Hall.
Positioned in the central-northern part of the garden, this hall
is flanked by other halls and pavilions on the east and west.
The hall sits on a marble pedestal. The Taoist deity of Zhenwu
is enshrined here and emperor would pay homage here a quarterly
basis. Taoist rites were held during the reign of Emperor Jiajing
of the Ming Dynasty. In front of the hall there is a cypress that
is 400 years old. In all there are a dozen such rare trees in
the garden, and most of them are cypresses or pines. To the northwest
of the hall, there is the Yanhui (Sustaining Sunshine) Pavilion
and to the northeast there lies the Duixiu (Accumulated Refinement)
Hill. This Hill was built over the foundation of the Guanhua (Admiring
Flowers) Hall of the Ming Dynasty. It is 14 meters in height and
made of al kinds of rocks quarried in Jiangsu province. At its
base stand two stone lions, each carrying a dragon shooting water
10 meters up into the air from its mouth. There are meandering
paths leading to the hilltop. At the top of Duixiu Hill sits the
Yujing (Imperial Viewing) Pavilion. Traditionally, On the day
of the Double Ninth Festival (the ninth day of the ninth lunar
month), the emperor, his consort, and his concubines would climb
up to Yujing Pavilion to enjoy the scenery. At the southeastern
corner of the Garden is Jiangxue (Crimson Snowy) Verandah. Nearby
to the southwest lies Yangxing Study (study of the cultivation
of nature). The yangxing study was used as a royal library during
the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. The last emperor
of the Qing Dynasty, Puyi once studied English there. In front
of the Jiangxue Verandah some Chinese flowering crabapples grow.
The structure got its name from the crabapples who blossoms from
crimson to snowy white. In front of the Verandah, there grows
a rare flower that was brought from henna Province under the order
of Empress dowager Cixi. In the northeast is Chizao Tang (Hall
of Using Flowery Language), once used as a library where rare
books were stored.
There are also specific pavilions symbolizing the four seasons.
The halls of Wanchun and Qianqiu, representing spring and autumn
respectively, are square in shape and are coupled with multiple
eaves and bell-shape and are coupled with multiple eaves and bell-shaped
ridges. The halls of Chengrui and Fubi, dedicated to winter and
summer, are characterized by two verandahs and bridges at their
bases. Paths were paved with colorful pebbles and arranged in
900 different designs.
The Imperial Garden can be accessed through the Qiong yuan (Jade
Garden ) West gate or the qiong yuan east gate. A third gate,
the shunzhen (Obedience and Fidelity) Gate, opens to the north.
Its doors are laid in glazed tiles and it was only used by the
empress or concubines.
As our tour of the Forbidden City draws to a close, I hope that
I have helped you understand why the Palace is a treasure of China
and one of the cultural relics of the world. It is under the strict
protection of the Chinese government. Since 1949 when the people's
Republic of China was founded, nearly one trillion RMB was spent
on its restoration and refurbishment. The Forbidden City has undergone
four major facelifts to date. Each year, the government earmarks
a large sum to gather, sort and study cultural relics. The Palace
now contains a total of 930,000 cultural relics. Well, so much
for today. Let's go to board the coach. Thank you!
北京-颐和园英文导游辞
The tour will take 4-6 hours. The route is as follows:
Outside the East Gate–in front of the Hall of benevolence and
Longevity- in front of Garden of Virtuous Harmony-in front of
the Grand Theater Building- a lakeside walk from the Garden of
Virtuous Harmony to the Hall o Jade Ripples- in front of the o
Jade Ripples- in front of the Yiyunguan (Chamber of Mortal Being)-Hall
of happiness and longevity- in front of the Yaoyue (Chamber of
Mortal Beings)-Hall of Happiness and Longevity-in front of the
Yaoyue (Inviting the Moon) Gate of the Long Corridor- strolling
along the Long Corridor- visiting an exhibition of cultural relics-
in front of the Hall of Dispelling Clouds- inside the Hall of
Dispelling Clouds- atop the Tower of Buddhist Incense- on a hilltop
leading from the back door of the Tower of Buddhist Incense- on
a hilltop leading from the back door of the Tower of Buddhist
Incense- inside the Garden of Harmonious Interest –outside the
south gate to Suzhou Shopping Street- atop the stone bridge inside
the Suzhou shopping street –on the road from the south gate of
suzhou shopping street- on the road form the south gate of suzhou
shopping street to the marble boat- in front of the ruins of the
Garden of complete spring –along the lakeside by the marble boat-boating
on the Kunming Lake-leaving out through the East Gate.
(Outside the east gate)
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Welcome to the Summer Palace. (After the self-introduction of
the guide -interpreter) I hope this will be an interesting and
enjoyable day for you.
During our tour, you will be introduced to time honored historical
and cultural traditions, as well as picturesque views and landscapes.
The construction of the Summer Palace first started in 1750.
At that time, the Qing Dynasty was in its heyday and China was
a powerful Asian country with vast territories. The monarch in
power then was Emperor Qianlong. With supreme power and large
sums of money, he summoned skillful and ingenious artisans from
all over the country to carry out this construction work in honor
of his mother's birthday. After 15 years and one seventh of the
nation's annual revenue spent, the Garden of Clear Ripples was
completed and served as a testimony to China's scientific and
technological achievements. In 1860, this vast royal garden was
burnt down along with the Yuanming Yuan (Garden of Perfection
and Brightness) by Angol-French allied forces. In 1888, Empress
Dowager Cixi reconstructed the garden on the same site and renamed
it the Garden of Nurtured Harmony (Summer Palace). Characterized
by its vast scope and rich cultural embodiments, the Summer Palace
has become one of the most famous tourist sites in the world.
This is the main entrance to the Summer Palace-the East Gate
On top of the eaves of the door there is a plaque bearing a Chinese
inscription which means "Garden of Nurtured Harmony",
whose calligrapher was Emperor Guangxu. The gate that you are
now entering was used exclusively by the emperor, the empress
and the queen mother. All others used the side doors.
(Inside the East Gate)
The Summer Palace can be divided into two parts: Longevity Hill
and Kunming Lake. The whole garden covers an area of 290 hectares,
of which three- fourths consists of a lake and rivers. This imperial
garden features 3,000 room-units and covers an expanse of 70,000
square meters with more than 100 picturesque spots of interest.
The layout of the Summer Palace includes three groups of architectures:
palaces where the emperor attended to state affairs, resting palaces
of the emperor and empress, and sightseeing areas. Entering the
East Gate we will come the office quarters. Entering the East
gate we will come to the office quarters. The annex halls on both
sides were used for officials on duty.
This is the Gate of Benevolence and Longevity. Above the door
there is a plaque bearing the same name in both Chinese and Manchurian
characters. The gigantic rock in the foreground is known as Taihu
rock, or eroded limestone, quarried in Jiangsu Province and placed
here to decorated the garden.
On the marble terrace sits a bronze mythical beast, known as
Qilin or Xuanni. It was said to the one of the nine sons of Dragon
King. A point of peculiar interest is that it has the head of
a dragon, antlers of a deer, the tail of a lion and hooves of
an ox, and is covered with a unique skin. IT was considered an
auspicious creature that brought peace and prosperity.
This grand hall is the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity. It
was built in 1750, and was known as the Hall of Industrious Government.
Emperor Qianlong ruled that the halls where monarchs attended
to state affairs would be named after them. After the rebuilding
of the Summer Palace, the hall was renamed, suggesting that benevolent
rulers would enjoy long lives.
The arrangement of the hall has been left untouched. In the
middle of the hall stands a throne made of sandalwood and carved
with beautiful designs. In the background there is a screen carved
with nine frolicking dragons. On either side of the throne there
are two big fans made of peacock feathers, two column-shaped incense
burners, crane-shaped lanterns and an incense burner assuming
the form of Luduan, a mythological animal which was suppose to
have the power to prevent fire. The small chambers on eight side
were where the Emperor Qianlong and Empress Dowager Cixi rested
and met officials on formal occasions.
On the verandah in the foreground of the hall there are bronze
statues of dragon and phoenixes which served as incense burners
on major occasions. They are hollow and smoke comes through holes
on their backs. Also on the veranda are Tai Ping (Peace) bronze
water vats made during the reign of Emperor Qianlong. As a precaution
in case of fire, a fire was lit underneath the vats in the winter
to keep the water in them from freezing.
(At the entrance of Garden of Virtuous Harmony)
we are now visiting the Garden of Virtuous Harmony, where Emperor
Qianlong and Empress Dowager Cixi were entertained with Beijing
Opera performances. IT mainly consists of the Dressing House,
The Grand Theater Building and the Hall of pleasure smiles. The
grand Theater Building known as the "Cradle of Beijing Opera"
was uniquely laid out and magnificently decorated. On September
10, 1984, the Garden of Virtuous Harmony opened its doors to visitors.
There are also 7 exhibition halls with articles of daily use on
display here. The staff here put up court dresses of Qing Dynasty
in order to give the visitor a more vivid impression.
(In front of the Grand Theater Building)
This building is 21 meters in height and 17 meters in width
and features three tiers of tilted eaves and stages. All of the
stages are connected to a raise, and a winch is installed at the
top. A well and 5 ponds were sunk under the ground stage. There
are trapdoors in the ceiling for fairies to descend, as well as
on the floor for demons to surface. The underground passages also
served as a means of improving resonance and making the performers'
voices more audible. Of the three main theater building of the
Qing Dynasty, the Grand Theater Building is the tallest and the
largest. The other two are Changyin (Fluent Voice) Pavilion in
Chengde, an imperial summer resort. The building played a major
part in fostering the birth and development of Beijing opera:
since the completion of the Grand Theater Building, many performances
were held in it in honor of the Empress Dowager Cixi.
(A lakeside walk from the Garden of Virtuous Harmony to the
Hall of Jade Ripples)
We are now standing in the middle of a rockery behind the Hall
of Benevolent and longevity. It appears that there's nothing special
ahead. However, after we clear the rockery, we will reach Kunming
Lake. This is an application of a specific style of Chinese gardening.
Not far away in the lake there is an islet. It is filled with
peach and weeping willow trees and serves as an ideal place to
appreciate the scenery. The pavilion on the islet is called Zhichun
(Understanding Spring) Pavilion and is characterized by four-
edged, multiple eaved roofs.
(In front of the Hall of Jade Ripples)
This group of special and quiet courtyard dwelling is the Hall
of jade Ripples. It was first used by Emperor Qianlong to attend
to state affairs. IT was also where Emperor Guangxu of the late
Qing dynasty was kept under house arrest.
This hall is a hallmark of the Reform Movement of 1898, Emperor
Guangxu was Empress Dowager Cixi's nephew. After Emperor Tongzhi
died, Empress Dowager Cixi made her nephew, who was at that time
four years old a successor in order to continue her wielding of
power behind the scenes. When Emperor Guangxu was 19 years old,
Empress Dowager Cixi relinquished power to him but continued to
exert considerable influence. In 1898, the Reform Movement took
place with the aim of sustaining the corn principles of the Qing
Dynasty while reforming outdated laws. The movement lasted for
103 days until it was suppressed by Empress Dowager Cixi. The
emperor's six earnest reformists were beheaded and Emperor Guangxu
was placed under house arrest which lasted for 10 years. All the
back doors were sealed and a brick was put up behind the wooden
partition on each side of the two annexes of the courtyard. Emperor
Guangxu was closely watched by eunuchs. The wall remains intact
for tourists to see. Dynasty while reforming outdated laws. The
movement lasted for 103 days until it was suppressed by Empress
Dowager Cixi. The emperor's six earnest reformists were beheaded
and Emperor Guangxu was placed under house arrest which lasted
for 10 years. All the back doors were sealed and a brick was put
up behind the wooden partition on each side of the two annexes
of the courtyard. Emperor Guangxu was closely watched by eunuchs.
The wall remains intact for tourists to see.
(In front of Yiyunguan (Chamber of Mortal Beings)
This was where Empress and empress dowager of China's feudal
system. However, Emperor Guangxu was not the last emperor of the
Qing Dynasty. The last in the line was Emperor Puyi, who ascended
the throne in 1908 at the age of three, too young to be married.
In 1912, he was forced to abdicate. During the short reign of
Emperor Puyi, Empress Longyu handled state affairs on his behalf
in the name of Empress Dowager. In 1911, a revolution led by Dr.
Sun Yat-sun succeeded, and the year after, Empress Longyu announced
the abdication of the last emperor of China.
(In the Hall of Happiness and Longevity)
The aged empress Dowager Cixi was so fond of the Summer Palace
that she decided to live here from April through October of every
year. This group of buildings served as her residence.
This group of courtyard dwellings consists of a forecourt and
a backyard with annex courts on each side. The whole compound
was basically made of wood, which is ideal for ventilation and
lighting. With its quiet and tasteful layout, the Hall of Happiness
and Longevity made life very easy and convenient. No wonder one
of Empress Dowager Cixi's pleasure boat. On the pier there is
a tall lantern post. Flanking the staircase leading to the main
entrance of the hall, there are bronze cranes, deer and vases,
symbolizing universal peace. The interior layout is the same as
the imperial court, with throne, a large table and incense burners
placed in the middle. At mealtime, eunuchs-in –waiting would make
a gigantic table out of this table and Empress Dowager Cixi would
dine on 128 courses. Because of this more than 1,800 tales of
silver would be spent each month on meals. On the east side of
the Living Room is the Cloak Room. The bedroom is on its west.
In front of the yaoyue (Inviting the Moon) Gate of the Long
Corridor The famed Long Corridor is ahead. Facing Kunming lake
and in the foreground of Longevity Hill, the Long Corridor stretches
from Yaoyue (Inviting the Moon ) Gate to Shizhang (Stony Old Man)
Pavilion. IT is 728 meters in length and consist of 273 sections
and connects four octagonal pavilions. In 1990, it was listed
in Guinness Book of World Records.
(Strolling along the Long Corridor)
The Long Corridor is one of the major structures of the Summer
Palace. Since the corridor was designed to follow the physical
features of the southern slope of Longevity Hill, four multiple-eaved,
octagonal pavilions (Beauty-Retaining Pavilion, Enjoy-the Ripples
Pavilion, Autumn Water Pavilion and Clarity Distance Pavilion)
were placed at bends and undulation. Thus sightseers will hardly
notice the rise and fall of the terrain. As a major part of the
architectural style of the Summer Palace, the Long Corridor serves
as an ingenious connector between the Lake and the hill. Scattered
buildings on the southern slope were linked to create a unified
complex.
This corridor can also be called a "corridor of paintings":
There are more than 14,000 paintings on its beams. Some of them
are of birds, flowers and landscapes of the West Lake in Hangzhou,
Zhejian Province. Others present scenes from literary classics.
The majority of the landscape painting were done under the order
of Emperor Qianlong, who prepared the scenery of South China.
(By the door leading to the exhibition of cultural relics)
This group of temple-shaped structures are known as Qinghua
(Clarified China) Hall, also known as Arhat Hall during the reign
of Emperor Qianlong. The original hall burned down in 1860. After
it was reconstructed, it was renamed.
Qinghua Hall is now used as an exhibition hall displaying rare
cultural relics collected in the Summer Palace. The hall consists
of 6 exhibition rooms with tens of thousands of articles of treasure
on display in turn. Among the exhibits there are bronze ware,
porcelain, jade assemblages from the Ming and Qing dynasties,
and rare and paintings. There is also a gigantic stone slab, which
is more than 3 meters in height and width. It bears the handwritten
inscriptions of Emperor Qianlong is commemoration of the suppression
of a rebellion in the Xinjiang region. Only this slab survived
when the Angle-French allied forces set fire to the Summer Palace.
(In front of the Gate of Dispelling Clouds)
Now we are approaching the central part of the structures on
the lakeside slope, the Tower of Buddhist Incense within the Hall
of Dispelling Clouds. The Hall of Dispelling Clouds was where
numerous palatines kowtowed to Empress Dowager Cixi. It was surrounded
by galleries and flanked by annex halls. In the forecourt there
is a pool and marble bridges. Starting from the lakeside, there
lies in succession a memorial archway, the Gate of Dispelling
Clouds, the Hall of Dispelling Clouds and the Tower of Buddhist
Incense. All of these structures are built on a central axis and
each is taller than its predecessor. This was designed to give
prominence to the last structure, the Tower of Buddhist Incense,
which was a symbol of imperial power. The layout of this group
of architectures was based on scenes described in Buddhist sutras.
This group of structure is among the most magnificently constructed
here in the Summer Palace.
(Inside the Hall of Dispelling Clouds)
The original buildings on this site were burned down by the
Anglo-French allied forces in 1860. A new set of structures was
built during the reign of Emperor Guangxu, and was called the
Hall of Dispelling Clouds, suggesting that it was a fairyland.
The hall was built on a high terrace, and has 21 rooms. Inside
the hall are a throne, screens, tripods and mandarin fans. On
a platform you will see bronze dragons, phoenixes and tripods.
At the foot of the platform there are four bronze water vats,
the ancient form of fire extinguishers.
The 10th day of lunar October was, Empress Dowager Cixi's birthday.
On that day, she sat on the throne here to receive congratulations
and gifts.
Now we are going to pay a visit to the highlight of the Summer
Palace- the Tower of Buddhist Incense. What we are now standing
on is a stone terrace which is 20 meters in height. It has a semi-housed
stairway of 100 steps, you will live for 100 years. So, let's
go!
(In the front of the Tower of Buddhist Incense)
An octagonal structure with three storeys and quadruple eaves,
the Tower of Buddhist Incense is the very center of the Summer
Palace, and is one of the masterpieces of ancient Chinese architecture.
The tower is 41 meters in height, and is buttressed by 8 solid
pillars made of lignum vitae logs. With its complex structure,
ingenious layout, towering terrace and convincing grandeur, the
Tower of Buddhist Incense was artfully set out by the imperial
gardens and beautiful scenery surrounding it. The Tower overlooks
Kunming Lake and other picturesque spots within an area of tens
of kilometers. On the west side of the Tower stands Baoyunge (Precious
Cloud Pavilion). IT is made of bronze and is 7.5 meters in height
and 270 tons in weight. It resembles its wooden counterparts in
every detail. It is one of the largest and most exquisite bronze
pavilions still on existence in China. Lamas prayed here during
the reign of Emperor Qianlong in honor of the monarchs and their
families. At the turn of the century 10 bronze windows were spirited
abroad. In 1992 an American company bought the windows and returned
them intact to China.
(On a hilltop leading from the back door of Tower of Buddhist
Incense)
Now we can see the long and snaking Western Causeway and a shorter
dike that divides Kunming Lake into three areas that contain South
Lake Island, Seaweed-viewing Island and circle city island. The
three islands represent three mountains in ancient Chinese mythology,
i.e. penglai, Fangzhang and Yingzhou. This peculiar method of
incorporating a lake a three mountains within a single garden
was a brainchild of Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty more than
2,000 years ago, bearing testimony to feudal monarchs' longing
for longevity. As the legend goes many heavenly elixirs grew on
the three mythical islands. Using artificial building techniques,
the ancient Chinese built this masterpiece based on the myth to
make the mythical on appear to be accessible to humans.
(Inside the Garden of Harmonious Interest)
Setting a garden within a larger garden has been one of China
traditional architectural styles. The Garden of Harmonious Interest
serves as a fine example of this.
This Garden was built under the order of Emperor Qianlong and
modeled after the Jichang Garden (Garden of Ease of Mind )at the
foot of Mount Huishan, Jiangsu Province. It was renamed by his
son Emperor Jiaqing in 1811. The existing Garden was rebuilt by
Emperor Guangxu. Empress Dowager Cixi used to go fishing here.
The Garden features 10 waterfront platforms, pavilions and halls
as well as hundreds of galleries
With all of its structures facing the lake and pools, the Garden
of Harmonious Interest is basically a garden of waterscape. Spanning
the vast expanse of the lake and pools are five bridges, each
quite different from the others. The most famous of them is the
bridge known as "Knowing –the Fishing-bridge." It is
said that more than 2,500 years ago during the Warring States
Period, two philosopher named Zhuang Zi had an interesting argument
by the side of a pond.
Zhang said, "Fish swim to and fro in the water. What happy
fish!"
Hui asked, "You are not a fish. How do you know they are
happy?"
Zhuang replied, "You are not me. How do you know I don't
know?"
Hui signed, "I am not you, therefore, I don't know you.
And you are not a fish, so how do you know that fish are happy?"
Zhang said, "you ask me how I know fish are happy, why
do you keeping me the same question?"
Although The Garden of Harmonious Interest was designed after
Jichang Garden, it not only absorbed the original designs, but
exceeded it.
(Outside the south entrance to Suzhou Shopping Street)
Now lets have a look at longevity Hill. On the back slope of
the Hill stands a group of architectures. The centerpiece of structures
there are known as the Four Continents and are dedicated to Buddhism.
This group was laid out and arranged in accordance with Buddhist
cosmology. Aside from a main shrine and structures embodying the
Four Continents, there are eight towers representing Minor Continents.
The shrine is surrounded by four Lamaist pagodas and between the
major and minor continents, there two platforms representing the
sun and the moon.
The Qing authority attached great importance to Buddhism. To
further strengthen ties with the ethnic minorities who practiced
Buddhism, the monarchs incorporated both Han and Tibetan styles
of architecture into this group of temples.
Further north at the foot of the Four Major Continent lies the
Suzhou Shopping Street. Built along the Back Lake of the Summer
Palace, this street stretches about 300 meters and features more
than 60 stores. It includes restaurants, teahouses, pawnshops
banks, drugstores dye houses and publishing houses. In order to
recreate the atmosphere of ancient times, visitors will have the
chance to exchange their money to ancient style Chinese coins
for use here. Storefronts are trimmed with traditional signboards
and ornaments. The commercial culture of the mid-18th century
has thus been recreated.
(Atop the stone bridge inside the Suzhou Shopping Street)
Visitors may be surprise to see that this shopping street is
almost the same as that in South China. As a matter of fact, this
street was designed after the shops along the canals in Suhzhou.
Originally known as Emperor's Shopping Street, it was built during
the reign of Emperor Qianlong. After making several inspection
tours to South China and being duly impressed by its commercial
prosperity, Emperor Qianlong ordered the construction of this
street.
The imperial shopping street was burnt down by Anglo-French
allied forces in 1860. The site remained desolated until 1987,
when reconstruction began. It was opened to the public in September
1990.
With commercial culture as its hallmark, the Suzhou Shopping
Street is a vivid representation of China's traditional cultures.
(On the road from the south fate of the suzhou shopping street
to the marble boat)
This is the hall of Pines. From it to the west we can walk to
the Marble Boat. The path we are taking stretches between Longevity
Hill and Back Lake. Monarchs and their cohorts used to stroll
along it. Hence it was named Central Imperial Path. Along this
path you will see lilacs all around. Hence, this road is also
known as the Path of Lilac.
(In front of the ruins of the Garden of complete spring)
Quite a few unique structures were burnt down during the reign
of emperor Qianlong, among which the Garden of Complete Spring
was one of the most famous. The ruined and desolate courtyard
by the roadside was its original site, which remains to be restored.
This group of structures cover an area of 4,000 square meters
and features a number of halls built on three different levels.
All of the structures were connected with galleries and stone
staircases. With its natural and ingenious combination of pavilions,
a hall, galleries and rooms, the Garden of Complete Spring serves
as a fine model for other gardens. Emperor Qianlong frequently
visited this compound.
(Along the lakeside by the Marble Boat)
Now we have returned from the back of Longevity Hill to the
front. There is the famous Marble Boat. This structure is 36 meters
in length and its body was made of marble. On top of it is a two
storeyed structure. The floor was paved with colored bricks. All
of the windows are inlaid with multi-colored glass and the ceiling
was decorated with carved bricks. The drainage system channels
rain water down through four hollow concrete pillars and into
the lake through the mouth of dragon heads.
According to a book written by Emperor Qianlong, the boat was
used for enjoying the scenery and was supposed to be symbolic
of the stability of the Qing Dynasty.
Halfway up the slope there stands the Hall for listening to
Orioles. The ancient Chinese liken the warble of an oriole to
beautiful songs and melodies, hence the name of the hall which
used to be a theater. Now the hall is one of the most famous restaurants
in China, featuring imperial dishes and desserts. It is a must
for many foreign visitors to have lunch here when then come to
Beijing. More than one hundred heads of state worldwide have dined
here and the late Premier Zhou Enlai has held banquets here in
honor of state guests. (Sightseers who want to try the restaurant
can go boating after they eat. Those who do not can go abroad
right away. Those who do not feel like taking the boat can stroll
along the Long Corridor to the outside of the East Gate).
(Boating on Kunmin Lake)
We are now going to enjoy the lakeside scenery from a pleasure
boat. As a main part of the Summer Palace, Kunming Lake covers
an area of 220 hectares, or three fourths of the combined space
of this summer resort. This natural lake is more than 3500 years
old.
This lake was originally called Wengshan Lake. In 1749 Emperor
Qianlong ordered the construction of Qingyi Garden, the predecessor
of the Summer Palace. Involving nearly 10,000 laborers, the lake
was expanded and turned into a peach-shaped reservoir, the first
of its kind for Beijing.
From 1990 to 1991, the Beijing Municipal Government ordered
the first dredging of the lake in 240 years. Involving 200,000
men and hundreds of dredgers and other tools, a total of 625,600
cubic meters of sludge was dredged and 205 bombs dropped by the
Japanese during the Anti-Japanese War were removed.
The summer palace set a precedent for sightseeing by boat. There
used to be a large imperial flotilla, of which the "Kunming
Merry Dragon" was the most famous. It was destroyed by the
Anglo-French allied forces in 1860. To make the tour of the Summer
Palace a more pleasant one, a large pleasure boat "Tai He"
(Supreme Harmony )was built. This double –decked boat is 37.09
meters long,8,59 meters wide and 10.49 meters high. It can travel
at a speed of 9 kilometer per hour. Small pleasure boats are also
available to tourist.
Another major spot of interest on the Western causeway is Jingming
(Bright View ) Hall. Both its front and rear face the lake. This
structure also features three two- storeyed halls of varying heights.
Our tour is drawing to a close as we approach the shore. Today
we only visited the major scenic areas of the Summer Palace. I
have left other spot of interest for your next visit.
I will show you out through the East Gate. I hope you enjoyed
today's tour. Thank you. Good-bye and good luck.
北京-天安门英文导游辞
Tian'anmen (the Gate of Heavenly Peace), is located in the center
of Beijing. It was first built in 1417 and named Chengtianmen
(the Gate of Heavenly Succession). At the end of the Ming Dynasty,
it was seriously damaged by war. When it was rebuilt under the
Qing in 1651, it was renamed Tian'anmen, and served as the main
entrance to the Imperial City, the administrative and residential
quarters for court officials and retainers. The southern sections
of the Imperial City wall still stand on both sides of the Gate.
The tower at the top of the gate is nine-room wide and five –room
deep. According to the Book of Changes, the two numbers nine and
five, when combined, symbolize the supreme status of a sovereign.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Tian'anmen was the place where
state ceremonies took place. The most important one of them was
the issuing of imperial edicts, which followed these steps:
1) The Minister of Rites would receive the edict in Taihedian
(Hall of Supreme Harmony), where the Emperor was holding his court.
The minister would then carry the decree on a yunpan (tray of
cloud), and withdraw from the hall via Taihemen (Gate of supreme
Harmony)
2) The Minister would put the tray in a miniature longting (dragon
pavilion). Beneath a yellow umbrella and carry it via Wumen (Meridian
Gate), to Tian'anmen Gate tower. 3) A courtier would be invested
to proclaim the edict. The civil and military officials lining
both sides of the gateway beneath the tower would prostrate themselves
in the direction of the emperor in waiting for the decree to the
proclaimed.
4) The courtier would then put the edict in a phoenix-shaped
wooden box and lower it from the tower by means of a silk cord.
The document would finally be carried in a similar tray of cloud
under a yellow umbrella to the Ministry of Rites.
5) The edict, copied on yellow paper, would be made known to
the whole country. Such a process was historically recorded as
" Imperial Edict Issued by Golden Phoenix". During the
Ming and Qing dynasties Tian'anmen was the most important passage.
It was this gate that the Emperor and his retinue would go through
on their way to the altars for ritual and religious activities.
On the Westside of Tian'anmen stands ZhongshanPark (Dr. Sun
Yat-sen's Park), and on the east side, the Working People's Cultural
Palace. The Park was formerly called Shejitan (Altar of Land and
Grain), built in 1420 for offering sacrificial items to the God
of Land. It was opened to the public as a park in 1914 and its
name was changed in 1928 to the present one in memory of the great
pioneer of the Chinese Democratic Revolution. The Working People's
Cultural Palace used to be Taimiao (the Supreme Ancestral Temple),
where tablets of the deceased dynastic rulers were kept.
The stream in front of Tian'anmen is called Waijinshuihe (Outer
Golden River), with seven marble bridges spanning over it . Of
these seven bridges, historical records say the middle one was
for the exclusive use of the emperor and was accordingly called
Yuluqiao (Imperial Bridge). The bridges flanking it on either
side were meant for the members of the royal family and were therefore
called Wanggongqiao (Royal's Bridges). Farther away on each side
of the two were bridges for officials ranking above the third
order and were named Pinjiqiao (ministerial Bridges). The remaining
two bridges were for the use by the retinue below the third order
and were called Gongshengqiao (common Bridges). They are the one
in front of the Supreme Ancestral Temple to the east and the one
in front of the Altar of land and Grain to the west.
The two stone lions by the Gate of Tian'anmen, one on each side
were meant as sentries. They gaze toward the middle axis, guarding
the emperor's walkway. In front of the gate stands a pair of marble
columns called Huabiao. They are elaborately cut in bas-relief
following the pattern of a legendary dragon. Behind the gate stands
another pair of similar columns. The story of Huabiao may be traced
to a couple of sources. One of the versions accredits its invention
to one of the Chinese sage kings named Yao, who was said to have
set up a wooden pillar in order to allow the ordinary people to
expose evil-doers, hence it was originally called a slander pillar.
Later it was reduced to a signpost, and now it serves as an ornament.
The beast sitting on the top of the column is called "hou",
a legendary animal, which is said to have been a watcher of an
emperor's behaviour. He was doing such duties as warning the emperor
against staying too long outside the palace or indulging in pleasure
and urging him to go to the people for their complaints or return
in due time. Therefore, the two pairs of beasts were given the
names "Wangjunhui" (Expecting the emperor's coming back)
and "wangjunchu" (Expecting the emperor's going out)
respectively.
In the old days, Tian'anmen, as a part of the Imperial City,
was meant for important occasions. The two rows of chaofang (antechamber),
on the sides behind the main gate, were reserved for civil and
military members of the government waiting for imperial audience
and in front of the gate, were offices of imperial administration.
On October 1, 1949, chairman Mao Zedong proclaimed on Tian'anmen
Rostrum the founding of the People's Republic of China. Since
then Tian'anmen has been the symbol of New Chine\a. Chairman Mao's
portrait is hung above the central entrance, flanked by two slogans:"
Long Live the Great Unity of the Peoples of the World". Today,
the splendour of Tian'anmen attracts million of visitors from
all over the world. The Rostrum on its top was opened in 1988
to the public for the first time in its history. It offers a panoramic
view of the Square and the city proper.
Tian'anmen Square
Situated due south of Tian'anmen, the Square has an area of
44 hectares (109 acres) that can accommodate as many as one million
people for public gatherings. It has witnessed may historical
events in China's modern history and is a place for celebrations
on such festive days as international Labour Day on May 1st and
national Day on October 1st.
Around the Square are several famous buildings:
1 The Great Hall of the People
This is one of the largest congressional buildings in the world.
Built in 1959, the hall consists of three parts: a 10, 000-seat
auditorium in the center, a banquet hall in the north wing facing
Chang'an Street, with a seating capacity of 5, 000, and offices
for the Standing Committee of the National Peoples' Congress of
China in the south. In addition, thirty-four reception chambers
are named after various provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities
directly under the Central Government, plus Hong Kong and Macao.
Each is different from the other in decoration and furnishings
to stress their local features.
2 The Museum of Chinese History and the Museum of the Chinese
Revolution These two museums were also built in 1959. The museum
of Chinese History houses a permanent exhibition in four parts,
covering the entire process of Chinese history spanning from 1.7
million years ago to 1919:
1) The Primitive Society (1.7 million years ago to the 21st
century BC);
2) The Slave Society (21st century BC to 476 BC.);
3) The Feudal Society (475 BC. To 1840 AD.);
4) The Semi-Colonial and Semi- feudal Society (1840 to 1919.)
The Museum of the Chinese Revolution covers the period from
1919 to 1949.
3 The Monument to the People's Heroes
the monument was built in memory of thousands of martyrs who
died for the revolutionary cause of the Chinese people. Its construction
began on August 1, 1952 and was not completed until 1958. In the
form of an obelisk, the Monument as made of more than 17, 000
pieces of marble. The purple piece inlaid in the front of the
Monument was brought from Qingdao, Shandong Province. It is 38
meters (124ft 8 in) high, the loftiest of its kind ever seen in
the country. Not only is it an historic memorial for immortal
heroes, but also it is an artistic work of excellent architectural
value.
On the front side of the Monument is an engraved inscription
in Chinese characters written by Chairman Mao Zedong, which reads"
Eternal Glory to the People's Heroes!" On the back of the
Monument is an article written by Chairman Mao, but in Chinese
calligraphy by the late Premier Zhou Enlai.
At the top of the Monument are eight gigantic carved wreathes
of such flowers as peony, lotus and chrysanthemum, symbolizing
nobility, purity, and fortitude. At the base of the monument are
eight marble reliefs depicting the Chinese historic events since
1840. They are:
1) The Burning of Opium in 1840:
2) The uprising of 1851 in Jintian, Guangxi;
3) The Revolution of 1911;
4) The May Fourth Movement of 1919;
5) The May 30th Movement of 1925;
6) The Uprising of 1927 in Nanchang, Jiangxi;
7) The War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression from 1937
to 1945;
8) The Victorious Crossing over the Yangtze River by the Peoples's
Liberation Army in 1949. This relief is flanked by two smaller
ones—"Supplying the Front" and "Greeting the P.L.A."
4 Chairman Mao's Mausoleum
Chairman Mao Zedong, the founder of the People's Republic of
China, passed away on September 9, 1976. In commemoration of this
great man, a mausoleum began to be constructed in November 1976,
and was completes in August the following year. The Mausoleum
was officially opened on September 9, 1977.
The mausoleum is surrounded by four groups of sculpture. East
of the northern entrance is the sculpture depicting the period
of the New Democratic Revolution (1919-1949), and west of it is
the one signifying the great achievements of the Chinese people
during the period of socialist revolution and construction since
1949. The sculptures in front of the southern gate are figures
of workers, peasants soldiers, intellectuals, technicians and
children.
Inside the Mausoleum are three main sections: A white marble
statue of Chairman Mao is mounted on a platform in the front lobby.
On the wall behind the statue is a 24-metre-long (79-foot-long)
tapestry, a fine needlepoint work with beautiful landscapes of
the country.
In the main hall there is a crystal coffin, in which Chairman
Mao's body lies stately with the Communist Party's flag covering
over him.
On the wall of the southern lobby, a poem by Chairman Mao and
in his own calligraphy is inscribed in gold inlay. It expresses
his full great expectations for the country.
Tian' anmen Square has now completed its renovation after eight
months' hard work to welcome the 50th anniversary of the People's
Republic in 1999.
北京-天坛英文导游辞
(Inside the South Gate of the Temple of Heaven)
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Welcome to the temple of Heaven. (After self-introduction) preserved
cultural heritages of China. There are basically two kinds of
visitors who come here: local pensioners who do exercises here
in the morning and evening and sightseers both from home and abroad.
All in all, there are 12 million visitors very year. Now we are
going to go along the route that leads to the alter. It will take
roughly one hour. Mind you, the emperor also walked along this
route to pay tribute to the God of Heaven.
(Along the Southern Sacred Road leading to the Circular Mound
Altar)
The largest group of architectures ever to be dedicated to Heaven,
the Temple of Heaven served as an exclusive altar for Chinese
monarchs during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was decreed that
rulers of successive dynasties would place altars in their own
capitals to worship Heaven and pray for good harvest. But why?
The ancient Chinese believed that Heaven was the supreme ruler
of the universe and the fate of mankind, and thus worshiping rites
dedicated to Heaven came into being. The Heaven the ancient Chinese
referred to was actually the Universe, or nature. In those days,
there were specific rites of worship. This was especially true
during the Ming and Qing dynasties when elaborate ceremonies were
held.
The Temple of Heaven was built in 1420 during the reign of Emperor
Yongle of the Ming Dynasty. Situated in the southern part of the
city, this grand set of structures covers an area of 273 hectares.
To better symbolize heaven and earth, the northern part of the
Temple is circular while the southern part is square. The whole
compound is enclosed by two walls, a square wall outside a round
one. The outer area is characterized by suburban scenery, while
the inner part is used for sacrifices. The inner enclosure consists
of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest and the Circular Mound
Altar.
(Along the Imperial Passage leading from the Southern Lattice
Star Gate in front of the Circular Mound Altar)
The Circular Mound Altar is enclosed by two walls, each containing
four groups of Southern Lattice Star Gate, each in turn consisting
of three doors, with 24 marble doors altogether. Standing on the
passage facing north, you will notice that with each pair of doors
on is narrower than the other. This reflects the feudal hierarchy:
the wider door was reserved for monarchs, while the narrower one
was used by courtiers.
On the day of the ceremony, the emperor would don his ritual
costume and be ushered in by the official in charge of religious
affairs. He ascended the three terraces in the forefront to pay
tribute at the alter.
(Atop the Circular Mound Alter)
we are now on the top terrace of the Altar, or the third terrace.
Each terrace has a flight of 9 steps. At the center of this terrace
lies a round stone surrounded by 9 steps. At the center of this
terrace lies a round stone surrounded by 9 concentric rings of
stone. The number of stones in the first ring is 9, in the second,
18, up to 81 in the 9th ring. Even the number of carved balustrades
on these terraces is a multiple of 9. But why?
According to ancient Chinese philosophy, yin and yang were two
opposing factors. Heaven and the odd numbers belonged to yang
while the Earth and even numbers belonged to yin. Nine was the
largest heavenly number accessible to man. What is more, the ancient
people also believed that heaven consisted of nine layers and
that the emperor's abode was on the uppermost tier.
Once more look at the round stone in the center. The upper terrace
is nine zhang (a Chinese unit of length, one zhang equals 3.3
meters) in circumference, while the middle is 15 zhang, the lower,
21 zhang. Classified as yang numbers, the sum of these numerals
is 45 zhang which was meant to symbolized success. What is more,
by applying the concept of odd numbers and strengthening nine
and its multiples, the concept of heaven was thus illustrated
and realized. The concept of nine will also be mentioned when
we visit some other buildings.
Now I will give you a brief account of what happened here annually
on the Inter Solstice. The memorial tablet dedicated to Heaven
would be set up on the north side of the terrace, while tablets
dedicated to the emperor 's ancestors would be enshrined on the
flanks. The service would begin around 4 o'clock in the morning.
All of the lanterns would be lit. In the foreground, a sacrificial
calf is being barbecued. On the square in front of the altar,
the emperor, under heavy escort of nearly a thousand courtiers,
princes of royal blood, musicians, dancers and uniformed soldiers,
would slowly ascend the altar to offer sacrifice and pray in honor
of Heaven. When the service drew to a close, the sacrifice offered
in front of the memorial tablets would be incinerated. All of
participants would watch the thick smoke rise upward as if they
were seeing God off. Music and dancing would follow. In the end,
the emperor would return to the Forbidden City secure in the belief
that he would be blessed and protected by Heaven until the next
winter Solstice. It is interesting to note that, the stone in
the very middle of the altar was of major importance, since it
was where the emperor used to stand to say his prayer. The stone,
which is known as the God's heart Stone, is peculiar in that it
is characterized by a specific acoustic phenomenon: it made the
emperor's voice clearer and louder, thus adding to the mystic
atmosphere of the service. You can try this out by yourself. (Proceed
northward to pass through the Lattice StarGate)
(In front of the Gate of glazed tiles)
this structure is known as Heaven's Storehouse. It is entered
through the Gate of glazed Tiles. The roofing, beams, and brackets
are all made of glazed tiles or bricks. This is the only structure
of its kind in china today.
The Heaven's Storehouse was where memorial tablets dedicated
to the gods were kept. Douglas Hurd, a former British foreign
secretary, once said, "God attends to His affairs on the
Cir4cular Mound Altar but stays here. " Now let's go into
see it (Go through the left side door)
(In the courtyard of Heaven's Storehouse)
this is the Imperial Vault of Heaven, the main structure of
Heaven's Storehouse. It was built in 1530 and is 17 meters in
height and 19 meters in diameter. The structure feature blue roofs
topped by a gilded ball, and carved wooden doors and windows.
It is decorated with colored paintings. Founded on a 3-meter-hign
round marble terrace, the building also features a gigantic carved
marble ramp laid in the stone staircase leading up to the front
entrance. The ramp is carved in "Two dragons Playing with
a pearl" design in relief. We will enter the main hall by
going up the stone staircase on the eastern side.
(On the marble terrace of the main hall)
The arch of the hall is buttressed by 16 giant pillars on two
rings. On top of the pillars there are gilt brackets supporting
a circular caisson, or covered ceiling. The ceiling is characterized
by a golden coiling dragon design. The 8 pillar of the inner ring
are painted scarlet and decorated with golden lotuses.
To the north of the hall there is a marble pedestal. Atop it,
up a wooden flight of 9 steps, is where the major tablet dedicate
to Heaven was enshrined. On each flank four tablets are enshrined
in honor of the ancestors of the Qing emperors. In the annex hall
in honor of the ancestors of the Qing emperors, and in the annex
halls in the courtyard, there are tablets dedicated to the deities
of the sun, moon, constellation, cloud, rain, wind and thunder.
(Echo Wall and Triple –sound Stones)
Aside from exquisitely laid out architectures, Heaven's Storehouse
is also famous for two structures with peculiar acoustic features,
i. E. the Echo Wall and the Triple- Sound Stone. A mere whisper
at any point close to the wall can be heard clearly on the other
side, although the parties may be 40 or 50 meters apart. This
is possible because the wall is round and hermetically constructed
with smooth, solid bricks.
In front of the steps leading away from the halls is the Triple
Sound Stone. If you stand on the first stone and call out or clap
your hands, the sound will echo once; on the second stone, the
sound will be heard twice; and on the third stone, the sound will
repeat three times. Hence the name. (Go out through the right
door and stroll along the circular path northward)
(Nine-Dragon Cypress)
the Temple of Heaven is also famous for its cypress trees-there
are more than 60,000 cypress trees in all, among which over 4,000
are more than one hundred years old, adding to the solemn atmosphere
of the temple. This tall cypress was planted more than 500 years
ago. Its thick branches and twisting trunk resembling nine coiling
playful dragons; thus it is known as the Nine-Dragon cypress.
It is said that this tree was here to welcome the monarchs. Now
it is here to welcome visitor from all over the world.
(In the south of Chengzhen Gate)
now we are back again on the Central Axis. This brick-arched
gate is known as Chengzhen (Adopting Fidelity). This gate is the
northern gate of the Circular Mound Altar and the Hall of Prayer
for Good Harvest. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest is situated
at the extreme end of the axis. It was used by the emperor in
the first month of every lunar year for services dedicated to
good harvest.
(On the Red Stairway Bridge)
entering the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest, we set foot on
a raised passage 360 meters long, which the emperor also took
to proceed to the hall. This broad north-south walkway, called
Danbiqiao (Red Stairway bridge), connects the two sets of main
building in the Temple of Heaven and constitutes a single axis.
The passage is divided into left, control and right paths by
the cross arrangement of slabs. The central and the widest path
is known as Heavenly Thoroughfare, which was reserved exclusively
for God; nobody, including the emperor, was allowed to set foot
onto it. The emperor used the path on the east, which is known
as the Imperial Walk. The ministers and princes used the one on
the west. Interesting enough, there is no walkway left for ordinary
people. This is because the Temple of Heaven used to be off-limits
to them.
Contrary to appearances, this walkway is not a bridge at all.
But how so? This road is 4 meters above the ground and there is
a cavern underneath that was reserved for sacrificial oxen and
sheep. The cattle were slaughtered at a slaughterhouse about 500
meters away and brought here for sacrifice. All in all, it can
be said this walkway did serve as bridge and can be looked upon
as the first cloverleaf in Beijing.
Looking back at the thoroughfare, you may realize that this
walk is gaining height toward its northern end. As people approach
the architectural group of the Hall of Prayer for good Harvest,
the flanking groves of cypress recede and perspective widens.
Here you are in Heaven.
(Costume-Changing Terrace)
The marble terrace up ahead is called jufutai, or Costume Changing
Terrace. It is located to the east of the Red Stairway Bridge
and covers a space of 25 square meters. IT has marble Slab balustrades.
The day before the service, officials in charge would put up a
yellow satin tent on the terrace for the emperor to change out
of his yellow dragon robe into blue ceremonial clothes. After
the service, the emperor would return to the tent and change back
into his imperial robe before returning to the palace. (Proceed
to the South Gate of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest)
(At the Gate of Prayer for Good Harvest)
this structure is called the Gate of Pray for Good Harvest.
We can catch a slight glimpse of the central building, the Hall
of Prayer for Good harvest, though the colonnade of the Gate.
A gigantic and lofty group of buildings, the complex includes
the Gate of Prayer for Good Harvest, the hall of prayer for good
harvest, eastern and western annex halls, the Huanqian (Imperial
heaven) Long corridor, Heaven Kitchen, slaughterhouse, etc. the
annex halls were symmetrically built on a 1.5-meter-hignbrick-and-marble
terrace, to set off the loftiness and magnificence of the main
hall. This unique building, 38 meters in height, is characterized
by a cone-shaped structure with triple eaves and a top that is
crowned by a gilt ball. The roofing is made of blue glazed tiles,
the color of the sky. Underneath the roof, the beams and bracket
are decorated with colored paintings. The base of the structure
is a triple-tiered, circular marble terrace. At a distance, the
terrace looks like a gigantic, spiraling cloud with the structure
perched on top of it.
Today the hall of prayer for good harvest is the hallmark of
Beijing, which enjoys a prolonged history of civilization.
(At the base of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest)
The base of the hall is a triple-tiered, circular marble terrace,
which is 90 meters in diameter and 6 meters in height, covering
a space of 4,000 square meters. Meticulous accuracy was given
to the layout of the structure. In the middle of each three-tiered
flight of stairs, there is a giant marble ramp carved in cloud,
dragon and phoenix designs. To set off the ramps, the top of the
balustrades and downpipes are designed with corresponding floral
scrolls. In southern part of each tier, a gigantic bronze incense
burner is placed. Sandalwood was burnt in them when rites were
observed.
(In front of the hall of Prayer for good harvest)
climbing up this marble terrace, we see the main hall, a masterpiece
of ancient China. Looking up you will see the caisson, or covered
ceiling, characterized by complex designs of dragons and phoenixes.
In and out, the hall is decorated with colored drawing of dragons
and phoenixes.
Without the use of steel, cement and nail, and even without
the use of big beams and crossbeams, the entire structure is supported
by 28 massive wooden pillars and number of bars, laths, joints
and rafters. The four central pillars, called the dragon-Well
Pillars, are 19.2 meters high and painted with designs of composite
followers, representing the four season. There are two rings of
12 scarlet pillars each. The inner ring represents the 12 months
and the outer rings the 12 divisions of the day and night. Between
the two rings there are 24 partitioned spaces to mark the solar
terms of the Chinese lunar year. The pillars, 28 in number, also
represent the 28 constellations in the universe- the ancient Chinese
believed that there were 28 constellations that made up the sky.
The center of the stone-paved floor is a round marble slab,
which is 88.5 centimeters in diameter. Interestingly, the slab
features natural black and white veins, corresponding to the dragon-phoenix
design on the ceiling. This particular slab is known as the Dragon-phoenix
stone and is regarded as a treasure inseparable from the hall.
The furnishings within the hall are placed in their original
positions dating back to when Emperor Xianfeng ruled. In the forefront
and above the throne are enshrined tablets in commemoration of
Heaven. On either table on each side tablets of the emperor's
ancestors were placed. Each tablet is fronted by an altar. A total
of 24 kinds of offering were made on it, including soup, wine,
assorted cereals, and a calf.
The sacrificial rites were observed in the wee hours of the
morning, sometime in the first month of the Chinese lunar year.
Because it was still dark, candles, lanterns and torches were
lit. This lighting coupled with the incense being burnt inside
the hall, helped make the ceremony both grand and mystical.
By the time the service began,207 musicians and dancers would
be performing on platforms outside the hall. The emperor, in his
blue sacrificial robe and with an air of piety and sincerity,
would walk slowly into the hall, kowtow, and offer wine and prayer
in honor of the deities and his ancestors. All of the offerings
would then be taken to incinerators on the eastern side of the
gate of prayer for Good Harvest. With this we conclude our visit
to the Temper of Heaven. The feudal monarchs and their sacrificial
rites have long vanished in history. However, this group of magnificent
and lofty structures remain as a fine testament of the ancient
Chinese's ingenuity and as one of the cultural heritages of mankind.
(On the Long Corridor)
From the Eastern Gate of the hall of prayer for good harvest,
we have now entered a 300-meter-long corridor. Consisting of 72
sections, this corridor served as a connecting building between
the Slaughterhouses. Heaven Kitchen, and the main hall, It is
said that this once served as a sacrificial food production line.
Flanking the corridor are shopping stalls. You may find some souvenirs
for your family and friend there.
Well, that is all for this tour. Thank you for your attention.
I look forward to your next visit. Good uck and bon voyage.
北京-雍和宫英文导游辞
Yonghegong (The Lama Temple) is a famous lamasery located in the
northeastern part of the old city of Beijing. It was a palatial
residence built in 1694 by Qing Emperor Kangxi for his fourth
son, Prince Yongzheng who later succeeded to the throne. This
magnificent temple consists of five main buildings lying on the?north-south
axis, with annex halls standing on both sides. The temple is listed
by the Chinese Government as one of the important historical monuments
under special preservation. After the death of his father, Emperor
Yongzheng moved to the Forbidden City. The compound was closed
to ordinary people and was renamed yonghegong (the Palace of Harmony).
Green roof tiles were replaced by yellow ones to suit a monarch's
home. In 1744 his successor Emperor Qianlong converted the palace
into a lamasery.
Several renovations?have been carried out since 1949.The temple
has taken on a new look and was reopened to the public in 1981.It
is now not only a functional lama temple, but also a tourist attraction.
Of interest to visitors in the Lama Temple are the 18-metre-high
Maitreya statue engraved from a 26-metre-long white sandal-wood
log, "the Five hundred Arhats Hill" made of gold, silver,
copper, iron and tin, and the niche carved out of nanmu (this
kind of Phoebe nanmu can give off a unusual scent reputed to repel
mosquitoes in summer). These three objects are accredited as the
three matchless masterpieces in the Lama Temple.
旅游英语--定陵 Dingling Mausoleum
Dingling, the underground mausoleum of Emperor Wan Li, is one
of the thirteen imperial tombs of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
Emperor Wan Li (1573-1620) ordered the construction of his own
tomb when he was 22 and it took six years to complete the construction
which cost about two year's land taxes of the entire empire. The
Emperor gave a party in his own funeral chamber, so the chronicles
say, to mark its completion, and thirty years later he was buried
in it amid a splendid ceremony.
The tomb was excavated in 1958 and has since been open to the
public as an underground museum.
Some fifty kilometers northwest of Beijing city center, the group
of tombs (known as Ming Tombs) near Dingling are scattered around
the southern slopes of the Heavenly Longevity Mountains(1), bounded
by hills on three sides with a southern exposure to an open plain.
The approach to the Ming Tombs is a shaded 7-kilometer-long road
known as the Sacred Way. Its beginning is marked with a marble
archway standing 27 meters long and 15 meters high. The marble
archway is similar to the triumphal arches of Europe (Paris, Rome,
Berlin, etc.). This archway, one of the finest and best preserved
in the country, was erected in 1540, at a time when Chinese architecture
had reached its climax.
A stone table nearby proclaims that entrants must dismount at
this point and proceed on foot, that admittance beyond the archway
was forbidden to ordinary citizens, and that violating this law
was punishable by death.
Further on, this road is lined with gigantic stone statues, 24
of lions, camels, elephants, horses, and mythical animals and
12 of generals, civil mandarins, and courtiers(2).
Dingling consists of the underground palace and surface structures,
most of which are now in ruin, leaving the magnificent soul Tower
st
ill standing in a spacious courtyard. Each corner of the Tower
is a single block of stone. The rafters, beams and architraves
are also carved out of stone and decorated with colorful motifs.
The Tower houses a large stone tablet inscribed with Wan Li's
posthumous title.
Immediately behind the tower is the burial mound encircled by
a 700-meter-long brick wall. The mound is called the Precious
City and directly beneath it is a mammoth tomb-the Underground
Palace, where the emperor and his two empresses were expected
to live an eternal life in splendor and luxury.
The Underground Palace lies 27 metes below the surface. A flight
of stone steps leads down to the main entrance, which is a richly
carved gateway with a double-leaf marble door. Each leaf, 4 tons
in weight, hinges on an axis which is carved from the same piece
of marble. The lower end of the axis rests in a hole on the stone
doorstep and the upper end in a hole of the bronze lintel which
weights ten tons. Each marble leaf, incredible, is thicker near
the axis and tapers off toward the middle of the door. This allows
one person to open and close the massive door easily. The door
was ingeniously sealed on the burial scene by a stone bar, known
as the "Self-acting stone." Once put in place from inside,
this bolt would prevent the door from ever being opened again.
The Underground Palace consists of three aligned vaults: the
Ante-Chamber, the Sacrificial Chamber and the Burial Chamber.
Each chamber is provided with an entrance gate as massive as the
main gate.
The Ante-Chamber is now bare. The Sacrificial Chamber, flanked
with an annex chamber on each side, contains three white thrones.
The central one, carved with dragons in high relief on its back
and sides, was for the emperor, who was flanked in death by two
empresses on thrones carved with phoenixes. In front of each throne
is a set of five-altar pieces and a large blue-and -white porcelain
jar st
ill containing oil and wick in a bronze tube. This is called "everlasting
lamp"(3) which was supposed to provide "everlasting
light". Midway along the side walls are simple arched doorways
leading into the annexes. Each annex contains a stone couch on
which an empress's coffin was to rest. In the center of each couch
there is a square hole in which yellow earth was placed, presenting
a secret connection between the coffin and the earth. At the end
of each annex is a huge gate with a self-acting stone. Beyond
the gate is a vaulted passage which is blocked. The passage was
intended for the entombment of the empresses should they die after
the emperor, as no one was supposed to disturb his corpse.
In the Burial Chamber, the largest part of the tomb, stand three
red-lacquered coffins, side by side on a white marble platform.
The one in the middle is the Emperor's coffin, with the First
Empress's on the left and the Second Empress's on the right. Inside
each coffin there is another coffin, and thus, each imperial corpse
is held in two coffins, one kept within the other. In the narrow
spaces between the three sets of coffins are two pairs of vases
and three boxes which originally contained a wooden imperial seal
and wooden tablets recording the bestowal on the emperor of his
posthumous title. There is also an iron helmet decorated with
gold and jewels, a suit of mail, a sword, a bow, and iron-tipped
arrows.
ON either side of the coffins are 26 wooden chests that contain
wooden figurines, women's head-dresses decorated with golden phoenixes
and jewels, wooden seals with the posthumous titles of the empresses,
jade belts, strings of jade pendants, robes, shoes and sets of
gold chopsticks, spoons, cups, and wash-basins. Also on the platform
were wooden models of sedan chairs, coaches, spears, bows, arrows,
flagstaffs with silk banners and other objects used in imperial
processions.
When the emperor's coffin was opened, a sil
k shroud, jade cups and jade bowls with a gold cover were first
exposed. The shroud was then carefully rolled back, revealing
among other precious objects a royal crown which is the only royal
crown excavated so far in China. Of Emperor Wan Li, only bones
and hair remained. He wore a beard, and his long hair in a top
knot was secured with long gold pins. The "dragon robe",
in which he was buried is not so well preserved as a similar one
buried with him. Rolls of silk, all in gorgeous patterns and many
woven with gold thread, form his mattress and bedding. Both empresses'
coffins contained phoenix coronets and other headdresses, bronze
mirrors and gold boxes for cosmetics and toilet articles. The
coronets are of fine gold mesh with dragons and phoenixes, each
adorned with more than a hundred germs and five thousand pearls.
Most of the relics (some three thousand pieces )are on display
in the Dingling Museum Exhibition Hall, which has attracted millions
of visitors from China and abroad since the museum opened in 1959.
Notes:
1. Heavenly Longevity Mountains 天寿山
2. generals, civil mandarins, and courtiers 武臣、文臣和勋臣
3. everlasting lamp 长明灯
旅游英语：长城 The Great Wall
The Great Wall, like the Pyramids of Egypt, the Taj Mahal(1)
in India and the Hanging Garden of Babylon(2), is one of the great
wonders of the world.
Starting out in the east on the banks of the Yalu River in Liaoning
Province, the Wall stretches westwards for 12,700 kilometers to
Jiayuguan in the Gobi desert, thus known as the Ten Thousand Li
Wall in China. The Wall climbs up and down, twists and turns along
the ridges of the Yanshan and Yinshan Mountain Chains through
five provinces--Liaoning, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Gansu and
two autonomous regions--Ningxia and Inner Mongolia, binding the
northern China together.
Historical records trace the construction of the origin of the
Wall to defensive fortification back to the year 656 B.C. during
the reign of King Cheng of the States of Chu. Its construction
continued throughout the Warring States period in the fifth Century
B.C. when ducal states Yan, Zhao, Wei, and Qin were frequently
plundered by the nomadic peoples living north of the Yinshan and
Yanshan mountain ranges. Walls, then, were built separately by
these ducal states to ward off such harassments. Later in 221
B.C., when Qin conquered the other states and unified China, Emperor
Qinshihuang ordered the connection of these individual walls and
further extensions to form the basis of the present great wall.
As a matter of fact, a separate outer wall was constructed north
of the Yinshan range in the Han Dynasty(206 BC--1644 BC.), which
went to ruin through years of neglect. In the many intervening
centuries, succeeding dynasties rebuilt parts of the Wall. The
most extensive reinforcements and renovations were carried out
in the Ming Dynasty (1368--1644) when altogether 18 lengthy stretches
were reinforced with bricks and rocks. it is mostly the Ming Dynasty
Wall that visitors see today.
The Great Wall is divided into two sections, the east and west,
with Shanxi Province as the dividing line. The west part is a
rammed earth construction, about 5.3 meters high on average. In
the eastern part, the core of the Wall is rammed earth as well,
but the outer shell is reinforced with bricks and rocks. The most
imposing and best preserved sections of the Great Wall are at
Badaling and Mutianyu, not far from Beijing and both are open
to visitors.
The Wall of those sections is 7.8 meters high and 6.5 meters
wide at its base, narrowing to 5.8 meters on the ramparts, wide
enough for five horses to gallop abreast. There are ramparts,
embrasures, peep-holes and apertures for archers on the top, besides
gutters with gargoyles to drain rain-water off the parapet walk.
Two-storied watch-towers are built at approximately 400-meters
internals. The top stories of the watch-tower were designed for
observing enemy movements, while the first was used for storing
grain, fodder, military equipment and gunpowder as well as for
quartering garrison soldiers. The highest watch-tower at Badaling
standing on a hill-top, is reached only after a steep climb, like
"climbing a ladder to heaven". The view from the top
is rewarding, hoverer. The Wall follows the contour of mountains
that rise one behind the other until they finally fade and merge
with distant haze.
A signal system formerly existed that served to communicate military
information to the dynastic capital. This consisted of beacon
towers on the Wall itself and on mountain tops within sight of
the Wall. At the approach of enemy troops, smoke signals gave
the alarm from the beacon towers in the daytime and bonfire did
this at night. Emergency signals could be relayed to the capital
from distant places within a few hour long before the invention
of anything like modern communications.
There stand 14 major passes (Guan, in Chinese) at places of strategic
importance along the Great Wall, the most important being Shanghaiguan
and Jiayuguan. Yet the most impressive one is Juyongguan, about
50 kilometers northwest of Beijing.
Known as "Tian Xia Di YI Guan" (The First Pass Under
Heaven), Shanghaiguan Pass is situated between two sheer cliffs
forming a neck connecting north China with the northeast. It had
been, therefore, a key junction contested by all strategists and
many famous battles were fought here. It was the gate of Shanghaiguan
that the Ming general Wu Sangui opened to the Manchu army to suppress
the peasant rebellion led by Li Zicheng and so surrendered the
whole Ming empire to the Manchus, leading to the foundation of
the Qing Dynasty. (1644-1911)
Jiayuguan Pass was not so much as the "Strategic pass Under
the Heaven" as an important communication center in Chinese
history. Cleft between the snow-capped Qilian Mountains and the
rolling Mazong Mountains, it was on the ancient Silk Road. Zhang
Qian, the first envoy of Emperor Wu Di of the Western Han dynasty
(206 B.C-24 A.D), crossed it on his journey to the western regions.
Later, silk flowed to the west through this pass too. The gate-tower
of Jiayuguan is an attractive building of excellent workmanship.
It has an inner city and an outer city, the former square in shape
and surrounded by a wall 11.7 meters high and 730 meters in circumference.
It has two gates, an eastern one and a western one. On each gate
sits a tower facing each other. the four corners of the wall are
occupied by four watch towers, one for each.
Juyongguan, a gateway to ancient Beijing from Inner Mongolia,
was built in a 15-kilometer long ravine flanked by mountains.
The cavalrymen of Genghis Khan swept through it in the 13th century.
At the center of the pass is a white marble platform named the
Cloud terrace, which was called the Crossing-Street Dagoba, since
its narrow arch spanned the main street of the pass and on the
top of the terrace there used to be three stone dagobas, built
in the Yuan Daynasty(1206-1368). At the bottom of the terrace
is a half-octagonal arch gateway, interesting for its wealth of
detail: it is decorated with splendid images of Buddha and four
celestial guardians carved on the walls. The vividness of their
expressions is matched by the exquisite workmanship. such grandiose
relics works, with several stones pieced together, are rarely
seen in ancient Chinese carving. The gate jambs bear a multi-lingual
Buddhist sutra, carved some 600 years ago in Sanskrit(3), Tibetan,
Mongolian, Uigur(4), Han Chinese and the language of Western Xia.
Undoubtedly, they are valuable to the study of Buddhism and ancient
languages.
As a cultural heritage, the Wall belongs not only to China but
to the world. The Venice charter says: "Historical and cultural
architecture not only includes the individual architectural works,
but also the urban or rural environment that witnessed certain
civilizations, significant social developments or historical events."
The Great Wall is the largest of such historical and cultural
architecture, and that is why it continues to be so attractive
to people all over the world. In 1987, the Wall was listed by
UNESCO as a world cultural heritage site.
Notes:
1. the Taj Mahal in India 印度的泰姬陵
2. the Hanging Garden of Babylon 巴比伦的空中花园
3. Sanskrit 梵语
4. Uigur 维吾尔语
Beijing Roast Duck
Beijing Duck or Beijing Roast Duck
Beijing Roast duck is thought to be one of the most delicious
dishes all over the world; most visitors coming to Beijing will
never forget to have a try. Eating Peking duck is seen to be one
of the two things you are absolutely supposed to do while in Beijing.
How roast duck was made?
You might want to know more about how Peking Roasted Duck is made.
The ducks are raised for the sole purpose of making the food.
Force-fed, they are kept in cages which restrain them from moving
about, so as to fatten them up and make the meat comparably tender.
Special farms supply plump Beijing ducks weighing an average
of 2.5 kilograms each. The two famous Beijing condiment shops,
Liubiju and Tianyuan, supply the dark tangy bean sauce spread
on the pancakes. The fragrant sesame oil and refined sugar are
also specially selected. Finally, only the wood of fruit trees
such as date, peach and pear are used in the roasting process
to give the meat its unique fragrance.
Select a duck with whole skin. First the ducks are rubbed with
spices, salt and sugar, and then kept hung in the air for some
time. Cuts open the belly and draw, and then insert a 2 inch long
piece of wood to support the chest bone and to stretch the skin.
Hook the duck by the neck, spread diluted maltose over it. Hang
the duck in an airy place to dry.
The stuffed duck is hung in the roaster and kettles of hot water
are placed in front to fill out the duck. Proper timing and temperature
are important and the duck is turned often enough to roast them
completely and evenly. (Try 350°F turn every 15 minutes, total
roasting time about 40 minutes). Roast until golden brown with
rich grease perspiring outside and have a nice odor.
What is Beijing Duck Recipe?
Normally there are many dishes served with the duck, including
a dish of fine-cut shallot bars, a dish of cucumber bars and finally
a dish of paste-like soy of fermented wheat flour. It is not necessary
to order extra soup, for the duck-bone soup is always included
in you order. It will be served as the rear dish for the dinner.
History of Roast Duck
The art of roasting ducks evolved from techniques used to prepare
sucking pigs.
The history of the roast duck can be traced back to as early
as the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368) when it was listed among the imperial
dishes in the Complete Recipes for Dishes and Beverages, written
in 1330 by Hu Sihui, an inspector of the imperial kitchen. Details
regarding the cooking process were also described in this early
cookbook.
In the early 15th century, when the Ming Dynasty capital was
shifted from Nanjing to Beijing, roast duck remained one of the
famous dishes on imperial court menus. According to the local
history, the earliest roast duck restaurant in Beijing was the
old Bianyifang Restaurant, which opened during the Jiajing reign
(1522-1566). Distinct from the method in which the duck is hung
from a hook in the ceiling of the oven and roasted over and roasted
over burning wood, the Old Bianyifang Restaurant roasted its ducks
with radiant heat. The walls of the oven were first heated with
sorghum stalks whereupon the duck was placed inside and cooked
by the heat given off by the walls. A duck roasted in this manner
is crisp to the touch and golden brown in appearance; its flesh
is both tender and tasty.
During the Qianlong period (1736-1796), roast duck was a favorite
delicacy of the upper classes. According to Recipes from the Suiyuan
Garden, the famous cookbook written by the poet and gourmet Yuan
Mei, "Roast duck is prepared by revolving a young duckling
on a spit in an oven. The chefs of Inspector Feng's family excel
in preparing this dish." Other scholars, after dining on
roast duck, were inspired to poetry. In one collection of old
Beijing rhymes (Duan Zhuzhici) one of the poems reads: "Fill
your plates with roast duck and suckling pig." Another contemporary
annotation reads: "When an official gives a banquet he will
choose dishes to please each of his guests. For example, Bianyifang's
roast duck…"
To satisfy the growing demand for roast duck, and with an eye
on the profits to be made from a good name, many restaurants opened
from a good name, many restaurants opened under the Bianyifang
name. In fact, in 1926, nine roast duck restaurants in Beijing
carried this name. In the late 1960s the Bianyifang Restaurant's
name was changed to the Chongwenmen Roast Duck Restaurant, but
in 1979 it resumed its former title. Its menu includes more than
20 traditional duck dishes, including the Four Delicacies: wing
and web, liver, heart and pancreas.
Which restaurant is famous one?
The two famous restaurants that serve Beijing Roast Duck are Bianyifang
Roast Duck Restaurant and Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant, both
of which have a history of over one hundred years. They represent
two different schools of roasting duck. Bianyifang, founded in
1855, makes use of a close oven and straw as the fuel, which won't
make flames go directly onto the duck. Before being put into the
oven, a duck is filled with specially-made soup to make it possible
to roast the duck outside and boil it inside at the same time.
Quanjude, a better known one, founded in 1864, uses an oven without
a door. After a kind of dressing being spread all over a duck,
it will be hooked up in the oven over the flame coming directly
from the burning of the fruit-tree wood and it will be done in
forty minutes. When roasted and dried, the duck will look brilliantly
dark red, shining with oil and with crisp skin and tender meat.
Because of its appearance, few people could resist the temptation
of it.
The first restaurant to bear the name Quanjude opened in 1864
during the reign of the Qing Emperor Tongzhi. Due to its high
standards, the restaurant's fame spread rapidly and for many years
the supply of roast ducks could hardly satisfy the demand. For
this reason, the restaurant was rebuilt and expanded in 1948.
In 1954 a branch (known as Hongbinlou) was opened in West Chang'
an Boulevard and another in Wangfujing Street in 1959. These additions,
however, still did not solve the problem, and with the opening
of the Quanjude at hepingmen in 1979, it was no longer necessary
to make a reservation a week in advance to taste Beijing's most
famous culinary delight.
How to eat it?
First, the chef will show you the whole duck. Then, he will slice
it into about one hundred and twenty pieces with both skin and
meat for each. Usually the duck is served together with special
pancakes, hollowed sesame bun, green onions and sweet sauce.
There is a proper way to eat it. First, pick up a slice of duck
with the help of a pair of chopsticks and dip it into the soy
paste. Next, lay it on the top of a thin cake and add some bars
of cucumber and shallot. Finally, wrap the stuff into a bundle
with the sheet cake (a thin pancake). The real secret of Peking
duck's flavor lies in your carefully nibbling away at the mixture.
You will find all the different ingredients very compatible. People
say: "it's a pity to leave Beijing without trying the roast
duck The taste of the roast duck is in the eating.
Beijing duck Ingredients:
One 5 to 6 pound duck
8 cups water
1 slice ginger
1 scallion, cut into halves
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon sherry
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 3 tablespoons water
Scallions for garnish
Directions:
Clean duck. Wipe dry and tie string around neck.
Hang duck in cool, windy place 4 hours.
Fill large wok with water. Bring to boil. Add ginger, scallion,
honey, vinegar, and sherry. Bring to boil. Pour in dissolved cornstarch.
Stir constantly.
Place duck in large strainer above larger bowl. Scoop boiling
mixture all over duck for about 10 minutes.
Hang duck again in cool, windy place for 6 hours until thoroughly
dry.
Place duck breast side up on a greased rack in oven preheated
to 350 degrees. Set a pan filled with 2 inches of water in bottom
of oven. (This is for drippings). Roast 30 minutes.
Turn duck and roast 30 minutes more.
Turn breast side up again. Roast 10 minutes more.
Use sharp knife to cut off crispy skin. Serve meat and skin immediately
on a prewarmed dish.
The duck is eaten hot with hoisin sauce rolled in Mandarin Crepes.
Garnish with scallion flowerets.
(This recipe is from Madame Wong's Long-life Chinese Cookbook,
reprinted courtesy of Sylvia Schulman)
原文:2008北京奥运会吉祥物福娃英文介绍
Like the Five Olympic Rings from which they draw their color and
inspiration, Fuwa will serve as the Official Mascots of Beijing
2008 Olympic Games, carrying a message of friendship and peace--and
blessings from China--to children all over the world. Designed
to express the playful qualities of five little children who form
an intimate circle of friends, Fuwa also embody the natural characteristics
of four of China's most popular animals--the Fish, the Panda,
the Tibetan Antelope, the Swallow--and the Olympic Flame. Each
of Fuwa has a rhyming two-syllable name--a traditional way of
expressing affection for children in China. Beibei is the Fish,
Jingjing is the Panda, Huanhuan is the Olympic Flame, Yingying
is the Tibetan Antelope and Nini is the Swallow. When you put
their names together--Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni--they say "Welcome
to Beijing," offering a warm invitation that reflects the
mission of Fuwa as young ambassadors for the Olympic Games. Fuwa
also embody both the landscape and the dreams and aspirations
of people from every part of the vast country of China. In their
origins and their headpieces, you can see the five elements of
nature--the sea, forest, fire, earth and sky--all stylistic rendered
in ways that represent the deep traditional influences of Chinese
folk art and ornamentation. In the ancient culture of China, there
is a grand tradition of spreading blessings through signs and
symbols. Each of Fuwa symbolizes a different blessing--and will
honor this tradition by carrying their blessings to the children
of the world. Prosperity, happiness, passion, health and good
luck will be spread to every continent as Fuwa carry their invitation
to Beijing 2008 to every part of the globe. At the heart of their
mission--and through all of their work--Fuwa will seek to unite
the world in peace and friendship through the Olympic spirit.
Dedicated to helping Beijing 2008 spread its theme of One World,
One Dream to every continent, Fuwa reflect the deep desire of
the Chinese people to reach out to the world in friendship through
the Games--and to invite every man, woman and child to take part
in the great celebration of human solidarity that China will host
in the light of the flame in 2008.
Like all antelopes, Yingying is fast and agile and can swiftly
cover great stretches of land as he races across the earth. A
symbol of the vastness of China's landscape, the antelope carries
the blessing of health, the strength of body that comes from harmony
with nature. Yingying's flying pose captures the essence of a
species unique to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, one of the first
animals put under protection in China. The selection of the Tibetan
Antelope reflects Beijing commitment to a Green Olympics. His
head ornament incorporates several decorative styles from the
Qinghai-Tibet and Sinkiang cultures and the ethnic design traditions
of Western China. Strong in track and field events, Yingying is
a quick-witted and agile boy who represents the yellow Olympic
ring. Every spring and summer, the children of Beijing have flown
beautiful kites on the currents of wind that blow through the
capital. Among the kite designs, the golden-winged swallow is
traditionally one of the most popular. Nini's figure is drawn
from this grand tradition of flying designs. Her golden wings
symbolize the infinite sky and spread good-luck as a blessing
wherever she flies. Swallow is also pronounced "yan"
in Chinese, and Yanjing is what Beijing was called as an ancient
capital city. Among Fuwa, Nini is as innocent and joyful as a
swallow. She is strong in gymnastics and represents the green
Olympic ring.
In the intimate circle of Fuwa, Huanhuan is the big brother.
He is a child of fire, symbolizing the Olympic Flame and the passion
of sport--and passion is the blessing he bestows. Huanhuan stands
in the center of Fuwa as the core embodiment of the Olympic spirit.
And while he inspires all with the passion to run faster, jump
higher and be stronger, he is also open and inviting. Wherever
the light of Huanhuan shines, the inviting warmth of Beijing 2008--and
the wishful blessings of the Chinese people--can be felt. The
firery designs of his head ornament are drawn from the famed Dunhuang
murals--with just a touch of China's traditional lucky designs.
Huanhuan is outgoing and enthusiastic. He excels at all the ball
games and represents the red Olympic ring.
Jingjing makes children smile--and that's why he brings the blessing
of happiness wherever he goes. You can see his joy in the charming
naivety of his dancing pose and the lovely wave of his black and
white fur. As a national treasure and a protected species, pandas
are adored by people everywhere. The lotus designs in Jingjing's
headdress, which are inspired by the porcelain paintings of the
Song Dynasty (A.D.960-1234), symbolize the lush forest and the
harmonious relationship between man and nature. Jingjing was chosen
to represent our desire to protect nature's gifts--and to preserve
the beauty of nature for all generations. Jingjing is charmingly
na?ve and optimistic. He is an athlete noted for strength who
represents the black Olympic ring.
In China's traditional culture and art, the fish and water designs
are symbols of prosperity and harvest. And so Beibei carries the
blessing of prosperity. A fish is also a symbol of surplus in
Chinese culture, another measure of a good year and a good life.
The ornamental lines of the water-wave designs are taken from
well-known Chinese paintings of the past. Among Fuwa, Beibei is
known to be gentle and pure. Strong in water sports, she reflects
the blue Olympic ring.
译文:2008北京奥运会吉祥物福娃介绍
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福娃从奥运五环中获取了色彩和灵感,将如同奥运五环一样作为北京2008奥运会官方吉祥物,他们将给全世界的孩子们带去中国的友谊,和平和祝福.福娃的设计是为了表达形成密友圈的五个小孩的淘气特点,同时包含了四大最受欢迎的中国动物------鱼,大熊猫,藏羚羊和燕子,以及奥运圣火的天然特性.每个福娃都有一个双音节押韵名字,这在中国是对孩子表达爱的一种传统方式.北北是鱼,京京是大熊猫,欢欢是奥运圣火,迎迎是藏羚羊,你你是燕子.,你把他们的名字联在一起--------北京欢迎你,,是说,”欢迎到北京来”,在提供一个盛情时,也反映出了福娃作为奥运会小使者的使命.福娃还反映了中华的美景和全中国人民的梦想和渴望.你可以看到大自然的五种力量-------大海,森林,火焰,陆地和天空,所有体裁均反映出深受中国传统艺术和装饰的影响.在中国古代文化中,有种通过标志和符号来传播祝福的重大传统.每个福娃象征着不同的祝福,而且有幸把祝福带给全世界的孩子们,当福娃把北京2008奥运会的邀请送向全球每个角落时,繁荣,幸福,热情,健康和好运也会同时被传播到每个大洲.福娃使命的核心,同时贯穿他们所有的工作------他们将试图通过奥运精神用和平和友谊将全世界联合起来.致力于协助传播北京2008奥运会”同一个世界,同一个梦想”主题的同时,福娃还反映出中国人民通过奥运会向全世界伸出友谊之手,以及邀请所有的男士,女士,和孩子们加入中国在2008年圣火光环中主持的伟大的人类团结盛会的深切愿望.
如同所有的羚羊,迎迎迅速而敏捷,当他横穿陆地时,可以快速地完成全部路程.,羚羊是中国地大物博的象征,它意味着健康的祝福,身体的力量来自于与大自然的和谐.迎迎的飞跃姿势获取于仅属于青藏高原的中国首批保护动物中的一种精华,选择藏羚羊反映出北京承办绿色奥运的承诺.他的头饰是由青藏和新缰文化,以及中国西部地区民族传统设计混合而成.迎迎擅长田径运动,他是一个机敏而灵活的男孩,他象征着黄色奥运之环..每年春天和夏天北京的孩子们会在有风吹过首都的时候放飞美丽的风筝.在这些风筝设计中,金色翅膀的燕子在传统上最受欢迎,你你的形象来自于这种老传统飞行设计.她金色的翅膀象征着无尽的苍穹,以及她飞到哪里,就会把好运祝福传播到哪里.燕子在汉语中发音”yan”,燕京也是北京作为古都的称呼,在福娃中,你你和燕子一样活泼快乐,她擅长体操运动,象征着绿色奥运之环.
在福娃密友圈中,欢欢是大哥,他是火娃,象征着奥运圣火,,运动热情,.热情是他给予的祝福,欢欢作为奥运精神核心化身站在福娃的中央,每当他激励所有人满腔热情地跑的更快,跳的更高,做的更强时,他也很活泼和吸引人.欢欢的光芒无论在哪里闪耀,人们都感受到北京2008的热心邀请和中国人民的美好祝福,他头饰上的火形设计,出自于著名的敦煌壁画,还带着一点中国传统的吉祥图案.欢欢十分友好,而且充满热情,他擅长球类运动,象征着红色奥运之环.
京京会带给孩子们笑容,这就是为什么无论他走到哪里,都会带来快乐的祝福,你可以在他优美的舞蹈姿势中和他黑白色皮衣可爱的舞动中看到他的欢乐,作为国宝和保护动物,大熊猫被世界各地的人们所喜爱,京京头饰的莲花图案出自于宋朝(公元960-1234)的精美绘画,象征着青葱的森林和人与自然的和谐关系,选择京京是为了表现我们保护大自然能力以及为世代人保持美丽的自然的愿望.京京天真乐观,他以力量运动著名,象征着黑色奥运之环.
在中国传统文化和艺术中,鱼水图案是繁荣和收获的象征,那么北北因此祝福着繁荣,鱼在中国文化中还是富余的象征,丰收年和美好生活的另外一种衡量,北北头饰上的水波图案线条出自于过去著名的国画,在福娃中,北北以温和纯净闻名,她擅长水类运动,象征着蓝色奥运之环.
Beijing is the capital city of the Peoples Republic of China.
It is the nation's political and cultural center and also a center
for international contacts. With an area of 16808 square kilometers
and a population of 13 million, Beijing is located in the northern
part of the North China Plain and its terrain is high in the northwest
and low in the southeast.
Beijing is a city with a rather long history. In the last 1,000
years, it has been China's political and cultural center. Beijing
was established as the secondary capital of the Liao Kingdom (916-1125)
in 938. In the Jin Kingdom (1115-1234) in 1151, Beijing began
to serve as the central capital. After the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368)
was founded, Beijing was made by Kublai Khan in 1263 the winter
capital and a grand metropolitan city, which became the center
of international cultural exchanges in the Orient. The foundation
of the layout of present Beijing was laid in 1404, when the Ming
Dynasty (1368-1644) decided to move the capital from Nanjing to
Beijing and started a large-scale construction. Many of the ancient
palace buildings, temple structures and gardens that are still
visible today can be traced back to this period or later. The
succeeded Qing Dynasty developed the civilization and made the
city become even more prosperous.
In 1949, Beijing became the capital of the new China. When the
great leader Mao Zedong announced the founding of the Peoples
Republic of China, Beijing and the whole China came to a grand
new period. Since the founding of the PRC, particularly since
China initiated the reform and open policy in 1978, the economy
of Beijing has kept its momentum of sustained, rapid and healthy
development. Since the beginning of the 1990s, the gross domestic
product (GDP) of the city has been growing at an annual rate of
9%, with the comprehensive economic strength increased substantially.
Beijing has established an economy comprising multi-sectors, which
include State-run and collectively owned enterprises and also
consist of Sino-foreign joint ventures, Sino-foreign cooperative
ventures and wholly foreign-funded enterprises as well as individual
businesses, etc.
Nowadays, with highly developed economy, Beijing is gradually
developing as an international city with modern facilities and
convenient traffic lines. As the hosting city of 2008 Olympic
games, Beijing is becoming a better place under the efforts of
the government and all the residents here. It is a charming city,
which will surely attract more people around the world. Under
the Olympic motto one world, one dream, the city Beijing opens
widely to the outside world and the world will know better about
Beijing in the future.
Beijing Top Attractions:
Beihai Park , Beijing Hutong , Bell & Drum Tower of Beijing
,
Fragrant Hill Park , Grand View Garden ,
Great wall ,Ancient Observatory , Confucius Temple ,Lama Temple
,
Ming Tomb ,Summer palace , Taoranting Park ,Temple of Heaven ,
Tiananmen Square , WuTaSi (The Temple of Five Pagoda, also called
the Museum of Carvings)
Badachu Park ,Beijing Botanical Garden ,
Beijing Zoo ,Forbidden City , Great Bell Temple (Dazhongsi), GuangJiiSi
Beijing , JingShan Park ,
Marco Polo Bridge , Old Summer Palace(Yuanmingyuan) , OxStreet
Mosque
Beking Man Site , Prince Gong's Mansion , Temple of Azure Clouds(Biyun
Si) ,
Temple of Recumbent Buddha (Wofo Si) , White Dagoba Temple
Beihai Park located in the center of Beijing City with a long
history of nearly thousand years, so far it is one of the most
centuries old and completed preserved royal garden in China. It
has an area of more than 70 hectares with a water surface of 39
hectares. To its north is Shishahai Lake and to its east is Jingshan
Park. The Palace Museum is to its southeast, a short distance.
Main Sceneries
Beihai Park is composed of QiongHua Island, South Shore and North
Shore. QiongHua Island is rich in luxuriant trees; several palaces
are built in harmonious order, the White Tower high up to the
mountaintop that be regarded as the symbol of Beihai Park. There
painting room, relieved room, TianWang Palace, KuaiXue Tang, Nine-dragon
Screen, Five-dragon pavilion etc. are all dimly on the shadow
of the willow on the lake bank.
Beihai Park has absorbed both the magnificent of the palace in
north China and the graceful and restrained decoration south.
Besides, it heritages the excellent majesty as a royal palace
and possesses solemnity atmosphere of religion temples. Different
building styles are all founded here; in short, it is indeed a
Chinese garden art treasure.
Legend About Beihai Park
The legend is that once upon a time there were three magic mountains
called Penglai, Yingzhou and Fangzhang located to the east of
Bohai Bay (to the east of China). Gods in those mountains had
a kind of herbal medicine that would help humans gain immortality.
Therefore, many emperors in the feudal time of China unremittingly
sought those mountains. For instance, Emperor Qin Shihuang, the
first emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221 - 206 B.C.), wanted to live
an eternal life and had sent people to look for the magic mountains
but they failed. Then at his palace, he dug a large pool and piled
up three earth hills in it, aimed to imitate the circumstances
described in the legend. Emperor Wudi, the fifth emperor of the
Western Han Dynasty (202 B.C. - 8 A.D.) did similar things as
well.
It was thought that different mountain-water combinations in ancient
Chinese architecture led to totally different effects. So from
then on, almost every emperor during the following dynasties would
build a royal garden with one-pool-with-three-hills layout as
a fairyland near his palace. Beihai Park was surely built after
this traditional style: the water of Beihai with Zhong Nan Hai
is the Taiye Pool; the Qionghua Island, the island of the Circular
City and the Xishantai Island represent the three magic mountains.
History
The original time of building up the Beihai Park could be traced
back to Liao Dynasty, early in the 10th century. But it was just
a temporary palace on the site of present site. On the basis of
it, Jin Dynasty dug a lake-Jionghua Islet and the excavated earth
was piled to make a hill. Around the lake and on the hill palatial
halls, corridors and pavilions were erected, where set up a tremendous
TaiNing Palace in 1179 that was strictly follow the royal principle
of one pool of three mountains.
In Ming Dynasty, the capital had officially moved to Beijing,
the WanShou Mountain and TaiYe Lake used as the royal garden on
the west. And later to enlarge the water area, the three seas
pattern formed. The Ming Dynasty made more construction and renovation:
the Five Dragon Pavilions and the Nine-Dragon Screen on the north
bank of the lake and many pavilions and galleries were erected
during that period. From the White Dagoba, visitors can have an
excellent view of the Five Dragon Pavilions standing on the opposite
bank of the lake, with colourful ferryboats traveling back and
forth between the shores.
Then in the Qing Dynasty, the Beihai was rebuilt a lot that settle
the mainly pattern today. The large-scale rebuilding in the reign
of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty generally established
the present scale and pattern of Beihai Park, which was took up
to 30years to accomplish. In 1925, the park was first opened to
the public, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors from
all over the world every year. The project included many other
pavilions, halls and terraces that made the park even more harmonious
in design.
General Introduction
Hutong is one of the unique special features in Beijing; in a
degree, it could be simply defined as the old city alley that
tend towards from east to west. There are thousands of Hutong
here surrounded the Forbidden City, most of which were came into
being in the dynasties Yuan, Ming, Qing. Old local residents have
a saying: "There are 360 large hutongs and as many small
hutongs as there are hairs on an ox." And with the development
of the economy and city constructions, there are mainly 4000 Hutongs
in Beijing at present.
Beijing Hutong has various kinds of names and even each of them
may possess its own features. Most of them are named according
to the feudal institution, bridges, rivers, trade market, merchandise
and peoples names etc. Still we could find another features that
all the hutong together with buildings inside were arranged by
the past dynasty emperors in accordance to the formality manners
of Zhou Dynasty to consolidate their supreme power.
Brief History
As the above said that Hutong was originally set up in Jin Dynasty,
in other words, there was no hutong before, but just roads and
city districts. At the beginning of the 13th century, a Mongolian
tribe from the west led by Genghis khan occupied Beijng. And after
several years warfares, Beijing city had been destroyed and Genghis
khans grandson, in 1260 decided to rebuild it. It is well known
that the feudal emperors all along obey the principle of symmetrical
structures in architecture. So they had to fix a central axis
and lay all the buildings and houses in a well balance strictly.
And the construction process had formed the hutong spontaneously.
Origin of the Name
As history goes, the name Hutong is such a kind of transliteration
from the Mongolian word huto, which means water wells. Since nomadic
tribes used to live and stay near water wells, they called the
small alleys huto. Gradually, with the development of the town
and human life, people changed the name into hutong as today.
It was just applied for the small street after the period of Nuzhen
People came to the north China. They are exactly the people who
established Jin Dynasty and captured the city in 1127 and make
it their capital. Because the Mongolian and Nuzhen People were
both nomadic tribes, their languages are somewhat familiar with
each other. So they still adapt the name hutong.
Hutong Culture
Beijings hutong culture is a unique Gem of the Chinese culture.
About the Beijing hutong culture, there are a lot to say, either
from the historical side or the personal experiences. Chinese
history, right in the world-famous also seldom-noticed hutong,
has gone through its three-time ethnical fusion with the same
progress of the assimilation of the Western Culture and architectual
styles. Each of which are small alley civilians Paradise, you
will see the elderly and laverock dialogue, the innocent playing
children. Beijingers rush busy all the timeto present great and
extraordinary means of living style. Time and again, some calls
from the lanes still permeated a kind of long and silvery flavors.
To say something in details, there you can enjoy a lot of the
ordinary human life and also some special way of talking, eating
are appealing. People, especially the old generations, like to
sitting together around hutong talking, or playing chess. In the
early morning and evenings, it is easily to see that the Chinese
traditional way of exercise Taijiquan as well as folkway dancing
and songs or Peking Opera arias. All of which, in a sense, are
kinds of Chinese culture soul. Beijing civilian foods could also
be found here.
Not only as a kind of folk culture, but also connected a lot
to the formal literature
As time goes by, we could see many operas, plays and films about
hutong. They are deeply enrooted in literature history. The most
famous playwright associated to hutong is Laoshe, who is one of
Chinese greatest novelists in 20th century. As he himself was
born in such environment in a small lane. He had gone through
what the real life in hutong personally. Though later he had left
there for several years, still he remained his originally emotion
closely on it. Reflected to his writings, the most famous is the
Four Generations Under One Roof, he set the background of the
novel in a hutong named Small Sheep Pen Hutong. Another perfect
representation of his based Hutong Culture is the dream Teahouse,
it is just a description on the small ordinaries life in hutong,
which both implies the real life aspect in hutong and reveals
the problems of society at that time.
Overall Arrangement
The huge Beijing City has formed its construction style almost
after Qing Dynasty. Its city building overall arrangement obeys
the pattern style that south and north in rectangular. Influenced
by the whole settings, hutongs as well followed such ways. They
were surrounded by the traditional Chinese constructions Siheyuan,
in other words, it is the Siheyuan that make the Hutong came into
being. Maybe the total Beijing City could be called a big palace
with royal palace and civilian palace. The civilian place here
lot its original meaning as a real palace with delicate decorations.
They are much more smaller with low walls and small gates. There
is no rules to forbidden anyone from entering, it is convenient
for all. In all, hutong is several passageways of the surrounded
houses and big streets.
Different Types of Hutong
As there are numerous hutongs in Beijing, certainly they will
appear differences from each other. In ancient China, there are
strictly define to hutong to distinguish from street. A 9-metre-wide
lane was called a Hutong. But today we may find that a lot of
smaller hutongs have been formed inside bigger hutongs, which
shows the development of our minds and society.
If as the traditional way, we could divide hutong into mainly
two kinds:
One is regarded as a rigorous path obeyed the traditional rules.
They were near the palace to the east and west and orderly arranged
along the street, where lived the imperial relatives and aristocrats.
Another kind, opposite to the above one, is a type without regular
shape. And mostly located far to the north and south of the royal
palace, where ordinaries live.
Some Special Best of Hutong
Longest: Dongjiaominxiang and Xijiaominxiang, running parallel
with the Chang'an Avenue
Shortest: Yichi (meaning "one foot") Hutong, only 75
feet long
Narrowest: Xiaolabakou Hutong, whose northern part is less than
0.4 meter. Jiudaowan (meaning "nine turnings") Hutong
located in Dongcheng District has the most turnings--more than
20 in all.
Broadest:Lingjing hutong, the widest part is 32 plus 18 meters.
Oldest: Sanmiaojie, which located outside Xuanwu Gate, was called
Tanzhou Street in the Liao Dynasty (916-1125).
Roundest: Jiuwan Hutong
Hutong Today
Today, as the Beijing city develops into an international metropolis,
its lanes and alleyways, occupying one third of the city proper,
still serve as dwellings for half the total urban population.
If Beijing sightseeing at the Imperial Palace, Ming Tombs and
the Summer Palace is helpful in learning about the lives of China's
emperors, the Hutongs of Beijing reflect in turn the lives of
ordinary Beijing people as a whole. So roaming through Beijing's
old, narrow streets, hutongs, by old-fashioned pedicab has attracted
more and more overseas visitors. Nowadays Beijing Hutong Tour
appears to be a well travel item in Beijing, from which the tourists
could feel the real old Beijing, especially the civilian life
here. They could face to face with Chinese person and even communicate,
to chat casually with people here.
The Bell and Drum towers are located at the north end of the
central axis of the Beijing Inner City to the north of Dianmen
Street in Dongcheng District. The Bell and Drum towers were ued
to be the time telling center during the Dynasties of Yuan, Ming
and Qing from 1271 to 1911. Without completed abandoned, later
that time they were still in use, not until 1924 when the last
emperor of Qing Dynasty was expelled left the Forbidden City.
Up to now, not as a time measuring instrument, sometimes the rings
of the ancient timepieces could be heard.
History
Generally speaking, the Bell and Drum Towers were initially built
in 1272 during the Yuan Dynasty, was rebuilt in 1297 during the
Yuan Dynasty and in 1420 and 1539, during the Ming Dynasty. The
Bell and Drum Towers built in 1272 during the reign of Kublai
Khan stood at the very heart of the Yuan capital Dadu. At that
time it was known as the Tower of Orderly Administration (Qizhenglou).
In 1420, under the Ming Emperor Yongle, the building was reconstructed
to the east f the original site and in 1800 under the Qing Emperor
Jiaqing, large-scale renovations were carried out. In 1924, the
name of the building was changed to the Tower of Realizing Shamefulness
(Mingchilou) and objects related to the Eight-Power Allied Forces
invasion of Beijing and later the May 30th Massacre of 1925 were
put on display. Nowadays, the upper story of the building serves
as the Peoples Cultural Hall of the East City District. And after
repairing in the 1980s, they were opened to the tourists.
Function
As a time measuring instrument, its usage is much complex than
the watch today both on the sides of the time unit and way of
measuring.
At the very beginning in the Ming Dynasty, the bell and drum were
beaten together both during the day and nighttime. When Qian Long
was emperor in the Qing Dynasty, the bell and drum were beaten
together only two times at night by two workers who were assigned
to beat the bell and drum respectively. First the drum and then
the bell was beaten.
In the Qing Dynasty, the hours were marked at night beginning
at 7:00 p.m., a procedure that was popularly called "setting
the watch." At this hour, the drums were sounded 13 times.
After the watch had been "set" in this fashion, each
subsequent two-hour interval was marked by a single drum beat.
Civil and military officials oriented their lives around these
time signals. At the sounding of the third watch (1:00 a.m.) officials
attending the morning court audience rose from there beds and
at the fourth (3:00 a.m.) assembled outside the Meridian Gate
(Wumen). At the sounding of the fifth watch (5:00 a.m.) they entered
the Imperial Palace and knelt on the Sea of Flagstones (Haimen)
before the Hall of Supreme Harmony (Taihedian) to await instructions
from the emperor.
At seven o'clock in the evening, the drum was beaten followed
by the bell to inform people it was time to go to sleep. At nine
o'clock, eleven o'clock, as well as one and three o'clock in the
morning, only the bell was beaten to avoid awakening the sleeping
people. At five o'clock in the morning, again the drum was beaten
followed by the bell to inform people to get up. Each time this
ritual of the drum being beaten occurred 108 times, 18 times very
rapidly and 18 times very slowly. The bell was beaten following
the same method.
Construction
The two-story structure was made of wood with a height of 47 meters.
On its second floor there originally were 25 drums. Among them,
there were one big drum and 24 smaller drums. Now, only the big
drum is left. The drum is beaten four times a day, for 15 minutes
at a time. There are many shops on the first floor where you can
buy what you need.
Bell Tower made of bricks and stone, is 48 meters high and also
is two stories. On all four sides of the tower there is an arched
door on the first floor. A stairway leads to the second floor.
On the second floor there is also an arched door with a stone
window framing each side. Right in the middle of the second floor
is the big copper bell that tells the time. It is hung on a wooden
framework. It is the heaviest bell in China. There is a round
wooden peg that knocks the bell.
Close behind the Drum Tower stands the Bell Tower, a 33-meter-high
edifice with gray walls and a green glazed roof. Each face of
the base of the building is pierced with an arched opening and
each side of the Bell Pavilion, which stands on the platform,
has an arched gateway as well. The Bell Tower first came into
use during the reign of the Ming Emperor Yongle, which it was
converted, from the main hall of the former Temple of Eternal
Peace (Wanningsi), which had been built during the Yuan Dynasty.
The new Bell Tower was destroyed by fire after only a brief existence
and it was not until 1747 that Emperor Qianlong undertook the
reconstruction of an attractive durable stone structure. This
building was so sturdy that he only damage that it suffered during
the Tangshan earthquake of 1976 was the loss of a single stone
animal head decorating the roof.
The Bell Tower originally housed a huge iron bell. But because
its tolling was not loud enough, this was replaced by a massive
cast bronze bell over 10 inches thick that is in perfect condition
today. The iron bell was moved to the back of the Drum Tower where
it has remained for over 500 years. As recently as 1924, the bronze
bell could be heard ringing out the 7:00 p.m. chime from a distance
of over 20 kilometers.
Legend
According to legend, an official named Deng tried unsuccessfully
for over a year to cast the bell. On the eve of the final casting,
his daughter, fearing that further delays and loss of working
time would bring blame on her father, decided to sacrifice her
life in order to move the gods to bring about a perfect casting,
and threw herself into the molten bronze. Her panic-stricken father
could only recover a single embroidered slipper from the flames.
The casting was a success and the emperor, moved by the young
girls spirit of sacrifice, named her the "Goddess of the
Golden Furnace" and built a temple in her honor near the
foundry. By the ordinary people she was remembered as the "Goddess
Who Cast the Bell."
After the bell was installed, the chimes could be heard clearly
and resonantly all across the city. But on stormy evenings, the
bell would emit a desolate moaning sound similar to the word xie,
which means "shoe" in Chinese. Recalling the old legend,
mothers would comfort their children with: "Go to sleep!
The Bell Tower is tolling. The Goddess Who Cast the Bell wants
her embroidered slipper back."
The Fragrant Hill, which was also named as Garden of Congenial
Tranquility, JingYi Park in Chinese, located at the foot of the
Western Mountains in the Haidian District, 20 kilometers the northwest
of the Beijing City not far from the Summer Palace, is well known
for the beautiful maple leaf that dyes the hills all red during
autumn days. The park covers an area of about 160 hectares, built
and terraces, pavilions and pagodas were added by the subsequent
dynasties, and its highest point reaches 557 meters. The Park
consists of a natural pine and cypress forest, hills with maple
trees, smoke trees and persimmon trees, as well as landscaped
areas with traditional architecture and cultural relics.
Of the four seasons, summer is the best time for a touring. The
name of the park not derives from the fresh air or aroma in this
field, but in the shape of the hills themselves. There still another
saying: it got its name for the groves of apricot blossom scent.
Due to its high elevation and dense cover of trees, spring arrives
late in the area and summer days are always pleasantly cool. The
best time to visit the park is late fall, when the smoke tree
leaves turn red. The trees make the grandest display of all. There
are also groves of apricots, pears, peaches and lilacs adding
their fragrance, and the more solemn evergreens, whose contribution
to the local beauty is unrestricted by seasonal changes. Among
all the natural scenic spots, the most spectacular natural scenery
in the Fragrant Hills Park is the red smoke tree leaves over the
mountains. When autumn arrives, fiery red leaves blanket the entire
mountain. Every year, thousands of tourists come to the park.
The cable cars are a great way to take in the beautiful scenes.
History
The hills and woods were a favorite country retreat of the emperors.
The building of Temples began here in the Jin Dynasty (1186 AD)
and by the Qing Dynasty, (1745 AD) 28 had been erected in the
Garden of Congenial Tranquility.
Unfortunately, in 1860 and 1900 after the Summer Palace and the
Yuanming Yuan (the Old Summer Palace) were set on fire, lots of
relics in the Fragrant Hills were damaged by foreign troops. The
destruction was so serious that the reconstruction efforts made
in the later years were never able to restore its original scale
and splendor. After 1949, large-scale restoration took place and
now the Fragrant Hills Park is a popular place in late autumn
for holidaymakers when the maple leaves redden. The brilliant
foliage is the main attraction. No one is sure where the sumac
trees originated. Legend has it that a south wind carried the
seeds of the red-leaf trees to Beijing. Then the seeds survived,
and as years passed they grew into a lovely forest. Another story
goes that the sumacs were transplanted to the area by Emperor
Qianlong (l736-l795) of the Qing Dynasty.
Since 1949, with a half-century's restoration and development
by Chinese government, it has been renamed as Fragrant Hills Park
and recognized as one of the ten most famous parks in Beijing.
Today, only some of the buildings have been restored. When the
Central Committee of the Communist Party moved to Beijing from
Hubei, Mao made Double Purity Villa his residence here. Inside
the Villa are various displays and cultural relics. However, it's
the views of the countryside, which are the most attractive thing
about the Park. From Ghost Fear peak on a fine day, (Ghosts apparently
fear heights!) one can see the Yongding River, Luding Bridge,
Prospect Hills, Summer Palace, Yuquan Hill and the outskirts of
the city.In November, the frosted leaves of these trees, along
with the persimmons and maples, spread over the Fragrant Hills
like a thick red blanket. For two centuries, it has been a resort
for the residents in Beijing.
Major Scenic Spots
Xiangshan Park is a mountain park, with the use of the natural
environment, and the mixture of artificial decorations, kiosks
everywhere. The garden hill is adapting to the demands of the
natural landscape. The beautiful natural environment, with the
level of the mountain to build the structures reflect each other
at every level, it is very harmonious appearance.
Jianxin ZhaiStudy of Reading Heart
Built first in the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, this complex
of buildings stands to the west of Eyeglasses Lake. The study
contains a semi-circular pond and an adjacent pavilion, surrounded
on three sides by covered galleries. Beyond the pavilion are rockery
hill and a grove of trees concealing a gazebo.
ZhaomiaoLuminous Temple
Constructed in 1780 in the Qianlong period, this Lamaist temple
is said to have been built especially for the Panchen Lama. In
its center, a Red Terrace rises 10 meters above the ground. On
its eastern side is a memorial the archway of white marble and
glazed tile, while on the slope to the west is a seven-story glazed
pagoda, the eaves of which are hung with tiny bells, which tinkle
with even the slightest breeze.
The Tree-Covered Imperial Audience Tablet
Located to the southwest of the Chaoyang Caves, this group of
steep cliffs with numerous trees resembles a giant hu - the rectangular
tablet officials held before themselves in the presence of the
emperor.
Guijianchou--Worried Ghost Peak
The main peak of Xiangshan Park, Worried Ghost Peak had an elevation
of 557 meters. Clouds and mist often engulf its precipitously
angled cliffs, which give the two large stone excrescences of
the peak a resemblance to incense burners. It is from this that
the name Xiangshan or Incense Mountains (and not Fragrant Hills,
as the area had been mistakenly called for generations) is derived.
Yanjing Lak--Spectacles Lake
Built in l745, the Spectacles Lake actually consists of two ponds
separated and spanned by a stone bridge. When the water reflects
the sunlight, the twin lakes resemble a pair of spectacles, hence
the name. On the shore is a small stone cave with a spring above
it. The water drips down over the entrance of the cave, forming
a water screen that freezes into icicles in winter.
Tour Lines
Fragrant Hills Park is recognized as one of the major tourist
attractions in Beijing. When autumn arrives, the natural scenery
in the park turns spectacular, with fiery red smoke tree leaves
covering the mountainside. Every year, thousands of tourists ride
the cable cars through the park in order see the hills in autumn
colors. The grand opening of the annual Red Leaf Festival of Beijing
takes place there.
Two main routes would turn to the travelers to go through the
park. One route goes through the north area, with Spectacles Lake
(Yanjing Lake) and the bridge, Study of Reading Heart (Jianxin
Zhai) and Luminous Temple (Zhao Miao). Study of Reading Heart
was built in the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644) and is a landscaped
park inside Fragrant Hills Park. Bright Temple is a large Tibetan
style lamasery complex built in 1780 as the residence for the
sixth Panchen Lama during his visits to Emperor Qianlong. Buildings
in the complex have partially been burned down. Among the surviving
treasures are a majestic glazed-tiled archway in front of the
complex, a Tibetan style terrace and a glazed-tiled pagoda. Bells
hung on the eaves of the pagoda chime in breeze.
The second route leads through the south area of the park. Main
attractions along the route include Tranqulity Green Lake (Jingcui
Lake), Shuangqing Villa, Fragrant Temple, and Incense Burner Peak.
This route is a little harder because it leads across the highest
peak, Incense Burner Peak etc. This route is a little hard for
the highest peak, Incense Burner Peak. However it is worthwhile
to try. One of the 'must see' points of interest is the Shuangqing
Villa, which is attractive not for its natural beauty but more
for its place in Chinese history - it was once the residence of
Chairman Mao Zedong as well as an early sight for the headquarters
of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.
Once you up to the mountaintop, it would be a life-long memory
that never faded. From the peak, the winding Yongding River like
a white silk belt fluttering among the western valleys, the Marco
Polo Bridge on the river, Shijing Mountain, the Summer Palace
and Jade Spring Mountain can all be seen from here, and on a clear
day one can even make out the skyline of Beijing
Grand View Garden possesses the features of both archiaize building
groups and modern gardens. It was located on the east bank of
Dianshan Lake, and can be mainly divided into two scape sections
on east and west. The eastern part is focus on Shanghai Folk Cultural
Village, Clubs Garden and sweet-scented osmanthus garden; while
the western section is connected closely to one of the four Chinese
classical novels--The Dream of the Red Mansions, written by Cao
Xueqin.
A famous writer Cao Xueqin of the Qing Dynasty depiction of "Dream
of the Red Mansion", Hong Lou Meng in Chinese, heralds our
classical garden masterpiece. Its orderly planning, setbacks and
remote moods profound, poetic and picturesque and time changes
landscape design is a model worthy of gardening circles for reference.
This article attempts from the perspective of garden art. a complete
system for capturing and displaying spatial sequence to herald
the change of time and space characteristics and layout of the
entire lens. Summarized their garden art features can be understood
from traditional Chinese culture and Chinese classical gardens
of Art, with a view to modern garden design inspiration.
Due to what has said in the novel, this splendid garden, dreamland
of the classical landscape architect, was used only once for the
reception of the imperial visitor. After that, Baoyu, his sisters,
girl cousins and sisters - in - law moved in with their respective
maids and servants to take up their quarters in the different
houses. So the garden witnessed the heyday and the decline of
the noble household, the pleasures sought by the masters, the
groaning and resistance of the downtrodden slaves, the intrigues
hatched by the schemers, and the tragedy of Baoyu and Daiyu.
Name Origin
This is the beautiful setting in which most of the events of the
novel Dream of the Red Mansion take place.
Baoyu's father Jia Zheng, a typical orthodox official and one
of the masters of the noble household, had an elder daughter Yuanchun,
who was selected to enter the palace and later promoted to be
a consort of emperor. In this way, the Jias came to enjoy greater
imperial grace and became even more influential.
In a moment of magnanimity, the emperor decreed that his consort
might make an imperial visit at a prefixed date to her parents
by way of fulfilling her duties of filial piety. This usually
would not happen more than once in the lifetime of an imperial
consort.
To prepare for this grand occasion, the Jias spent a fortune in
building a special garden for the reunion and named it Grand View
Garden.
Construction
It was a vertitable fairyland, studded as it was with fancy pavilions,
Miniature Mountains and artistic rockeries. It was also landscaped
with bamboo and luxuriant trees that suited the atmosphere of
each location and with flowers in all the blooming seasons.
In addition to the main hall for the reception of Her Highness,
scattered cottages, courtyards and villas, bearing such suggestive
names as "Bamboo Lodge", "Fragrant Tower",
"Happy Red Court", "Alpinia Park", "Hemp
- Washing Cottage", "Lotus Fragrance Anchorage",
"Paddy - Sweet Cottage" and so on were built for the
repose of the strollers. There were connected by winding or zigzag
paths which went over the hills, by the side of rippling lakes
or across bridges spanning crystal clear streams, And more often
than not, they were screened by hills or rockeries, half hidden
by verdant groves or hedged in by rustic fences as befitting the
various styles of architecture.
The idea of such a grand garden has been for generations a source
of inspiration for painters and plastic artists. Many painting
or horizontal scroll has been created in an attempt to give a
panoramic view of the garden according to the imagination and
interpretation of the artist. Others have adopted various media
to portray individual scenes described in the novel.
Novel
Cao Xueqin 1,715? -1,763? The name moistens, character dream Ruan,
number snow celery, also number celery brook scholar. A great
writer of fiction in Qing Dynasty. He spent almost his whole life
on writing The Dream of Red Mansion, which was considered to be
the greatest masterpiece of Chinese fiction. The Dream of Red
Mansion also names Story of the Stone, Gold and jade Reason, take
Jia, the king, the history, the Artemisia stelleriana four big
families backgrounds, by Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu's love story
as the master line, revolves two main characters' feel, described
inside and outside Prospect Garden a series of youths men's and
women's love story.
A wide branched scholarship does not consent about the main theme
of this novel, should it be a novel of sentiment, of Daoist-Buddhist
enlightenment, of social observation, of the decay of an aristocratic
familiy, or even a veiled attack on Manchu rule. The frame of
the novel is the contest of a Buddhist and a Daoist priest who
make be born a young noble boy called Jia Baoyu and his girl cousin
Lin Daiyu. With a loving detail describing the life of the two
cousins in a huge noble mansion, between gardens and palaces,
the red thread is the triangular love between Baoyu, Daiyu and
a second girl cousin called Xue Baochai that is of plumper character
than the ever-sick Daiyu. Switching between their life, the divine
world and dreams, Baoyu becomes deranged after the disappearance
of a stone (the origin of the second title) he had in his mouth
when he was born. Not knowing, his love Daiyu died, he is tricked
to marrying Baochai. Becoming aware of being tricked, Baoyu leaves
the world of the "red dust" and becomes a monk. With
hundreds of persons and their stories, paralleling the life and
feelings of servants to the life of the main persons, the story
is very complex and full of symbolisms, but very interesting and
convincing for its encyclopedic character, depicting the life
of a noble familiy in the 18th century Qing China.
This is a magnum opus of realism because have artistic, ideological
and author of the tragedy experienced since its inception, how
many people have made the summit. This novel is the most amazing
place because "women are as human beings." It is a kind
of beautiful women, as if weeping women is a tragedy. Set mold
a group of the book "beautiful moon and threatened show,"
Hot children, as interpreted by them, "Qian-houses (crying)."
"Wan Yan with the Cup (sad)," The tragedy is the number
of readers and shed tears of sympathy and compassion. Twelve Beauties,
as the representative figures of the "Dream of Red Mansions"
tragedy. Records of the women of that era were the unfortunate
victims, and the feudal system of relentless suffering, how many
readers and shed tears of sympathy and compassion, love and deep
sigh. Each of the 12 people in connection with the tragedy is
different, but they are different from the tragedy, a common criticism
of the evil feudal system. Meanwhile, the low status of women
reveals the feudal society, a strong criticism of the feudal society.
In all, the novel in widely has spread at that time, the feudal
royal government. Its outstanding realism creation achievement
has provided the rich artistic experience to the posterity, always
by "Hong Lou Meng" theme creation poetry.
The Great Wall of China was constructed over 2,000 years ago,
which has a long history and presented as an important signal
of China. It is one of the largest building construction projects
ever completed.
The Great Wall can be easily seen from the moon according to the
astronauts. It starts from Shanhaiguan in the east and ends at
Jiayuguan in the west, which zigzags its way along the rolling
mountains, just like a gigantic dragon. In China, the wall is
called as "Wan-Li Chang-Cheng" which means 10,000-Li
Long Wall. Great Wall of China is one of the greatest wonders
of the world. It is also seldom to see such gigantic project in
China or elsewhere around the world.
Main Function
As traditionally consideration, the Great Wall is only for military
protection. Such thinking is so unilateral, far from its functions
in all. To protect from intrusion and plunder in order to safeguard
the national security and peoples peaceful life. The Great Wall,
totally to say, was aimed to protect the inland countries from
the aggression of nomadic nations. And the tranquilization environment,
in a large degree, had advanced the development of agriculture
and stockbreeding. During succession aggressions and recoveries,
there appeared the famous Silk Road and migration speeded faster
as well. Not only in the field of inhabitation, but also in the
aspect of the business and trade. The mid part of China and the
western were communicated more bit by bit. Last but not the least,
all of which above were concluded as help to develop the traffic
condition smoothly. In a word, we couldnt ignore the Great Walls
important military statues in history, but also its influences
on human lives.
Great Wall today
Today the Great Wall still presents as a great mystery to the
people all over the world. Though it has already lost its original
strategic meaning, still it remains as a big tourist appealing
attraction owing to its cultural and historical value. The laboring
people of different dynasties demonstrated their intelligence
and wisdom while building this great project. They left behind
a precious heritage deserving our everlasting care.
Now it has already recognized as one of the greatest wonders of
the world, and was enlisted in the World Heritage by UNESCO in
1987. To some extend, it is a symbol of China.
The Great Wall Legend
The widely known folklore about the Great Wall is about a woman
named Meng Jiangnv. It is a legend in the period of Emperor QingShiHuang,
who was regarded as a Pharaoh in ancient China. The husband of
Meng Jiangnv was forced to escuage in constructing the Great Wall
without any words in three years. She went to find her husband
and finally found out that her husband had already been dead on
the wall. She was in deep sorrow that kept weeping and wailing
there. And later it said that sections of the Great Wall was collapsed
all at once. Not only a legend here, but from which we could imply
that the Great Wall had burdened a lot on ordinaries. It is the
production of dumb millions grieved tears and hardships, which
possesses the long pungent and bitter history process.
Badaling Great Wall
Badaling Great WallTourists favorite choice
Badaling Great Wall all along turns out to be the most impressive
travel section because it is well maintained and easy for travelers
to walk along it.
The total length of the wall of Badaling is 3, 741 meters with
an average height of 8 meters and the highest part is 15 meters.
The inner side of the parapet is about one meter high. The battlement
in the outer side is about two meters high with embrasures for
shooting through. And there are arched doors that could lead you
to the high point of the wall by stone stairs.
Huangyaguan Pass of the Great Wall
Huangyaguan Pass is famous for a motto that if one person guards
the pass that ten thousand men couldnt get through. It was an
important pass under the Jizhou fortressed town in the Ming Dynasty,
lying 20 km northeast of Jixian county, Tianjin. Just as the motto
goes, it is always regarded as one of the most important strategic
position. It stretches for 25 miles and features parapets, watchtowers
and fire-pits.
Different from those parts of the Great Wall in Beijing, Huangyaguan
Pass possesses its own special features in structure. The layout
of the architecture is unique. Within the mountain pass city wall
we could see a network of T-Shaped road junctions or crooked ruler
so that when the enemy enters into the city he can hardly find
his way. So many travelers enjoy such special feelings when they
enter the Huangyaguan Pass. It is an indispensable section of
the Great Wall.
Jinshanling Great Wall
Jinshanling Great Wall Impression
Jinshanling Great Wall locates in the Luanping County, Hebei Province.
It is 140 kilometers from the northeast end of Beijing City and
90 kilometers to the Mountain Resort of Chengde. It was initially
built from 1368 to 1389 in the Ming Dynasty and it is regarded
as an important doorway in the northeast defence line at that
time.
From the integral point, Jinshanling Great Wall is only second
to Badaling Great Wall. The Historic Relics Bureau and the Ministry
of Culture also did surveys in 1981 that the magnificence of this
section is equal to that of Badaling. It possesses a 700 meters
high elevation that is the highest tower to see Beijing. On this
account Jinshanling Great Wall is the best place to take pictures,
so many overseas travelers choose it. Also the Jinshanling Great
Wall still remains what its original outlook in Ming Dynasty,
where you can truly get the impression of what life-like in that
epoch.
Mutianyu Great Wall
Mutianyu Great Wall is located in Huairou County and some 70 kilometers
northeast of Beijing area. It stands in the east opposite of Badaling
Great Wall, which is in the west. And it also connects Gubeikou
Pass in the north and Huanghuacheng in the west.
Mutianyu Great Wall was constructed in the Northern Qi Dynasty
and had been restored in the early Ming Dynasty. Unlike other
scenic spot, Mutianyu Great Wall is abundant in vegetable and
fruit trees, just like a natural garden with over 90% greenery.
We can find scenic spots, such as Lianhuachi (lake), Zhenzhuquan
(spring) and Longtan (lake) in the neighborhood. Especially in
spring and autumn, the landscape is much more enjoyable and beautiful.
Shanhaiguan Pass of the Great Wall
The facts of Shanhaiguan Pass of the Great Wall
Shanhai Pass, some 15 kilometers from the traveling city of Qinhuangdao,
Hebei Province, got its name from being located between the Yanshan
Mountains and the Bohai Sea. It is an important pass in the eastern
Great Wall. Shanhai Pass is one of the most popular national attractions
and the first strategic pass at the eastern end of the Great Wall.
It always presents beautiful scenic spots to tourists, which turns
to be a very convincing reason for overseas tourists. The State
Council proclaimed Shanhaiguan a key historical monument in 1961.
Beijing Ancient Observatry, GuGuanXiangTai in Chinese, is situated
in the southwest side of Jianguomen Street at Dongcheng District.
It is typically a natural science museum in ancient China, where
astronomical equipment displayed. The observatory was home to
several large bronze instruments for measuring the positions of
the sun, moon, planets, and stars as well. It was firstly built
in the Ming Dynasty with a history of more than 500 years. Now,
it has been reformed to Beijing Ancient Astronomical Equipment
Exhibition Hall, which belong to Beijing Astronomy Observatory
and was official opened in 1956.
Ancient Observatory is an immortal monument of the history of
ancient Chinese civilization. Astronomy is recorded here for the
great contributions of our ancestors, reflects the people's intelligence
and wisdom and labor crystallization.
History
The Ancient Observatory was built in Ming Dynasty ZhengTong period,
about the years from 1439 to 1442. The site was chosen to be the
original Capital of Yuan Dynasty with the name of Watching Star
Platform at that time.
In Qing Dynasty, it changed its name to Observatory as today.
At the end of Qing Dynasty, when Allied Forces of Eight Powers
invaded Beijing, French and Germans robbed some of the instruments,
but after the World War 1, the instruments were returned to China.
After the Revolution of 1911, it again changed name to Central
Observatory. And in 1929, to National Chronometer Museum. Then
it was not used for chromomeric research but weather observation
only.
After the establishment of Peoples Republic of China in the 50s,
as Beijing Chronometer Museum and during 70s, it had been restored
cosmically.
Well repaired, the Observatory became a quaint brick building
in shape of butterfly. The platform reaches 17.79 meters, 20 meters
from east to west and the same from north to south. On the promise
of the original building style, the inside part was divided into
two-floor exhibition hall.
In 1982, the Ancient Observatory is listed as a key unit to be
protected in China.
Architecture
Ancient Observatory covers an area of about 10,000 square meters.
It includes a 10-meter-high platform, Senate brick building with
some watching star platform. Eight bronze astronomical instruments
displaying on the platform. Some of them can be used to do measuring
surveying work. These machines have eight huge Chinese traditional
decorations with such kind of reflection of European appearances
in size and structure.
On the platform, which is over 18 meters high and 24 meters long,
20 meters wide, 3 Ming Dynasty bronze tools preliminary lay out
to public. The inventions of them are on the basis of the Yuan
dynasty (1271-1368) instrument. Not until Qing Dynasty they put
the equipment displaying under the platform as eight large instruments
there. In the second gallery hall, it demonstrated the achievements
of ancient Chinese astronomy. Four exhibition rooms in the four
platforms: The Ziwi Palace and the East- Wing- Room exhibitaed
the Lingtai Equipment, where you could know the exactly site of
LingTai and the developing process of the Ancient Observatory.
In the Western calendar and exhibition rooms will inspire you
to enrich China's reform agenda; Ming astronomers observe the
shadow of the house doors and measurement used to determine the
time the sun shadow.
Special Instruments
Armillary Sphere
Used to measure the coordinates of celestial bodies. There were
two types, an ecliptic armillary used to track the sun, and an
equatorial armillary for other bodies. This ecliptic armillary
was built in 1744, during the Qing Dynasty. ThE equatorial armillary
was built in 1673, during the Qing Dynasty. There is also a 1673
ecliptic armillary. Note that the ecliptic armillary is a little
more complex than the equatorial armillary.
Quadrant
Used to measure alitudes or zenith locations of celestial bodies.
Theodolite
Used to measure altitude and azimuth coordinates of celestial
bodies.
Azimuth Theodolite
The azimuth theodolite, built in 1673 of Qing Dynasty. The vivid
dragons are a common motif in Chinese art. There was a large satellite
dish and a construction crane visible behind the theodolite. They
distracted from the image, so it could be removed during processing.
Used to measure the azimuth coordinate of celestial bodies.
Sextant
Used to measure the angular distance between celestial bodies
and to measure the angular diameter of the sun and moon. It was
built in 1715 of Qing Dynasty. Notice the large gear, which is
turned by a much smaller gear on a handwheel. This allows for
precise adjustment of the sextant's position
Celestial Globe
Used to determine the rising and setting times of celestial bodies
as well as determining the altitude and azimuth of celestial bodies
at any time.
Kong Miao, the Confucius Temple, is now the Capital Museum and
houses a display on the culture and history of Beijing. Located
on Guozijian Street inside Anding Gate, the Temple of Confucius
in Beijing is the place where people paid homage to Confucius
during the Yuan Dynasty, Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty from 1271
to 1911.
History
The Temple of Confucius was initially built in 1302 that has possess
a history up to more than 600 years and additions were made during
the Ming and Qing dynasties. Emperor QianLong roofed it with yellow
colored glaze tile. And later during GuangXu period, it renovated
greatly and on the fifth year of Republic of China it was completed
all. It has a total area of 22,000 square meters. It is the second
largest temple constructed for Confucius, the greatest thinker
and educationalist in ancient China, ranking only behind the Temple
of Confucius in Qufu, Shandong Province.
Construction
This temple consists of four courtyards. The main structures include
Xianshi Gate (Gate of the First Teacher), Dacheng Gate (Gate of
Great Accomplishment), Dacheng Hall (Hall of Great Accomplishment)
and Chongshengci (Worship Hall). Dacheng Hall is the main building
in the temple, where the memorial ceremony for Confucius was often
held. Inside the temple one can see that 198 stone tablets are
positioned on either side of the front courtyard, containing 51,624
names of Jinshi (the advanced scholars) of the Yuan, Ming and
Qing dynasties. Also 14 stone stele pavilions of the Ming and
Qing dynasties hold the precious historical information of ancient
China.
In the temple, you can also find remarkable pictures like two
flying dragons playing a pearl among clouds, which are believed
to be used only in the imperial palaces because dragon stands
for emperor in ancient China. From those, it is easy to imagine
the importance of the Confucius Temple in the feudal society of
China.
On Confucius
Life as a Legendary
The sources for Confucius' life are later and do not carefully
separate fiction and fact. Thus it is wise to regard much of what
is known of him as legendary. Confucius was born in 551 B. C.
in Changping Country of the Lu State and died in the year 479
B.C. His name was Qiu and styled Zhongni. Under the education
of his mother, Yan Zhengzai Confucius was interested in rites
from childhood and practicing the rites by displaying utensils
at only six years old. When Confucius was 17 years old in 546
B. C., his mother Yan zhengzai was died and was buried with his
father in one tomb .As same time, he was refused to take part
in banquet by Yanghu, the officer of Jisi. When he was 19 years
old, Confucius learnt to play the music of Wen Wang Zao from the
master Xiang for a long time until he understood the music meaning.
At thirty, he stood firm. At sixty, his ear was obedient organ.
At seventy, he could follow what his heart desired without transgressing
what was right. He studied extensively and was familiar with the
traditional literature of all times. And was an inspiring teacher
who taught tirelessly.
Academicals Achievements
According to historical records, Confucius was mostly self-educated
as a youth. Later he became a teacher, philosopher and political
theorist, but was unable to assume a worthwhile position where
he could put his theories into practice. After years of traveling,
he returned home to continue teaching until his death at the age
of 72. Although during his lifetime he had little influence outside
his own band of disciples, Confucianism has been the dominant
philosophical system in China for over 2000 years.
Confucius was a great philosopher. He created the school of Confucian
thought, allowing others to learn about his own philosophy of
benevolence towards others. He believed that the wealthy and powerful
should show consideration for the common people. They should resist
exploiting civilians in order to avoid conflicts between the ruling
class and commoners. Confucius was especially opposed to tyranny
and random killings. His philosophy also emphasized the importance
of kindness, prudence, good manners, and righteousness. The principles
of Confucianism had a great impact on Chinese feudal society,
which lasted over two thousand years. As a result, Confucian teachings
have permeated into modern Chinese life and culture.
Confucius was also a great educator. In a slave society, only
those from noble families could go to school. Education was monopolized
by the elite. Confucius changed this by opening private schools
and recruiting disciples.He successfully brought education to
the whole of society. It is said that Confucius advocated the
pedagogic principles of no children should be left behind(н) and
teaching students in accordance with their aptitude (?). He asked
the students to review their studies often. He said you could
discover new things (truths) by studying the past. The attitude
one has towards studying should also be sincere. He said to see
knowledge as knowledge and ignorance as ignorance(????????). One
should combine studies with thoughtfulness.
It is said that in his later years Confucius edited ancient cultural
books ShiShu. One particularly important book he edited was The
Spring and Autumn, which has played an important role in preserving
Chinas ancient culture.
Four Main Topics of Moral Teaching
One Represented Philosophy SubjectRen
Ren,benevolence, charity, humanity, love," kindness. The
fundamental virtue of Confucianism. Confucius defines it as "A
rn," "love others."
Confucius' social philosophy largely revolves around the concept
of ren, compassion or loving others. Cultivating or practicing
such concern for others involved deprecating oneself. This meant
being sure to avoid artful speech or a flattery manner that would
create a false impression and lead to self-aggrandizement. Those
who have cultivated ren are, on the contrary, simple in manner
and slow of speech. For Confucius what you do not wish for yourself,
do not do to others. He regards devotion to parents and elder
brothers and sisters as the most basic form of promoting the interests
of others before one's own and teaches that such altruism can
be accomplished only by those who have learned self-discipline.
While ritual forms often have to do with the more narrow relations
of family and clan, ren, however, is to be practiced broadly and
informs one's interactions with all people. Confucius warns those
in power that they should not oppress or take for granted even
the lowliest of their subjects. You may rob the Three Armies of
their commander, but you cannot deprive the humblest peasant of
his opinion. Confucius regards loving others as a calling and
a mission for which one should be ready to die.
Yi, Li
Yi, "right conduct, morality, duty to one's neighbor,"
righteousness. Li, "profit, gain, advantage": Not a
proper motive for actions affecting others. The idea that profit
is the source of temptation to do wrong is the Confucian ground
of the later official disparagements of commerce and industry.
The Master said, "The gentleman (chn tzu or Jun Zi) understands
yi. The small man understands li." Li, "propriety, good
manners, politeness, ceremony, worship."
Xiao-- Filial Piety
Xiao, "to honor one's parents," filial piety. Yi may
be broken down into: zhong, doing one's best, conscientiousness,
"loyalty"; and shu, "reciprocity," altruism,
consideration for others, "what you don't want yourself,
don't do to others". The term filial piety refers to the
extreme respect that Chinese children are supposed to show their
parents. It involves many different things including taking care
of the parents, burying them properly after death, bringing honor
to the family, and having a male heir to carry on the family name.
Practicing these ideals is a very important part of Chinese culture.
Therefore, one would expect that filial piety would be incorporated
into the major religions of China as it has been
Lama Temple, also known as the Lamasery, lies on the eastern
side of Lama Temple Street. It is a renowned lama temple of the
Yellow Hat Sect of Lamaism, which is located in the northeast
part of Beijing city. The Lama Temple is the largest, the most
well-protected and typical lamasery in Beijing.
Beijing Lama Temple, an ancient temple recomposed up in Ming and
Qing Dynasty for lama from Mongolia and Tibet, which formerly
was a Xanadu of Emperor QianLong. Lama Temple features five large
halls and five courtyards with beautifully decorative archways,
upturned eaves and carved details. It houses a treasury of Buddhist
art, including sculptured images of gods, demons and Buddhas,
as well as Tibetan-style murals.
The temple combines the architectural styles of Han, Manchu, Mongolian
and Tibetan peoples. Rosewood Arhat sculptures, white candlewood
Buddha statues and Buddha niche carved with silk wood are three
must-see things at the temple.
History
This temple is different from other temples for its uniqueness,
in terms of history. It was built in 1694, and was the residence
of the Manchu Prince HeZe. In 1723, HeZe succeeded to the throne
as Emperor YongZheng. In the third year (1725) of YongZheng's
reign, the site was turned into a royal residence, and thus, the
green tiles were changed to yellow, for yellow was the imperial
color. It was called YongHe Gong (the Palace of Eternal Harmony).
The emperor later converted the palace into a lamasery for monks
from Mongolia and Tibet, for both Emperor YongZheng and his son,
Qianlong, were all believers of Lamaism. After YongZheng's death
in 1735, his coffin was placed in the temple. Emperor QianLong,
his successor, upgraded Lama Temple to an imperial palace with
its turquoise tiles replaced by yellow tiles (yellow was the imperial
color in the Qing Dynasty). During the 9th year of Emperor QianLong's
reign (1744), it was converted into a lamasery and became a residence
for large numbers of monks from Mongolia and Tibet. This is a
kind of friendly policy that the Qing dynasty deals with the relation
with Mongolia and Tibet. That is the reason why the Great Wall
was not massive constructed during the Qing dynasty.
The temple is listed by the Chinese Government as one of the important
historical monuments under special preservation. After the death
of his father, Emperor YongZheng moved to the Forbidden City.
The compound was closed to ordinary people and was renamed Lama
Temple (the Palace of Harmony). Green roof tiles were replaced
by yellow ones to suit a monarch's home. In 1744 his successor
Emperor QianLong converted the palace into a lamasery.
Several renovations have been carried out since 1949.The temple
has taken on a new look and was reopened to the public in 1981.
It is now not only a functional lama temple, but also a tourist
attraction.
Cultural Value
This temple is listed as significant historical site protected
by the national government.
The Lama Temple preserves over one thousand Buddhist figures and
rich classical cultural relics of Buddhism. Besides, it displays
a large number of other rare cultural relics, including its three
treasures: a 18-metre-high statue of Maitreya (the Smiling Buddha)
carved out of a single sandalwood trunk; the miniature Mountain
of Five Hundred Arhats made of gold, silver, copper, iron and
tin; and a shrine made of Nanmu, a precious hardwood with golden
veins. There were originally four halls for learning, namely,
the Hall of Mathematics, the Hall of Explicating the Scriptures,
the Hall of Tantra and the Medicine Hall, and lamas studied in
these halls with a term usually lasting more than 10 years. It
took 30 years for lamas to study Buddhism from enrollment to graduation.
Architecture
The main buildings of YongHe Gong, which are built along a central
axis, are: YongHe Gate Hall, YongHe Gong Hall, Yong You Hall,
FaLun Hall, WanFuGe Hall and SuiCheng Lou Hall. The side buildings
flanking them are: East Side Hall, West Side Hall, Medicine Hall,
ShiLun Hall and Esoteric Hall. Before the halls there are three
archways and behind them two exhibition rooms of culture relics,
the constructional layout of YongHe Gong is splendid and magnificent
with the characteristics of Manchu, Han, Tibetan and Mongolian
cultures.
In every hall, there are many Buddhist statues: pictures of Tangka
and culture relics. The three most famous ones are: the Niche
of Buddha, which was carved out Nanmu with three layers of filigree;
the Five-Hunderd-Arhat mountain carved out of red sandalwood,
the 500 Arhats cast in gold, silver, copper, iron and tin; and
the Big Buddha-Maitreva Buddha. The statue of the Big Buddha is
18-meter high, the main part of which was carved out of one grand
piece of white sandalwood. In 1990 it was recorded in the Guinness
Book of World Records.
In the temple, there is a hall called Ten Thousand Buddha Hall.
In this hall, a great joss is erected, which is 18 meters high
aboveground and 8 meters in depth underground in order to fix
the weighty figure. This great figure was built by a whole log,
which was endowed by 7th Panchen to Emperor Qianlong. Besides
this great artwork, there are other 10 thousand small Buddhas
figures around it, which grants the name, Ten Thousand Buddha
Hall, to this building.
In the South of this hall, there is the biggest hall of the Lama
Temple. In the middle of this hall, there places the figure of
the most significant master of Tibetan Buddhism. And there are
two seats in the left and the right of the masters figure, which
are the seats for Panchen Lama and Dalai Lama respectively, who
are two masters of the two branches of Lama Buddhism.
WanFuGe (Ten Thousand Happiness Tower) is the largest building
in the temple. Tin the tower there is a noted enormous standing
figure of Maitreya in sandalwood, which is 26 meters high (18
meters above ground level). It is the largest preserved lamasery
in Beijing.
Also, there are some other buildings hosting a lot of figures.
As a Chinese temple, there are many censers placed in the courtyard
of the temple, with some people kowtowing before the figures and
praying for good fortunes and happiness.
First built in 1694, the 33 rd year under the reign of Emperor
KangXi in the Qing Dynasty, it has already witnessed a history
of over 30 years.
Lama Temple Today
Now Lama Temple is a famous tourist destination, and also the
biggest Tibetan Buddhist temple of the Yellow School in Beijing.
People say that if you pray in this temple, the Buddha will help
you to fulfill what your dream of. So lots of Chinese pray for
blessings and burn joss sticks there.
That appeals to visitors in the Lama Temple are the 18-metre-high
Maitreya statue engraved from a 26-metre-long white sandal-wood
log, the Five hundred Arhats Hill made of gold, silver, copper,
iron and tin, and the niche carved out of Nanmu (this kind of
Phoebe Nanmu can give off a unusual scent reputed to repel mosquitoes
in summer). These three objects are accredited as the three matchless
masterpieces in the Lama Temple.
Ming Tombs lie in a broad valley to the south of Tianshou (Longevity
of Heaven) Mountain in Changping Countyabout 50 kilometers northwest
from Beijing City. The name itself exactly implies what it is
inside. It consists of thirteen emperor mausoleums of the Ming
Dynasty from 1368 to 1644. The whole mausoleums group totally
covers an area of 40 square kilometers, which had took up to more
than 200 years to complete. It was really a tremendous project
in that time. Ming Tombs were surrounded by hills from three sides,
with Mangshan and Huyu flanked in both sides and Beijing Campagna
right lies in front of it. All of the thirteen Ming mausoleums
are arranged in well harmonious positions, however each one still
possesses its own systems. Because of its long history, integrated
and delicated upholster, it appears a high cultural and historic
value. Totally to say, it has gone through the mid and later part
of Qing Dynasty, the Republic of China and The Peoples Republic
Of China today. But as a historic site, it had never been disturbed
or changed, and the natural environment is also not broken. That
means it possesses a high degree of authenticity and integrality.
History
The original capital of Ming Dynasty was not Beijing as today,
but in the southern part of ChinaNanjing. During the third Emperor
ZhuDi, he found that he had to set up a much strong bulwark on
the north, so he chose Beijing as the new capital from then on.
As imperial palace and temples had begun built up, the construction
of tombs started about the same time.
The place where to construct tombs was not chosen randomly, but
carefully chosen according to the principle of geomancy (Fengshui)
to house numerous buildings of traditional architectural design
and decoration.
Special Features
Compared with all the ancient tombs in China, the Ming Tombs distinguish
itself with three outstanding features.
Firstly, the whole building group is perfectly unitary. Although
every separate mausoleum has its own rooms and way of construction,
all of the tombs are connected by a shared sacred way. The shared
arch, stone mass, coupled with the hierarchical order of the mausoleum
burial pattern. All of which have contributed the whole impression
of them.
Secondly, the construction of inner parts of the tombs possesses
unique styles. Baoding, Minglou and Xiangdian are arranged along
the longitudinal axis of the cemetery, which is a kind of innovation.
And the scared way has adopted such zigzag way with many turns.
Thirdly, its natural environment is quite and pageantry because
of its surrounding hills and waters. Each tomb was built alongside
a mountain, and a river runs through the whole area. They are
the best-preserved part of all Chinese imperial tombs.
Shen DaoSacred Way
Sacred Way, Shen Dao in Chinese, is the longest way in Chinas
royal tombs with the length of 7 kilometers. It lasts from south
to north across the center of the tomb area, thought to be the
place where the emperors could lead their souls to enter heaven.
In the beginning it was only built for the first tomb Changlingthe
tomb of Emperor YongLe who considered being the most powerful
emperor in the Ming Dynasty.
But as the later tombs were all built either to the left or to
the right, it gradually became the main road to all the tombs.
Continuing north to the Changling, the Scared Way passes over
a river via two bridges of five and seven respectively. From here,
all thirteen tombs can be seen; the foothills and groves of trees
dotted with golden yellow roofs stretch for 19 kilometers across
the sacred valley.
There are the Marble Archway, Great Palace Gate, Tablet Tower,
Stone Statues and Dragonphoenix Gate lays in the central axis
of the whole tomb group.
Marble Archway - ShiPaiFang
Marble Archway is the construction of the south end. It was featured
with five doors, six pillars and eleven floors; and was built
in 1540, JiaJing nineteen years. So far, it is the largest and
earliest preserved in China. All of the pillars are engraved with
relief of dragons, lions and clouds, vivid and verisimilitudinous.
Great Palace Gate - DaGongMen
The frontispiece--main entrance of Ming Tombs is the Great Palace
Gate, DaGongMen in Chinese, which consists of three arches and
connected to a bounding wall of 40 kilometers.
The three passageways obeyed rigorous rules:
The central gate is only for the deceased emperor.
The sides two for the living emperors who wanted to pay respects
to their ancestors.
It is a strictly forbidden place with thousands of armies safeguarded
and in front of the door there lays a plaque engraved, Officials
and others should dismount here. Nobody could enter the gate on
horseback, and anything was forbid to take out of the tombs.
Tablet Tower BeiLou
Tablet Tower, also named as BeiLou, was built in 1435, XuanDe
ten years. It is in a rectangular shape with a stele inside. It
is the stele of Changling with the words Divine Merits and sagely
virtues carved on it. On the front side is the epigraphy written
by the eldest son of Emperor ZhuGaoZhi. Back of it is the Ai Ming
Ling San Shi Yun, which recorded the broken situation of Changling,
Yongling, Dingling and Siling in details. The west side is the
building cost recorder and the reason why Ming Dynasty dies out
was stated on the west.
Stone Statues - Shi Xiang Sheng
ShiXiangSheng can be defined as the stone human figures and stone
beasts set up in front of mausoleums. In a large degree, it is
a kind of symbol of the statues to the tomb owners rank station.
They were considered to be able to exorcise and guard the mausoleums
as well.
Atone statues of Ming Tombs line on both sides of the Scared Way.
It is a group that be composed of 18 pairs, which included 24
beasts and 12 human beings. Six kinds of animals as lions, xiezhi,
elephants, amels, kylins and horses, each has 4 with 2 in the
position of squat and 2 standing. All of which were sculptured
well.
Dragon-phoenix Gate - LingXingMen
LingXingMen, common saying as LongFengMen, means the Dragon-phoenix
Gate. For the Ming Tombs here, it possesses the significance as
the gate to heaven. The three passageways were connected by short
walls and 6 gateposts looks like HuaBiao. It still got another
name as fire torii for the stone graved fire bead on the central
part of the forehead. An obvious seven holes white marble divine
bridge is the must way to enter the Changling.
Although there are many mausoleums in Ming Tombs, only two of
themChangling and Dingling are open to public now. Moreover, Ming
Tombs are well-known for the Changling Mausoleum with grand ground
constructions, and the Dingling Mausoleum with its underground
palace unearthed.
Changling
Changling is the first mausoleum on Ming Tombs and also the most
magnificent part of the tombs, which covers an area of about 10
hectares with the other 12 tombs built around. It is the mausoleum
of Emperor ZhuDi and Empress Xu. Changling is the biggest and
most completed preserved tomb in Ming Tombs.
Structure
It was built from 1409 to 1427, on a south-facing slope. Totally
speaking, the buildings are square in the front and round in the
rear represent the old saying that earth was square and heaven
was round. Changling made up of three courtyards, all of which
are wholly surrounded by walls. The first step courtyard is from
Lingmen to Enmen. On the southeast corner stands a stele with
the feeling words of entering Changling engraved on the front
by Emperor Shunzhi and Ming Tombs Eight Rhyme by QianLong backwards.
The second courtyard extends from Enmen to Hongmen. It s the En
Palace here that be considered the best Nanmu Palace nationwide.
The last part stretches to Ming Lou. Ming Lou is the cross-sectional
sign of each mausoleum, and the highest buildings in the central
axis as well. The plaque on top is carved with Changling.
Human Sacrifice - The East and West Pits
The area Changling also concluded the east and west well, traditionally
is treated as a place where the 16 imperial concubines buried
alive as such kind of following objects to the Emperors. Because
of its pit-like shape, people call them the east and west pits.
Human are buried with the dead is a traditional manner during
nearly all dynasties.
Dingling
To the northeast part of Changling situated Dingling on the foot
of DaYu Hill, where buried the thirteenth emperor of Ming Dynasty
WanLi and his two empresses. In 1583, Emperor WanLi took the chance
of paying respect to the ancestors, inspected the Mausoleum Area.
There he made his final decision to build tomb here and started
the project in the following years. The process lasted for more
than six years with high qualities. He had ever live a kind of
dissipated life in the underground palace ignoring the state affairs
totally.
Discovery of Dingling
As we all know that Dingling is the only mausoleum our nation
has completed discovered so far, so it always appears as a must
tourist place for people both home and abroad. In May 1956, nation
archeology group began to uncover its real construction from a
deep channel. The tremendous project took up to 2 years to finish.
Under the indication of some words written on stones and tunnels,
Dingling gradually appeared its exactly position and the adamantine
door with a mystery trapezoid-shaped opening, which considered
to be the very entrance to the mausoleum.
Acting Stone - The Marble Door and Self
A number of stone steps lead down to the main entrance, which
is a richly engraved gateway with a double-leaf marble door. Each
leaf is 4 tons in weight, hinges on an axis that is carved from
the same piece of marble. The lower end of the axis rests in a
hole on the stone doorstep and the upper end in a hole of the
bronze lintel, which weights ten tons. Each marble leaf, incredible,
is thicker near the axis and tapers off toward the middle of the
door. This allows one person to open and close the massive door
easily. The door was ingeniously sealed on the burial scene by
a stone bar, known as the "Self-acting stone." Once
put in place from inside, this bolt would prevent the door from
ever being opened again.
Precious Treasures
Besides the coffins and the delicated clothes the emperors and
empresses wore, still there left numerous treasures. In the narrow
spaces between the three sets of coffins are two pairs of vases
and three boxes, which originally contained a wooden imperial
seal, and wooden tablets recording the bestowal on the emperor
of his posthumous title. There is also an iron helmet decorated
with gold and jewels, a suit of mail, a sword, a bow, and iron-tipped
arrows.
Among all the items buried with the dead, the crowns and phoenix
coronets are really dazzling. Emperor Wanli's golden crown Tongti
is made of gold thread, studded with two dragons playing with
pearl. Among the sparkling jewelries, emperor Wanli's golden crown
could be considered as rare treasure, it is mounted with many
dazzling thumb-sized cat.
Summer Palace is the distillate of wisdom; it is the works that
collected the previous success of all the private gardens excellence
in the south and north. At this time of today, YiHeYuan has turned
out to be the most completed and the largest imperial garden in
China. A long history of this Chinese garden is quite different
and unique landscape from ancient European imperial garden. Whether
the bureaucrats rich and power or the construction of the private
gardens, both of which were seeking a harmonious integration of
natural and artistic beauty. As its name YiHeYuan means the Garden
of Harmonious Unity.
General Introduction
Summer Palace is situated in the northwest part of Beijing City,
and covers an area of about 290 hectares with third-forth is water.
First built in 1750, largely destroyed in the war of 1860, but
later had been restored on its original foundation in 1886, it
served four generations of the imperial family. As we see today
what it looks like, the design gives prominent to Longevity Hill
(Wanshoushan) and Kunming Lake. Besides these two parts, still
we could define a part of the long corridor. From the viewing
point, we could divide the Summer Palace into administrating,
residential and scenery browsing areas as well.
Summer Palace, as an important venue for Qing political activities,
has recorded many historical lives in palace. In a large degree,
it reflected the falling history of Qing Dynasty from a side way.
Summer Palace was originally called QingYiGarden(Garden of Clear
Ripples). It was well-known for the famous three hills and five
gardens: Longevity Hill, Jade Spring Mountain, and Fragrant Hill;
as for gardens: Garden of Clear Ripples, Garden of Everlasting
Spring, Garden of Perfection and Brightness, Garden of Tranquility
and Brightness, and Garden of Tranquility and Pleasure. But they
all destroyed by fire in 1888. Later, to Empress CiXis personal
enjoyable, she embezzled navy funds to restore Garden of Clear
Ripples and changed the name to Summer Palace. She lived there
for her later years, both for her amusement and conduction of
national affairs. In 1900, the garden once again been destroyed
by the Eight-Power Allied Force.
Summer Palace has built up numerous landscapes, but without question
all of which embody the highest spirit of imperial and Gods supreme
powers. All are profound deposition of the Chinese history and
national culture.
Now YiHeYuan has been opened to public and received huge members
of visitors every day. It turns out to be one of the most popular
tourist sight spot home and abroad.
Kunming Lake
Kunming Lake is the biggest lake among all the lakes of royal
gardens in Qing Dynasty. Along the lake there is a bank called
West Bank, meandering southward from northward. The West Bank
and its embranchment divided the whole lake mainly into three
parts with each a central island. Such three central islands symbol
ancient Chinese legends of the East Sea Spirit MoutainsPenglai,
Fangzhang and Yingzhou. Lakes are mainly concentrated in the construction
of three islands.
Longevity Hill - Wanshou Shan
The south slope (Formal Hill) of Longevity Hill connects to Kunming
Lake that has constituted very cheerful environment. The formal
Hill both near the main entrance and the back residential space,
so most the buildings are concentrated here. The main building
group just lined along from lakeshore to the top mountain, which
consist of PaiYunDianHall of Dispelling Clouds, a celebration
for royal families, and FoXiangGe--Buddhist Cabinet. The latter
one is the biggest in terms of bodybuilding, about 40meters high
and above the high profile stone. The buildings in other sections
are smaller in size but naturally express a dignified allusion
to the central building groups.
The Long Corridor
The Long Corridor is the longest garden corridor in China, and
one of the oldest structures in the Summer Palace. It is a covered
promenade running for about 728 metres along the north Shore of
Kunming Lake and connecting with a row of buildings at the foot
of Longevity Hill. There lie a number of more than 8,000 paintings
of traditional Chinese history and literature, which shows the
Chinese brilliant culture. Also the corridor is remarkable for
its quakeproof function. Although it had undergoing numerous times
of storms, winds and earthquakes, it has never tilted or been
undermined. The incredible tenacity of the corridor lies in three
factors: specially reinforced ground base, two piers extending
from the east to the west in a mechanical balance and the shelter
of the Longevity Hill from unfavorable winds.
East Palace Gate - DongGongMen
The East Palace Gate, DongGongMen in Chinese, is the major entrance
to the Summer Palace. The very central gate is for emperors and
empresses exclusively. Two side doors were for princes and minister
officials. And the two ends were for Eunuchs and soldiers. On
the top of the gate is a plaque engraved with YiHeYuan written
by Emperor GuangXu, which expressed the meaning of eternal harmonies.
Hall of Benevolence and Longevity - RenShouDian
General Introduction
It is a hall that originally named QinZhengDian, means to be diligent
and administrable. The present name is given by Emperor GuangXu,
take the meaning of Confucian saying that the governors who benevolence
will be lengevity. As we all know that every palace should possess
such kind of hall for emperors to handle state affairs. RenShouDian
is just built for the purpose of giving audience. And it is mainly
used by Empress CiXi and GuangXu period.
Furnishings
In the central of the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity is the
throne of the emperors with two yellow-colored fans behind which
stands for the dignity of the royal. Before the throne, there
lie incense burners and candlesticks. Two strolls on both sides
of the wall with a big Chinese character Shou, which means longevity
in English written by Empress CiXi. There are two large mirrors
on the left and right of the throne against the wall are aimed
to prevent from evil spirits. They are made of mahogany, which
has turned out to be a hardship in old days.
In the front courtyard of the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity,
a Kylin, with dragonhead, lion tail, deer horn, and cattle hoof
stands there. In legend, the Kylin guards against destruction
by fire and also it said to be able to distinguish right from
wrong. As the Empress CiXi for a time got the upper position than
the emperor, so there we can see the phoenix statues, which represent
the queen, lie in the middle of the courtyard. The dragon statues,
representing the Emperor, lie to the side, contrary to tradition.
Hall of Jade Ripples - YuLanTang
YuLanTang, also named the Hall of Jade Ripples, was originally
built by Emperor QianLong and took as a leisure space for him.
And for Emperor GuangXu, it acted as his private residential place
and also the place where he was under house arrest from 1898.
The well-known Hundreds Days Reform lasted 103 days that on the
purpose of diminishing the out-dated rules and bring the new edicts
into effect. But finally GuangXu failed in reforming, that is
to say, Empress CiXi once again got the absolute control of the
state affairs. From that tome on, GuangXu had been house arrested
there. And CiXi assigned eunuchs to closely observe him day and
night. In order to cut the throat of reform, the emperor's six
earnest reformists were beheaded by CiXi.
Taoran Pavilion Park is a truly established old neighborhood
park. When it was completely redesigned in 1952 excavations revealed
that settlements existed as far back as the 3rd century BC. Unlike
other parks that were only for the use of the emperor and his
family, this park was available to everyone. During the Qing Dynasty
the Taoran Pavilion was a popular meeting place for poets and
other writers.
It was located in the south of Beijings Xuanwu District, covers
59 hectares out of which 17 hectares water surface. The park was
built in 1952, and it is the first modern landscape Architecture
after the foundation of the Peoples Republic of China. There exists
famous historical sites of Beijing strong cultural atmosphere,
and revolution made it a famous resort attracting numerous visitors.
History and Today
In 1695 Qing Dynasty, a senior official of the central government
ordered to build a pavilion to the west of the Mercy Nunnery and
named it "Taoran"quoted from a poem of Bai Ju-yi, one
of the greatest poets in Tang Dynasty. Literaties liked the Pavilion
very much, and those who lived in other provinces must here when
they came to Beijing. It has been well known and had been a famous
site of Beijing with 200 years of Qing Dynasty.
Taoran Ting (Taoran Pavilion) is the best-known spot within Taoranting
Park and is also from where the park gets its name. Taoran Ting
is listed as one of China's four famous historical pavilions,
together with Aiwan Pavilion in Changsha, Zuiweng Pavilion in
Chuzhou, and Huxin Pavilion in Hangzhou. It was built in the Qing
Dynasty and enjoyed great fame at that time. Scholars often attentted
this pavilion, gathering there reciting and composing poetry and
essays, or just to relax, admiring the beauty of the moon. After
the foundation of People's Republic of China, it was rebuilt and
since then has been greatly enjoyed by Beijing citizens.
Taoran Pavilion also had a splendid revolutionary history in modern
times, especially in the period of "May fourth Movement.
The founders and leaders of CPC like Li Dazhao,Mao Zedong, and
Zhou Enlai came here to hold revolutionary activities. On January
18,1920,revolutionaries Mao Zedong, Deng Zhongxia and members
of Assist society gathered here to discuss a plan how to struggle
against the Hunan warlord Zhang Jingyao. Photographs of remembrance
were taken right under this old pagoda tree. On August 16th, 1920,by
members of the conscious society led by comrade Zhou Enlai together
with delegacy of young China society.
The Dawn society, the humanitarian society and the youth Group
of mutual help to issue regarding to the patriotic movement, and
a united struggle after the "may 4th"movement. Between
July and August, 1921,a member of the young China society Chen
Yusheng's wife died, and buried here, and rent two rooms in the
name of taking care of the grave, which were actually used as
a place to engage secret revolutionary activities by comrades
of Deng Zhongxia,Yun Daiying,and GaoJunyu in the period between
1921-1923.
Todays Taoranting Park still retains many ancient traces. On the
ground-shaped islet in between the Eastern and the Western lakes
stands the Temple of Mercy, built on a raised rocky platform during
the Yuan Dynasty. The temple is a standard traditional quadrangle
(sihe) courtyard with pavilions on the east, south, west and north.
The western and northern pavilions each had three rooms. The western
pavilion was the original Taoranting
Architecture
As a historical and cultural park, Taoranting Park is a mixture
of ancient construction styles and modern park design. It is also
one of the first national tourist sites of AAAA level.
Surrounding Taoran Pavilion were many famous historical sites
.To the northwest of the pavilion was Dragon Tree Temple, which
was as famous as Taoran Pavilion in late Qing Dynasty and many
celebrities, visited here. Others were Black Dragon Pool, King
Dragon Pavilion, Nezha Temple, Plun Blossom Garden, and Zu Garden
that were located to the east or west respectively. To the north
was Yao Tai Tea house, and to the mortheast were fragrant Tomb
etc. Most of these historical sites had a longer history than
Taoran Pavilion, and even earlier than the Mercy Nuneery. Famous
Poems and calligraphers often came here and left many famous poems
and calligraphy works.
Details
The site that covered the Black Dragon Pond the east, Dragon Spring
Temple in the west, Nanheng Street in the north and the city wall
in the south later became an attraction for tourists from far
away and those scholars who came to the nations capital for imperial
civil examinations.
Most famous at the site was the Plum Garden northeast of the Garden
of Ecstasy and northwest of the Black Dragon Pond.
Northwest of the Taoran Pavilion Park was an ancient garden, the
Garden of the Fengs, built in 1122, the sixth year of the reign
of Emperor Tianfu of the Jin Dynasty and declined in 1722, the
61st year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi. Though it decayed, some
of the ancient pine trees still stood, attracting many a poet.
Most outstanding of the gardens sights was the grotesque formation
of Taihu Lake rocks designed by Zhang Ran of Huating. Zhang Ran
desiged the rock formations at such famous imperial gardens as
the Yingtai at Zhongnanhai, Changchunyuan (later the Summer Palace)
and Yuquan Hill.
Northwest of the Garden of Ecstasy and southeast of the Dragon
Spring Temple was an ancient temple called Longzhuahuai noted
for two Dragon Claw Chinese scholar trees.
The current earthen mound on the north of today's Taoranting Park
was the site of an imperial kiln called Black Kiln. It made ordinary
bricks and tiles for the building of imperial palaces during the
reign of Emperor YongLe of the Ming. As feudal emperors who had
superstitious ideas about Fengshui forbade excavation of soil
for brick making in the imperial city proper, the kiln had to
get its soil from the sandy hill.
Related Poems
As its historical and cultural values, there are several important
poets that had left their poems and calligraphies.
Famous Tang poet Bai Juyis poem:
When the chrysanthemums turn yellow and wine is made,
Lo! my dear friend,
Lets drink to our hearts content and be drunken away
In ecstasy.
Cao Zhenji, a poet of the Qing, once sang of the garden:
When the plum has not yet come to bloom,
I invite friends to come;
The leaves falling like in dreams,
We toast under the pine tree.
At the gate of the temple was a calligraphic work in gold of
Taoran by Jiang Zao and on the temple wall were inset with a rock
carving, Ode to Taoranting that sang in the last two verses:
Sorry that I'm not a painter
To draw a picture of listening to the cascading spring
In deep Autumn night.
The temple wall was also inset with the calligraphic work Urban
Forest by Wang Yushu.
The gravestone is inscribed with a poem by his girlfriend Shi
Pingmei:
I'm the sword,
I'm the fire,
I will live like a lightning,
Die like a fleeting star.
The couple were buried in the grave when Shi Pingmei died.
In ancient China, sacrificing Temple played an important role
in royal lives. The Temple of Heaven in Beijing is the unique
one that has been preserved complex; it is the most outstanding
works among all the worship construction works. Both from the
total point or every separate part possess wondrous artistic values
and cultural importance.
The Temple of Heaven was completed in 1420 and was originally
a platform for the Son of Heaven (the emperor) to perform sacrifices
and solemn rites. It covers an area of 273 hectares, smaller than
the Summer Palace while bigger than the Forbidden City.
Framework
On the whole, the Temple of Heaven is surrounded by a long wall,
which has divided the Temple of Heaven into two parts according
to its shapes. The northern part is semicircular standing for
the heavens and the southern part is in square representing the
earth. Clearly to see, they are on different levels that the northern
part is much more higher. Such kind of structure typically reflected
an old thinking that the heaven is high and the earth is low,
and The heaven is round and the earth is square. The temple could
be divided by the enclosed wall into inner and outer spaces. The
main buildings were basically in the inner part and they have
been laid mainly in the central axis from southward to northward.
Sacrifice Ceremony
Temple of Heaven is the place where the Ming and Qing Dynasty
showed their deep respect to God. The sacrifice Ceremony had played
an important role in royal life, both for homage of the emperorsSons
of Heaven and grand vouchsafement from Heaven. Emperors came to
the temple twice a year, on the 15th day of the first lunar month
and on winter solstice respectively. If there happened to be a
drought, they would come on summer solstice to pray for rainfall.
The Emperors amid his guard of honour, paraded towards the Temple
of Heaven. The procession is used for worship of Heaven is the
most honorable of all and ranks highest in the ceremonial hierarchy.
The emperor dismounted at the Zhaoheng Gate of the temple and,
accompanied by ritual officials, inspected the preparation work
before he retreated into the Hall of Abstinence. And this is the
prologue to the great ceremony of Heaven worship. The ceremony
began at four oclock in the morning. Accompanied by ten ministers,
the emperor ascended onto the altar when the great bell was struck,
warning all officials present to stand by at attention.
The worship began with burning sacrifice, when the official of
ceremony chanted and the sacred oven blazed. Then a complete calf,
slaughtered for offering, was sacrificed upon the oven. Twelve
iron ovens, eight in front of the sacred oven and four at the
gates of the altar, served for burning pine tree boughs. The boughs
burst in fire, giving off fragrant smells that would lustrate
devils and take humans prayer up to the Heaven. Next to the iron
ovens is a divine mausoleum. The tail of the calf was to be buried
in it together with its blood and fur to memories the ancestors
who ate raw meat and blood before the invention of fire.
On the Circular Mound Altar the emperor reported to Heaven what
have come to pass in the last year and what he had accomplished,
confessed his mistakes and begged for pardon, and plead Heaven
to forgive with his sacrifice and to give blessing and grace to
this world in the next year. The altar was then lighted by three
light posts 36 meters high. The dark sky was also lighted as if
by early morning glow. In ancient times the emperor gave signals
with the lights so that the dukes and princes, far away in their
feudalities, knew that his majesty was worshiping Heaven and in
piety. Signal lights enlisted all ordinaries in the capital that
saw them into this great ceremony.
Main Constructions
All the palaces and platforms face southward to form in a circular
shape to symbolize the heaven. The most significant buildings
are the Circular Mound Altar (YuanQiuTan), Imperial Vault of Heaven
(HuangQiongYu) and the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest (QiNianDian).
Besides, some famous architecture as Three Echo Stones and Echo
Wall are also worth visiting.
Circular Mound Altar - YuanQiuTai
YuanQiuTai, the Circular Mound Altar, is the place where the emperors
worship Heaven. The Alter is located in the center of the upper
terrace, from where anything the emperors say, their voice would
be amplified many times by surrounded concentrically arranged
flagstones.
Imperial Vault of Heaven - HuangQiongYu
Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest - QiNianDian
The Imperial Vault of Heaven looks like a dark-blue umbrella with
golden head from far away. It is similar to the Hall of Prayer
for Good Harvest (QiNianDian) in construction, but much more smaller
than it. The Hall of Good Harvest is the most obvious one among
all the halls within Temple of Heaven. Its in a unique cone-shaped
structure with triple eaves without beams and nails. The three-layer
top is just supported by 28 large columns. Its special lattice
doors and windows also contribute as its unique features. In a
word, it is an excellent distillation of ancient China.
Three Echo Stones and the Echo Wall
The special settings that would draw tourists attention are typically
the Three Echo Stones and the Echo Wall. Outside the gate of the
Hall of Imperial Vault of Heaven is the Three Echo Stones. If
one face to the direction of the Hall, just try to speak on the
first stone, on echo will be heard; and the second and third will
receive two and three echoes respectively.
As for the well-known Echo Wall, it is about 65.1 meters in diameter
surround the Vault. If two persons standing separately in both
the east and west end, no matter how low their voice is, they
could hear each other clearly. It is a somewhat incredible and
indelible experience.
The Temple of Heaven is equal to the Forbidden City and the Summer
Palace; there is no doubt that it is worth traveling.
Tiananmen Square was once a royal plaza outside the Forbidden
City during the feudal imperial era. At that time it was enclosed
by walls from east, west and south, and the ordinaries were all
prevented from entering.
Tiananmen was originally built in Ming Dyansty,YongLe 1417, it
was the frontispiece of the Forbidden City. Previously, its name
was not Tiananmen but Chengtianmen that adapt to the meaning of
following and obeyed the Heaven. The gate has been destroyed twice
and not until 1651 it has been the pattern of today and changed
the name to Tiananmen.
During the feudal times, it was the place that issuing rescripts
and holding grant ceremonies, such as enthronment of the new emperors
and establish empresses. However the last rescripts issued here
was the abdication of PuYi in 1911.
For hundreds years, Tiananmen, just as the Chinese ordinaries,
has gone through numerous brutal treatments and insults. In 1900,
the time of the eight allied forces intruded in Beijing, Tiananmen
was once bombed by them and even today there still three unbombed
cannons left in the beams western gate. And the famous May 4th
Movement also took place here, thousands of students gathered
to protest Chinese delegates signifying on the unequal and humilated
"Peace Treaty of Paris". From that time on, it was soon
been developed into a national clamjamfry movement. And the later
"Nine 9th Movement" and such patriotic movement were
all connected to the name of Tiananmen.
The most important event took place in China is in 1949, the year
when China has declared its independence. On the day of Oct. 1st,
Chinaman Mao Zedong has announced the great independence of our
nation and abdication the name as The Peoples Republic Of China.
General View
Tiananmen Square is in the center of Beijing City, which said
to be the largest square in the world. It is the symbol of the
Peoples Republic. Tiananmen Square covers an area of approximately
440,000 square meters with 500 meters in width and 880meters in
length. That means it could hold maximum of a million people at
one time. Tiananmen Square is surrounded by Tiananmen Tower, Great
Hall of People, Monument to the Peoples Heroes, Chairman Mao Memorial
Hall and Chinese National Museum. In a large degree, they all
could be treated as the compositions of the Tiananmen Square.
Tiananmen Square Today
Previously Tiananmen Square was all along seized by imperial offices.
It had been treated as a part of Forbidden City that linked the
Temple of Heaven with Qianmen and the palace together. Nowadays
Tiananmen Square is a must place to visit if going to Beijing.
Tiananmen has completed what it looks like today before the 50th
anniversary of China in 1999. It is now a palace for celebration
of important festivals as National Day on Oct 1st and International
Labor Day on May 1st.
The Tiananmen Tower
The Tiananmen Tower was originally built in 1417 during the Ming
Dynasty; it is also a door to Forbidden City. It is a place that
announcing the ordinaries in big ceremonies who would become the
emperors or empresses.
Great Hall of People
The Great Hall of People is to the west of Tiananmen Square. This
place is always be involved with a kind of solemn an ceremonious
atmosphere, because it is where the China National People's Congress
meetings held and other political and diplomatic activities took
place. There are totally twelve pillars in front of it and the
whole place could be divided into three parts: the Central Hall,
the Great Auditorium and a Banqueting Hall. All of which have
been delicate decorated. The floor of the Central Hall is paved
with marble and crystal lamps hang from the ceiling. The Great
Auditorium behind the Central Hall seats 10,000. The Banqueting
Hall is a large hall with 5,000 seats.
Monument to the Peoples Heroes
It is the most obvious construction of Tiananmen Square, right
standing in the center. This monument is the biggest in China
with The People's Heroes are Immortal written by Chairman Mao
engraved on it. To some degree, we could see part of the Chinese
history from eight sculptures on it.
Chairman Mao Memorial Hall
In the front center lies the Hall of Chairman Mao Memorial. Our
lovely Chairman Maos body has been put in a crystal coffin here.
Chinese National Museum
At the east side Tiananmen Square is the Chinese National Museum
that is combination of Chinese History Museum and Chinese Revolutionary
Museum. Here we could truly feel the Chinese history development
and glorious cultural heritage from a lot of material objects,
pictures, books and models.
Rising Flag Ceremony Every Day
Another attractive point of Tiananmen Square is the everyday flag
rising. It is a must visiting to see the honorable ceremony in
Beijing. One has to get up early and get there before sunrise.
Although it sounds like a hard work but it is really worthwhile
if you do it once in life.
The Five-Pagoda Temple is located about 200 meters to the northwest
of Beijing Zoo. It was initially called the Temple of True Awakening,
ZhenJueSi in Chinese, then as the name of the Temple of Great
Righteous AwakeningDaZhengJueSi. Later the name of today, Five-Pagoda
Temple was adopted.
History
Around the year of 1413 during Emperor Yongle of Ming Dynasty,
the Indian shaman DaDi came to Beijing to submit the Golden Buddha
and the picture of an Indian styled Tower to the emperor. Emperor
Yongle at once ordered to build a temple according to the picture
in 1473. the entire temple complex, including wooden buildings,
was repaired and renovated in 1761, but in the late Qing Dynasty
looted and burned to the ground, first by the Anglo-French Allied
Armies in 1860, and again by the Eight-Allied Force in 1900. Today,
the only extent relic is the monumental diamond throne pagoda.
Structure
The structure of the five pagodas is known in Buddhist way as
the "diamond throne pagoda" style, wherein five small
pagodas stand on a large square foundation known as the "throne."
The architectural style of the temple is no mere imitation of
its Indian prototype, but displays bold innovations: the height
of the throne foundation was raised, the height of the pagodas
was reduced, and typical Chinese glazed tiles were added.
The square throne foundation is 17 meters high. The five pagodas
rise from their rectangular bases on top of this foundation, one
in each of the four corners and the fifth in the center. The central
pagoda is slightly higher than the others, with 13 eaves, two
more than those in the corners. The entire structure is made of
white marble. Today, after more than 500 years of oxidation, the
flecks of iron in the stone have given the entire structure a
pale orange cast.
The four walls of the foundation are carved with rows of Buddhas
(the One Thousand Sagacious Buddhas) as well as bas-reliefs of
Buddhist symbols, floral designs and Sanskrit letters. The five
pagodas are also covered with similar carvings on a small scale.
A door at the foot of the foundation on the southern side opens
into an inner spiral stairway that leads to the top pf the foundation.
Badachu Park, as its name goes by, it consisits of Eight Great
Buddhist temples across the Cuiwei, Pingpo and Lushi hills at
the foot of Beijing's Western Hills. Located on the outskirts
of Beijing, to the north part of Shijingshan Distrit and next
to Fragrant Hill. The sites were restored during the 1980's and
have since become a popular destination, both for pilgrims and
tourists. It is a garden that of long history and appears to be
a delightful landscape. The eight temples situated among the three
hills are Changan temple, Lingguang temple, Sanshan nunnery, Dabei
temple, Longquan nunnery, Xiangjie temple, Baozhu cave and Zhengguo
temple. The original building time could be traced back to the
end of Sui Dynasty and the beginning of Tang Dynasty, with the
following several dynasties do it be accomplished.
The Badachu Park is notable for its eight ancient temples, nunneries
and a cave set amidst beautiful scenery on the southern slopes
of the Western Hills. With an area of 250 hectares, this "flashback
in time" is 464 meters above sea level at its highest point.
Name Origin
Badachu Park, totally speaking, is consists of the three hills,
eight well-preserved temples and twelve natural-made sceneries.
There is an old saying that: The three hills like a delicate house
with the eight temples as antique inside and the twelve sceneries
as the outside garden around the house. It was all along famous
for its natural beauty than anything else here in XiShan.
Enjoyable Natural Environment
Badachu Park is an appealling place to visit all year round. It
has an enjoyable temperate climate, remaining cool in summer and
warm in winter. Visitors can casually stroll from one temple to
another, enjoying the beautiful scenery and admiring the shadow
and rare ancient trees. Some of these trees have been standing
for over 6 centuries, but their roots and branches are still strong
and in good shape. In September and October, when the leaves are
turning red, crowds of tourists come to climb the mountains. You
may also take a cable car to the top of the hill and feast your
eyes on the beautiful view from the mountain peak.
Badachu Park Today
In the late 1980s, the watering area of Badachu Park generally
is regarded as the Yingcui Lake, the highsky cable car that was
set up at the beginning of the 90s, and the following old-styled
buildings of pure wood materials and Shan Door. All of which have
contributed a lot to the great change of Badachu Park. Now it
has been listed the first-level park in Beijing. Badachu Park
in Beijing recently has become one of the leisure and entertainment
place in Beijing.
Beijing Botanical Garden is located close to XiangShan Park at
the foot of the Western Fragrant Hills. It contains Sleeping Buddha,
WoFoSi Temple in Chinese, in the north. Beijing Botanical Garden
was established in 1956 on approval of the State Council with
an area of about 400 hektares. In a word, it is a treasury of
all the botanical resources from North, Northeast and northwest
of China; also an integration that functions of scientific research,
science permeations and tourist site.
General Elements
The Beijing Botanic Garden presents us a peaceful and tranquility
areas in the busy Beijing. It is composed of a lake, the Perennial
Garden, Peony Garden, Ornamental Peach Garden, a magnificent 10,000
square metre Conservatory housing Rain Forest House, Orchid House,
Desert Garden House, Exhibition Flower House and numerous other
gardens featuring camellias, bamboo, tree peonies, ornamental
cherries and many others. A Sunken Rose Garden, 90 metres across,
surrounded by thousands of roses in four tiers, descending to
a magnificent floodlit musical fountain at the center as well.
So far, about 200 hectares are opened to the public, including
the living plant collection, the historic sites and a nature reserve.
Excellent displays are made monthly in the main conservatory,
bonsai garden (penjing in Chinese), the arboretum and 11 outdoor
gardens: tree-peony garden, peony garden, rose garden, ornamental
peach garden, lilac garden, crabapple-contoneaster garden, magnolia
garden, fall color garden, perennial garden, bamboo garden and
mume flower garden.
Totally speaking, the gardens cultivate 6,000 species of plant,
including 2,000 kinds of frees and bushes, 1,620 varieties of
tropical and subtropical plants, 500 species of flowers and 1,900
kinds of fruit trees, water plants, traditional Chinese.
The Attractive Greenhouse
Among all the gardens and rare plants in Beijing Botanical Gardens,
the hothouse turns out to be the most appealing traveling site
here.
The hothouse concludes two main parts that are exhibition area
with an area of 9800 square meters and manufacture hothouse 6000
square meters; the corresponding equipments are established as
well. As their separate functions, only the exhibition hothouse
allowed to visit.
The exhibition hothouse is divided into two floors, one overground
and the other underground. Four halls are on display:
Tropical Rain Forest Landscape: 1200 square meters surroundings,
the temperature all alone keep up to 20 degrees in winter, high
temperature and humidity level.
The Four Seasons Garden: area of 3500 square meters with the winter
temperature above 10-degree, mid-temperature and mid-humidity
Desert Plant Scenery: 950 square meters, above 10-temperature
degree in winter, mid-temperature and low-humidity.
Tropic Orchis and other specialized plants garden: 500 square
meters, also temperatured up to 10 degrees in winter, mid-temperature
and humidity.
The crystal palace like greenhouse presents us undulating terrain,
meandering path, waterfall and rushing waters as well. Various
plants formed pleasing landscape. The scene around the world has
set out y the several houses here, the tropical rainforest and
desert plants, and a mixture of ornamental plants contributed
to the special value here. If one entering, he would surely lost
himself to the wondering natural scene.
Cao Xueqing Memorial Garden
Cao Xueqing, the famous novelist in Qing Dynasty. He is the writer
of one of the four great Chinese masterpiecesStory of the Stone,
also named Dream of the Red Chamber, which was considered as the
enduring realism magnum opus in literature history. Among all
the botanical gardens, it is the only garden for human beings.
Highlights on Collection
Besides the particular Greenhouse here, there are still several
attractions to be considered as must tour sites. All of which
are selected at pains both on the location and their research
and education value. Many are possess not only viewing value but
also up to educational sense. It is a right place that one would
enjoy himself and edified as well.
Rose Garden
In the Rose Garden, about 700 rose Cultivars are cultivated. The
whole garden was surrounded by an atmosphere of particular European
style, a concealing fountain and a mini-waterfall formed an open
stage for the roses, such as hybrid tea rose, miniature roses,
antique roses and wild roses etc.
The Ornamental Peach Garden
The ornamental peaches, which were traditionally being treated
as a kind of decoration in China, make a room gentle and fragrant.
Up to now, there are totally 70 Cultivars collected. Some varieties
were bestowed by Japanese friends as flowing plum, forsythia and
cherries. In the season spring, pavonine-coloured flowers draw
a beautiful painting here right on the hillside.
The Lilac Garden
Lilac that regarded as a perfect representation of China, is the
most species preserved today in the world. It covered an area
of about 3.5 hectares, was first completed in the end of 1950s
and then enlarged in 1980s. In all, there are 22 kinds of species
and Cultivars collected now. Its full-blown time lasts around
6 weeks. And now we still try to find and introduce new species
to our nation.
Penjing GardenBonsai Garden
The Bonsai Garden of Beijing Botanical Garden is a major exhibition
area, covers 20,000 centiares. It is one of our largest bonsai
in China, an d can be departed into two spaces, the indoor and
outdoor spaces. The indoor exhibition composed of north bonsai
exhibition gallery works, refining exhibition area, integrated
house and genre space. Where numbers of works from Beijing and
nationwide are presented. While the outdoor space consists of
four courts, major in displaying the huge disclosed main plant,
of which more than 70 trunks are over 100 years. The largest one
called FengShuangJinLv, is an old apricot trunk with an age of
more than 1300 years. The establishment of the Bonsai Garden,
not only is propitious to the heritage and development of the
bonsai art, but also offering a place for enjoys, communicate
and learn.
Beijing Botanical Garden is a nice choice to visit in Beijing.
And due to its delicate decoration and rare plants here, it turns
out to be a great appealing to people from home and abroad.
Beijing Zoo was originally called Ten Thousand Animal Garden
that was built in 1908. It is situated to the west of Beijing
Exhibition Center, in Xicheng District of Beijing City and facing
Beijing Astronimical Observatory. It covers an area of about 90
hectares with a collection of more than 600 types of animal species
and more than 7, 000 population of animals.
Beijing Zoo mainly exhibits wild and rare animals growing in China,
such as Panda and the Golden Monkey. Besides our national unique
species, there are still numbers of rare animals all around the
world, like White Bear from the very North Pole, Kangaroo from
Australia, Zebra from Africa. The constructions in the Zoo is
more than 50,000 square meters, including the monkey hill, the
panda hall, the lion and tiger hill, the elephant hall, the see
beast hall etc. In all, there are as many as 30 huge halls. Besides
the living places for animals, a lot of different rooms, halls,
pavilions and beautiful trees exist here as well. The Zoo combines
the Garden Art of the East and West typically adapts to the environment
of the wild animals living here.
History
In the 18th century, the zoo was known as the Sanbeizi Gardens,
supposedly named after the third son of Emperor Kangxi, Prince
Cheng Yin. Another explanation is that Sanbeizi refereed to the
Qing courtier Fu Kang' an and the Gardens the site of his villa.
In fact, as early as the Ming Dynasty, an imperial mansion called
the Garden of Happiness and Friendship constructed for Prince
Kang stood here, and during the Qing, part of the Sanbeizi Gardens
called the Garden of Continuity (Jiyuan) became the private property
of an official in the Bureau of Palace Affairs.
In 1906, during the reign of Emperor Guangxu, the park area changed
into an agricultural experimental farm and a zoo. Known as the
Garden of Ten Thousand Animals (Wanshengyuan), it opened to the
public in 1908.
Under the successive rule of the Northern Warlords, the Japanese
and the Kuomintang, the park became increasingly desolate. The
only elephant died in 1937, and the Japanese, under the pretext
of protecting themselves against air raids, poisoned the remaining
lions, tigers and leopards. On the eve of the founding of the
People's Republic of China in 1949, the park housed only 12 monkeys,
two parrots and a blind emu. The park was reopened to the public
in 1950, and on April 10, 1955 formally named the Beijing Zoo.
Beijing Zoo Today
The zoo has developed rapidly and by 1987 it covered an area of
over 40,000 square meters. Bears, elephants, pandas, lions, tigers,
songbirds, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, antelopes and giraffes
were brought in the late 1950s, and a gorilla cage, leaf-monkey
cage and aquarium house, was opened, containing specimens of over
100 species of reptiles from all over the world, including crocodiles
and pythons.
At present, the zoo houses over 7,000 creatures of 600 different
species, including the giant panda, red-crowned crane and Pere
David's deer-all unique to China-as well as the African giraffe,
rhinoceros, chimpanzee and antelope; American continent; wild
ox from Europe; and elephant and gibbon from India.
Some Special Touring Sites
Beijing Ocean Hall was opened to the public inside the Zoo in
1999. It is the biggest ocean hall in China. Besides enjoying
the sight of all the different species of fish, you are invited
to watch the shows performed by the dolphins and the sea lions
here in the Hall.
Moreover, you can visit the many old buildings built in the Qing
Dynasty inside Beijing Zoo.
And the busiest area of the Beijing Zoo, also can be treated as
the unique Chinese symbol, is the famous Panda House, home to
giant and lesser pandas of China. It is located in the northwest
area of Beijing. Don't miss the small Red Pandas in the trees
as you exit.
Forbidden City, which is also named as the Palace Museum of China,
is situated in the central part of Beijing. It covers 74 hectares
and just opposites the Tian'anmen Gate in the south; to the north
is the Gate of Devine Prowess (Shenwumen), which faces Jingshan
Park. It is a beautiful scenic spot with exuberant wood and grass.
By far, Forbidden City is the largest; most completed ancient
wood palace buildings. The palace is departed into two parts,
the Outer Court and the Inner Court. The Outer Court is just for
the emperor exercised his supreme power over the nation. And the
Inner Court is for his private life with his royal families.
Architecture
The Forbidden City, in details, extends 753 meters from east to
west, and 961 meters from north to south. It is shaped in rectangular
and takes up a total area of 720,000 square meters. It composed
of some dozen admixtures of different sizes and 9,900 bays of
rooms, with an entire floor area of 150,000 square meters. Most
of the buildings were built with wood, roofed with yellow glazed
tiles and built on blue-and-white stone foundations, looking solemn
and excellent. City walls were 10 meters high, and a 52 meter-wide
moat encircled the Forbidden City. Three-floor towers are placed
at each corner of the wall
History of the Palace Museum
Forbidden City possesses a history of more than 500 years, and
has been ruled by 24 emperors of Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty.
It houses huge amounts of rare treasures and curiosities. UNESCO
listed the Palace Museum as a World Cultural Heritage Site in
1987; now it is one of the most popular tourist attractions home
and abroad.
Name Origin
As we all known that the Forbidden City is also called as Purple
Forbidden City. In the feudal world at that time, the emperor
had supreme power, which means that the Forbidden City is a palace
only for up-classes. That is to say, it is a real forbidden place
for common people. And purple is the symbolic color of the North
Star, which was believed as the center of the cosmos. That is
why we called it Forbidden City.
Forbidden City Today
After having been the imperial palace for some five centuries,
the Forbidden City holds numerous rare treasures and curiosities.
Listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1987. Nowadays,
the Forbidden City is open to tourists and has turned out to be
one of the most popular tourist attractions from home and abroad.
Both its splendid painted decoration on these royal architectural
wonders and the grand and deluxe halls, with their surprisingly
magnificent treasures will appear great attraction to satisfy
the curiosity foreigners and ourselves.
Some main attraction spots of Forbidden City
Wumen---The Meridian Gate
History
The Meridian Gate, Wumen in Chinese, is the main entrance of Forbidden
City on the south. The emperor still believed that they are the
sons of heaven and should live in the central part of universe.
They thought the meridian line was just gone through the city,
so they called it Wumen.
Structure
The gate is 35.6 meters high and surmounted by five pavilions.
Because each pavilion resembles a phoenix, this gate also gets
the nickname as WuFengLou in Chinese, which means 'Five Phoenix
Tower'. The central pavilion is rectangular in shape, while the
other four with every two on each side, are square. There are
strict rules to enter the openings, the central gate is only for
emperor himself, and it represents sovereign power. The empress
is only permitted to go through once on her wedding day. As a
special honor, the first three finalists of the national examination
would allow to march through following their interview with the
emperor. The east opening for the ministers while the west for
the royal family. And the rest ones were for the low-ranking officials.
There is no way for ordinaries to enter.
The special drums and bells were all for emperors, as a signal
to announce their meeting with his ministers in Taihedian (Hall
of Supreme Harmony). The drums were used to announce an emperor's
departure to Titan (the Temple of Heaven) and bells to announce
his departure to Taimiao (the Ancestral Temple).
Function
Many special events would take place at the Meridian Gate. Every
1st day of the lunar year, the emperor would announce the coming
year. Also here they celebrated victories and accepted prisoners
of war from the dispatched generals. It is the place for emperors
to publish those who offended them as well.
The First Courtyard and Inner Golden River
Feature
After entering the Meridian Gate, there built five Inner Golden
Bridge with Inner Golden Water runs below. Their build-up, in
a large degree, was the result of fire- preventing as well as
observing the principle of Feng Shui and decorative feature. The
five stands as five arrows reporting symbolically to Heaven, because
the emperor considered himself the Sons of Heaven. They all decorated
with marble balustrades carved with motifs of dragon and phoenix.
Function
The five Inner Golden Bridges also have strict rules, the central
one was only for emperors and the near inner two for royal families
with the two left for ministers. Partly speaking, the five Inner
Golden Bridges were supposed to represent the five Confucian virtues
of caritas, responsibility, brightness, trustiness and (ceremonial)
suitability.
TaiHeMen - The Gate of Supreme Harmony
After come across the Inner Golden Bridge, we would enter a large
part of courtyard. It is a place without trees or anything else,
because the emperors always considered themselves the Sons of
Heaven, they couldnt bear anything appear higher. Right in front
of the courtyard is the center of the north part of Forbidden
City, where the Gate of Supreme Harmony lies. It is the main gate
of the Outer Court.
Two bronze lions guarded TaiHeMen, in order to show the imperial
sanctity. The west one is male, with its front right paw resting
on a ball, symbolizing imperial power extended worldwide. The
lioness on the east side has its front left paw on a lion cub,
which indicate a prosperously growing family and the never-ending
secession of the imperial pedigree.
One of the biggest events held here is the emperors wedding ceremony.
It is also be known as an annunciation of an Act of Grace by Shunzhi.
During the Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty, this was where
the emperor held his court to handle the state affairs. The emperor
would sit in the gateway, accept documents from his ministers
and make the decisions.
TaiHeDian - The Hall of Supreme Harmony
Brief Introduction
TaiHeDian was built up on a three -tier marble terrace in 1406
and has undergone many times repairs later. The so-called Golden
Carriage Palace to be recognized as the heart of Forbidden City
is the palace where the emperors handled the national affairs.
Civil and military officials would all kneel before him proclaiming:
"Long Live Your Majesty". It is a palace where numerous
ceremonious and important occasions take place. Celebrations as
emperors' birthdays, weddings etc. and most occasions as the Winter
Solstice, the Chinese New Year and the dispatch of generals into
fields of war.
Architecture
TaiHeDian is the highest building in Forbidden City. The 35.05-metre-high
(115-foot-high) hall was the tallest building in Beijing as well
during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The traditional way calculating
the interior space of a building was to count the number of squares.
Space enclosed by four pillars was treated as one room, so this
hall can be said to have 5 "rooms", 11 rooms wide and
five rooms deep.
There are totally 72 pillars standing in six rows to support
the roof. Each of the pillars supporting the hall was made from
a single piece of wood, which is about 18 meters high. Alongside
the flights of steps which ascend the three tiers of the terrace,
there are eighteen bronze Dings, a kind of ancient vessel, representing
the eighteen national provinces of those times. On the luxuriously
balustraded terrace, stand a bronze crane and a bronze tortoise,
symbols of everlasting rule and longevity. The marble Rigui, an
ancient sun dial on the eastern side and the Jialiang, an ancient
measuring vessel on the western side demonstrate that the emperor
was both just and fair. In front of the hall, there are a couple
of gilded bronze vats, which were used to hold water in case of
fire. Even in winter, to prevent the happening of fire, fire would
be lighted below each vessel to keep the water from freezing.
ZhongHeDianHall of Complete Harmony
Structure
The Hall of Complete Harmony, ZhongHeDian in Chinese, is the place
where the emperors rested before they went to the major ceremonies
or receiving the officials. The first impression left by the Hall
of Complete Harmony is the single pyramid roof, which contains
a throne with incense burners and braziers in front of it. ZhongHeDian
is square in shape rather than rectangular as the other two in
the Outer Court and is the smallest of the three.
Function
It acted as a personal reservation or office-cum-study space for
emperors on their way to join ceremonies in the Hall of Supreme
Harmony. Here is just the place they consulted with their religious
ministers. In advance of the time when going to the Temple of
the Ancestral Farmers, they would inspect the seeds and farming
tools to be used during the ceremony. Every year before they went
to sacrificial rites at the Temple of Heaven, the Temple of the
Earth or elsewhere, they would read elegiac addresses. During
the Qing dynasty the imperial genealogy was revised every ten
years. A special ceremony was held in this hall so that the revision
could be presented to His Majesty for approval.
Feature
The Hall of Complete Harmony is heavily painted from the inside
that makes the whole hall full of solemnity and mystery. As we
go inside, the sandalwood throne, which is situated in the center,
is standing on a two-meter high platform and surrounded by six
gold-lacquered pillars painted with dragons.
Take an inside look at the Hall of complete Harmony (Zhonghedian),
a pair of golden unicorns that standing on either side of the
centrally positioned throne can be seen. In Chinese, it called
as luduan, they were believed to be multilingual and capable of
traveling 9,000 kilometers in just one day. What with their extraordinary
abilities, effigies of these mythical beasts, which served also
as sandalwood burners, were put beside the throne as a symbol
of the emperors' great wisdom and intelligence. And next to the
throne, there are a couple of sedan chairs, which were used to
shuttle emperors around the whole Forbidden City.
BaoHeDianThe Hall of Preserving Harmony
Architecture
The structure of BaoHeDian is somewhat a kind of typical Qing
style that without supporting pillars in its front part. It was
built in 1420, rebuilt in 1625 and renovated in 1765.It stands
at the northern end of the three-tier marble terrace of the Outer
Court, a bit smaller than the Hall of Supreme Harmony but larger
than the Hall of Complete Harmony. This hall was the mot decorative
one in Forbidden City
Function with the original throne sits in the middle, surrounded
by some fine bronzes.
Function
The Hall of Preserving Harmony, during Ming Dynasty, it is the
palace where Emperors would change into their ritual garments
prior to the ceremonial installation of an empress or crown prince.
And later in Qing Dynasty, imperial banquets of different purpose
often held here, such as a princess's marriage and celebration
on New Years Eve in honor margraves, Mongol princes and civil
and military officials. An important decision was made in 1789
by emperor Qianlong is that the final process of the Palace Examination
should be transferred from the Hall of Supreme Harmony to the
Hall of Preserving Harmony. This was all along be regarded as
the highest level of the nation-wide imperial examination system
and the emperor would honor the top ten successful candidates
by reading the papers they had presented. The three scholars who
passed the exam with the best score would get honorable titles.
QianQingMenGate of Heavenly Purity
Brief Introduction
Gate of Heavenly Purity, QianQingMen in Chinese, is the main entrance
to the Inner Court. It is acted as both the dividing and integrate
part of the Inner Court and the Outer Court.
Function
In the period of Qing Dynasty, emperors used to enthroned under
the center of QianQingMen for the purpose of hearing reports and
making decisions on matters presented to him, known as "Yu
Men Ting Zheng" in China. And the smaller buildings on both
sides were duty rooms for officials and waiting rooms to prepare
ministers themselves for interviews.
The Origin of Its Name
Qianqingmen is the frontispiece of the yard in which there are
QianQingGong Palace, JiaoTaiDian Hall, and KunNingGong Palace.
Through this gate, the minister can meet the emperor. Maybe that's
why QianQingMen Gate is called imperial gate.
QianQingGongPalace of Heavenly Purity
Brief Introduction of QianQingGong
Palace of Heavenly Purity is a bit smaller than the Hall of Supreme
Harmony, and they have the decorations similarly with each other,
such as sun-dial, tortoises, grain measure, storks etc. However
it is the largest palace of the Inner Court.
In front of the Palace of Heavenly purity, there are small miniature
pavilions on both sides. One is called Jiangshan pavilion that
stands for territorial integrity; the other is Sheji Temple, the
God of Land and Grain that symbolizes a bumper harvest.
Up in the right center of the main part, there lays a plaque engraved
with four Chinese characters written by Emperor Yongzheng and
which reads: "Be open and aboveboard". From that time
on, the name of each crown prince would be written on duplicate
files and a copy would be placed in a box behind this plaque.
The emperor himself would retain the other copy. Only if the name
on each document were the same would the designated prince take
the crown upon the death of the emperor.
Function
The first two Qing emperors lived here for their daily life and
state affair. Usually they read here, checked the documents and
granted ministers & audience an audience. For some reasons,
some banquets were held here as well. From 1722-1785, the Banquet
for A Thousand Seniors, QianSou Yan in Chinese, had held here
twice.
Moreover, there is a traditional customs that no matter where
the emperors died, his coffin would be placed here for a few days
for mourning. Then they would be moved to Jinshan and chose a
day to burn.
KunNingGongPalace of Earthly Tranquility
KunNingGong was first built in 1420 and restored in 1655. It
is the only palace of Manchurian architecture style in the Forbidden
City and was the residential palace of the empress during the
Ming and Qing dynasties. And the emperors held their weddings
in the East Warmth Chamber while the West one for sacrifice purpose.
But the emperor and empress only lived here for a few days. Later
the emperor moved to the Hall of Mental Cultivation (YangXinDian)
and the empress moved to another palace.
Every year the royalty would hold religious sacrifice in the West
Warmth Chamber. If for very important occasions, emperors and
empresses would preside over the ceremonies in person. The East
Warmth Chamber was wholly painted in red, which stands for happiness.
And the refining and beautiful embroidered bed curtain and quilt
both feature a hundred playing children that revealed the emperors
strong will for plenty of children, or said to be the imperial
family's prosperity.
Gate of Earthly Tranquility (KunNingMen) is behind the Palace
of Earthly Tranquility, with the imperial doctors' duty room,
dispensary and eunuchs duty room to the sides.
JiaoTaiDianPalace of Union and Peace
Architecture and Feature
The Palace of Union and Peace, JiaoTaiDian in Chinese, the name
itself reveals a lot the royaltys strong wish of good marriage.
JiaoHeDian has exactly the same structure as the Hall of Complete
Harmony (ZhongHeDian), but smaller in size. It is the smallest
palace among the three main palaces of Inner Court.
There are two obvious clocks right on each side of the central
throne. It is an ancient Chinese water pot clock - equivalent
to an hourglass, on the right side while on the left is a chime
clock. The water pot clock just as its name goes, measuring time
by dripping waters, which is one of China's most outstanding inventions
and traces back about 2,500 years. These two timers were a reference
to the Drum Tower and Bell Tower.
Besides, some 25 similar imperial seals there standing around
the palacethey are the symbols of hopeful 25 generations that
Emperor QainLong had ever been desired for. He wanted a lot to
continue Qing Dynasty as long as possible, at least 25 reigns.
In that way, Qing would be the longest empire ever lasting in
history so far. But to his disappointed, his Dynasty only last
out 10 generations.
As for the plaque hanging on the top line, only two Chinese characters
Wu Wei carved on it. Wu Wei means to govern the country by noninterference,
as was done by Shun, a legendary sage king in ancient China. Wu
Wei is a kind of Taoist philosophy, implies that one should adjust
himself to the nature, one should keep in the position right of
the middle between heaven and earth. But the feudal governor laid
particular stress on the mind to discourage ordinaries from taking
action.
Function
JiaoTaiDian also has the function of holding ceremonies and celebrations,
such as the awarder of honorable titles and birthday celebrations.
It is the place for empresses to receive formal birthday greetings.
Empresses would check out preparations prior to they went to preside
over memorial ceremonies for the Silkworm God and practice sericulture
as well. A well-known order that eunuchs should be banned from
attending state affairs announced by Emperor Shunzhi also placed
here.
YangXinDianHall of Mental Cultivation
Importance
YangXinDian, the Hall of Mental Cultivation, has played an important
role in history of Forbidden City as the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
It served as the emperors residence and office from the Emperor
YongZheng. From that time on, all Qing Dynasty Emperors lived
and ruled there as well.
And three emperors had died here.
Structure & Function
The Hall of Mental Cultivation is an I-Shaped building as it has
a front and rear hall, which served as the emperors bedrooms.
The central part of the front hall was used as a place where the
emperors deal with the state affairs.
In the East Warmth Chamber, the notorious Empress Dowager Cixi
administered state affairs behind curtains, which was put behind
the throne. In fact, the emperor was too young to handle his power
upon the nation, they were just puppet. Such kind of regent was
called as Chui Lian Ting Zheng in Chinese, which has lasted for
48 years. In the East Warmth Chamber, from YongZheng to XianFeng,
they did private meeting with ministers or dealt with secret issues.
The small room in the west end ia called Sanxitang (Room of Three
Rare Treasures). Just as the name goes, Qianlong collected three
outstanding calligraphy masterpieces by Wang Xizhi, Wang Xianzhi,
and Wang Xun, three famous penmen in Chinese history.
Between the front and rear hall, there are five bedrooms side
by side. The central one is for emperor only, on the east of the
chamber is Tishuntang (the Hall of Manifest Compliance)-the residence
of the empress. To the west is Yanxitang (the Hall of Festive
Joy), the waiting room for concubines and palace maids called
upon to wait on the emperor.
YunLongShiDiaoThe Huge Stone Carving
The Huge Stone Craving is the central part of the staircase behind
the Hall of Preserving Harmony. It carved with dragons and clouds,
full of solemnity and mystery.
It was firstly carved in Ming Dynasty and recarved by emperor
Qianlong. The stone slab is 16.75 meters long, 3.07 meters wide,
1.7 meters thick and weighs about 250 tons. It was quarried from
Fangshan District, 70 kilometers southwest of Beijing, and the
transportation required twenty thousand people. It is really a
hard work that time for men to take the stones without modern
ways of transportation. It is said that in Forbidden City there
lies wells every 500 meters, in winter they would make use of
water freezing to line an icy way for transporting the stones:
and in summer they put rolling logs instead. The emperors strong
ambition burdened ordinaries a lot.
XiLiuGongThe Six Western Palaces
Brief Introduction
The Six Western Palaces, XiLiuGong in Chinese, is located to the
north of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, three palaces on each
side of an alley from north to south. They are similar in size
and structures. It is the place where the empress and the concubines
live. The original display inside the rooms has now opened to
visitors, from which we could know and feel by ourselves what
their life-like at that time.
History Information
The totally six palaces has got separate special names.The Empress
Dowager Cixi lived in the Palace of Eternal Spring (Chang Chun
Gong) during the reign of TongZhi. It was this son that born here
as well. The last emperor's wife lived in the Palace of Accumulated
Elegance (Chu Xiu Gong) until 1924 when she and Emperor PuYi were
expelled. There was a famous and well-known saying that "3,000
beauties live in the Inner Court". Actually speaking, it
referred to the concubines living in the Six Western Palaces.
The Six Western Palace remained exactly the original appearance
after the great renovation in celebration of Cixi's 50th birthday
in 1884, and later she had been lived there for 10 years. Even
today, the "Eulogy of Longevity" was presented to Cixi
by two scholars on her 50th birthday inscribed on the wall could
be seeing clearly.
DongLiuGongThe Six Eastern Palaces
The Six Eastern Palaces stand on the east part of the Inner Court.
They were also served as residential places for empresses and
concubines. Most of the palaces renovated in 17th century, and
now they have already opened to the public as special exhibitions
such as the Museum of Bronzes and the Museum of Ceramics.
NingShouQuanGongThe Outer Eastern Palace
Purpose of Construction
The Outer Eastern Palace of Forbidden City is different from other
parts for that it could be treated as a separate part on further
east without disturbing of other palaces. It was specially built
for QianLong after he decided to abdicate and offer power to his
son. And also Cixi had lived here around her 60th.
Layout
The whole palace resembles the system of the Inner Court and Outer
Courts building style. Making up of south and north part, the
front part were HuangjiDian and NingShouGong, to the north of
YangXingMen was the retired emperors inner court, that were YangXingDian,
LeShouTang, XiHeXuan side by side. As for the south part, there
were ChangYinGe,YueShiLou and QingShouTang etc. The famous NingShouGong
Garden, common saying as QianLong Garden is the place where Empress
Cixi ever lived in.
JiuLongBiNine-Dragon Screen
Brief Introduction
Facing the Gate of Imperial Supremacy is the famous Nine Dragon
Screen. So far it is the best of its kind and the biggest in China.
It was built up by Emperor QianLong, and it is 3.5 meters high
and about 30 meters long. As in China, dragon was all along be
represented as the top symbol of supreme power, and stands for
male only. Nine and five were considered as good numbers for nine
is the biggest number in singular number and five is right in
the central position between one and nine. So QianLong ordered
to build nine dragons with five further ones in the border.
Ancient Legend
As a story goes like that, the day before Emperor QianLong checked
out the Nine-Dragon screen, a tile of the third dragon was fallen
off. And there was no way to repair it at once, if founded, all
the carpenters would doom to death. So one carpenter used a piece
of wood to prevent the flaw to be seen. As we could see today,
there still left the wood on the bottom of the third dragon.
YuHuaYuanThe Imperial Garden
YuHuaYuan is located in the central axis of the Forbidden City,
behind the KunNingGong, constructed during the Ming dynasty in
1417; it is rectangular in shape and covers an area of approximately
12,000 square meters. The palaces on both sides are bilateral
symmetry. YuanHuaYuan is the typical imperial garden in China.
It is a place of entertainment for the imperial families exclusively.
The main structure
QinAnDianThe Hall of Imperial Peace
The Hall of Imperial Peace (Qin'AnDian) is the main structure
in the garden and the only one on the central axis - it stands
in the center of the garden, encircled by a rectangular wall.
It was first built in the 15th century. The hall of Imperial peace
is a Taoist temple and the religious building with two gilded
unicorns (Qilin) guard the door that were considered to prevent
the hall from catching fire.
Pavilions
Besides there were four pavilions surrounds the Hall of Imperial
Peace in the corners of YuHuaYuan. Four pavilions just stand for
the four seasons over years. On the north part are FuBiTing (Jade
Green Floating pavilion) and ChengRuiTing (the Pavilion of Auspicious
Clarity). And WanChunTing (the pavilion of Myriad Spring) and
QianQiuTing (the Pavilion of One Thousand Autumns) lay on the
opposite side. Of the four pavilions, WanChunTing is the most
famous one that was built in 1535. It symbols as its name goes,
the season of spring, the very fresh beginning of a year.
DuiXiuShanCollecting Elegance Hill
Collecting Elegance Hill, also called DuiXiuShan in Chinese, is
located near the north gate. In fact, it is not a real hill but
a number of man-made rockeries. There were fountains on both sides
and mountainside concealed water pots for saving waters, which
were connected by pipes on the purpose of supply water to the
fountains.
During Qing Dynasty, every emperor would clime up to the pavilion
on the Double Ninth Festival (the ninth day of the ninth lunar
month) to enjoy the pleasure scenery with his empress and concubines.
As the old saying goes, climbing up hills on that day would get
away from misfortune. So that Chinese still follow such customs
every year today.
Lastly to say, right at the north gate of the Imperial Garden
are placed a pair of gilded bronze elephants represented everlasting
peace.
ZhenFeiJingWell of Concubine Pearl
Concubine Pearl is Emperor GuangXus most lovable concubine. She
felt compassion with GuangXu and supported him to carry out WuXu
political reform, but finally they failed in result and therefore
Empress Cixi always regarded her as an eyesore and wanted to get
rid of her all the time. Empress Cixi took the advantage of the
time when the Allied Forces forced their way into Beijing in 1900;
she said that to avoid ZhehFei being humiliated she should choose
to death. Therefore, ZhenFei was forced to jump into the well
and from then on the well was named Well of Concubine Pearl.
ShenWuMenGate of Divine Prowess
ShenWuMen is the north gate of Forbidden City. There are bells
and drums on its tower that bells struck in the morning while
drums beaten in the evening. Actually speaking it is the usual
way to mark time in ancient China.
ShenWuMen, as the back gate of Forbidden City, is an important
entrance of palace daily affairs. The Empress Ming and Qing left
the palace through this gate to attend the ceremony of starting
silkworm-breeding season. Every three-year selected emperors beauties,
the entire candidates pass through the side door of the gate into
Forbidden City. In 1924, PuYi, the last emperor of China left
the Forbidden City through the Gate of Divine Prowess as well.
The Great Bell Temple is located in the Haidian District, on the
northern western of Beijing city. Built in 1733, the temple houses
the largest bell in China. In addition, the temple also has a
small ancient bell museum and some Chinese ancient bells displayed.
The temple came into being during Qing Dynasty and initially bestowed
with the name JueShengSi. After about ten years, another emperor
decided to move the great bell in to the temple, hence the name.
From that time on, it was often chosen by the emperors to pray
for rain and blessing for the people.
The temple consists of many large buildings likethe Mountain Gate,
the Bell and Drum Tower, the Scripture Collection Pavilion, the
Great Bell Tower and other halls. Among these, the Great Bell
Tower is the main part, which is a circular shape on the top and
square below according to the Chinese saying that the sky is circular
and the earth is square'.
The Great Bell
The Great Bell made in the first year of Emperor YongLe in the
Ming Dynasty in 1403, which was hung in a Bell Palace. He decided
three projects after reestablished Beijing as the capital and
remove of the Bell is one of them. So the bell called YongLe Big
Bell as well. The biggest bell known as China's "King of
Bells" for its excellent and unique characteristics, which
is 6.87 meters high, 3.3 meters in diameter, 0.22 meter thick
and 46.5 tons in weight. It is hangings in the bell tower at the
rear of the compound. The tower is 16.7 meters high with a square
base, a circular upper structure and windows on four sides. Initially
it was one to the six to be hung at the six corners of the city
walls to strike the hours, but now it is the only remaining one.
31 other bronze bells from the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties
are on display in the courtyard.
How was this heavy bell hung on the top of the building? After
the bell was made, they waited until the winter came. Then they
dug a well every 500 meters and ditches along the whole way to
bring the water on the ground, which was able to turn into ice
soon. So they pushed the bell along the surface to the icy earth
piles in the temple. Finally they started to construct the Bell
Tower and hung the bell from the top. When the spring came the
following year, the ice was dissolved and they began to remove
the mounds of earth.
According to the test by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the
Yongle Bell's loud and clear sound reaches up to 120 decibels
and can be heard 50 kilometers away in the depth of night. The
big bell tolls but once a year, on New Year's Eve. Visitors rub
the handles of Qianlong's old washbasin, and scramble up narrow
steps to play Chinese golf by making a wish and throwing coins
through a hole in the top of the monster.
Admission Fee: RMB 10
Opening Hours: 08:30 to 17:20
Recommended Time for a Visit: 50 minutes
GuangJI Si is one of the most famous Buddhist temples in China.
It was located to the west of Xisi crossroad,in the Xicheng District.
As its name goes, it is a temple of great charity, so its as well
called Great Charity Temple. As for today, it is the site of Chinese
Buddhism Association, and the center to conduct national Buddhist
activities.
Main Constructions
The overall arrangement of this temple is symmetrical. On its
medial axis stand such important buildings as the Main Gate is
composed of three doors connected by walls, which were decorated
with colored glazed eaves and equipped by a stele. The Bell Tower
and the Drum Tower right in front of the tourists when enter into
the Heavenly King Hall, where the bronze statue of the Maitreya
Buddha guarded by the four Heavenly Kings standing in the dominate
center.
The second courtyard is the Mahavira Hall, in which a bronze vessel
made in 1793 lays. Inside the hall are statues of Buddha and 18
arhats (Buddhist practitioners said to have special powers). Across
their backs is a painting by an artist of the Qing Dynasty. The
painting, 5 meters (16.4 feet) high and 10 meters (32.8 feet)
wide, is a great artwork, as the artist has painted it with his
fingers rather than a brush pen.
The residence of Buddhisattva is the Yuantong Hall in the third
yard.
The two-storied Sutra Hall of the fourth yard houses the collection
of sutras and treasures. It is filled with curiosities that have
been given as gifts by friendly Buddhists of other states, and
over 100,000 volumes of sutras. Amongst these, the sutras written
in blood from the Song and Ming Dynasties are especially precious.
History
Guangji Temple was founded at the end of the Song Dynasty (960-1279),
and destroyed by war afterwards. At the beginning of the Tianshun
reign (1457-1464) of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Zenghui and
Yuanhong, two monks from Shaanxi Province, came here to raise
funds and rebuilt this temple at the same place. In the Qing Dynasty
(1644-1840), because emperors must pass Guangji Temple whenever
they went out of the city, it began to be much valued by the imperial
family. Emperors of several eras came here in person, inscribed
poems, established steles, or granted tablets with autographs
to this temple, which suddenly promoted its status. Since then,
Guangji Temple has become a very important temple in Beijing.
In 1935, it was rebuilt again, and the buildings became more magnificent.
In 1953, the Buddhist Association of China was founded here
Coal Hill Park is located in the capital axis of north and south,
linking to Shenwu Door of Forbidden City in the south, to Bell
and Drum Tower in the north, and to Baihai Park in the west. It
covers an area of 23 hectares, and the hill is 43 meters high.
It is the best place to ascend a height and look down at the capital
city of Beijing, and view and admire a panorama of the Forbidden
City. A large-scale expanding construction was carried on in the
period of the reign of Qianlong of Qing Dynasty. Coal Hill Park
is a graceful and unique imperial garden.
History
In as early as Jin Dynasty, earth was piled up to form hills and
Yuan Dynasty opened it up as an imperial place named Qingshan
(Green Mountain). During the reign of Yongle in Ming Dynasty,
people heaped up muds and mucks from the city moat digging and
walls removal to a huge earth hill named Wansuishan (Long Live
Hill). It was renamed Jing Hill in the 12 th year of Shunzhi in
Qing Dynasty (1655) and saw large-scale expansion during the reign
of Qianlong (1749 to 1751 ) with buildings of Shouhuang Hall,
Qiwang Tower, Guanmiao Pavilion, Zhoushang Pavilion, Wanchun Pavilion,
Jifang Pavilion and Fulan Pavilion. The emperors used to enjoy
flowers, shot arrows, gave banquets and climb for sight in this
elegant imperial garden.
Since the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949,
the Government has built many structures for the providing of
services, and has also repaired some of the ancient buildings.
In addition, many tall trees have been planted inside the park
to restore it to its former beauty.
In recent years many shows have been held in the Jingshan Park,
where there have been exhibitions of fish and flowers, notably
the beautiful peonies for which the Park is famous. The best time
for viewing the more than 200 varieties of peonies inside the
park is from late April to mid-May. Visitors will really enjoy
these displays.
Structure
Entering the front gate, you come to Qiwanglou (Chamber of Beautiful
Expectation), which stands with its back to the hill 43 metres
high. In the old days there was a Confucius' shrine in the building,
where the Qing officials and scholars paid their respects to him.
It is now a gift shop.
On your way up the hill from the eastern slope, you will come
across a locust tree right below the Wonderful View Pavilion.
There was formerly an old locust tree from which the last Ming
emperor Chongzhen hanged himself when a peasant army led by Li
Zicheng broke into Beijing in 1644. A new tree has been planted
to mark the site.
On top of the hill, you will find the park located on the meridian
line. It starts from Yongdingmen Gate at the southernmost city
limit and runs northward through the Front Gate, Tian'anmen, and
the Forbidden City to the Everlasting Spring Pavilion and leads
on to the Drum Tower and Bell Tower to the north. Looking southward
on a bright sunny day, the yellow glazed-tile roofs of the Forbidden
City glitter like thousands of gilded fish-scales under the sun.
To the southwest lie the North Sea, Middle Sea and the South Sea.
Further to the west is the White Dagoba that emerges on the island
in Beihai Park like a maiden in her white sari, pretty, elegant
and graceful. At night, the scene is unusually striking.
Behind the hill is Shouhuangdian (Hall of Imperial Longevity)
where the portraits of the ancestors of the Qing court were housed.
To its east is Guandedian (Hall of View of Virtue) used as a temporary
resting-place for deceased emperors before burial
Marco Polo Bridge, also named as Lugou Bridge, which was built
in the beginning of the time of Mingchang in Jin dynasty, cross
over the Lugou River. It is not only the largest multi-arch bridge
in the world, but also the symbol of Chinese Anti-Japanese War.
Lugou Bridge is located on the outside of Guangan Gate, 15 kilometers
southeast of Beijing City. So far it is the oldest preserved stone
arch bridge in China. The Lugou Bridge is 266.5 meters long and
7.5 meters wide. The 485 finely carved lions tell the eventfulness
of the Bridge silently.
The original stately and poetic Lugou Bridge now becomes a heavy
reminder of the history. The Lugou Bridge is a scar more than
a pride to the Chinese. Lugou Bridge was described by poets as
a place where people would see off their beloved ones. The best
time to visit it is at dawn, when a morning moon is hanging over
the sky. This stone tablet with an inscription by the Qing Emperor,
QianLong, reading "Morning Moon Over Lugou Bridge",
stands at one end of the Bridge.
Marco Polo Bridge Incident
A Japanese soldier was reported missing near Beijing today 67
years ago. Rifle shots had been heard before, while his company
was engaged in a field maneuver near Marco Polo Bridge. It was
a routine exercise for the Japanese garrison in north China. Nobody
knew who fired the shots. The Japanese wanted to search Wanping,
but opened fire, while negotiations were still going on. The Chinese
garrison troops returned fire in self-defense. Another Sino-Japanese
war started.
The Marco Polo Bridge Incident marked the end of a Japanese empire
started with the acquisition of Taiwan as a colony in 1895. The
empire grew after Korea was annexed in 1915, Manchukuo founded
with Emperor Henry PuYi set up as a puppet in 1934, and the Great
East Asian Co-prosperity Sphere established in conquered Southeast
and South Asia following the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on
December 8, 1941. The empire was lost with Japans unconditional
surrender to end the Second World War. The Japanese earned the
lasting enmity of the Chinese, the Koreans and the peoples of
all Southeast Asian countries in the process.
Construction
The construction of the stone bridge took up to three years from
Jin Dading 29 years to MingChang three years (1192), named Guangli
Bridge. Italian Marco Polo had praised the bridge a lot in his
record of traveling.
The very design of Lugou Bridge is based on the characteristics
of the YongDing River flowing water. Whitehead used all of the
bridge deck, 21-2.2 meters in length, and plus the ends Approach,
with a total length of 266.5 meters. 11 arches here, 750 meters
broad and 279 pieces of the tailgate, 140-root carving holes left,
right 141,1.4 meters high, the stigma of the lions were carved
squat. Full-bridge structure and alleyways of the Arch use solid-solid
lumbar Rail, to be used to enhance the connection between stones.
Piers were boat-shaped, and were declining for tapping sharp characters,
and is a pillar of every advanced placement through a triangle,
to which could resist the spring floods and ice.
Stone lions are indifferent postures. Lions are divided into male
and female, lioness plays with small lions, the female ones with
the balls. Some big lions, many small lions carved on, and some
youngest are only a few centimeters long, some are only disclosed
swim, a mouth. Thus, for many years the "Marco Polo Bridge
Lions countless". According to statistics, 281 lions on the
great watching pillars, a small lions 211, a total of 492 lions
on bridge. Eastbound end railings have withstood the lions, only
one on each side. A Chinese Table on both ends of the bridge,
ShiShou top of the table-one pairs (one pair of lions to the east,
west for one pair of elephants). Total 496 lions, the two banks
also have an inscription: A monument records the reign of Emperor
KangXi in the Qing Dynasty 27 (1698) will come through rehabilitation.
QianLong was another chapter written complaints are that the "character"
words. Monument high 4.52 meters, a width of 1.27 meters and a
thickness of 84 centimeters, which was regarded as one of the
eight scenic wonders.
Yuanmingyuan (Garden of perfect splendor) is renowned throughout
the world for its fabled charms and association with Chinese modern
history. Extolled as the "Garden of Gardens" and the
"Versailles of the East" during its heyday. It was an
imperial summer resort painstakingly built and repeatedly expanded
under the personal supervision of five emperors of the Qing Dynasty.
Architecture
Yuanmingyuan was located in the northern part of Haidian District
in Beijing, Yuanmingyuan is composed of three comparatively independent
but interconnected gardens: Yuanmingyuan, Changchunyuan (Garden
of Eternal Spring), and Qichunyuan (Garden of Blossoming Spring).
Covering an area of about 350 hectares, Yuanmingyuan was a vast
landscaped garden at once grand in scale and enchanting in scenery.
Its green hills and exquisite architecture were laid out with
picturesque appeal, and decorated with thriving trees and beautiful
flowers. As to close sights, the rolling hills and maze of streams
and lakes divided the whole garden into more than 100 scenes,
their captivating beauty enhanced by a host of pavilions, corridors,
islands, and bridges. About 40 percent of the garden was covered
by rivers and lakes, connected into an integral system by winding
streams and dotted with more than 250 hills and rock formations.
The water's constant murmur rendered life and soul to the hills
and rocks. And together they transformed the entire complex into
a landscaping and horticultural miracle that stood comparison
with the beauty of the natural scenery south of the Yangtze River.
History
Also, the skill and sophistication of the builders of this historic
"Garden of Gardens," it failed to escape the destruction
inflicted on China by the Western powers. In October 1860, the
Anglo-French forces sacked and looted Yuanmingyuan and burned
it to the ground. From then on, the garden suffered continual
damage at the hands of the warlords, bandits, and the Eight-Power
Allied Forces. Its former beauty and glory no more, the entire
garden lay in clusters of ruins and debris. In hushed silence
it bore witness to the atrocities of the Western powers and the
corruption and incompetence of the Qing rulers, and admonished
the Chinese people never to forget the tragedy.
To highlight the characteristics of the ruins, the Administrative
Office has put them under meticulous care during the course of
restoration. They have cleared certain sites, and erected description
boards for the benefit of visitors. Over the past decade, they
have repaired bridges, paved roads, cleared lakes, and reforested
the hills. Furthermore, they have built many service facilities
and purchased more than 300 pleasure-boats to ply the serene waters
of the garden. Thus visitors from all over the world can now capture
some of the original beauty of this summer resort, and appreciate
the glamour of more than a dozen replicas of ancient buildings,
under the cooling shade of glorious trees. The district and municipal
authorities and the former State Education Commission also designated
Yuanmingyuan as a national education base.
The eastern half of the garden has gradually taken shape, where
a number of scenic areas are open to tourists, such as the fuhai
Scenic Area, the eastern part of Qichunyuan, and the European
Palaces of Changchunyuan, which have regained their past glory
with green hills and blue water enhanced by luxuriant trees and
fragrant flowers, The park has also become the venue for a series
of annual festivals. Including the Spring Outing Festival, the
Lotus Flower Festival, and the Chrysanthemum Festival.
Having been open to the public for a decade. Yuanmingyuan still
has a long way to go to become a full-fledged park of historic
ruins. For example, its western part is crying for development,
and more funds are needed for this, as well as for many other
purposes. The Administrative Office is making every effort to
tackle these difficulties so that they can complete the restoration
of the park in the early 21th century.
Cultural Treasures
Yuanmingyuan was not only famed for its beauty. It was also an
imperial museum with a vast collection of cultural treasures.
The French writer Victor Hugo once remarked, "With all its
treasures, Notre Dame in Paris is no match for Yuanmingyuan, that
enormous and magnificent museum in the East." Furniture made
of red sandalwood decorated the numerous halls in which countless
rare cultural relics were on display. As one of the four most
famous imperial libraries, the Wenyuan Hall (Hall of Literary
Profundity) in the garden originally housed such precious ancient
books as The Complete Library of Four Branches of Books, Gems
of the Complete Library of Four Branches of Books, and The Completed
Collection of Graphs and Writings of Ancient and Modern Times.
Niu Jie, or Ox Street Mosque, is the oldest mosque in Beijing
and enjoys great reputation among Muslims of all persuasions and
nationalities. It is a striking mosque and definitely worth a
visit. It was located in Xuanwu District Beijing where is the
spiritual center of 10,000 Muslims around.
According to legend, an ancient imam lives in the catacombs beneath
the mosque and if non-believers should attempt to enter its prayer
hall, he will pop up and send the "heretic to Allah"
by perforating them with small steel balls.
History
The Niujie Mosque Built in 993, the 14th year under the reign
of TongHe in the Liao Dynasty reparations had later been carried
out on a large scale in the Ming and Qing dynasties and particularly
after liberation, it has been repainted several times, thereby
making it look ever more shiny and bright.
Say it in details, three-time renovations have been took place
after founding of New China in 1949. The Beijing Municipal Government
has started rebuilding a residential area mainly inhabited by
Muslims. The work on the 35.9-hectare area around Niujie Street
will involve moving 7, 500 families, 58 percent of whom are Muslims.
The project will turn Niujie Street into a Muslim-style commercial
street. The area will be home to multi-story buildings, schools,
kindergartens and public facilities. Niujie is presently a narrow
street where most people live in old houses with a per capita
floor space of 5. 1 square meters.
In recent years, the Beijing government has completed a number
of infrastructure projects to improve water, electricity, and
heat and gas supplies there. Beijing municipal government launched
a project to improve local people's living conditions through
demolishing old and shabby houses and building new multi-story
buildings in the area in 1997.
Architecture
Architecturally, the main compositions are Worship Palace, song
trapped hall and the Moon Enjoy building etc.
Temple worship monastery is the main building. There is a three-tier
roof; the oldest convergence Department has a vertical arc half
wall, as a special decorative motif here. The front head is a
sharp save to keep the pavilion-style buildings, called Kiln Temple.
Kiln Temple positive niche with the full carving intricate Arabic
and flowers. Inside of the Worship hanging glass beads, colored
glass lamp composed of various large chandeliers.
House of worship songs trapped in front of the Temple is a pavilion
building. House of worship songs before I went to the roof --
was trapped for hours to report the followers, known orator or
awaken House floor. Its predecessor was Zunjing Cabinet in Yuan
Dynasties.
All of the worship is along the platforms symmetrically. Annals
of the monument were that the nine-year (1496) after the rebuilding
of places of worship was built. Han Albanian inscription original
text statue, spelling is unclear. In addition to covered buildings,
relics included: a 2.70 - meter high, Arabic engraving and "Reign
of three Palace auspicious build" iron incense burner; one
0.50 meters high copper incense burner, weighs 1,800 numbers.
Four years of Qing Dynasty (1039) in large Tongguo. The building
of places of worship, the Chinese used the traditional wooden
structure, but in the main building detailed decoration, the Islam
with the Arab style architecture.
Peking Man was discovered in Zhoukoudian village, which was listed
as a world cultural heritage site in 1987. Zhoukoudian is a small
village situated about 50 km southwest of Beijing. Embraced by
a chain of mountains from the northwest and rolling hills from
the northeast, the village opens to the vast Huabei plains.
The exposure of sedimentary strata around Zhoukoudian is quite
extraordinary, especially those of the Pliocene and Pleistocene,
and therefore attract geologists to visit the area. On the other
hand, the area also bears rich Ordovician limestone with which
the local habitants make lime. It is by quarrying the limestone
that local habitants find, in some fissures, the so-called Dragon
Bones, which scientists call fossils.
Value Today
The find was the only existing human fossil from this period in
Beijing. The site is not only an exceptional reminder of the prehistorical
human societies of the Asian continent, but also illustrates the
process of evolution.
In the history of palaeoanthropology, the discovery of Peking
Man was not the first one of its kind; however, the discovery
established a definite status of this kind in the human evolutionary
history. In 1891-92, a Dutch scientist, Dubois (1858-1940), found
a hominid fossil of an ancient man at Java, Indonesia. A skullcap,
a broken mandible, three teeth, and a large femur were unearthed.
In 1894, Dubois named the specimens Pithecanthropus erectus, that
is, erected ape-man. Dubois took the specimens to Holland in 1895
and it was immediately known all over the world. Heated debate
arose: one party claimed the fossil to be of human, although they
are crude and robust, while Dubois and his followers argued that
the fossil occupies the stage of transitional form between ape
and man. Someone argued that the fossils were of extinct large
long-armed ape, or orangutan. Others claimed the fossils are of
an idiot or abnormal man.
As another representative of ape-man, Peking Man came on stage
under such historical background. However, the fate of findings
concerning Peking Man appeared as irrefutable proof. Homo erectus
is different from the ape in physical characters and cranial capacity.
He was able to engage in creative behavior, develop culture, control
fire, and hunt big animals. The discovery of Peking Man enabled
one to solve the long-lasting polemics that had continued since
the discovery of Java man in the 19th century and proved that
Homo erectus evolved from the ape. It has established the erect
man stage, which occupies the intermediate stage in human evolution.
The discovery brought a sudden progress in the theory of human
origin and evolution. Peking Man stands as an everlasting monument
in the history of paleoanthropological research.
Until today, Peking Man holds as ever a realistic and scientific
value. The Peking Man Site is representing the most comprehensively
and systematically studied site of Homo erectus. The Peking Man
Site also provides the more precise scientific data for the study
of the evolution, behavior, and paleoenvironment of Homo erectus
than contemporary African and European sites.
Cultural Value
Like other erect man who appeared in Middle Pleistocene, the skeletal
morphology of Peking Man, excluding the skull, is rather similar
to that of modern man. The only difference is that the perichondrial
bone of the appendicular is thicker and the endochondral cavity
smaller in Peking Man than in modern man. Based on femoral length,
Peking man's height is about 156 cm for the male and 144 cm for
the female. His skull, if compared with that of modern man is
robust, low and flat, the supraorbital or eyebrow is protruded
forward, and the occipital bone is apparently of a sharp angle.
The cranial capacity is larger compared with Homo abilis of South
Africa and Java man of Indonesia, but smaller than that of modern
man. The average cranial capacity of Peking Man is measured 1059
ml. The tooth of Peking Man is larger and more robust than that
of Homo sapiens. An enamel ring, or cingulum, on the tooth crown
is a characteristic of early man.
Anthropologists and archaeologists alike agree that the morphological
evolution was slower than the change in the behaviour and ways
of living. The tool making technology can be the important quantitative
criterion to evaluate human progress. Archaeologists confirm that
the development of stone tools made by Peking Man shows the progress
of Peking Man better than his physical remains.
Besides Peking Man fossils, a lot of mammal fossils, artifacts,
and ashes are also found at the site. They are excellent material
for the study of human evolution and prehistory.
According to brief statistics made in 1955, the excavation of
the Peking Man Site took 1,873 days with extended 178,965 work
days. The sediments dug out were about 20,000 cubic metres at
the main localities, 4,200 cubic metres elsewhere. The restorable
specimens collected were 1,221 boxes, or 375 cubic metres. To
speak on the grand scale of excavation, there is no such undertaking
ever in the history of excavation in the world. A brief summary
of the report on the results of excavation is as follows:
The stone tools and the brought-in unused rock materials from
outside are no less than 100,000 pieces and the examined items
are more than 17,000 pieces.
Peking Man makes tools with vein quartz, quartz crystals, flint,
and sandstones. People of this cave not only use cobble and boulder
as raw material but also collected vein quartz exposed by the
weathering process in the fissures of limestone, coal, and granites.
Peking Man applies three flaking techniques: Block-on-Block, or
Anvil technique, direct percussion, and bipolar technique
Another mark of Peking Man's cultural progress is the use of fire.
At the locality there are four ash layers interspersed relatively
widely. The uppermost ash layer is found on the huge limestone
floor of the third layer west to Gezitang. There the limestone
floor between the west-east walls of the cave stretches 12 metres
in width with a thickness of about 5 metres. Two big piles of
ash residues remained on this big limestone block. Peking Man
utilized the limestone floor as their habitation site so the ash
residue was deposited. This piling of ash suffices to tell Peking
Man had the ability to control fire.
Middle upper ash layer, or the 4th layer, is very thick. The thickest
part is more than 6 metres. In this ash layer, there was a large
quantity of stone tools and fossils of micro mammals, i.e. rodents
and bats etc. The middle lower ash layer is between Layer 8 and
Layer 9. The thickest part is near the southern fissure and is
4 metres in thickness. Lower ash layer is at layer 10. The thickness
of ash residue is around 1 metre. The ash residue appears purple,
yellow, white, and black. The black materials were distributed
usually at the bottom part and were easy to be differentiated
from other sediments. Ash residue in colour is clear, the quality
is not at all granules, contains much moisture, and is light when
dehydrated.
Black material is treated chemically and the carbon is extracted.
It is not of oxidized manganese. Among the black material of the
bottom portion of Gezitang, semi-burnt charcoal was found. This,
without a doubt, proves that the black material is a botanical
carbon.
In the ash residue deposit, there was a quantity of burnt stone
and charred bones. Burnt limestone turned into powder and charred
bones changed colour of between various hues of black, purple,
white, gray, and green etc. Some of them were cracked and have
been transformed by fire. Charred hackberry seeds were found in
quantity as well. Many of them were black, purple, and greyish
white etc.
Peking Man's use of fire is a great achievement. The use of fire
enabled defence of wild beasts in the cave. It also provided light
during night, provided warmth in the habitation, and offered cooking
of raw food which helped digestion, thereby promoted early man's
physical condition and health.
The sporo-pollen analysis made it clear that the period when Peking
Man resided at this site was during the interglacial period. It
was almost similar as nowadays or slightly warmer. The field and
mountain valley were vegetated with deciduous trees and grasslands.
Mountains and hilly areas were abounding in coniferous trees.
In the temperate zone, there grew a great variety of species and
families of trees. It not only supplied the firewood, but also
edible fruits and seeds. Yet the hackberry seed that is found
in the cave deposits was apparently a food of Peking Man. Sporo-pollen
analysis proves that there were many species grown outside the
cave such as nut, hazel nut, pine, elm, and rose etc. The fruits
and seeds were the constituents of Peking Man's diet.
Hunting was an important means of early man's adaptation to environment.
Because meat was the source of calories and protein supply needed
for man, Peking Man not only depended on gathering, but also on
hunting. According to nearly a hundred species of fossil mammals
found in the cave, Peking Man could hunt small animals as well
as large animals.
Since Peking Man could use tools, he could catch animals of his
size. The deer fossil found inside the cave was calculated in
terms of mandibles. The thick-jaw-bone deer amounted more than
two thousand individuals. The Pseudaxis grayi amounted not less
than one thousand individuals. The two species of deer must have
been the major target for hunting by Peking Man. Analysis of the
deer antlers shows that Peking Man hunted more of Peking sikine
deer during the summer and early autumn and hunted the thick-jaw-bone
deer in the early winter.
Peking Man was a cave dweller, toolmaker, fire user, gatherer,
and hunter. In view of fossil records and cultural remains, he
was superb in his capability of adapting himself to environment
with his adaption to physiological structure and technical ability.
Discovering
Zhoukoudian is world famous for the remains of the so-called Peking
Man. This Chinese apeman lived in the big cave for about 300,000
years intermittently, 670,000 to 410,000 years ago.
After several smaller finds, in 1929 the first complete skull
of Peking Man was discovered by Peiwenzhong of Beijing University.
They first classified it as Sinanthropus pekinensis. Unfortunately
the skull of the first Peking Man was lost during the Anti-Japanese
War and its whereabouts are still a mystery.
After this discovery large-scale excavations were done on several
occasions, some 26,000 cubic meters of earth were dug out. The
results of those excavations were bone fossils of over forty individuals
of different age and sex, one hundred thousand pieces of stone
implements and a large number of animal fossils. The Peking Man
was reclassified as Homo erectus pekinensis.
The most impressive detail of the excavations were several layers
of ashes containing charcoal and charred bones. This proved that
Peking Man had learned to use fire, a milestone in the development
of man. The life of the Peking Man was reconstructed, as the life
of a hunter. Looking for prey from his hill, hunting big animals
and cooking it in his cave. If no big animals are at hand, members
of his own kind are not rejected.
Unfortunately, when the Japanese invaded China in 1937, excavation
at the Peking Man site was suspended. In 1947 all the fossils
disappeared and it was thought that an attempt was made to smuggle
them to America, sadly they have never been traced. Following
the founding of the People's Republic of China, the work has been
renewed and finds now include six intact skulls, parts of ten
arm and other bones, twelve broken facial bones, fifteen lower
mandibles and 157 teeth. In all these represent over 40 individuals
of varying ages and sex.
There is no denying the fact that PekingMan Site turned out to
be a tremendous contribution to both Chinese and world history,
from which we could learn a lot about the origin of human beings.
Localities
1. The Peking Man Cave or Locality 1:
On the western side of Zhoukoudian Village, there are two parallel
hills. The one on the east is lower and called Dragon-bone Hill.
It is 220 metres long in north-south direction and 190 metres
wide in east-west direction. Its peak is 140.6 metres above sea
level and is 66 metres above the river bed of Baerhe. On the northern
slop of the Dragon-bone Hill, there is a huge cave. Judging by
the deposits inside it, the cave has a length of about 140 metres
east-west, but its north-south span is about 40 metres in width
at the most. Its western end is the narrowest and is only 2 metres
wide. On the northern side of the cave, a fissure is extending
northwards and its width is about 7 metres.
Peking Man cave is a karst cave developed in limestone of Ordovician
age (about 450 million years ago). Since Zhoukouhe Stream and
the karst cave were connected with each other, a quantity of sand-gravel
flew inside the cave. The rough and deep ditches inside the cave
were gradually filled, thereby forming a flat surface. The eastern
entrance gradually expanded as weathering took place. After that,
Peking Man entered the cave through eastern hill to settle there.
He was at first inhabited at the eastern part of the cave near
the entrance. The roof portion was completely preserved but there
was sufficient light inside the cave so as to facilitate their
activities without difficulty. Due to the collapse of roof rocks
of the eastern cave, the entrance became completely blocked and
Peking Man was obliged to turn to the western entrance of the
cave. The period the cave was almost completely filled with sediments
might be sometime around 230,000 years before present. When Peking
Man left the cave and moved elsewhere it was no longer suitable
for hominids' habitation.
Before excavation, the cave was completely filled with deposits
more than 50 metres in depth. The deposits were divided by scientists
into 17 layers from top to bottom. The absolute age of the 13th
layer is about 730,000 years old, that is to say, layers 14 to
17 are formed before the Middle Pleistocene. Layer 10, the lowest
layer bearing Peking Man fossil, is dated about 500,000 years
ago, while Layer 3, the upmost layer bearing Peking Man fossil,
is dated from 230,000 to 250,000 years ago. Thus, Peking Man had
lived in the cave for about 260,000 years.
2. Locality 4 or New Cave:
The cave is situated 70 metres south of Locality 1. It measures
4 metres high, 9.5 metres wide, and 116 metres above sea level.
Its entrance is formed by a narrow and long fissure and opens
southwards. Its terminal end enlarges to form a big hall. The
entrance was blocked by mixed deposits. It was opened after the
excavation in 1973. A left upper first molar of early Homo sapiens,
an intermediate form between Homo erectus of Locality 1 and late
Homo sapiens of Upper Cave, was discovered in the cave. Some paleoanthropologists
call the human fossil New Cave Man. This locality yielded also
a small quantity of stone tools, ash layer, burnt stone, charred
bones, hackberry seeds, and more than 40 species of mammalian
fossils. Its absolute age is dated about 200 000 to 100,000 years
before present. Its geological age is attributed to Late Pleistocene.
3. Locality 15:
Situated 70 metres south of Locality 1, about 10 metres west of
Locality 4. The original appearance of the locality was a cave
or a fissure, but it completely collapsed and left only piles
of broken rocks. It was discovered in 1932 and excavated from
1934 to 1937. The excavated area measures 13 metres east-west,
16 metres north-south. The deposits measure 10 metres in depth
which can be divided into three layers. The upper layer is mainly
of light yellow earth with worm-like wedges of calcified substance
in central portions. The middle layer consists of a large mass
of limestone, ash with charred bone, and hackberry seeds. The
lower layer contains light reddish earth with pieces of limestone.
Stone tools and mammalian fossils were distributed in all of these
layers. The excavated stone tools count about 10 thousands pieces
include cores, flakes, etc. It is one of the representative middle
Palaeolithic industries of China. Discovered mammalian fauna is
composed of 33 species, such as thick jaw deer, Gray's sika, rhinos,
sheep etc. Its age is equivalent to that of New Cave, that is,
the early stage of the Late Pleistocene.
Professor Jia Lanpo thinks that the New Cave and Locality 15 might
connect with Locality 1 by some unknown tunnels and therefore
they are worth of new excavation.
4. Upper Cave:
Situated at the upper part of Dragon-bone Hill, hence the cave
was so named. The northern part of the cave is close to the southern
fissure of Peking Man Cave. The original entrance of Upper Cave
is open to the north. The altitude of the cave is about 125 metres.
The cave is about 13.5 metres long, 5.6 metres wide and composed
of 4 parts: cave entrance, upper chamber, lower chamber and lower
recess. It was discovered in 1930 during investigation of the
border of the Peking Man Cave deposit and was excavated in 1933-34.
The bottom layer of Upper Cave was directly deposited above the
first layer of Peking Man Cave deposit.
Three well preserved skulls and a skull cap of Upper Cave Man
were unearthed from the lower chamber. Some pelvic and femur bones
were found nearby the skulls. All human bones represented about
10 individuals. Anthropologists have attributed Upper Cave Man
to Late Homo sapiens. His absolute age is dated about 27 thousand
years before present. On the left side of the skull of an elderly
Homo sapiens, a perforated shell and perforated fox's canine were
recovered. Animal fossils of entire skeletons were found and interpreted
to be there after falling into natural traps.
The deposits of Upper Cave are composed of pine tree loam and
limestone breccia. The bottom earth is reddish and partly concretion.
From 20 metres deep, about 860 cubic metres of deposits were removed
at the time of excavation. There were 25 artifacts, a polished
antler, a bone needle, 141 ornaments including 125 perforated
animal teeth, three perforated shells, a perforated ovoid pebble,
one perforated supra-orbital of fish, four bones perforated with
transverse farrows, and 7 perforated stone beads. In addition
to fish and amphibian fossils, 47 species of mammalian fossils
were found. The geological age is of late stage of the Late Pleistocene.
There are numerous princes' mansions built in Beijing from the
time of Emperor YongLe in the Ming Dynasty. Those of the eight
great families of the early Qing and four mansions built in the
post-Emperor TongZhi period is described briefly. The mansions
of Prince Gong are introduced in greater details.
Prince Gong's Mansion is situated close to Shichahai Lake, to
the northwest of the Forbidden City in Beijing. Prince Gongs Mansion
is the Qing Dynasty"s mansion with the largest scope, and
also till now the most well-preserved one.
Architecture
With the exception of Prince Qing's Mansion, bestowed upon Yi
Kuang, the princes' mansions are all built on the same basic model
and constructed from the finest carved bricks, stone and timber.
It consists of a mansion and a garden. It occupies about 800 hectares
in area. Since the residence was extremely luxurious when it was
firstly built by He Shen, the halls in it followed the style of
Palace of Tranquil Longevity in the Forbidden City. Some halls
were made of Nanmu and combined the features of both mansions
and gardens. From the south to the north, the halls are divided
into five rows with three groups of courtyards from east to west.
At the front of the axis, there are two gates and the second one
is larger than the first one. Originally, there stood the main
hall named the Yinan Hall, which has collapsed. The extant Jiale
Hall features the style of imperial palaces. The three quadrangles
along the eastern line feature Ming Dynasty architecture style.
The main courtyard of the western complex includes the Xijin Studio
as its main hall and is entered via a gate with the name of "Courtyard
of Heavenly Fragrance" carved above it. Surrounding the courtyard
is a series of elegant rooms separated by "Nanmu" (a
kind of cedar tree) partitions. In the center of the courtyard
are two rare midget crabapple trees nearly 300 years old.
The garden to the north of the rear hall was designed on a large
scale without the constraints imposed on the mansion's formal
buildings. The front section of the garden contains a hill made
of piled stones, an ancient wall, the Liubei Pavilion, the Peak
That Has Flown In and the Green Cloud Mountain Range.
The rear section of the garden has a multi-leveled artificial
hill built of Lake Tai stones. The bottom level has tunnels running
through it and contains a stone with the character "fu"
(meaning happiness in Chinese) written on it in the calligraphy
of Qing Emperor KangXi (1662-1722). On the second level are two
pools where fine lotuses bloom in late summer and early autumn.
A small pavilion with a terrace stands on the hilltop and is considered
an ideal place for viewing the moon. A fishing pond stands in
front of the hill. The eastern courtyard of the garden is surrounded
by a low wall and contains a luxuriance of flowers and trees.
Screened by the man-made hill is the Hall of Happiness built in
such a way that sunlight falls on it from dawn to dusk.
History and Today
The mansion was constructed around 1776 and was originally the
private residence of HeShen, a member of imperial court of Emperor
QianLong (1736-1796). Later, Emperor JiaQing (1796-1820) bestowed
it to his younger brother Yong Lin in 1799.Eventually Emperor
XianFeng (1851-1862) transferred the ownership to Prince Gong
and the mansion has borne his name since then.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949,
many royal buildings in Beijing were turned into schools, factories,
offices or dormitories. Prince Gongs Mansion opened its ornamental
garden to the public in 1988. Most other parts of the mansion
were occupied by various offices and it was home to more than
200 families at that time.
The 230-year-old Prince Gongs Mansion, China's largest and best-preserved
Qing Dynasty mansion will open to the public before the Beijing
Olympic Games in 2008.
The Temple of Azure Clouds, or Biyun Si, situates at the foot
of the Western Hills, just outside the north gate of Fragrant
Hills Park on the outskirts of Beijing. . Its landmark the Diamond
Throne Pagoda can be seen towering amidst green trees from a far
distance. The temple was built on six different levels, and each
of the interconnecting courtyards has a special character. The
Hall of Five Hundred Arhats is modeled on the Jingci Temple in
Hangzhou. The figures, all 15 meters high, with their unique expressions
and appositive stand in rows throughout the building, are shaped
like a Greek cross.
Construction
The temple gate, the Mountain Gate, is guarded by both the universal
stone lions and two Buddhist guardians. The five-meter tall guardians
were constructed during the Ming Dynasty. The temple grounds have
three main sections, the Front Palace, the Sakyamuni Palace and
the Hall of the Arhats.
At 35 meters the Vajra Throne Tower is the highest building of
the temple complex. The tower is beautifully carved all over with
designs from various eras. Since the tower is built on the West
Hill, you can get a complete view of Beijing from the top.
The Five Hundred Arhats Hall stands on the west side of the temple.
Four wells a pavilion and nine halls make up the Hundred Arhats
Hall. The hall is filled with 512 statues, 500 of which are Arhats,
thus the name of the hall. Two of these Arhats were Qing emperors.
Of the other twelve statues, 11 are bodhisattvas and one statue
is of Ji Gong.
Apart from the temple complex itself, there is a red wooden plaque
hanging above the front gate of the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall,
the words on the plaque which is engraved in gold was written
by his wife, Song Qingling. Inside this hall lies an empty crystal
coffin presented by the USSR government in 1925 in memory of Sun
Yat-sen, because his body had already been buried elsewhere, the
coffin was left here till now. Photos of Sun Yat-sen, his handwriting,
his books and his statue are also on display inside this hall.
Legend
A legend about Ji Gong that goes like this: A long time ago when
a meeting of selecting Arhats was to be held in this hall, Ji
Gong had arrived very early and found that the door was locked,
so he went out to take a walk and met a girl who was in danger.
After rescuing her, he returned to the hall and found that all
the seats were occupied. Therefore, Ji Gong had to sit on the
beam.
History
The Temple was first built in 1366 before the collapse of the
Yuan Dynasty, named as the Nunnery of the Azure Clouds. Under
the Ming two powerful eunuchs in 1516, Yu Jing and Wei Zhongxian,
had it expanded at various periods, trying to make it their burial
ground, but they didn't succeed. In 1748 during the Qing Dynasty
under the reign of Emperor QianLong, who added the Hall of Arhats,
containing 500 Buddha statues, till then large-scale construction
work was done. He also erected the main temple building, known
as the Diamond Throne Pagoda, a towering Indian "stupa"
ringed with miniature stupas. Even in modern days the temple has
seen active use. When Dr. Sun Yat Sen died in 1925 his coffin
was briefly on display here before being moved to Nanjing, but
a permanent memorial hall remains at Azure Clouds.
At the time of the founding of the People s Republic in 1949,
the temple buildings fell in disrepair. In 1954, the temple was
rebuilt and renovated, including the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall.
The general view of today has been seen clearly.
The Temple of Recumbent Buddha is located about 20 kilometers
(12 miles) from Beijing and is near the Temple of Azure Clouds
at the north foot of Xishan (Western Hill). The Temple of Recumbent
Buddha is a Buddhist Temple and one of the famous ancient temples
in Beijing.
History
The temple was built during the Tang Dynasty (618 A.D. - 907A.D.)
and has a history of more than 1300 years. Initially, it was named
as Doulv Si or Shouan Si as well. For several dynasties, it has
gone through times of disrepair and renovation, and its name changed
somewhat frequently in the following years. It called Pujue Si
in Qing Dynasty under the Emperor YongZheng. In short, the temple
received repairs during the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. Because
of the existence of the recumbent Buddha made by sandalwood in
Tang Dynasty, later a bronze recumbent Buddha made in Yuan Dynasty
inside the Temple. That is exactly the reason why it received
the name Temple of Recumbent Buddha.
Structure
Wholly speaking, the temple consists of four Heavenly King's Hall,
Three Buddhas Hall and the Recumbent Buddha's Hall.
The Recumbent Buddha's Hall is the most important hall in the
Temple. The present hall is the one built in the Jin Dynasty (1115A.D.
- 1234A.D.). The temple underwent further construction during
the Yuan Dynasty (1271 A.D.- 1368A.D.). The recumbent Buddha inside
the Hall is the statue of Sakyamuni, which is five meters long
and weighs 54 tons, was built in 1321A.D. during the Yuan Dynasty.
His left hand touches his leg and his right hand supports his
head. It was said that this pose is that of Sakyamuni when he
got nirvana ('nirvana' means the ineffable ultimate in which one
has attained disinterested wisdom and compassion in Buddhism.).
This bronze recumbent Buddha is the biggest bronze recumbent Buddha
in present day China. Around this Buddha are twelve other figures
of Buddhas. This group of statues of Buddhas reflects the scene
that Sakyamuni tells his disciples what to do after his nirvana.
All twelve Buddhas appear to be grieving. The recumbent Buddha
is perfectly kept and reflects the high iron-melting techniques
in the Yuan Dynasty.
Sacrifices have been offered to three Buddhas inside the Three
Buddhas Hall: Burning Lamp Buddha, Sakyamuni and Maitreya. On
both sides of the three Buddhas are 18 color-clay-made Arhats.
One of them is very special because he wears his clothes just
like the human beings who live on earth. However, he is a false
Arhat. Real Arhats who live in God's place wear special dresses.
A legend said that this false Arhat is Emperor Qianlong of the
Qing Dynasty (1644A.D. - 1911A.D.).
Inside the Four Heavenly King's Hall, a sitting statue of Maitreya
is offering sacrifice in the middle area. Four heavenly kings
are on the two sides of Maitreya to bless the stability of the
country and the happiness of the common people.
In front of the Three Buddhas Hall is an ancient tree planted,
which was said to be transplanted from India and symbolizes how
Sakyamuni got nirvana.
To the west of the Temple, there is a peony garden of an area
of more than ten thousand square meters. More than 2000 peonies
are planted here. Also, there is a bamboo garden outside the Temple.
White Dagoba Temple is a Lamaist temple. Lamaism is a branch of
Buddhism. Nepal was one of the sources of early Buddhism. Lamaism
was introduced to china during the Tang Dynasty but was not widespread
until the Yuan Dynasty. It became popular especially in Tibet.
During the same period inverted-bowl-style dagobas were widely
adopted by Lamaist monasteries. The oldest extant large-scale
Lamaist dagoba is the White Dagoba at Beijing's Miaoying Temple
also called White Dagoba Temple. It was designed and built by
a Nepalese artisan, Anika.
History
The temple has experienced a long period of uncertainty during
Chinese history of more than 700 years. In the year 1271, Mongolian
leader Kublai Khan united the whole country and started the Yuan
Dynasty (1271-1368). The governor of the spacious and mysterious
Tibet also began to succumb to the central state at this time.
To consolidate the relationship between the empire and the monkish
power in Tibet and to gain the agreement of the Tibetan Buddhists
among the Yuan officials, Kublai Khan granted imperial permission
to build the White Dagoba. When it was completed in the year 1279,
a further decree was given to grant the building of yet another
temple around the dagoba within an area of 160,000 square meters
(39.54 acres), which was defined by the landing spots of arrows
shot in the four directions by the Emperor from the top of the
dagoba. It was then obliged to adopt the name of Dashengshou Wan'an
Si. The Dagoba, along with the capital Dadu (present Beijing),
was called 'Golden City and Jade Dagoba by the people then because
of their grandiose appearance.
Unfortunately, the temple was burnt to the ground in the year
1368, and amazingly only the White Dagoba remained. In the year
1457 of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Emperor Tianshun commanded
the rebuild of the temple, which covered an area of 13,000 square
meters (3.2 acres), much smaller than the original dimensions.
It was then renamed 'Miaoying Si'.
Originally known as Miao Ying Si, the temple has undergone numerous
reconstructions, usually as a result of fire. The Dajue Dian (Hall
of the Great Enlightened Ones), the first building, contains thousands
of little Buddhas in glass cases, set into the columns. An earthquake
in 1976 turned up numerous artifacts, some of which are now on
display in the museum. You'll find Buddhist statuary demonstrating
ritualistic hand positions (mudra) and vivid thangka (silk hangings
depicting Buddhist images). It has been renewed in more recent
times, but not as extensively as before.
Structure
The temple is mainly composed of the White Dagoba and four halls,
which store many lifelike Buddhist statues, classical Buddhist
scriptures, five Buddhas' crowns, flowery cassocks, colorful fabrics
and other rare valuables. The most famous is the golden Dagoba
Longevity Statue at the height of 5 cm. with over 40 rubies and
bronzy Kwan-yin Bodhisattva Statue with a thousand hands and eyes.
It is the earliest known place for translating Buddhist scriptures.
However, it mainly functioned as the imperial temple in the Yuan
Dynasty. The governor then stipulated that all the important ceremonies
should be rehearsed here three days ahead of the actual ritual.
The sacrificial ceremony of Kublai Khan was also held here when
he died, which proves the importance of this temple. In the later
days of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), this temple became one of
the most renowned spots for temple fairs, which formed the popular
saying 'August eighth, white dagoba walks'. There was also a custom,
on the lunar 25th Oct. (the anniversary date of the completion
of the dagoba) in every year, many lamas walked around the circle
of the dagoba, lauding the scriptures and playing music. Even
nowadays many devout people pray for blessings around the dagoba.
The White Dagoba
The White Dagoba stands north of the centre of the temple, which
was designed by the Nepalese architect Anigo, whose work also
includes the Buddhist Temples in Mt. Wutai. The bottom of the
dagoba is a three-layered seat; the body appears to resemble an
upside-down ice cream cone, which makes it an interesting construction.
Near the top is a solid canopy made of beaten bronze above and
thick wood at the bottom, which is well supported by a number
of iron chains. The dagoba is topped by another small stupa. Small
Buddhist characters and statues adorn the borders as well as wind
chimes, which transmit a clear and pleasant chime carried along
in the breeze.
It is the earliest and largest Tibetan dagoba that remains as
a witness of the once resplendence region of Dadu during the Yuan
Dynasty and the friendship that existed between China and Nepal.
It has now been listed as a key cultural spot that is now under
the protection of the Chinese State Department. With its high
cultural value and heavenly beauty, the White Dagoba Temple is
bound to amaze you and leave you with a unique and lasting impression
of your visit.
Changping District
Baihujian Natural Scenic Spot, Baiyang Valley Scenic Spot, Chile
Heping Temple, Diujiuyu Natural Scenic Spot , Gouya Natural Scenic
Spot, Hundreds of Immortals Cave, International Shooting Range
in North Ch, Jiulong Amusement Park, Mangshan National Forest
Park, Micro View Garden of Old Beijing City, Pagoda Forest on
Silver Mountain
Baihujian Natural Scenic Spot locates along Taihang Mountain
Ranges in Yangfang Town, southwest of Changping District. It has
an altitude of 850 meters. With beautiful natural landscape, it
was known as one of the eight famous views in Yanping area. Baihujian
Natural Scenic Spot boasts peculiar stone, tranquil valley and
lush green trees. It also has many historical sites and relics.
The most famous in history was the five yun hold shangfang in
both hands, namely the Baoyun Temple, Cheyun Temple, Shiyun Temple,
Dayun Temple, Qingyun Temple and Shangfang Temple. The site still
can be seen nowadays.
Baiyang Valley Scenic Spot is located in Baiyangcheng Village,
70 kilometers west of Changping District. The valley spans 12
kilometers long with many beautiful natural views and its highest
peak is 850 meters high.
Baiyang Valley composes of eight scenic spots including Baiyangcheng
Historical Site and Garden Area, Swimming, Boating and Whiffing
Area, Mountaineering Area, Huanglou Great Wall Touring Area, Xiaotianshan
Pasture and so on. Inside the valley, many charming views as small
Huashan mountain, black dragon pond, cuanshui gorge, arhat peak,
wangjiayuan reservoir and so forth have attracted many people.
Whats more, many historical sites like the site of prince Qings
tomb, golden spear well of Yangliulang, beacon tower and historical
site of Baiyang City which built in Ming dynasty and so on are
also worth visiting. Besides, visitors will surely enjoy themselves
in all kinds of entertainment activities as ball firing, fruit
and potherb picking, campfire party and so on.
Chile Heping Temple lies in Huata Village Nankou Town in Changping
District. Chile was an ancient nationality in northern China;
Heping means peace. Chile Heping Temple, which also called Huata
Temple, was built in Tang Dynasty. Emperor Li Shimin of Tang Dynasty
had inscribed the name Chile Heping Temple in person.
Chile Heping Temple is known as the activity center of the Buddhist
ceremony of Beijing in past dynasties. With a construction area
of over 7,000 square meters, it totally has ninety-nine rooms
and a half. The temple constitutes of two courtyards---the east
courtyard and the west courtyard. The east courtyard has Amitabha
Buddha Hall, Sakyamuni Hall, Boundless Grief Hall and Heavenly
King Hall, while the west courtyard composes of Forefather Hall,
Medicine King Hall and Goddess Hall.
Chile Heping Temple has many rare and precious ancient trees.
An old Japanese pagoda tree with a history of more than 1,300
years is still growing well inside the mountain gate of the temple.
Two exuberant maidenhair trees with rich fruit are growing in
front of the main hall. Besides, there is also an old white skin
pine tree with 30 meters high and shaped like a sleeping dragon.
The temple fair hold in Chile Heping Temple has offered a very
good chance for people to know more about the excellent traditional
Chinese culture.
Duijiuyu Natural Scenic Spot locates in Changling Village Changping
District, 4 kilometers northwest of the Thirteen Tombs of Ming
Dynasty and 50 kilometers apart from Beijing downtown area. The
scenic spot is lying in a 3 kilometers long valley with beautiful
flowers and lush green trees spread all over the mountainside.
Duijiuyu Natural Scenic Spot could be divided into four scenic
areas with more than 50 natural views including Stone Welcoming
the Guest, Tingqin Cliff, Moon-reflecting Pond, Sky Ladder, Water-curtain
Cave, Cloud Cliff, Platform for Li Zicheng Name a Soldier and
so on.
Gouya Natural Scenic Spot is close to Deshengkou Reservoir in
northwest Changping District, 40 kilometers from downtown Beijing.
Covering an area of 6411-mu, including 22 peaks, 9 mountain ranges
and 8 valleys, this spot has a vast area of natural forest. The
main peak is 1,670 meters high, more than 150 meters higher than
the famous Mount Tai in Shandong province. Gouya Natural Scenic
Spot boasts beautiful natural views with high mountains, precipitous
cliffs, wandering paths, lush green trees and limpid streams.
With more than 70 temples lying in the mountain, Gouya Natural
Scenic Spot is known as the famous Taoist resort in northern China.
As early as Yuan dynasty, Gouya has the reputation of Mount Wudang
of North. Nowadays, most existing temples were constructed in
Ming dynasty. Besides, the beautiful waterfalls and mysterious
caves have also attracted many visitors.
Hundreds of Immortals Cave lies in the southwest of Huyu Valley,
Changping District. The cave covers an area over 10,580 square
meters and spans more than 1,000 meters long. There are totally
about 114 painted sculptures of immortals stand in the cave. Each
statue is vivid and lifelike and each of them has an old and beautiful
legend. The cave has one palace, four ancestral temples and eight
halls. Using many kinds of art forms, it has vividly displayed
the century-old Chinese culture about Buddhist, Taoism and Confucianism.
Inside the cave, there are many beautiful views as Di Shui Kwan-yin,
Jingang Pond and Nine-dragon Pond. Once you are tired, the Kwan-yin
Pavilion in Jiuru Hall, where provide music and tea is a very
good place. Walking along the 170-stone-step from Jixiang Palace,
one could directly entered into the top of the cave---Yitian Pavilion,
from where, one will see the beautiful view of a wide expanse
of the flat land. Besides, visitors could also admire the stone
inscriptions of the famous person in the cliff.
With 800 square meters, the Original Big World is also located
in the cave. It has four scenic areas including Dinosaur Age,
Virgin Forest, Boa Area and Area of Ancient Ape Man. Through the
modern high technology; it will bring people to a dreaming world
which vividly displays the environment of the old time and the
evolvement process of mankind.
International Shooting Range in North China is the first tourist
attraction which has entertainment shooting activities in China.
Covering an area of more than 300-mu, it locates in the west of
Nankou Town Changping District. Currently, the shooting range
offers many kinds of shooting activities as sports, hunting, flying
disk and Pi Te Bo, and it has provide many kinds of guns as handgun
with small caliber, rifle, hunting gun, gun with color bomb and
so on. With excellent facilities, people will surely enjoy themselves
in the simulating battlefield. Besides, the shooting range also
has an exhibition hall, which displays more than 130 arms including
all kinds of handgun, rifle and scattergun designed and made by
China and the other country of the world.
Jiulong Amusement Park locates in the east side of Thirteen Tombs
Reservoir in Changping District, the north suburb of Beijing.
It is a large-scale underwater amusement park with the characteristic
of Disney Land run by both China and Japanese companies. And it
has become an important tourist destination in northern Beijing.
The amusement composes of both land and water part. The main buildings
on the ground include courtyard style dining rooms, yacht dock,
viewing platform, grand hall of dragon palace, meandering corridor
and so on. The architecture complex in water is the main building
of the park. According to the legend of the sea world and the
dragon king, it can be divided into nine views like coral jungle,
crystal world and so on with the main subject as the dragon palace
under water. The Jiulong Amusement Park also has three marvelous
views which are the Jiulong (nine-dragon) Palace with an architecture
style of nine posts, nine girders, nine ridges and nine angles;
a fresco named dream of dragon built by 3 tons 4-inch iron nails;
and soul of dragon with 200 painting sets of totem and calligraphy
about dragon since Qin dynasty.
Besides, there are more than 3,000 ornamental fish with 20 species
in 4 families. Tetele Science Fiction Exploration Hall, which
boasts a 15 meters high and 21 meters wide super screen and 100
set of simulating chairs, is very interesting. There are also
many water activities as drifting and all kinds of yacht. In addition,
one could also appreciate the wonderful summer concert and the
renowned international dragon boat competition in the park.
Mangshan National Forest Park is located on the east side of
Ming Tombs Reservoir of Changping District, about 40 kilometers
from Beijing city proper. Its highest peak is 659-meter and the
splendid mountain just likes a python. Covering about 130,000-mu
plantation, Mangshan National Forest Park is known as the largest
forest park in Beijing. It is home to more than 176 species of
trees and flowers. In spring, we could see the blossoming apricot,
peach, peony and so on. While in autumn, maple, smoke tree and
live oak will add more view to the mountain.
The park has the longest mountaineering steps paved by 3666 bars
of stone which could directly lead to the top of the mountain.
With a height of 9.99 meters and a weight of 3,000 ton, the grand
Buddha, which lies in the middle of the mountainside of Mangshan
Mountain, claims to be the largest Buddha in north China. Besides,
there is also a manmade lake in the mountaintop with the total
water capacity of more than 4,000,000-stere. Visitors could boating
in the lake and admire the beautiful view at the same time. The
viewing pagoda of Mangshan Mountain opposite to the lake is a
seven-storeyed building with brick and wooden structure. The old
pagoda was built in Ming dynasty with 37 meters high. While standing
in the old pagoda, people could see the panoramic view of the
Thirteen Tombs of Ming Dynasty and watching Beijing City in a
long distance.
Micro View Garden of Old Beijing City, which run by a joint venture
of both China and America has opened to public in 1994. It locates
in Nankou Town Changping District, 38 kilometers from Beijing
downtown area.
As the development of China, Beijing has become a major metropolis.
While in the process of social progress, the city could hardly
keep its original style. However, the Micro View Garden of Old
Beijing City has restructured the style and features of the old
Beijing city in Ming and Qing Period. The garden has built many
imperial palace, imperial gardens, temples and streets of ancient
style as a proportion of 1:15, which has vividly displayed the
splendid Beijing culture and its excellent folk custom. Covering
an area of 500, 000 square meters, the garden has composed of
three sections as Garden Touring Area, Custom Street and Receiving
Area. Take the last period of Qing dynasty as the social background,
the garden which assembles many old stores, tea house and restaurants
also provides many kinds of performance with strong characteristics
of old Beijing as Peking opera, martial art and acrobatics. Besides,
one could also taste delicious local snacks and admire beautiful
handicrafts with excellent craftsmanship. It has offered a window
for visitors from both China and overseas to experience and understand
more about the old Beijing and know more about the splendid Chinese
culture and ancient civilization.
Pagoda Forest on Silver Mountain (Yin Shan Shi Lin) also called
Iron Cliff Silver Mountain (Tie Bi Yin Shan), it locates in the
mountain area of north Changping District, the suburb of Beijing.
The Silver Mountain is formed by the black granite. While in winter,
when the snow flowing down slowly, the snow white and the black
of the mountain has a big contrast, hence it got the name Iron
Cliff Silver Mountain. Silver Mountain not only has beautiful
natural views, but also famous for a large amount of pagodas.
Most of them were built in Liao dynasty with a history of more
than 600 years. Those pagodas were beautifully sculpted and well
arranged in the mountain, they are the precious heritage for study
the ancient Chinese Buddha and the ancient architecture style
of brick and stone structure. Besides, one can also see some other
historical site as Ancient Buddha Rock and Chaoyang Cave.
Chaoyang district
Birds Garden, Chaoyang Park, China Agriculture Museum, China Red
Sandalwood Museum, China Sports Museum, Chinese Ethnic Culture
Park, Dongyue Temple, Ri Tan Park, Tuanjiehu Park, Xihuang Temple,
Yuan Capital City Wall Site Park
Birds Garden, which called Bainiao Yuan in Chinese, is located
at the Beitucheng Road in Chaoyang District, Beijing. Covering
an area about 72,000 square meters, the Birds Garden is the only
birds viewing and protecting center in Beijing.
The garden breeds more than 2,500 birds with over 100 species.
Many of them are the rare species under state protection such
as the red-crowned crane, green peacock, Australia ostrich etc.
While in the garden, visitors can appreciate the pretty rare species
of birds, listening to the sweet twitter of birds and feeding
the birds in person. At present, the birds garden that is so close
to the nature is a very good place to go in the metropolis with
the armored concrete.
Chaoyang Park with a total area of 320 hectares, which locates
at the central part of the Chaoyang district, is the largest afforested
metropolitan park of Beijing with varied functions for entertainment
and recreation.
Chaoyang Park has 1,000-mu water area that has divided into five
small lakes with three functions of touring, irrigating and flood-regulating.
There are totally five sceneries in another 1,000-mu greenbelt
including the Lihua Square, Brave Land, Century Fountain Square,
Cenglin Haomiao and Charms of Europe and Asia. Inside the park,
the Joyful World combines the high-tech, entertainment and sports
together. With a height of 67 meters, the parachute-jump viewing
tower is the highest of its kind in China. The 75 meters Bungee
Jumping Tower also ranks the first in China. Chaoyang Park is
a large and multifunctional park. With the first class service
and so many activities, visitors will surely enjoy themselves
here.
China Agriculture Museum is located in the National Agriculture
Exhibition Hall at Dongsanhuan Road Choayang District in Beijing.
The museum has opened to public in 1986 and it is the only museum
that theme on natural science so far in China.
Occupying an area of 7,600 square meters, the China Agriculture
Museum mainly has five exhibition halls including Exhibition of
the History of China Ancient Agriculture Science & Technology,
Exhibition of National Agriculture Resource and Area Division,
Exhibition of China Aquatic Products, Exhibition of Chinese Countryside
Energy Resources and Exhibition of the China Modern Agriculture
Technology.
The Exhibition of Chinese History of Ancient Agricultural Science
& Technology introduces artifacts from of the Neolithic Age
to the situation of Chinese agriculture in the 1840s, including
6,900-year-old rice seeds and bone spade unearthed in the Hemudu
Culture in Yuyao of Zhejiang Province.
The Exhibition of Agricultural Resources Area Divisions introduces
China's natural conditions and agricultural resources, economic
conditions of the agricultural society, biological systems of
agriculture and agricultural divisions. It displays over 5,000
specimens, including tree samples of golden larch, Taiwan fir,
Chinese cypress, metasequoia, gingkgo and Cathaya argyrophylla;
samples of crops such as grain, cotton, sesame, hemp, silk, tea,
sugar, vegetable, tobacco, fruit, herbal medicine and flower,
etc.
The Exhibition of Aquatic Products is arranged in three halls:
freshwater fishery, sea fishery and breeding of freshwater fish.
The aquariums in the hall of freshwater fishery house more than
50 live fishes, including the world-famous carp of the Yellow
River, chum salmon from the northeast and sturgeon from Xinjiang,
etc.
Boasting more than 10,000 pieces of treasured items, the museum
gives visitors a vivid picture about the history, development
and current situation of the Chinese agriculture. While at here,
visitors can see the great achievement of the agriculture technology
that the Chinese have in thousands of years; the new energy resources
and the environment problem in Chinas countryside; the abundant
wildlife and various species of the aquatic life-form and sea
plants. With plenty of exhibitions, the China Agriculture Museum
can be viewed as a splendid hall of science and technology knowledge.
China Red Sandalwood Museum, which located at Gaobeidian in Chaoyang
District, is museum that possesses the largest scale, the highest
rank and the most abundant collections of red sandalwood caving
art works in the world. The museum is a place to collect, study
and exhibit the craftwork of red sandalwood and traditional Chinese
furniture.
The museum is built in traditional Chinese architecture style
with an area of 9569 square meters. Looks spectacular but exquisite,
archaic but modern, the building itself can be considered as a
perfect craftwork. Inside the museum, there are the Central Hall,
Exhibition Hall, Boardroom, Guestroom, Multi-functional Hall and
Temporary Exhibition Hall. Visitors can see a fine collection
of more than 100 classic red sandalwood works of art made during
the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), as
well as more than 1,000 modern items. Sandalwood is called the
red wood because of its color. Its texture is hard, which makes
it excellent material for making furniture. Here, the furniture
made in Ming and Qing Dynasties, traditional furniture materials,
designs and structures give a brand-new interpretation of the
meaning of furniture. So all the collections here are very valuable.
While in the museum, visitors can touch the essence of red sandalwood
culture. They can see the furniture of Ming and Qing dynasty,
miniature of furniture in ancient China, art works of Buddhism.
For instance, the miniature of the corner tower of the Palace
Museum and the Qianqiu Pavilion in the imperial garden assume
an imperial air; 320 carved dragons in the Longquan Temple in
Shanxi Province are in different postures; The delicate Beijing
quadrangles and the Feiyun Building in Shanxi Province are representatives
of red sandalwood arts. They are all artistic treasures in the
Orient made of red sandalwood. Numerous basso-relievo, sculpture-in-the-rounds,
fretworks give full display to the charms of red sandalwood.
China Sports Museum, which opened in 1990, is located in Beijing
on the southeast side of the Olympic Sports Center outside Anding
Men. It is China's first specialized museum centering on the collection,
exhibition and study of physical culture relics and historical
materials about sports.
The building of the China Sports Museum is quite extraordinary.
It opens out like an octagonal fan, or like a whirlwind that is
about to take off, symbolizing the powerful development of Chinese
sports. Covering an exhibition area of 2,500 square meters, the
museum has eight exhibition halls, such as the Ancient Hall, Neoteric
Hall, Sports Achievement Hall of New China, Olympic Hall, Exhibition
Hall of the Traditional Chinese Sports, etc.
Here, through the cultural relics, paintings, rubbings and photos
which re-emerged such activities as martial art, arrow, wrestle,
ancient football, polo, I-go, breath-controlling exercise etc,
one can see the colorful sports culture of the Chinese Nation;
through the biographies of the athlete, one can understand the
hardships of taking part in international games; through the stories
of the numerous world champion, one can see the great achievement
and progress of Chinese sports; through the abundant materials
and objects, one can realize the history of the contemporary and
modern Olympics and the relationships between China and the international
Olympic sports and through the introduction of the sports of the
56 nationalities of China, one can know various types of the sports
games in ethnic groups and understand the colorful folk customs
of China.
After visiting this museum, Samaranchi, the former Chairman of
the International Olympic Committee noted that, The China Sports
Museum is one of the best sports museums I have seen in the world.
Chinese Ethnic Culture Park, which also called Chinese Nationalities
Museum, is located at the west side of the National Olympic Sports
Center in Minzu Road, Chaoyang District Beijing. It is a large
ethnic culture garden combines the traditional ethnic architecture,
folk customs, singing and dancing performances, handicrafts and
cate of the minorities together.
As we all know, China is home to 55 ethnic groups (minority nationalities),
and each with a diverse cultural heritage, different customs and
costumes, and unique arts and crafts. Therefore, in order to strengthen
the unity and culture exchange with ethnic groups and spread the
soul of the culture of the Chinese minorities, it is very necessary
to build such a complex to a complex to reconstruct, collect,
display and study the ethnic culture, history and social life
of the 56 nationalities in China.
The total area of 50 hectare hosted the exhibits and villages
of 56 nationalities and can be divided to the north garden and
south garden. Over 40 villages, over 100 sceneries, 200 ethnic
houses and 2 main exhibition halls have been constructed in the
park. While visiting the national villages, visitors can enjoy
the waterfall, floating clouds and bonfire at grassland, they
can take a view of the scenic spots of China without going out
of Beijing and appreciate and participate in the singing and dancing
performance, festival celebrations and handicrafts making of various
nationalities. From various sports and performances, visitors
can enjoy the distinctive culture and art of Chinese people as
well as find the beauty of China and Chinese culture.
Founded in 1319 and still located in Beijings Chaoyang District,
Dongyue Temple has long been to more practical use as the Beijing
Folk-custom Museum than its original purpose as a Taoist temple.
Located at Chaoyangmenwai Street only 500 meters east of the Beijings
Chaoyangmen Subway Station, Dongyue Temple contains three courtyards
and covers an area about 4.7 hectares. With 376 rooms, it is the
largest remaining temple of the Zhengyi School (which also called
Qingwei School) of the Taoism in north China. Destroyed by fire,
it was later rebuilt during the Ming dynasty and although the
current complex dates back to the Qing dynasty, it still retains
the style of its earlier incarnations. The temple, once famous
for its gods, couplets, stone tablets and its horizontal inscribed
boards, housed more than 3,000 statues, of which 1,000 still stand.
The Yude Hall, first finished in 1481, now displays valuable status
carved of Jinsi Nanmu (a type of wood) which including the God
of Earth, God of Heaven and God of Water. Dongyue Temple was mainly
offer sacrifice to the God of Taishan Mountain---the Great Emperor
of Dongyue with whose statue stands in the middle of the Hall
of Taishan (Taishan Mountain is one of the five Chinas sacred
mountains). Temple corridors house 72 statues of deities, called
chiefs of departments, showing officials handing out punishments,
some grotesque and miscreants.
While visit it during Chinese New Year, one can also see one of
the Beijings more interesting temple fairs. Dongyue Temple is
one of the greatest historical sites and culture relics under
the state protection. The stone tablets inside the temple have
great value on the research of Taoism. And among them, the Taoism
Stele written by the famous calligrapher Zhao Mengfu in Yuan dynasty
has the highest value on arts and historical materials.
Ritan is also called the Altar of Sun, which built in Ming dynasty
in 1530 and used as the place that Ming and Qing emperors offered
sacrifice to the sun god. Nowadays, it lies in the southeast of
Chaoyangmen at Chaoyang District and has opened to public as a
park.
The Altar of Sun is the main building of the park. It covers an
area of 20 hectares with inner and outer altar wall encompassed.
Inside the inner altar wall, there is a two meters high square
altar set in the middle. The Divine kitchen, Divine Warehouse,
Sacrifice Slaughtering Pavilion, Burn Furnace and other buildings
are orderly stood at the east and west side of the altar wall.
Every other year, the emperor himself would come to the altar
to offer the rites. While in the year he couldnt come, the rites
would held by the officials in the imperial court.
After the founding of the Peoples Republic of China, the government
has protect the ancient trees while panted many new flowers and
trees as well as built some rockery, arbor and fountains which
has made the Ritan Park become a beautiful city garden. Inside
the park, the Altar of Sun, Qinghui Pavilion, Brookes Pool, Platform
and the Toad Fountain are all the charming and attracting sights.
Besides, the solemn grave of the Hui nationality martyr Ma Jun
is set in the northwest corner of the park with the evergreen
pines and cypresses surrounded.
Tuanjiehu Park is located in the southwest part of the Tuanjiehu
area, Chao Yang District. Known as one of the ten artificial lakes
in Beijing City, it covers an area of 13.8 hectares with a water
surface of 5.4 hectares.
The park features a southern Chinese garden-style layout. In summer,
the lake in the center of the park is open. A large swimming pool
with a yellow sand beach has become a major draw card for summer
swimmers, especially with the addition of a wave machine. More
than 100 pleasure-boats are supplied for visitors. In the north,
the Banbi Corridor is meandering along the lakeshore. While in
the east, visitors can walk in the small paths along the Yunshan
Mountain. Besides, the park also has some other scenic spots such
as the Moon Corridor, Mingyi Fang, Stone Pavilion, Jingxiang Hall
and so on.
Considered to be one of the finest monuments of Lamaism (a branch
of Buddhism) in the city of Beijing, Xihuang Temple is located
at the Andingmenwai Huangsi Avenue in Chaoyang District, Beijing.
Originally there were two temples of its kind: Donghuang Temple
and Xihuang Temple. Donghuang Temple was demolished in 1958 during
the period of the Great Leap Forward. The Xihuang temple was built
in the year of 1652 following the construction of the Donghuang
Temple as a temporary accommodation for the 5th Dalai Lama's visit
to Beijing. In the period of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing dynasty,
the 6th Tibetan Panchen Lama lived at the Xihuang Temple to celebrate
Qianlongs birthday. Unfortunately, he was died of illness two
months later. In order to memorize him, emperor Qianlong ordered
to build a Qingjing-Huacheng Pagoda in the western part of the
temple to house the 6th Tibetan Panchen Lamas clothes, hat and
Buddhist books. The pagoda built by exquisite white rocks on a
three meters high stone base with four turret-shaped stone pillars
stand in each corner. It is a highly valued excellent art works
with finely carved Buddhist pictures and lines. The pagoda, which
combines the Indian, Tibetan and the Han nationalitys architecture
style, is an outstanding construction in the Xihuang Temple. Besides,
the China Tibetan Senior Buddhism College is also located at the
temple and many Tibetan and Mongolia hierarchs are studying here.
Yuan Capital City Wall Site Park, which built as the foundation
of the Yuan capital city wall site, is also called Tucheng Park
for short. With a history of over 700 years, the city wall was
first built in 1267 by the Yuan emperor Kublai Khan in 18 years
time. The rampart of the Yuan capital city wall was built by earth
and has a length of more than 28,000 meters.
In order to protect the historical site, the central government
has built a park at the site since 1988. The park, which spans
9 kilometers and covers an area from Chaoyang and Haidian district,
is the largest strip shaped park in the Beijing city. The part
of the park in Chaoyang District is located on both sides of Zhongzhou
Road. With the Huizhongancun of Taiyanggong Township at the east
and Deqing Road at the west, the park stretches south to Tucheng
Nanlu and north to Tucheng Beilu. It ranges 4.8 kilometers from
east to west and measures 103-160 meters from north to south.
Occupying 67 hectares, the park is naturally divided into 7 blocks
with 9 scenic areas. Visitors can see the famous sight Jimen Yanshu
at Huangtingzi and the sculpture of the warrior of Yuan dynasty.
Xiaoyue River is the main water scene site of the Yuan Dynasty
Capital City Wall Site Park. The park ranges from the river to
the south and north respectively. Along the river, many trees
as the acacias, pines and willows are swinging in the wind.
Chongwen district
Beijing Amusement Park, Beijing Museum of Natural History, General
Yuanchonghuans Shrine, Huashi Mosque, Longtan Park, The Ming Dynasty
City Wall Relics Park, Yangping Guildhall, Zhengyang Gate
Beijing Amusement Park is a 100-acre traditional amusement park
located in Zuoanmen Street Chongwen District in Beijing. Operated
as a Sino-Japanese joint venture, the park opened in 1987 and
has convenient transportation. It closes to the Longtan Lake and
only one kilometer away from the Temple of Heaven.With a large
scale, more than twenty types of large modern amusement facilities
and beautiful horticultural architecture form a unique entertainment
site. The amusement park has many entertainments and activities.
Such as the pirate boat, a water-screen show, paddleboats, sliding
board, bumper cars and roller coaster.
Once you entered the wonderland, you will be appealed to all
kinds of entertainments and activities. After crossing the arch
gate you will see the garden-styled buildings in various fantastic
forms. On the small isle all the entertainment facilities are
scattered and surrounded by the flowers and trees. With 62 meters
giant wheel, you can have a bird's eye view of the ancient capital.
With the adventure flume, you can have a hair-raising experience
down in the water. The roller coaster can take you upside down
and inside out. The first mirage aquarium leads you into the fancy
deep-water world. In the wild animal world, you can stay and play
with lovely animals. While driving the kartings, you can have
a taste of F-1 car racing. The three-dimensional movie sea dragon
and magic castle in audio-room can bring you to another audio-visual
world both in past and future. The high-speed motorcycle on the
lake is mixed with both fan and risk. The mini-sports car, bumper
car, sea monster, merry cups, merry-go-round, flying tower, pearl-in
-billows, monorail sky- bike, galleon, flying saucer, monorail
train, street station video games, laser gun shooting, mini-golf
can fill your the whole day with joy and pleasant memory. Dozens
of bridges with different styles connect the land and isle. Floating
on the lake in the duck-shaped boat is just like traveling in
the Alice's Wonderland. Everyone will have a exciting and interesting
experience in the park.
Beijing Museum of Natural History is located in the Tianqiao
South Street, Haidian District. It is known as the first museum
of its kind after the founding of the Peoples Republic of China
and has already been the most popular natural history museum in
China.
The museum, covering a floor space of 24,000 square meters, with
more than 8000 square meters for display, owns more than 200,000
items in the collection, with the collection of paleontology,
ornithology, mammals and invertebrates coming out exceeding in
the nation wide. The level of both scientific research and display
are also in the lead.
The four basic exhibitions of paleontology, botany, zoology and
anthropology depict a vivid picture of the origin and evolution
of life. Taking evolution as the main line and diversity of animals
as main content, the exhibitions popularize the life sciences
to the public.
Beijing Museum of natural History bears three main functions
as the specimen collection, the academic research and the science
popularization of paleontology, zoology, botany and anthropology.
The museum today boasts its rich collections, high-level research
and ever-enlarging exhibitions. It has been one of a few museums
of natural history in China and named as National Youth Science
and Technology Education Base.
General Yuanchonghuans Shrine is situated in Donghuashixiejie
Road, Chongwen District. Yuanchonghuan (1584-1630) was a famous
hero of the Han ethnic group and a prominent marshal of the Ming
Dynasty who had prominent battle achievements in resisting against
the After Jin Kingdom and defending the Shanhai Pass and Beijing
City. However, he wrongly killed by Emperor Chongzhen (the last
ruler of Ming dynasty) who believed the slander.
In order to commemorate the great general, the later generation
built the General Yuanchonghuans Shrine in the early Qing dynasty.
It was commonly known as Shejiaguan (She Family House). The shrine
faces south and has five main rooms. Stone inscriptions were embedded
in the two sides of the corridor and the wall inside the room.
Under the eave is the plaque inscribed by Ye Gongchuo. Behind
the shrine was the grave of Yuanchonghuan. At before, there is
a two-meter high tomb, a stone table and a monument inscribed
by Wu Rongguang (an official of Hunan province in Qing Daoguang
period) in 1831. Brick wall was built outside the graveyard with
evergreen trees planted around. However, only the gravestone and
some stone inscriptions still exist nowadays. Besides, there is
a Yuanchonghuan Temple which located in the southeast Chongwen
District near the Longtan Park. Zhang Bozhen built it in 1917.
With three main halls, the temple faces east. It is another important
place for memorizing General Yuanchonghuan.
Huashi Mosque lies in the Xihuashi Street, the northern part
of Chongwen District. It has a large scale and was first built
in 1415 during the reign of the emperor YongLe in Ming Dynasty.
It has a long history of more than 500 years. According to the
legend, the Mosque was the residence of Changyuchun, a famous
general in the Ming Dynasty.
The mosque has an area of 1,797 square meters and has listed as
one of the culture protection unit in Chongwen District in 1984.
The main buildings included the main worship hall, the Stele Pavilion,
the Jingu (respecting the ancient celebrities) Hall, Xunyue (looking
for the moon) Platform, the Sermon Room, and bedrooms. The Xunyue
Platform has been pulled down. The largest building in the mosque
is the main worship hall, which faces the east. There are three
open halls in front of the main worship hall, and they cover a
total area of about 500 square meters. The fourth storey is the
vault with hexagonal clerestories. Originally, the lections of
the Alcoran were carved on the wall. At present, the mosque is
the main congregation place of the Muslims in Beijing.
If you want to see the traditional Chinese architecture of Hui
Minority and experience the Chinese ethnic culture or if you are
an Islam worshipper, the Huashi Mosque is a very good place for
you.
Longtan Park (Dragon Pool Park) can be directly found between
the Temple of Heaven and the Beijing Amusement Park in Chongwen
District. The park was first built in 1952 with a total area of
49.2 hectares. After the park had finished, it corresponded with
the Longxugou (Dragon Beard Channel) in geographical location;
and the water in the pool was very clear and limpid different
from the past time, so the famous architect and scholar Liangsicheng
named the park Longtan (Dragon Pool).
With three lakes connected together, the Longtan Park is a theme
park mainly manifests the Chinese Dragon Culture. In order to
give prominence to the image of dragon, nearly all the architectures
and sceneries in the park have relation with dragon. For instance,
the dragon pool, dragon hill, dragon gate, dragon pavilion, dragon
falls and so on. The park has also planted many dragon pagoda
trees, dragon cypress, Chinese dragon date, dragon mulberry and
so forth. The park has many beautiful scenic spots including the
dragon pool, dragon gate, central island, stone forest with various
characters of dragon, dragon reciting cabinet and the lotus pond.
With the theme of spreading the Chinese dragon Culture, the Longtan
Park is a new type of city garden which combined the northern
classical architecture style and the modern gardening arts together.
With beautiful scenes, advanced facilities and very good service,
Longtan Park has become an important exercise and entertainment
place for the residents in Beijing and has also attracted numerous
visitors each year.
The Ming Dynasty City Wall Relics Park is located in Dongbianmen
Chongwen District. The park ranges from the Southeastern Corner
Tower in the east to Chongwen Men in the west. It is a large area
of strip-shaped public greenbelt built on the one- kilometer-long
ruins of ancient Beijing city walls of Ming dynasty and was open
to the public in 2002.
The park covers an area of 15.5 hectares, including 3.3 hectares
of city wall site and southeastern corner tower and 12.2 hectares
of greenbelt. The whole park can be divided into five-function
area including the culture area of the south city wall of old
Beijing, modern sculpture park, Dongbianmen Corner Tower exercising
and leisure place for citizens, commemorating forest of the city
wall tower ruins and the south export and square of the Beijing
railway station.
Yangping Guildhall is located in Xiaojiang Hutong, Chongwen District.
It was built in 1802, the 7th year of the Jiaqing period, in Qing
Dynasty.
Yangping Guildhall is famous for its theatre building---The Drama
Tower, which is a major construction and intact theatre building
of the Qing Dynasty in Beijing. It is known as the largest and
the most exquisite and excellent drama tower of Qing architecture
style in Beijing.
The Drama Tower has two floors. The stage stands in the upper
floor with platforms in the rest three sides. There are stairs
in each corner. Usually the platforms in the upper floor are prepared
for the rich. The first floor is a square pond with desks and
chairs, which are the seats of common people. Many stone inscriptions
and plaque with great historical and cultural value can be found
in the tower. Nowadays, when you visit the Yangping Guildhall,
you can not only find the beauty of the Chinese architecture in
old times, but also can enjoy the excellent traditional Chinese
opera. The tour to Yangping Guildhall will surely be an interesting
and exciting one.
Zhengyang Gate, commonly known as the Front Gate (Qianmen), is
located in the central south of Tian'anmen Square in Beijing.
It was first built in the reign of Ming Emperor Yongle in 1419
and was called Lizhengmen (Lizheng Gate) at that time. Zhengyang
Gate was the front gate of the inner city of Beijing during the
Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) period. Since it was located
in front of the Forbidden City, so it was also called Front Gate
(Qian Men).
Zhengyang Gate was one of the nine capital gates of the old Beijing
city. It was an intact defending architecture system in ancient
time and composed of three parts that were the city gate tower,
the watchtower and the inner city. However, Zhengyang Gate has
under many damages and repairs during the past half-century, only
the city gate tower and the watchtower are well preserved at present,
and these two buildings were once the symbol of the old Beijing
city.
With 40.36-meter high, 41-meter wide and 21-meter deep, the city
gate tower has a solid base and is trimmed with gray pantiles
and green glazed tiles in the double-eave and Xieshan style. The
watchtower was built in 1439 during the Ming Dynasty in a style
resembling that of the city gate tower. Altogether there are 94
embrasures open to the east, west and south sides. The watchtower
totally has three doors, four floors with five mansions in the
rear. The total height of the watchtower with its platform is
38 meters, which makes the watchtower the highest one among those
in Beijing. On the first floor, an exhibition named Beijing in
History introduces the folk customs of Beijing.
Daxing district
Banbidian Forest Park, Beijing Breeding Center for Endangered
Animals, Beiputuo Film and TV Studio, China Press Museum, Nanhaizi
Milu Park
Banbidian Forest Park lies in Banbidian Village Daxing District,
35 kilometers south from Beijing Downtown Area. The park has planted
180,000 trees with more than 30 species as poplar, willow, peach,
pear, mulberry, Chinese toon, pine, cypress and so on.
It has divided into many areas as the Dense Forest Area, Orchard,
Four Season Flower Area, Memorizing Forest Area and Friendship
Forest Area. Walking along the pathway in the dense forest, one
can breathe the fresh air and enjoy the cool climate especially
in hot summer. At before, it was a large area of waste sand land
but through the efforts from both government and the locals, it
has become the largest man-made forest park in Beijing.
In recent years, it has built many new scenic spots and added
more amusement facilities. Adults could enjoy themselves in the
Hunting Ground, Color Bullet Shooting Range, Forest Hammock, Bonfire
Party as well as the Thousand Meters Fresco and the Labyrinth
on Water Land. While the children could play in the interesting
Childrens Amusement Park, Animal Garden and Forest Castle. Besides,
the Xingminghu Holiday Village and Lvyin Hotel with well-equipped
facilities and various entertainment activities will make your
tour more comfortable and colorful.
Beijing Breeding Center for Endangered Animals is located in
Yufa Village Daxing District. The center holds more than 2,000
wild animals with over 40 species. And some of them have listed
as the first rank of the national protection animals in China.
Currently, it has already built many viewing areas including
the Chinese Pheasant Garden, Snow Leopard Garden, Swan Lake, Lemur
Island, Macaque Feeding Area, Australia Ostrich Area, Grave Land
of the Extinct Animals and so on. Visitors could see the animals
in a close distance at the free-ranging area and they can also
see many rare species only found in China or being extinct.
Beiputuo Film and TV Studio locates in Yinghai Village Daxing
County, 20 kilometers away from Beijing city proper. Occupying
an area of 300,000 square meters, it is a large and multifunctional
film and TV studio that combines sightseeing, movie shooting and
movie learning and training together. It is the third largest
film and TV studio in China after the Wuxi and Zhuozhou film and
TV studios run by CCTV. The main constructions inside are the
Ming and Qing style.
Beiputuo Film and TV Studio possesses of more than 20 scenic
areas with over 50 scenes. Many old-timey architectures like the
Garden of the Dreams of Red Chamber, Beiputuo Temple, Ancient
Town in Ming and Qing Period, Pottery Art Gallery, Gardens of
Pine, Plum and Bamboo and an Ancestral Temple for Commemorating
CaoXueqin (the renowned writer who has written Dreams of Red Chamber---
one of the four great classics in China). Besides, there are many
activities about traditional folk custom and unique Chinese culture
as temple fair, acrobatics on the overpass, throwing the embroidery
ball and so on.
China Press Museum, which locates in Daxing District, was opened
to public in 1996. It is the largest press museum around the world
at present.
Covering an area of 8,100 square meters, China Press Museum possesses
many exhibition halls as Exhibition Hall of the Headstream in
Ancient Times, Latter-day Exhibition Hall, Press Equipment Exhibition
Hall and Comprehensive Hall. Besides, the museum also has some
theme exhibitions including the Cash Press, Money Press, Excellent
Presswork, European Press in Early Ages and so on.
China is the home to Printing---one of the four great inventions
in ancient China. And it has made great contribution to the worlds
civilization. The aim of the China Press Museum is to spread the
splendid press culture to the world as well as carrying through
the patriotism education to the youth.
Nanhaizi Milu Park lies in Luquan Village Daxing County, 14 kilometers
south from Beijing downtown area. Covering an area of over 60
hectares, Nanhaizi---the former Imperial Hunting Park with swamp,
grassland, pond and woodland boasts the best living habitat for
the milu deer. And it is known as the first nature reserve for
free-ranging milu deers in China.
Milu, also called Si Bu Xiang in Chinese, was once an indigenous
species living in the central swamps of China. About 1,000 years
ago, due partly to human encroachment and natural disasters, the
species became extinct in its original habitat. The only survivors
were a few hundred milu living in the former Imperial Hunting
Park in South Beijing during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). In
1865, a French missionary and naturalist, Pere Armand David, discovered
this rare species, and sent some of the deer to France. From then
on, the deer gained the name of "Pere David's deer"
in honor of the French missionary. Later on, milu were sent out
of China to zoos and private parks in Europe. It was in 1985,
the milu has finally returned to its home and was first bred in
Nanhaizi Milu Park. From then on, the milu deer lives happily
in its original habitat and has multiplied quickly.
Besides, the park has also introduced many other kinds of animals
of the family cervid like the red deer, water deer, spotted deer,
sambar, roe, hog deer, white-lipped deer and so on. It really
is a museum of the cervid family.
Dongcheng district
China Art Gallery, Imperial College, Royal Ancestral Temple, Temple
of Earth, Zhihua Temple
China Art Gallery is located at the Wusi Avenue in Dongcheng
District, Beijing. Opened to public at 1963, it is a national
level art gallery focused on displaying, collecting and researching
the art works of the artists in China modern times.
China Art Gallery covers the areas of 30,000 square meters with
its construction acreage of 17,051 square meters. And its exhibition
hall is 6,000 square meters. It was one of the ten major constructions
in the tenth anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Republic
of China. It is a classic building with strong folk flavor. The
main construction is the modern building imitates the ancient
attic style with the top decorated by the yellow glazed tiles
and the corridors and pavilions around. It is also filled with
the distinctive nationality construction style. The high multi-eaved
roof section of the central portion of the building is balanced
on both sides by long corridor and the creamy brick walls blends
harmoniously with the colorful glazed tile decorations on the
pillars, giving the entire facade a tasteful appearance.
There are totally 13 exhibition halls in the gallery with more
than 60,000 fine art works in the modern times and from the folks
including excellent works with different time features and different
art styles like Chinese paintings, canvases, prints, sculptures,
Spring Festival pictures, funnies, picture posters, pencil sketches,
iconography, watercolor paintings, varnish paintings. It also
includes the folk art works like puppets, shadow play works, paper-cuts,
kites, mud toys, embroideries and so on. Besides, the gallery
also holds large-scale art exhibitions every year, for instance,
the exhibition of commemorating Xu Beihongs one hundred years
birthday, the real painting exhibition of Picasso, national art
exhibition, individual painting exhibitions, collective painting
exhibitions, film exhibitions, calligraphy exhibitions, children's
painting and folk fine works exhibitions. With the fine collections,
the gallery has attracted many art lovers. It is also considered
as the window to show the Chinese modern art works and the art
exchange center with the foreign countries.
Imperial College, which called Guozijian in Chinese, is located
at the western side of the Confucian Temple in Andingmennei Chengxian
Street at Dongcheng district, Beijing and neighboring the Confucian
Temple. It was initially built in 1306 in Yuan dynasty and was
recognized as the highest institute of learning in China's traditional
educational system in Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.
The Imperial College, namely the Guozijian, was the central national
institute of learning in Chinese dynasties after the Sui. Imperial
Academies were located in the national capital of each dynasty
-- Chang'an, Luoyang, Kaifeng, and Nanjing. Starting with the
Ming dynasty there were two Imperial Colleges, one in Nanjing
and one in Beijing.
The buildings of the Beijing Imperial College is facing south
with the central axes distributing the Jixian Gate, Taixue Gate,
Colored Glaze Torii, Piyong Hall, Yilun Hall and the Jingyi Pavilion.
Piyong Hall, the main hall of Guozijian, stands in a courtyard
lush with ancient trees and is surrounded by a pool with four
fine-carved stone bridge over it. It was the place that the Qing
emperors gave lectures following their coronation. Besides numerous
Chinese intellectuals, the College also has many foreign students
from Japan, Korea and some other Asian countries. So the Imperial
College was not only served as an educational administration but
also a culture exchange center.
The Royal Ancestral Temple (Tai Miao) is located at the east
part of the Tiananmen Rostrum in Dongcheng district, Beijing.
Covering an area of 139,650 square meters, it was built in the
Ming dynasty in year 1420 and known as the place that the Ming
and Qing emperors used to offer sacrifices to their ancestors.
And it is one of the most well preserved intact Ming architecture
building groups.
The rectangular temple is 475 meters long from south to north
and 294 meters wide from east to west. There are three rings of
walls that divide the entire temple into front, middle and back
sections. The main hall, 11 bays wide and four bays deep, stands
at the center of the whole construction group, covering an area
of 2,240 square meters. With a double-eave hip roof, the hall
rests on a three-layered white marble Sumeru base surrounded by
stone railings. The beams and columns are covered in sandalwood
and nanmu decorations made of rare spun gold. There are 15 rooms
located on both sides of the main hall. Before it to the south
is a spacious courtyard with long corridors enclosing it on each
side. At the southern end of the courtyard is a compound with
a pavilion and several exquisite stone bridges spanning the Golden
River (Jinshuihe). The Royal Ancestral Temple is also famous for
its cypress trees, most of which are hundreds of years old.
After the founding of the Peoples Republic of China in the Labor
Day of 1950, according to the suggestion of the prime minister
Zhou Enlai, the Royal Ancestral Temple was renamed as the Labor
Peoples Culture Palace and used as the learning and training place
for all the capital workers. And in the main southern gate, there
is hanging the inscription of Labor Peoples Culture Palace (Lao
Dong Ren Min Wen Hua Gong in Chinese) which written by Chinas
great leader Mao Zedong.
Temple of Earth, namely the Ditan Park, is located at the east
side of the Andingmenwai Dajie in Dongcheng district, Beijing.
Temple of Earth, which built in 1530 in Ming dynasty, was used
as the place that the emperors of Ming and Qing dynasty to offer
the sacrifice to the God of Earth. And it is the biggest and the
only well preserved altar for sacrificing the earth.
Occupying an area about 37.4 hectares, the park is a tranquil
place with many lush green pines and cypresses. The temples and
altars are setting among those trees. With its long history, it
is a divinely imperial altar and temple garden. It mainly has
the Fangze Altar, Imperial Respecting House, Sacrifice Slaughtering
Pavilion, Fast Palace and the Divine Warehouse. Among those ancient
architectures, the Fangze Altar, which also called Worship Platform,
is the main building. Covering an area of 17,689 square meters,
it is a magnificent altar of the world first class with two floors.
Besides, in recent years, the park has built some new attractions
including the Beijing Wax Museum, China Rose Garden, Peony Garden
and the Collecting Fragrance Garden which have added more views
and charming sights to the Temple of Earth Park. In addition,
the entertainment activities including the Mini-Golf Course, the
free Children Amusement Park, Gate Ball and others could also
please the visitors.
Zhihua Temple, which located at the Lumicang Hutong in Dongcheng
District in Beijing, is a Buddhist Temple with the intact wooden
structure of Ming architecture style. The temple initially built
by Wang Zhen who was a powerful eunuch of the Ming imperial court
in 1443 as his private temple. Covering an area of 20,000 square
meters, the temple is exquisite and grandeur.
From the temple gate inwards, there are in turn the Clock Pavilion
and the Drum Pavilion, the Gate of Wisdom and Cultivation, the
Hall of Wisdom and Cultivation, the Hall of Great Wisdom, the
Tibetan Hall, the Hall of Tathagata, the Hall of Great Sorrow
and so on. Among them, the Hall of Tathagata is the most exquisite
and elegant, which has two storeys and enshrines the Statue of
Tathagata. On the upper floor, there are more than 9,000 little
niches in the walls, and therefore it is also called Pavilion
of Ten-Thousand Buddha. On the top of the bright room inside the
pavilion, there are eight exquisitely carved sunk panels with
gorgeous decorations and gold foils. The edges of the sunken panels
are carved into little palaces, pavilions and shrines, complicatedly
decorated. They are rarely seen among the extant ancient structures
in China. However from 1930 to 1934, some monks stole and sold
them, which are now preserved in the Nelson Museum in United States.
The Zhuanlunzai (Wheel Carrier) in the Tibetan Hall is an octagonal
wooden structure with a pedestal built of white marble. Engraved
on the cabinets are patterns of golden-wing birds in relief, dragon
girls, immortals, lions and beasts. These well-designed patterns
are exquisite artistic works, showing a lot of imagination.
The temple houses 1,521 pieces of historical relics, and a set
of wood blocks for printing the Great Buddhist Scriptures. They
are the only existing official wood blocks for printing Chinese-character
Buddhist scriptures in the country. But the most valuable cultural
relics here are the temple music and music scores dating back
to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) with more than 500 years history,
which is known as one of the oldest forms of traditional Chinese
music and considered as the living fossil of the ancient music.
Temple music at Zhihua Temple consisted of instrumental music
or capital music, Jingyinyue (a kind of slow and quiet music including
Buddhist, folk and imperial palace music) and Buddhist songs.
It is a rare and precious national treasure with high values on
history, science and art.
Fangshan district
Baicaopan Scenic Spot, Donghugang Scenic Spot, Jiangjuntuo Scenic
Spot, Longxian Palace, Muesum of the Ruins of the Yan State Capital
in Western Zhou Dynasty, Old Pagodas in Fangshan District, Pingxi
Anti-Japanese Martyr Cemetery, Puwa Hunting Ground, Shangfangshan
National Forest Park, Shi Du Scenic Spot, Shihua Cave, Xianqi
Cave, Xihugang Scenic Spot, Yinhu Cave, Yun Ju Temple , Zhangfang
Ancietn Battle Way
Baicaoban Scenic Area is located in Simatai Village Xiayunling
Township in Fangshan District, 120 kilometers away from Beijing
city proper. With an altitude of 2161 meters, it is known as the
first peak in the southwester part of Beijing, and it is also
the only tourist site, which can be directly reached to the top
of the mountain by car in Beijing.
Baicaopan is scenically attractive with a variety of habitat,
including larch forests, alpine meadows, widespread deciduous
cover, extensive areas of shrubs and rocky slopes. More than 1,100
plant and 170 animal species, including brown-eared pheasants
and leopards are growing in the area. Lots of birds are also interested
in the well-protected forest. Part of the plateau of Baicaopan
is covered in alpine meadows which provides ideal grazing ground
for the brown-eared pheasant. As a natural botanical garden with
more than 700 various kinds of trees, the area is famous for its
yields of peaches, plums, apricots, persimmons, pears, walnuts,
chestnuts and other fruits. With over 300 precious birds and many
animals there, Baicaopan ca be also viewed as a wild zoo.
Unlike other mountainous areas in Beijing, even the highest peaks
here are accessible to non-mountaineers and can be reached with
relative ease along ridge walks. A cement passage was established
in 2003 and tour buses can also take tourists to the top of the
mountain. With abundant natural resources, Baicaopan Scenic Spot
has many beautiful views including the Kunpeng Valley, grassland
on the hill, holy caves, fairy road, 8 scenic spots on the mountain
and 8 scenic spots under the mountain.
Donghugang Scenic Spot locates inside the famous Shidu Tourist
Resort in Fangshan District, about 107 kilometers away from Beijing
downtown area. Donghugang Scenic Spot, the famous holiday resort
with green and healthy tour, has listed as the state-ranked geological
park.
Walking through the iron cable bridge, visitors could enter the
scenic spot with lush green trees, peculiar peaks and limpid springs.
Winding bines can be found everywhere in the valley, which is
ancient and mysterious. The wonderful waterfall of three folds
has three layers of different falls, running down straightly and
the waterfall is striking the stone with the water splashing down
to all directions; The first ladder in the north China is built
along the cliff for mountain climbers with the view of looking
at all the mountains from the cloudy ladder; The echo waterfall
is one of the famous sceneries in Donghugang. Water falls from
the top like silver pearls and strikes the bottom of the pool.
Donghugang Scenic Spot has abundant natural resources; various
plants and animals are growing very well there. With charming
natural views, Donghugang Scenic Spot is a very good tourist destination
for visitors.
Jiangjuntuo Scenic Spot lies in Tanmugang Village Hebei Town,
20 kilometers northwest from the city proper of Fangshan District.
As a natural scenic area of ecological type, it covers a total
area of 112-hectare with Orchard accounts for 24.7-hectare and
Viewing Woods account for 15-hectare. There are apricot trees,
peach trees, apple trees, walnut trees and persimmons, etc. White
chrysanthemum, Chinese thorowax, radix adenophorae, wild ginger,
capsule of weeping forsythia, balloonflower and some other herbs
could be found in Herbs Garden.
Longxian Palace locates in Dongguanshang Village Zhangfang Town
in Fangshan District. Covering an area of 10,000 square meters,
it is regarded as The First Hall in Northern China. The wonderful
sceneries have been formed by chemical deposits with unique characteristics
nearly 10 million years ago. While at there, visitors could see
the rare and precious stalagmite of palm-shape and squirrel fossil.
Visitors are just like being located in the fairyland, which is
colorful and great. And it will surely be a happy tour for all
the visitors.
The ruins of the Yan State Capital in Western Zhou Dynasty were
excavated in Liulihe Town Fangshan District during the 1970s providing
strong evidence that Beijing was an ancient civilized capital
city 3,045 years ago.
A museum was built on the ruins, featuring two tombs and unearthed
relics such as China's biggest bronze tripod, lacquerware, pottery,
zax, spicula, bone hairpin, copper sword and jade crafts. And
it has opened to public in 1995 under the state protection. Covering
an area of 20,667 square meters, the museum is a group of pavilion-shaped
building with Tang dynastys architecture style. It composes of
exhibition hall, storeroom, two grave areas and two delves with
horses and gharries. Many historical relics with great value has
unearthed from the ruins. Those precious art collectors represent
the creativity, ability and wisdom of ancient Chinese. And they
have do great contribution to the development of the human civilization.
With a total area of 2,019 square kilometers, Fangshan District
lies in the southwest suburb of Beijing. With abundant natural
resources and historical relics, Fangshan District has attracted
many visitors as a famous tourist resort.
At present, there are totally 107 old pagodas in Fangshan District
that account for nearly 50% of the existed old pagodas in Beijing.
With its large amount and various types, it has the reputation
about that--- those pagodas in Fangshan are the best in capital
Beijing. Although the pagodas have stood in the wind for about
thousand years, they have still kept their originals style and
features.
Currently, the well-preserved pagodas are the Liangxiang Haotian
Pagoda, North Pagoda in Yun Ju Temple, Flower Pagoda in Wanfo
Hall, Yanxingdadelingta Pagoda, Grave Pagoda of Yao Guangxiao,
Dougezhuang Pagoda, Zhenjiangying Pagoda and so forth. A majority
of them are pagodas used to commemorate the monks buried there.
Among them, the most typical one is the Liangxiang Haotian Pagoda
which was first built in Liao dynasty with another name Duobaofo
Pagoda. The body of the octagon pagoda is 47.5 meters high. It
is the only pagoda built by airbrick with a five-floor pavilion
style in Beijing area. There are watching holes in the cloister
of each floor with military use during the wartime.
The most famous pagoda is the Tang Pagoda with a large amount.
The oldest pagodas in Fangshan District are seven Tang Pagodas
date back to Tang Dynasty. All of them are stone pagodas built
by white marble. And the most famous one is the Pagoda of Princess
Jinxian---who was the eighth young sister of emperor Xuanzong
in Tang dynasty.
North Pagoda in Yun Ju Temple and Flower Pagoda in Wanfo Hall
also have outstanding architecture style. North Pagoda in Yun
Ju Temple, which also called Arhat Pagoda, was built in Liao dynasty.
It is 30 meters high with the top like a bell and the bottom like
an earthen bowl. The body of the pagoda is a two-floor pavilion
with brick carved fresco about Jiyuetian in the base of the pagoda.
Nowadays, only two pagodas of this style were existed in China.
Flower Pagoda in Wanfo Hall lies in Wanfo Hall Village Hebei Town,
and it was built in year 1070 in Liao dynasty. With 24 meters
high, the upside of the pagoda is like a bamboo shoot. The very
top of the pagoda is densely covered by small niches with each
offering a figure of Buddha. Brick carved animal head are decorated
under each niche. Viewing from a far distance, it likes a blossoming
flower and it is known as the oldest flower pagoda with exact
year in China.
Among the existing Ming pagodas, Grave Pagoda of Yao Guangxiao
lies in the east of Changlesi Village is the typical one. It is
33 meters high with nine-floor of eave style and is an octagon
building with each corner hanging a copper bell. The iron made
pagoda is like a calabash gourd. Besides, the Ming Pagodas as
Dougezhuang Pagoda and Zhenjiangying Pagoda have their own characteristics.
A brick carved lotus petals is the supporting base of the Dougezhuang
Pagoda and its top is also covered by lotus flowers. Zhenjiangying
Pagoda is a stone pagoda of earthen bowl style with a square xumi
base.
The old pagodas in Fangshan District have different features and
styles with different dynasties. All of them are firm in structure,
exquisite in appearance and unique in style. The outstanding craftsmanship
represents great achievement of ancient Chinas architecture art
and culture.
Pingxi Anti-Japanese Martyr Cemetery is located in Shidu Village
Fangshan District, 96 kilometers away from the urban area of Beijing.
Built in 1985, with an area of 25,000 square meters, the cemetery
composes of the Martyr Monument, Pingxi Anti-Japanese Memorial
and 100 Martyr Steles.
Over 50 years ago, Pingxi was a famous anti-Japanese base in west
Beijing. The revolutionists of older generation, such as Ye Jianying,
Pengzhen, Xiaoke, etc. had left their fighting steps there and
tens of thousands of martyrs has sacrificed their life during
the war. Currently, the memorials exhibition hall has mainly collected
and exhibited more than 3000 pieces of precious historical data,
such as real materials, poems and pictures to recall and commemorate
the heroic and lovely martyrs. As the Youth Educational Base of
Beijing Municipality and the National Patriotism Educational Base,
the cemetery has also made great contribution on spreading patriotism
and traditional revolutionary spirit to all the people and reminds
them to cherish the happy life.
Puwa Hunting Ground locates in Puwa Village Fangshan District,
the southwest suburbs of Beijing. Occupying an area of 5,000 mu,
Puwa Hunting Ground has three hunting areas as the natural hunting
area, closed hunting area and old-style hunting area. People could
choose different hunting styles as hunt by gun, by bow or by trap.
The hunting ground has many kinds of wild animals like roe, pheasant,
goat, hare and so on. Besides, the Puwa Hunting Ground also has
some facilities like the Wild Animal Breeding Field, Holiday Resort,
Flying Saucer Shooting Range, Bowling Hall, Tennis Court, Swimming
Pool, etc, which could meet visitors requirement of different
levels. With fresh air, charming natural views and all kinds of
interesting activities, Puwa Hunting Ground is a very good tour
destination for visitors.
Shangfangshan National Forest Park is the most well preserved
virgin forest area in north China. Locates in Hancunhe Town Fangshan
District, Shangfangshan is 70 kilometers away from Beijing downtown
area.
As one of the 20 key demonstrated state forest parks in the whole
country, the park has many famous sceneries including the nine
big caves with the Yunshui Cave as the representative, 12 peaks
with Zhaixingtuo as the representative and 72 temples with Doushuai
Temple as the most splendid one. Visitors could arrive the Doushuai
Temple only after climbing the Cloud Ladder which constitutes
262 stone stairs along the cliff. Shangfangshan Mountain is a
famous Buddhist Mountain, as early as Eastern Han dynasty; many
temples as Doushuai Temple, Zangjing Pavilion and other temples
have been built and trees has been planted here. Shangfangshan
Mountain, therefore, known by the whole China with nine caves,
twelve peaks and seventy-two temples.
The park covers an area of more than 5,300 mu with rare plants
and flowers spread all over the park, among them, over one hundred
are medicinal plants. Xiangchun, Guaizao and Huangjing are called
three treasures as the specialties in Shangfangshan Mountain.
It is a scenic area integrating the forest, cave, temple, mountain
and stone as one whole. A lot of rare and ancient trees are growing
in it, and so it is historically called quiet house near Beijing.
Shangfangshan National Forest Park is famous for the charming
natural view and historical culture relics. It is a very good
place worth visiting.
Yunshui Cave
Yunshui Cave is 613 meters long, consisting of six halls with
108 natural spots. The cave also has the largest stalagmite in
China, topping 37 meters. Various stalagmites and stalactites
of grotesque shapes make the cave a wonderland. At the entrance
of the cave, Mr. Zhao Puchu has written the three characters Yun
Shui Dong in person.
Zhaixingtuo
Zhaixingtuo, also called Tianzhu Peak, is the highest peak in
Shangfangshan Mountain with an elevation of 860 meters. Zhaixingtuo
is the most beautiful peaks with charming natural views among
the twelve peaks in Shangfangshan Mountain.
Doushuai Temple
Doushuai Temple, which also named Shangfang Temple, lies in the
central of the cluster of mountains. It was first built in the
end of Sui and early Tang dynasty. Being rebuilt in Ming dynasty,
the main hall still has the Ming architecture style. While inside
the temple, one could find many historical and culture relics
as the Buddhist scripture, stone carvings, sutras and so on.
Besides, one could also visit the Pagoda Yard, Dizang Hall, Huayan
Cave, Wenshu Hall, Chaoyang Nunnery, Guangci Nunnery, Longhu Valley,
Ziyun Mountain Ranges and so on. Everyone will be attracted by
the beautiful view.
Shi Du (Ten Ferry) Scenic Spot locates in Fangshan District, northwest
suburb of Beijing. Lies in the upper reaches of the Ju Ma River,
it is the only scenic spot that feature with dramatic karst limestone
formations, craggy mountains and winding gullies in north China.
Covering 300 square kilometers, peculiar mountains and limpid
water has formed a beautiful natural landscape, and this scenic
spot has famed as one of the sixteen new views in Beijing.
Ju Ma River originates from Lingqiu County in Shanxi Province.
After flowing down through the valley of the Taihang Mountain,
the water infloods into Fangshan area in Beijing. While in the
30 miles distance, the water has turned ten times in the big bays
and therefore forms ten ferries. Hence, it got the name Ten Ferry
(Shi Du). There are over 20 scenes in the Ten Ferry Scenic Spot.
The First Ferry locates in the east Zhangfang area with pretty
views. Flowing down streams, along the steep cliffs are the ferries
from second to sixth. Visitors could see the main views as Stalagmite
Peak, Penholder Mountain, Thousand-chi Window and so on. While
from the seventh ferry to the tenth ferry, one could view the
most splendid and magnificent view.
The area is like a beautifully painted corridor; crystal clear
rivers cut through the mountains, and water-pools can be found
at the feet of the slopes. Historic sites and cultural relics
are dotted amongst the natural scenery. Entertainment facilities
have been added in recent years so tourists can enjoy bungee jumping,
water-skiing and other outdoor activities. Visitors will surely
enjoy themselves here.
Shihua Cave, which is also called Qianzhen Cave and Shifo Cave,
locates in Nancheying Village Fangshan District, about 50 kilometers
from the urban area of Beijing. Many stone flowers formed by stalagmite
and stalactite were found in the cave, so it got the name Shihua
(Stone Flower). Shihua Cave is one of the four limestone caves
in China together with the famous Reed Flute Cave in Guilin, Yuhua
Cave in Fujian and Yailin Cave in Hangzhou.
Shihua Cave is the representative of limestone caves in northern
China. It can be divided into seven-floor. However, only one to
three floors were opened to public at present with a total length
about 2,500 meters. At here, visitors could see various kinds
of stone flowers and animals like stone monkey, stone lines and
stone peacocks. The cave has six closely linked floors. But only
two floors, measuring a total of 1,222 meters in length, are open
to the public. There is also a cauliflower-shaped crystal-clear
stalactite, the first of its kind ever found in a Chinese limestone
cave. The Shihua Cave has great value on scientific research and
esthetics appreciation.
Xianqi Cave is located in Dongguanshang Village Zhangfang Town
in Fangshan District, 100 kilometers away from the urban area
of Beijing.
At about 500 meters above sea level, the cave contains various
attractions as stalactites, stalagmites, columns, straw, curtains,
flowstones on the wall, stone flowers, stone hairs and stone pearls.
With a length about 4,000 meters, Xianqi Cave can be divided into
three layers. Visitors could boat on a 450-meter waterway to see
the vivid and colorful formations of various types of stalagmite
and stalactite. Stone pagoda, stone fall, stone mirror and stone
lotus with their beautiful and lifelike formation have attracted
many visitors and have great value on scientific research. With
such beautiful natural views, it is known as the Fairyland in
Beijing.
Xihugang Scenic Area is located in Pingyu Village Shidu Town
in Fangshan District at the suburb of Beijing. With 668,000 square
meters, it has more than 20 natural scenic spots like clear and
cool valley, echo wall and so on. There are still water surface
of 5000 square meters with some entertainment items as floating,
bamboo boat, paddleboat and battery boat, etc. Besides the wonderful
water like Guilin, one could also admire the clear fountains,
peculiar cliffs and beautiful waterfall. The 3 bridges, 5 lakes
and 1 waterfall and the wonderful pools and valleys are charming
natural views that will surely attract visitors attention and
offer a wonderful holiday tour for them.
Yinhu Cave (Silver Fox Cave) lies in Xiayingshui Village Fozizhuang
Township in Fangshan District; it is 70 kilometers from Beijing
city proper and is one of the main scenic spot of the water-eroded
caves found in west Beijing. Since there is a fox-shaped snow-white
calcite crystal which is very rare and precious, therefore, the
cave got the name Yinhu (Silver Fox).
The cave is believed to be about 6,000 meters long and is the
largest of its kind in North China. Only half has been explored
and opened to tourists. The cave is like a maze with the main
cave, branch cave, water cave and dry cave interveined vertically
and horizontally. Besides the common sights in a water-eroded
cave like stone shield, stone flag, stone pearl and some others,
one could also found several dozens of underground rare sights
as the bashful jade rabbit, crystal jade bamboo, Great Wall balefire,
sitting image of the giant, etc. But the most superb and appealing
one is the two-meter long silver fox with cats head and foxs body.
With its vivid and lifelike shape, it can be viewed as the national
treasure of China. The underground river is 1500 meters long in
the cave and the boat can float in it and there are various microelements
as strontium, lithium, zinc, manganese, iron, fluorine, vanadium,
boron and magnesium in the clear water, which have wonderful treatment
effectiveness and very good to human body. Yinhu Cave could not
only offer beautiful natural views to visitors but also has great
value on the research of hydrology and geology.
Yun Ju Temple is located at the foot of Bai Dai Mountain within
the boundary of Fangshan district, southwest of Beijing, 70 kilometers
from Beijing city proper. To the east is Shangfangshan Mountain
while to the west is the Ju Ma River.
Covering an area about 70,000 square meters, it is a treasure
house composed of sutra storing caves in Stone Sutra Mountain
and pagoda groups dates back to Tang and Liao dynasty with ancient
Buddhist culture features. Yun Ju Temple is the assembling place
of the Buddhist classics. Stone sutra, paper sutra and wood block
sutra inside the temple claim to be the Three Superbs. They have
great value in the research of studying the ancient history and
culture and are the precious culture relics under state protection.
Yun Ju Temple was built at the end of Sui Dynasty and the beginning
of Tang Dynasty. Through the repair of successive dynasties it
has 5 courtyards and 6 palaces with side halls, emperor's palace,
monk rooms and guest room stand in each side. It is built against
the mountain and broad in scale. The south pagoda and the north
pagoda stand facing each other.
With 9 sutra caves on the mountain slope, Stone Sutra Mountain
has an elevation of 450 meters. Among the caves, Lei Yin Cave
has an open style. It is wide like a palace with stone sutras
carved by Monk Jing Wan mounted on the inside walls. There are
4 stone pillars in the cave with 1056 carved Buddhist figures.
Hence it got the name Thousand-Buddha Pillars. There are totally
about 4196 pieces of stone sutra stored in the 9 caves. Two pagodas
on the Stone Sutra Mountain were built in Tang Dynasty 1200 years
ago. At present, 7 pagodas of Tang Dynasty, 5 pagodas of Liao
Dynasty and other upright stone tablets of Sui and Tang dynasties
has well-preserved in Yun Ju Temple.
Zhangfang Ancient Battle Way is located in Zhangfang Ancient
Town Fangshan District, 80 kilometers away from the urban area
of Beijing. As the ancient battle way is measured at the first
stage, it is about 1500 meters long and more than 500 meters have
been repaired and opened to public.
Zhangfang Ancient Battle Way, which could date back to Song and
Liao Period, is known as the only ancient military establishment
discovered around Beijing with the weapon room, commanding room,
resting room, living room and life facilities and has great value
for the research of ancient military, politics and construction.
With 2 meters wide and 2.3 meters high, the underground battle
way was built by bricks. Launder and water urn were built along
side. Visitors could also see the oil lamps on the wall, blowholes
at the top and one deep water well in the tunnel.
Fengtai district
Beijing Dabaotai Museum of the Western Han Mausoleum, Wanping
City, World Park
Beijing Dabaotai Museum of the Western Han Mausoleum lies in
the south of the guogong village in Fengtai district. It is close
to the World Park. Opening at 1982, the museum is established
at the mausoleum of the western Han dynasty.
The mausoleum is recognized as the tomb of Liu Jian (who was a
king of the western Han dynasty) and his concubines. It is an
underground palace with huge timberwork project. The mausoleum
was built according to the bury standard of the king of Han dynasty.
It composes of the front house, back house, toilet, cloister,
corridor and the outer wall. Relics like bronzes, irons, jades,
lacquer wares, agate ornaments, gold foils, pottery, silk goods
are unearthed together with 3 chariots and 11 horses, which are
so-called chariots on scarlet-spotted wheels with blue cover specially
made for princes and kings. Besides, visitors can also participate
in the activity of Touhu Ceremony and the simulating work of the
archeological excavation.
As the only well-preserved large mausoleum site of the Western
Han Dynasty in China, the underground palace with chariots and
horses is of great significance to the study of Chinese culture,
history and archeology.
Wanping City locates in the Fengtai District in Beijing. It is
a historical site that close to the famous Marco Polo Bridge (Lugou
Qiao in Chinese). First built in Ming dynasty in 1640, Wanping
City has a long history. It is well known in the modern geopolitics
since Marco Polo Bridge Incident in 1937, and the current wall
still retain Japanese bullet holes.
With 640 meters from west to east and 320 meters from north to
south, Wanping City is smaller than the average town. It was first
built for military use; many soldiers lived here in Ming dynasty.
It only has two city gates, to the east is the Shunzhi Gate and
to the west is the Weiyan Gate, with a flagging connecting together.
Along the two sides of the streets placed many caserns and posthouses.
The high and firm rampart of Wanping City was built in brick and
stone, with a city tower places in each side. Battlements around
the rampart were used to cover and shoot in the war.
Being an important war site and historical place, around Wanping
City are many commemorating buildings of the Anti-Japanese War
including the Chinese Peoples Anti-Japanese War Memorial, the
Martyr Cemetery of the Anti-Japanese War and the Sculpture Garden
of the Anti-Japanese War. It is an important culture relics that
under the government protection.
World Park lies in the southwestern Fengtai District in Beijing,
16 kilometers from the city proper. It features 106 miniatures
of the most famous sites from 14 countries and regions around
the world. The World Park has offered tourists a chance to view
the world and experience the colorful folk customs within one
day in one place.
The park covers an area of 46.7 hectares. The layout is modeled
after the five continents and four oceans, incorporating different
spectacles and folklore of the world. Most of the architectural
structures are built of marble, some with exquisite carvings.
These reproductions are vivid. The park includes most of the recognized
spots of interest on the globe. Among these are the Wooden Pagoda
in China's Ying County, the world's oldest and best-preserved
wooden pagoda, the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, the Pharoas
of Alexandria and Eiffel Tower in Paris. China's Qingyingjing
Park, Japan's Katzura Imperial Villa, and an old-style garden
of the US are grouped together to represent the splendor of the
world's different gardening styles and in recognition of the many
distinctive forms which landscape gardening has taken in China.
Lawns in the park are dotted with 100 well-known sculptures, among
them the Statue of Liberty, the Little Mermaid from Copenhagan,
Michelangelo's David and the Venus de Milo. Besides, the park
also has an entertainment area where people could taste the cuisine
of various countries and buy the souvenirs of various countries.
The park also has a fountain operated by laser beams, a plant
maze and a fairyland in which children and adults alike can enjoy
themselves. Regular international parades of folklore are planned
to provide the tourist with a chance to view folk customs from
different countries. Since it opened in 1993, the Beijing World
Park has attracted numerous visitors. Besides, the park has added
new items every year. Of China's theme parks, the Beijing World
Park is outstanding in term of its exquisite architecture, rich
and colorful activities and cultural atmosphere. Visitors can
travel the world in one day, and the park has become a window
displaying the culture of various countries.
Haidian district
Baiwangshan Forest Park, Beijing Botanical Garden, Cherry Valley
, Dajue Temple, Fenghuangling Scenic Spot, Jiufeng National Forest
Park, Purple Bamboo Garden , West Hill National Forest Park, Yangtai
Mountain Scenic Spot, Yuyuantan Park,
Located in northwest Beijing's mountainous area, three kilometers
north of the Summer Palace, Baiwangshan Forest Park covers an
area about 134 hectares and the mountain peak is 210 meters high.
With 95% forest coverage, the park is known as the Oxygen Source
of Beijing City. It was a famous battle site in the Northern Song
Dynasty (960-1127), where Song's army fought against Liao [Qitan
(916-1125), a small kingdom in ancient northern China].
Baiwangshan Forest Park has a tranquil environment with distinctive
charming views in four seasons. In spring, all the trees and plants
began to turn green. The twittering birds, the limpid streams
and the fresh air all together present a beautiful view to visitors.
While in the hot summer, the deep forest park remains relatively
cool and it is an ideal place for preventing sunstroke. Strolling
and wandering along the path with friends and families or just
sitting behind a verdant tree---listening to the birds twittering
and smelling the sweet flowers, it will simply bring good mood
and peace to ones inner heart. In autumn, people can see the splendid
view of the red leaves in the whole mountain range. Red leaves
and beautiful flowers cannot be seen in winter. Only some evergreen
trees still stand in the chilly air. However, when the snow comes,
all the trees are wearing a white coat, which are very beautiful
too. Besides, there are many historical and cultural sites in
the park including the Temple of Shetaijun, Friendship Pavilion
built by a Japanese friend, Platform for Educating Children, Monument
of the Heishanhu Anti-Japanese War and so on. There is also a
special Stele Forest of Capital Green Culture, which is used to
display the epigraph of the state leader and many renowned people
and the works of the painting and calligraphy artists. The main
aim of the stele forest is to spread the building of the green
culture and maintain the traditional Chinese culture.
Baiwangshan Forest Park is also an ideal place for hikers. It
offers many sports and interesting activities here including the
Directional Cross-Park Race, the Rock Climbing Activity and the
Flying Down Activity. People will have fun in those activities
while they can exercise their body at the same time. The park
has opened to public in 1992, and has gradually become a multifunctional
park with education, arts, physical training and touring together.
Cherry Valley is a beautiful park that lies in the north edge
of the Beijing Botanical Garden in the western outskirts of Beijing
City.Waking west from the Temple of the Recumbent Buddha, one
will come to a narrow, winding path which leads to a tranquil
and secluded valley. The valley was called the End of Water in
Ming dynasty while named the Retreat Valley in Qing dynasty. However,
it was well known by the name Cherry Valley. There are also some
lines that the former person used to eulogize the grand view of
the valley:
With thousands of cherry blossomed in spring;
People want to see the beautiful view eagerly.
Nowadays though there are not so many cherries like before, the
poetic name Cherry Valley was broadly called and being known by
more and more people.
There are many flowers and trees planted along the narrow and
tranquil valley with mountains aside and a limpid stream flow
through. At the hillside along the entrance of the Cherry Valley,
there is the site of the Longjiao Temple which built in Ming dynasty.
To the west of Longjiao Temple, Sun Chengze (a personage lived
in the late Ming and early Qing dynasty) once constructed aTuiweng
Pavilion here. However, both of those ancient constructions cannot
be seen nowadays only with some steles leaved.
Entering Cherry Valley, there is a small artificial reservoir.
Many brooks and cascades were formed in its lower reach. One can
hear the rushing water of a small brook bounded on either side
by numerous strange rock formations. At several points along the
stream, pools have formed which are used for swimming, rearing
fish and irrigating the nearby fields. Along the stream toward
the northwest, numerous species of wild flowers and fragrant grasses
grow. Along the stream in the direction of the mouth of the valley,
the sound of a bubbling spring can be heard. The clear spring
trickles between rocky crevices and forms tiny rivulets that wind
their way in and out of strange stone formations. The cascading
water plays a continually changing melody as it splashes against
the rocks.
Not far away from the reservoir, there stands a stone cliff which
has the inscription of eight Chinese characters Lu Shu Xian Ji,
Tui Gu You Qi. To the northwest is a finely caved small white
marble bridge which moved from the mansion of Prince Duan in Beijing.
Three Chinese characters Hong Xing Qiao (Red Star Bridge) in the
bridge written by a famous writer and a renowned person Guo Moruo.
By crossing this bridge and following a mountain path, one will
come to a large, high stone stairway. At the top pf the steps
is a small gate inscribed with the words "Deer Crag Lodge."
Crossing the threshold, one enters the Cherry Valley Garden. A
stairway providing a series of contrasting vistas rises to the
beginning of a narrow, winding trail. There are several small
cabins and bowers here, half hidden in the shade of the trees.
Earthen terraces are faintly visible on the slopes of the stony
peak. Lush bamboos bow to the wind and wild flowers bloom in abundance.
The view is like a finely drown Chinese painting. Everyone who
visits here will surely attract by the beautiful and exquisite
landscape.
Located at the foot of Mount Yangtai, northwest of Haidian District,
Beijing City, Dajue Temple was built in year 1068 during the Liao
dynasty. It was once called Clear Spring Court and was known as
one of the famous Eight Grand Spring Courts in West Hill at that
time.
The rolling hills in Dajue Temple Scenic Spot are sometimes said
to resemble a sleeping lion. The vista of two flanking temples,
the Lotus Temple and the Temple of Universal Grace-sitting atop
Hills to the west and east of the Dajue Temple, is popularly described
as "A lion Rolling Two Embroidered Balls" or "A
Buddha and Two Bodhisattvas." The principal structures in
the temple are the Maitreya (Future Buddha) Hall, the main hall,
the rear hall, the northern and southern courtyards and a peaceful
courtyard at the very rear of the complex. The roof brackets and
columns of the halls date from the early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
The spring in Dajue Temple has been a very famous place since
ancient times. Nowadays, the water is still collected in the dragon
pool and then runs in little rivulets through the temple grounds,
lending a tranquil atmosphere. The spring flows by the Qiyun (Restful
Clouds) Pavilion in the rear courtyard. Along the spring is a
stupa which stands at the highest point in the temple complex.
Inside the temple is a Liao Dynasty (916-1125) stele of more than
1,000 years. Although the carving is blurred and the stele itself
has broken into two pieces, most of the inscription remains legible.
Dajue Temple is best known for its Yulan trees that planted almost
300 years ago. The finest is the magnolia. It is said that a monk
brought two of the specimens found in the southern courtyard from
Sichuan during the Qianlong era, and one of them survives today.
Another magnolia in the northern courtyard was transplanted about
100 years ago, and grows alongside a ginkgo tree. Every April
in each year is considered to be the best time for viewing Yulan.
And a Yulan Fragrance Festival would be hold there.
Dajue Temple has many charming views. The temple halls, with their
fine statues and old trees in the courtyards, attract many visitors.
Dajue Temple is really a very good place worth visiting.
Fenghuangling Scenic Spot is located inside the Farm of West
Outskirts in northwestern Haidian District, Beijing City. Covering
an area about 15.33 square kilometers, the park boasts beautiful
natural scenery and historical relics. It is reputed as the Small
Yellow Mountain.
With the lush green mountain, limpid water, peculiar stones and
fresh air, the park is considered to be the Natural Air Conditioner
of Beijing City. Occupying a large area, Fenghuangling Scenic
Spot has three touring routes including the middle, south and
the north route.
The middle route starts at the Longquan Temple (Dragon Spring
Temple), which was first built in Liao dynasty. Longquan Temple
is a culture resort which spread the Taoism, Buddhism and some
local religions. Waking along the mountain, people can see the
Immortal Cave, the Three-Buddha Cave, the Xuanyuan Cave and the
Xiuxian Chair. Those four caves were carved in Liao dynasty and
known to be the place that the ordinary people preserved his health
and became the immortals. Other sights like the Golden Dragon
Bridge, Kwan-yin Palace, Lord Weis Palace, White Pagoda Reservoir
and the Shadow Pavilion can be also found in this route.
The south route is the place for religion, archeology and exploration.
Huangpu Yard, Guandi Temple and Lvzu Cave constitute a triangle
zone which has rich religion culture including the Buddhism, Taoism
and Confucianism. Besides, a large amount of hickories stand in
the Hickory Valley. People can enjoy in the green hickory forest
and eat the hickory in autumn. There is also a limpid stream called
Molianshi River flowing through the valley. It is said that the
water in the river contains many microelements which are good
to human health. People who often drink the water here will be
longevity and far away from illness. The water also has assistant
curative effect.
With so many scenic spots and the perfect combination of the mountain
and water, the north route is the most favorable one for visitors.
While on the way, people can appreciate the peculiar stone and
peaks, explore deep caves, enjoy the flying cascades and seeing
about the ancient temple and pagodas. The main sights along this
route are the ancient temple and famous tower including the Geyi
Nunnery, Shangfang Temple, Linglong Pagoda, Moya Stone Tower and
the Feilai Stone Tower; the deep and serene caves like the Kwan-yin
Cave, Xiuxian Cave, Cangzhen Cave and Old Ape Cave; the flying
cascades and streams as the Castalia Fountain, the Yijing Pool,
the Water-dropping Rock, the Cetacean Back and the Golden Dragon
Pool. The famous Sky Ladder can also be seen in this route.
In short, the Fenghuangling Scenic Spot has many historical sites
and beautiful natural sceneries. And it has suggested being a
very good tourist attraction for visitors.
Jiufeng National Forest Park is situated in Haidian District,
the northwestern part of Beijing city. Only 2 kilometers away
from Zhongguancun High-tech Garden and 18 kilometers northwest
of the Summer Palace. Jiufeng literally means the Golden Eagle
Peak. Looking from a far distance, two mountain peaks stand and
face with each other, as it were a vivid golden eagle which flapping
the wings and preparing to fly. Therefore, the park got the name
Jiufeng (Golden Eagle Peak).
Jiufeng National Forest Park is rich in natural resources. It
occupies a space of more than 800 hectares with 96.2% are forests.
With 684 species of the vegetation, the park can be called the
natural treasure house of the green vegetations. For many years,
the park is not only served as the teaching, researching and practicing
place for the Beijing Forest University and six other universities,
every year there are also many pupils and middle school students
come to the park and held some scientific activities including
planting trees, investigating the diversity of the biology, collecting
and making samples and so on.
Jiufeng National Forest Park has an annual average temperature
about 12.2 C. The peak, which ranked the second in Haidian District,
is 1153 meters high. The whole park contains three scenic areas
including the Jiufeng Central Scenic Area, the Zhaieryu Vale Area
and the Luobadi Mountaintop Area. The Jiufeng Central Scenic Area
mainly has some historical and cultural sites and many natural
views. At there, people can find as many as 28 scenic spots and
most of them are historical sites like the Kwan-yin Cave, the
first Earthquake Platform built by the Chinese government, Xiangtang
Temple built in Qing dynasty, Xiufeng Temple in Ming dynasty,
Puzhao Temple in Jin dynasty and many others. The main view in
Zhaieryu Vale Area is the man-made forest sights, the peculiar
stones and various ornamental plants. It is also a main road to
the Niangniang Temple in Miaofeng Mountain for burning incense.
Visitors can also see many scenic spots along the vale. Luobadi
Mountaintop Area lies in an altitude of over 900 meters. Vast
forest, millions of wild flowers and alp meadows constitute a
unique and charming view. About 14 scenic spots as the Yangliulang
Pogada and the Air Garden are add more beauty to this area. The
Jiufeng Mountain is also a paradise of the small animals. Pheasant,
hare, roe, squirrel and any other kind of birds are living in
here happily and harmoniously.
For the sake of better protecting and using the existing resources,
the park has built many facilities, and has already maintained
and rebuilt many historical sites in the park. Besides, a Plum-blossom
Garden, a Wild Tree-peony Garden and a Peony Garden are under
building in the park. They will definitely add more charming views
to the park.
Purple Bamboo Garden is located at the south edge of Bai Shi
Qiao Road in Hai Dian District, Beijing City. With its eastern
gate directly across the street from Capital Gymnasium, the park,
which is called Zizhuyuan Park in Chinese, is one of the seven
largest parks in Beijing.
The Purple Bamboo Garden is featured by a large variety of bamboos.
There are more than 54 bamboo species with more than 500,000 bamboos
planted here. Among them the most famous one is the purple bamboo
with a large amount. The park has a total area about 140,000 square
meters including three lakes and two islets with bamboos standing
everywhere.
The Purple Bamboo Garden has a long history. According to early
records, before the third century it formed the upper reaches
of the Gaoliang (Sorghum) River with a famous Gaoliang Bridge
stood nearby to the east. In the Ming Dynasty, the bridge was
a favorite spot for city people on the Tomb-sweeping Day, when
young girls riding in horse-drawn carts, and city folk competing
with drums and banners. In the 13th century, the lakes inside
the garden were served as reservoirs providing an important part
of Beijings water supply. In the late Yuan Dynasty, the mathematician
and irrigationist Guo Shoujing built a canal along the upper reaches
of the Gaoliang River with locks to regulate the water diverted
from the White River Dam, the Jade Spring Mountain, and other
nearby waterways. Later, however, the lake was neglected and gradually
became silted up. During the Republican period it was filled in
and rented out as paddy fields.
Besides, in the Ming dynasty, a Buddhist temple was built in the
Purple Bamboo Garden as an extending part of the Wanshou Temple
(Longevity Temple). While in Qing dynasty, the complexes in the
Purple Bamboo Garden were served as a lodging palace or a resting
place for the imperial family when they were floating to the Summer
Palace or the Jade Spring Mountain on the Changhe River. However,
nowadays all that remains of the original temple are two stone
stelae and traces of two landing platforms on the banks of the
river.
After the founding of the PRC, the Beijing government has planed
to rebuild the park. Since 1952, the government has rebuilt the
park with the lakes, bridges, pavements and some pavilions. Many
flowers and bamboo trees are also planted in the park. Lancuiting
is a pavilion built in the Zhongshan islet. Since it was placed
in a high place, people can get the panoramic view of the whole
park. In 1981, on the eve of the May Day, a new two-story 1,000-square-meter
waterside complex was built and opened to the public on North
Mountain Islet. It consists of the Purple Bamboo Pavilion, the
Gallery for Watching the Moon, a winding walkway that leads out
over the water, and a square pavilion that are harmonious with
the surrounding environment. Today, with the fresh air and the
beautiful sceneries, it becomes a major park for leisure and holiday
tour. Whatmore, it is rather an ideal place for those who are
fond of bamboos.
West Hill National Forest Park is the biggest national forest
park in Beijing. It lies in the Small West Hill in northwest Beijing.
Covering an area of 90,000 mu, the park has a wide range of three
districts which include Haidian District, Shijingshan District
and Mentougou District. It contains five scenic spots including
the Changhua, Baiwang, Jingfu, Lingyun and Beiling.
The West Hill National Forest Park has a temperate continental
monsoon climate. It has huge natural resources with about over
250 plants. There are also many wild animals in the vast forest
area including more than 10 kinds of animals, over 50 kinds of
birds and some amphibian and reptile.
The West Hill National Forest Park has beautiful natural views
and abundant historical and cultural relics. For instance, Red
Leaves in West Hill and Fine Snow in West Hill are very famous
natural sceneries. Besides, it also has the Jingtai Mausoleum
of Ming Dynasty, the Graves of Seven Imperial Concubines of Ming
Emperor Wanli, stele carvings of the famous person, revolutionary
monument site and many other historical ruins, which have great
value in researching and sightseeing.
Yangtai Mountain Scenic Spot is located in Baianhe Haidian District,
the northwest part of Beijing City. With an area of 16 square
kilometers, Yangtai Mountain has been a famous scenic spot since
ancient times. During the period of emperor Zhangzong in Jin dynasty,
the well-known Eight Grand Spring Courts in West Hill were built.
Two of them are located in Yangtai Mountain Scenic Spot, which
are the Goden Spring Court (JinshanTemple at present) and the
Fragrant Spring Court (Fayun Temple at present).
The highest peak in Yangtai Mountain range has an altitude about
1,276 meters. The scenic spot has various plants and abundant
vegetation levels. It has different views in each season. With
the apricot and peach blossom in spring, the limpid springs in
summer, the red leaves in autumn and the beautiful snow view in
winter, the Yangtai Mountain has offered a grand view to visitors.
Jinshan Temple in Yangtai Mountain is famed for its three-rare.
The first rare is the Gongsun Forest. Gongsun is gingko, also
called white fruit, which is very precious and known as the living
fossil of vegetables in China. The second rare is the Jinshan
Spring, which is one of the famous springs in West Hill of Beijing.
The spring is clear, cool and sweet and full of many microelements
that are very good to human body. The third rare is the Lord Guanyus
statue in the Yuqing Hall. With a scepter hold in hands, the statue
of Lord Guan has a grim look and a well-shaped figure. It was
considered as a very good sculpture work. However, it couldnt
be found nowadays. What a pity!
Yangtaishan scenic spot is a nice place for mountaineering, barbequing,
and holding open-air banquets. Farmhouses in the orchard offer
traditional rural Chinese food. People could also go fishing in
the Sun Pond Lake inside the scenic spot. At night there are barbeque
parties and camping activities. Fruit picking events are held
annually. In a word, all of the people will enjoy themselves in
Yangtai Mountain Scenic Spot.
Yuyuantan Park lies in the southern end of Sanlihe Road in Haidian
District, the west part of Beijing City. Its main gate directly
opposites with the Southern Road of the Altar of the Moon (Yuetan
Nanjie). In the past it was known as Angler's Terrace (Diaoyutai)
because in the Jin Dynasty, an official named Wang Yu secluded
himself here in the guise of a fisherman.
Yuyuantan Park has a very good location. It is abut to the exalted
Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, the erecting Central TV Tower, the
solemn Chinese Peoples Military Museum and the dignified China
Century Altar. The whole park occupies an area about 140 hectares
with more than 61 hectares are water surface. As early as Jin
dynasty, the park was a famous scenic spot in the northwest suburb
of the Jin Capital. The charming place like the Yang Zun Lin Quan
(a place that one can enjoy oneself with trees and springs) and
the Diao Yu He Qu (fishing meandering pool) were both built according
to the feudal scholar-bureaucrats interests. In 1773, Emperor
Qianlong in Qing dynasty had an imperial resort constructed here.
The lake was then dredged and enlarged with spring water diverted
from the Fragrant Hills (Xiangshan). At that time, with the birds
and the waterfowls assembled in the lake, the willows winded and
the flowers blossomed, thus formed a rather beautiful landscape.
In 1960, the park named Yuyuantan Park by the Beijing Government.
After more than 40 years construction, the park has become a comprehensive
park in Beijing downtown area nowadays.
Yuyuantan has three lakes including the East Lake, West Lake and
the Bayi Lake. The northeast corner of the Bayi Lake was constructed
as an Aquatic Amusement Park with an area of 18,500 square meters
while the northwest corner built as a Cherry Blossom Garden. The
Yuyuantan Garden has Spring Lingering Garden in the east and an
Amusement Park in the West. While in the Zhongshan Island District,
it stands the China Youth Hero Monument that built in 1990. The
Central TV Tower adds a new view to the garden. When the sun shines,
the shadow of the tower would reflect in the lake, which will
present a splendid view to the visitors. Besides, when the cherry-blossom
blooming in the spring and the chrysanthemum blossomed in autumn,
together with the lush green trees and the simple and natural
constructers, the Yuyuantan Park is really an ideal place for
leisure.
Huairou district
Beijing Huaibei International Ski Resort, Blue Sky Pasture, Fengxiang
Temple, Green Dragon Gorge, Hongluo Temple, Hongshen Lake Scenic
Spot, Labagoumen Virgin Forest Nature Reserve, No.1 Floating Area
in Northern Beijing, Yuran Primitive Tribe Amusement Park, Shentangyu
Natural Scenic Spot, Tian Chi Canyon Scenic Spot, Xiangshui Lake
Natural Scenic Spot, Yanqi Lake , Yougu Shentan Scenic Spot, Yunmeng
Mountain National Forest Park, Ziyun Mountain Scenic Spot
Beijing Huaibei International Ski Resort is located inside the
Jiugukou Scenic Spot in Huairou and 67 miles from Beijing. It
is a joint venture that runs by the companies from Beijing and
Hongkong.
The ski resort is a beautiful place that built along the mountain
ranges and encompassed by the Great Wall. And at here, visitors
can see the unique sight of the famous Jiabian Tower of the Great
Wall. Beijig Huaibei International Ski Resort is composed of 7
ski runs with 2 senior, 1 intermediate and 4 primary ones. The
ski run has a total length of 3,800 meters with a fall of 238
meters. Besides, visitors can also take part in the activities
such as the Snow Circle, Motorcycle on the Snow Ground, Shooting
an Arrow of the Snow Ground, Horse Drawing Sledge, Ice Climbing
and so on. The ski resort also has a 1,200 meters sightseeing
cable car and 6 ski tows. More than 20 professional skimeisters
can teach you how to ski and give you some instructions while
you are skiing. While sitting at the cable car, people can see
the beautiful view of the Great Wall. Viewing the Great Wall from
the higher sky could be a really fun experience for visitors.
Beijing Huaibei International Ski Resort possesses excellent facilities
and provides very good service for visitors at the same time,
so people could really enjoy themselves here.
Blue Sky Pasture is located in the Beitaishang Village Yanqi Town,
7 miles away from the center of the Huairou County and 58 miles
from Beijing city proper. With pleasant climate and exuberant
vegetation, the pasture has already built a horse riding ground
with thousand meters course, a CS simulating battlefield, racing
car field with many karts and motorcycles, sightseeing area, optional
orchard and colorful holiday zone.
There are many sightseeing areas inside the pasture. For instance,
you can ride a horse in the vast grassland which can stretch to
the horizon in the Price Pasture. Many crops has cultivated in
the Agriculture Science Sightseeing Area. And it has become a
very good place of agriculture educational base for the pupils
and students of middle school. Visitors could also pick the apples,
pears, peanuts, sweet potatoes and so on. Fulong Mountain is a
good place for mountaineering. While at the top of the mountain,
one could have a view of the beautiful Yanqi Lake, Huairou County
and the far-flung North China Plain. Colorful Holiday Zone lies
in the confluence of two streams. It could accept 120 visitors
at the same time. At here, visitors could have delicious meal
and enjoy themselves in various kinds of parties. So the Blue
Sky Pasture is really a good place for you.
Fengxiang Temple, which first built in Tang dynasty, is located
in the Xiantai Village 10 miles southeast from the Huairou County,
the northeast suburb of Beijing. Its original name was Xiansheng
Chuanyuan and has called Fengxiang Temple since Jin dynasty. The
last construction was during the Jiajing Period in Qing dynasty.
According to the recordation of the old stele inside the temple,
it originally had a seven-floor building. But at present only
a main hall is well preserved with three main rooms and four side
rooms locate in the north and face to the south and with three
wing-rooms separately situate in the east and west side. To the
left front of the main hall, there stands a stele that can date
back to the Jiaqing Period in Qing dynasty. Besides, one can also
find some other historical sites and culture relics such as a
great bell with 1.3 meters height that casted in the Wanli period
of Ming dynasty and two Buddhist sculptures of the Liao dynasty.
Green Dragon Gorge, which called Qinglong Xia in Chinese, is
located in Huaibei Town at Huairou County. It is 20 kilometers
away from Huairou county and 75 kilometers away from Beijing downtown
area. There are many tourist attractions around it, with the Hongluo
Temple, Yanqi Lake to the south while the Ziyun Mountain and the
Yougu Shentan Natural Scenic Spots lies in the north.
Green Dragon Gorge, which reputed as the small three gorges north
of the Great Wall, is a beautiful natural scenery spot combines
the green mountain, clear blue water, virgin ancient Great Wall
and the folk-customs together. The total area of Green Dragon
Gorge is 150 hectares. A majestically impressive dam separates
the whole tourist area into two parts. The north part contains
a canyon and a lake. And visitors could take dragon pleasure boat
and yacht to enjoy the natural beauty of lakes and mountains.
In summer, tourists can swim in the lake or play volleyball, football
and sunbathe on the beach. On the east coast of the lake, we have
bungee jumping, flying box, rock-climbing and other recreational
facilities. On the other side of the dam, rowing bamboo boat in
mountain stream can bring tourists real delight. Besides, visitors
could also explore in the historical monument of the intact Great
Wall of the Ming dynasty. The western part has the Qinglong Xia
Ropeway with a total length of 800 meters. It could take the visitors
to the highest point of the nearby mountains---Yuhuangtai (Jade
Emperor Platform) where you can enjoy a panoramic view of the
beautiful land. Whats more, visitors could taste the delicious
local food with the farmhouse flavor, and you cannot miss the
red bulltrout---the specialty of Huairou.
Located at the northern part of Huairou County of Beijing, Hongluo
Temple, which lies in the foot of the Hongluo Mountain, was first
built in northern Jin dynasty in 348 AD and expanded during the
prime time of the Tang Dynasty.
It was originally known as Daming Temple. While during the reign
of Emperor Yingzong (1436-1450) of the Ming Dynasty, it was changed
into Huguo Zifu Temple. The locals call it as Hongluo Temple due
to the legend of the Hongluo Fairy Maiden. At the foot of the
mountain, there is a spring called Pearl Spring. It was side that
there were two big bright red snails deep inside the water. Every
time when the sun sets, the snails would spit out red flare. Hence,
the mountain got the name Hongluo Mountain and the temple was
called Hongluo Temple.
Covering an area of 16.6 acres, the Hongluo Temple is the biggest
Buddhist temple in the northern area of Beijing. The temple is
divided into 5 courtyards. The central courtyard, taking Shanmen
(the entrance of the temple), Tianwangdian (Hall of Heavenly Kings),
Daxiongbaodian (Hall of Mahavira), and the Meditation Room as
axes, and also has the Hall of Teaching Buddhist Scripture and
two accompanying halls in the east and west sides; The eastern
courtyard consists of a guestroom and dining rooms; The western
courtyard comprises of Abbot's Cell and Shifang Hall; The eastern
back yard consists of Yanshoutang (the room for prolonging life),
with the Monk's Hut in the north and an arena for practicing Qigong
in the south; In the far west is the tower yard which consists
of the Ash Room for monks, the monk pagoda and the Pagoda of the
spiral Shell.
The temple was the Holy Land of Buddhism at that time. Here was
also the birthplace of Jinghua Qigong. The temple was a resident
temple in which Buddhist monks were engaged in advanced studies,
and abbots were cultivated for other temples. The Jingtu Sect
of the Chinese Buddhism totally has 13 Great Masters. The twelfth
founder---Great Master of Ji Xing or Great Master of Meng Dong
and the thirteenth founder---the Great Master of Yin Guang had
made sermon here and made great contribution to the development
of the Chinese Buddhism. Therefore the hierarches from Japan and
Southeastern countries often went on a pilgrimage and studied
Buddhist scripture here. The temple was also deeply honored by
the emperors of the feudal society. The temple was rebuilt many
times. Emperors such as Kang Xi even came here to burn incense
and prostrate themselves before the statue of the Buddha. The
temple was therefore quite well known both at home and abroad.
Hongluo Temple boasts beautiful natural views. It leans against
the Hongluo Mountain in the north and overlooks the Hongluo Lake
in the south. Mountains are covered with forests and the temple
is hidden in an ocean of pine trees. There are three famous scenic
spots dotting around the temple, which are the pretty "Imperial
Bamboo", "Male and Female Gingko" and "Pines
Entangled with Chinese Wistaria". After many years of development,
six tourist attractions as Hongluo Mountain, Hongluo Temple, Guanyin
Temple, Beauty-displaying Garden, Pine Forest and Fruit Garden
for Plucking cover a total area of 6 square kilometers and has
attracted numerous visitors.
Hongshen Lake Scenic Spot is located at the Shayukou Reservoir
in Qiaozi Town Huairou County, the northeast suburb of Beijing.
Encompassed by mountains, the Hongshen Lake Scenic Spot is a pretty
place with beautiful natural sights.
Covering a water surface of 1,400 mu, Hongshen Lake has many tourist
attractions as the Tortoise Islet, Dragon Gate Gully, Greeting
Mist Cliff, Triangle Spring and Pagodas. Longmensi Waterfall lies
in the upper reach of the reservoir with a total fall of 20 meters.
Every year in the flood season, the waterfall will extend to 6
meters width. It is really a splendid view. Visitors can also
see more than ten springs in the upper stream of the waterfall.
Therefore, the fall wont dry up even in the winter. Besides, people
can also take part in the activities as whiffing or viewing on
all kinds of boats like the small dragon boat, yacht, motorcycle
on the water and so on.
Labagoumen Virgin Forest Nature Reserve is located at the Labagoumen
Manchu Village in Huairou County. It covers an area of 4,500 hectares
with many scenic spots such as the Wulongtan (Five Dragons Pond),
Phoenix Platform, Glacier, Qixian Pen and the Birch Forest.
While inside the nature reserve, people can see the immense virgin
forest, arduous cliffs and mysterious grand canyon. With 677 kinds
of floristics and about 300 species of animals, the Labagomen
Virgin Forest Nature Reserve can be viewed as a kingdom of various
life-forms. It has the largest area of birch forest in China and
the largest area of alp azalea, larch forest and oak forest in
Beijing. Many rare and precious trees such as the purple basswood,
yellow pineapple are dotted in the whole forest. Besides the beautiful
natural sceneries, you can also enjoy yourself in Manchu Village
at where you can eat delicious Manchu food, learn how to make
the paper-cut for window decoration, how to make the embroidery
on the insole, enjoy the performance of the Manchu flavor and
learn the Manchu dance at the same time. The cool and pleasant
climate also makes it as a favorable summer resort.
No.1 Floating Area in Northern Beijing, which called Jingbei
Diyipiao in Chinese, is located in Dragon Pond Gully (Longtanjian)
Scenic Spot in Huairou County. It is known as the best optimum-floating
place with beautiful natural views in north China at present.
Floating is a fashionable sports nowadays, it is an exciting movement
especially for the young. At here, the floating area is about
13 meters long. People can choose to float alone or float with
friends or families. While floating down from the river, you can
see the charming views along the riverside including peculiar
cliffs, blooming flowers and some historical and culture sites.
It will surely be an exciting and interesting experience.
Yuran Primitive Tribe Amusement Park locates at the foot of the
Mutianyu Great Wall in Liuduhe Village Bohai Town, 10 miles away
from the center of the Huairou County.
Covering an area of 1,000 mu, the amusement park has divided into
four areas. In the sightseeing area, visitors can see the primitive
rock paintings, totem, mask and different shapes of stones. They
can visit the hut of the primitive man; appreciate the etiquette
performance of the Saman Sect of the ancient religion in the living
area. In the gameland, visitors can shoot an arrow with a bow
and hunt the wild animal like the primitive man. While in the
entertainment area, visitors can paddle on the river and ride
a horse in the forest. In the night, visitors could live in the
hut that built upside a tree. All of the activities and sightseeing
will really make you immerge in the environment and the culture
of the primitive society. For those who are tired of the blatant
city, Yuran Primitive Tribe Amusement Park is a very good place
among your choice.
Located in Yanqi Town Huairou County, Shentangyu Natural Scenic
Spot is only 60 kilometers from Beijing. It was the first natural
scenic spot in Huairou that opened to public. It is a paradise
with good environment and beautiful views.
The area includes waters and rivers, peaks and strange stones
and part of the ancient Great Wall. Natural pools such as Longtan
(Dragons Pool), Yuanyangchi (Mandarin Ducks Pool) and Eyuchi (Crocodiles
Pool) have a vast water surface. Famous peaks also include a Buddhas
Cap, an Eagles Mouth and the Camel Humps. An ancient fortress
for stationed troops built in the Ming Dynasty is well preserved.
One of the major sceneries---Longtan (Dragon Pool) has recorded
the tragedy of the astonishing Longtan Insident that took place
in the Anti-Japanese Wall. In order to memorize the sad history,
the local government has erected a monument of the Longtan incident.
And it has now become the youth patriotism education base.
After more than ten years construction, the facilities of Shentangyu
have gradually become complete. At here, people can enjoy themselves
in outdoor sunbathing place, whiffing pool, and the needfire and
barbecue party. Besides, the well-equipped hotels, restaurants,
market and parking lots could also provide much more convenience
to the visitors.
Tian Chi Canyon Scenic Spot lies in Huaibei Town Huairou County,
76 kilometers from Beijing City proper. It consists of the 1,000
square meter Tian Chi Lake, Wen Tao Gully (Wave-sound Hearing
Gully), the Qing Ren Gully (Love Gully) and the Xiu Xian Cave
(Leisure Cave).
The Xiu Xian Cave pierces through Mount Pang Long, is more than
200 meters deep, and is equipped with a teahouse and a chess room.
The temperature within the cave is constant all year round. There
is also a natural rock-climbing field, measuring more than 80
meters, which was the venue for the 1988 Chinese national rock-climbing
competition. It has unique round footpath and the activity such
as the rock-climbing and rushing down with a high speed will offer
visitors an interesting and exciting experience.
Xiangshui Lake Natural Scenic Spot, a beautiful tourist resort,
is located in the western part of the Mutianyu Great Wall of the
Huairou County, 78 kilometers from the Beijing city proper. Covering
an area of 18 square kilometers, it is a beautiful natural valley
combined with Great Wall, ancient caves, limpid spring and streams,
ponds and waterfalls.
Xiangshui Lake Natural Scenic Spot lies in the valley where built
the pass and fortress of the Ming dynasty Great Wall. Peculiar
stones, waved ridges and peaks and the intact Great Wall that
like a great dragon flying into the sky have formed a splendid
natural picture. The flowing water of the spring rushing down
from the high peaks has formed a more than 50 meters high waterfall.
The Moya Rock of the Ming dynasty has added some stateliness to
the old pass. The Lianyun Cave and Totem Pavilion finely carved
by the nature are also very interesting. Every year in April and
May, Xiangshui Lake Natural Scenic Spot is really an ocean of
flowers. The apricot, peach and other flowers with yellow, red,
purple and other beautiful colors have formed a charming natural
landscape.
Xiangshui Lake Great Wall
Xiangshui Lake Section of Great Wall lies in the western part
of the Mutianyu Great Wall of Huairou County. This splendid section
of Great Wall was built in the second year of the Yongle Period
of the Ming dynasty in 1404 for the frontier defence.
The entrance of the Xiangshui Lake Great Wall is called Moshikou
Pass, which is an important fortress of the Ming Great Wall. Since
the stone in the narrow pass polished by the flowing water every
year, hence the pass got the name Moshikou (which means polished
stone pass in English). Originally, there was a rostrum situated
on the pass. The Great Wall is wondering along the east and west
side of the rostrum. Together with the torrent streams under the
rostrum, it is a very solid military building. Also because the
pass had an inner city, therefore, there set up two passes, so
it was also called Shuangguanzi (double passes). Not far away
from the pass, there stands Moya Stone Carving with four characters---
Tian She Jin Tang which was written by Henan People Xu Maoqi in
Ming dynasty. Jin Tang in Chinese always used to describe the
solid state of a building. At here, Tian She Jin Tang stands for
the highest craftsmanship of the impregnable Great Wall. Besides,
you can also see some other historical sites with the intact and
original shape.
One kilometer west of the Moshikou Pass is the Donkey Saddle Mountain
Range. Because it locates inside the lap and shaped like a donkey
saddle, hence it got the name. There is a Great Wall site of the
Northern Qi dynasty close to the pass. In addition, people can
see a Bowlder Rostrum, which was the only construction of Great
Wall built by the white bowlder with classic elegance flavor and
unique style. 1.5 miles away from the Bowlder Rostrum, there is
a rostrum with nine watch windows called Nine Eyes Rostrum (Jiu
Yan Lou). It is also called Viewing Capital Rostrum, since in
a fine day people can see the Beijing City from here. Around it,
visitors can see the Ming dynasty marble stele, horse field and
other historical sites. The Xiangshui Lake Great Wall and its
nearby historical sites have not repaired and have kept its original
style. So it is a very good place for archeology and exploration.
Yanqi Lake is situated at the foot of the Yanshan Mountain, 8
kilometers north of Huairou Town in the suburbs of Beijing. It
borders the grand Great Wall in the north and faces the boundless
North China Plain. With limpid water, the Lake has a vast water
area. It got the name Yanqi, which means swans dwelling in English,
since in spring and autumn, flocks of swans would fly and stay
in the lake. The Yanqi Lake Amusement Park has a nice environment,
making it a famous aquatic amusement, sports and recreational
resort in the suburbs of Beijing. The lake is equipped with over
50 diversified items of aquatic recreation activities, such as
large and luxurious ships, motorized dragon boats, speedboats,
rowing boats, foot peddled boats, flying trap eye, arrow shooting
and bungee rocker, etc. Parachuting over the lake and driving
aquatic motorcycle are also well accepted by visitors. Besides,
the angling ground is a very good place for the fishing lovers.
In addition, there are about 30 restaurants of different ranks
available for the tourists. So the visitors could enjoy the beautiful
natural views while get the first class service.
Yougu Shentan Scenic Spot is located at Huairou County in the
suburb of Beijing. 75 kilometers from Beijing, with fresh air
and pleasant climate, the Yougu Shentan Scenic Spot is a very
good place for holiday tour and exploration.
With special geographical location, peculiar mountain structure
and plenty spa resources, Yougu Shentan Scenic Spot has abundant
and advantaged natural landscape. Yougu Shentan literally means
tranquil valley and divine pond. With peculiar cliffs and limpid
spring, Yougu Shentan is a beautiful place that the visitors can
appreciate the marvelous creation of the nature while viewing
the Flying Waterfalls and the Divine Pond at the same time. Besides,
it also has Tongtian Gate, Stone Hut, Wohu Mountain Range, Stone
Cleaving by Thunder, Moon Reflecting Pond, and Peaks of Eagle
Mouth. At here, you can also appreciate the calligraphy and seal
cutting of the personage and the rock paintings of the ancient
people. Slipping down 300 meters from a higher place with a fast
speed is also a very good choice for those who love exploration
and want to have an exciting and interesting experience. In short,
you can enjoy the beautiful natural scenery as well as eating
the delicious local food at the Yougu Shentan Scenic Spot.
Yunmeng Mountain National Forest Park is located in the west
of Miyun County, about 82 kilometers from Beijing. It is a famous
tourist resort in the suburb of Beijing. The beautiful view has
earned it a reputation of Xiao Huangshan (Huangshan is one of
the five holy mountains in China).
Covering a total area of 2,208 hectares, the peak of the mountain
is as high as 1,414 meters. There are dense forests within the
area. The coverage of vegetation is 91 percent. The forest park
has an advantage in the resources of peaks, stones, pools, waterfalls,
clouds and trees. It is known for its magnificence, danger, beauty,
darkness and openness. The mountain has a typical mountainous
climate. The average temperature is between 20-24 degrees in summer.
The clouds not only make the mountain cool but also create a wonderful
scene. It is an ideal place for vacation, Rehabilitation, scientific
exploration and camping.
Guiguzi Fort in the Yunmeng Mountains is said to be the place
where the military strategist Master Sun Bin who lived in the
Spring and Autumn Period learned his craft. The village contains
ancient-style log cabins. The summit of the mountain resembles
an armchair and legend has it that this chair was the throne of
the commander of the fort. To date, no one has ever ascended this
throne.
Ziyun Mountain Scenic Spot is located in the Duanshuling Village
Huaibei Town, 20 miles away from the downtown area of Huairou
County. Covering an area of 2,000 mu, Ziyun Mountain is a beautiful
scenic spot mainly with the natural landscape.
It has peculiar cliffs and stones, lush green trees and beautiful
flowers. One can also see some wild animals and hear the birds
twitter. Many attractions are distributed inside Ziyun Mountain
Scenic Spot including the Feilai Stone, Seven-star Pond, Seven-color
Pond, Ziyun Pool, Fairy Maiden Pool, Heavenly Post peak and so
forth. Besides, you can also enjoy Jigong (a character in the
Chinese folklore) on the peculiar stone, the penguin couple which
stands together for thousand years and the jade-like clean and
white lotus stone with each of vivid and life-like shapes. Ziyun
Mountain is a place that you can return and embrace the nature.
The fresh air and charming view will surely make you happy.
Mentougou district
Baihua Mountain Nature Reserve, Eighteen Ponds in Western Beijing,
Jietai Temple , Lingshan Mountain Natural Scenic Spot, Miaofeng
Mountain Scenic Spot, Pearl Lake Scenic Spot, Tanzhe Temple, Xiaolongmen
National Forest Park
Baihua Mountain Nature Reserve lies in the boundary between Fangshan
District and Mentougou District, 120 kilometers away from Beijing
city proper. Its main peak Baihua Mountain has an altitude of
1,991 meters while its highest peak Baicaopan has an altitude
about 2050 meters and known as the third highest peak in Beijing
area. Due to the unique geography features, it has formed an only
scenic spot boasts with scenes of both tableland and grassland.
Baihua Mountain gets its name for the reason that it boasts several
hundred kinds of flowers, such as azalea, Chinese herbaceous peony,
lilac, morning star lily, etc. With abundant natural resources,
Baihua Mountain can be viewed as a natural botanical garden with
more than 700 various kinds of trees. It is famous for its yields
of peach, plum, apricot, persimmon, pear, walnut, chestnut and
other fruits. Baihua Mountain is also a wild zoo with over 300
precious birds and rare animals there.
With unique geology environment, the beautiful Baihua Mountain
can be divided into four scenic spots, which are the main peak
of Baihua Mountain, Baihua Mountain meadow scenic spot, sea-viewing
tower scenic spot and Baicaopan Scenic Spot. More than eighteen
charming sights as Colorful Jade Belt, Ant Mountain, Pines Corridor
and others will truly attract visitors. The highest point, Baicaopan,
allows a magnificent view of mountain ranges, fresh flowers and
a sea of clouds. With a height of 150 meters and a width of 15
meters, Baihua Mountain Waterfall offers splendid view to visitors.
Besides, amenities like hotels, restaurants, teahouses and open-air
camping site have been set up to meet the need of tourists.
Eighteen Ponds in Western Beijing (Jing Xi Shi Ba Tan) is located
in Anjiazhuang Village Mentougou District, the west suburb of
Beijing. It is famous for its deep valley, peculiar stone, limpid
water and beautiful flowers.
With a stream flowing down through the valley, it has formed the
well known three falls, six scenes and eighteen ponds. With different
depth, each pond has the needle-like fish and each pond has its
own unique features. One could also view other sights including
the Landscape Garden, Shanhu Island, Zhenxiquan Mountain Village
and Hongti Garden. With well-preserved vegetation and lush green
trees, the valley is a beautiful natural habitat for lots of plants
and animals.
Landscape Garden and Shanhu Island are situated in the upper streams
of the Luopoling Reservoir. Landscape Garden is a group of building
which imitate the architecture style of the southern China. It
composes of Folk-custom Exhibition Room, Animal Breeding Garden,
Medicine Hall, Creation Room, Library and so on. The exhibition
hall displays many precious objects like the woodcarvings of Ming
and Qing Dynasties, Peculiar Stones, ancient furniture and traditional
dead stock etc. Shanhu Island, which closes to the Landscape Garden,
provides very good amenities for visitors.
Jietai Temple is located at the foot of the Maan Mountain in
Mentougou District, west suburb of Beijing. With an altitude of
300 meters, the temple is facing east and covers an area about
4.4 hectare. All the construction were built along the mountain,
scattered but well arranged. While at Jietai Temple, one could
see the lofty and splendid temple with north features, and also
could feel the quiet and elegant sentiment of Jiangnan gardens.
The temple boasts strong colors of religious culture and beautiful
natural views. Through the long history, Jietai Temple has become
a renowned Buddhist temple in China as well as a famous tourist
resort.
Jietai Temple was first built in Kaihuang period of Sui dynasty
(582-600). It has already had a long history of more than 1,400
years. Its old name was Huiju Temple. While at Ming dynasty, emperor
Yingzong obliged a new name of Wanshou Buddhist Temple. Since
the temple has the largest ordination altar (jietai) around the
world, which has got the name about the first altar under the
sun, so it was commonly called Jietai Temple. And the ordination
altar in Jietai Temple, which was built in Xianyong period of
Liao dynasty, is known as one of the three largest ordination
altars in China together with the altars in Zhaoqing Temple of
Hangzhou and Kaiyuan Temple of Quanzhou.
Jietai Temple has long been famous for its ordination altar, rare
pines and ancient caves. It has lots of ancient trees with peculiar
shapes and high viewing values. As early as Ming and Qing dynasty,
ten rare pines have already well known around China. And those
trees are the best witness for the flourish and downfall of the
temple in thousand of years. Mountain behind Jietai Temple has
limestone structure. And many beautiful natural limestone caves
have come into being through erosion of water in hundreds of millions
years. The caves have become a fairyland with various strange
and beautiful stalagmites and stalactites. Part of the caves have
once repaired by people and built into the Grotto Temple, which
used as the place for the hierarchs religious retreat.
Outside the temple, many historical and culture relics including
the Buddhist scriptures and stone inscriptions in the cliffs,
stone toriis, grave pagoda forest and many mysterious caves were
scattered around the temple. Plus with abundant charming natural
views and colorful traditional folk customs, Jietai Temple is
an ideal tourist destination for visitors.
Lingshan Mountain Scenic Spot lies in the western part of Mentougou
District, 122 kilometers from the Beijing downtown area. With
an elevation of 2,303 meters, Lingshan Mountain is known as the
highest peak in Beijing.
The vegetation in Lingshan varied with the raise of the altitude.
One could find vegetation in temperate zone as well as in cold
zone. The alp meadow above 1,900 meters is the most famous place,
since it is the only natural breeding field of the Xinjiang Napping
Sheep, Erie Horse and Qingzang Yak in Beijing. Pine, birch, linden
and more than 500 kinds of shrubs and herbaceous plants cover
the mountain. Lingshan Mountain is especially beautiful in the
autumn when the leaves begin to change, and thus provides another
good place for admiring the red leaves. While in winter, Lingshan
Mountain Ski Resort is also a very good destination for people.
Miaofeng Mountain Scenic Spot lies in Mentougou District, the
west suburb of Beijing. Miaofeng Mountain, with its towering peaks
rising majestically to a height of more than 1,300 meters, is
the major peak in the northern range of the Western Hills. Situated
at a distance of about 70 kilometers from downtown areas, its
sheer cliffs, jutting crags and tortuous mountain paths make it
one of the most renowned scenic spots in northern China.
Miaofeng Mountain is also famous for the ancient temples. Toward
the end of the Ming Dynasty, it was the custom to hold temple
fairs on Miaofeng Mountain every year during the fourth month
of the lunar calendar. Many faithful pilgrims were attracted from
all over north China. Nowadays, there are still many well-preserved
temples as Yangshan Qiyin Temple and Dayun Temple which were the
famous imperial temples of Liao dynasty; the Temple of the God
of Mount Tai (Dong Yue Miao) which were built in Ming dynasty.
But the most famous one is perhaps the Shrine of the Great Goddess
of the Blue Sky (Bi Xia Yuan Jun Ci), which also called the Temple
of Niangniang. Inside of the Temple of Niangniang, it has sacrificed
the statues of five female deities which are the Sacred Goddess
of the Heavenly Sages (Tianxian Shengmu), the Sacred Goddess of
Brilliant Insight (Yanguang Shengmu) and the Goddess of Sons and
Grandsons (Zisun Niangniang), the Goddess of Macula (Banzhen Niangniang)
and the Goddess for Giving Birth (Songsheng Niangniang).
The traditional folk-custom temple fair lasts for more than 400
years. And Miaofeng Mountain has long been the religious center
since Qing dynasty. It was also the favorite place for the emperors.
Emperor Kangxi of Qing dynasty has granted the title Golden Peak
to Miaofeng Mountain; Emperor Qianlong granted the Temple of Niangniang
as the Temple of Inspiration (Ling Gan Gong) and emperor Jiaqing
had written the stone inscriptions of Huiji Ancestral Temple.
Miaofeng Mountain is known as the cradle of Chinese culture of
folk-custom.
Famous for ancient temple, peculiar stones and lush green old
trees, Miaofeng Mountain boasts beautiful natural views. It has
a natural botanical garden with the largest amount of sandalwood
forest in northern China. Due to its unique microclimate, the
cloud and mist wreathe the top of the mountain, which is like
a fairyland. Besides, people could also visit the famous natural
sights as the Water-dropping Rock and A Gleam of Sky with Rosy
Clouds; the historical sites like the Ancient Incense Path (Guxiangdao)
with the site of tea stalls, stone grind and stone carvings on
the cliffs and the Villa of Johnston (Johnston was the English
teacher of Chinas last emperor Puyi). Miaofeng Mountain is also
a very good place for viewing sunrise and sunglow.
While at Miaofeng Mountain, the thousand-mu Rosary with the laurel
of one superb in north China is also worth visiting. The soil,
water quality, climate and other environment in Miaofeng Mountain
supply an excellent natural habitat for rose. Every year in June,
when the roses are blossoming all over the mountain and valleys,
the splendid view and strong fragrance supply an enchanting and
charming sight to all the visitors. Everyone who goes to Miaofeng
Mountain will surely enjoy him or herself!
Pearl Lake Scenic Spot lies in the northern part of Mentougou
District in west suburb of Beijing. Covering an area of 5 square
kilometers, it is an artificial lake formed by the Zhuwo Reservoir.
The lake has a large amount of big freshwater mussels; hence it
was called Pearl Lake.
Lies in the deep valley of Taihang Mountain ranges, the Pearl
Lake Scenic Spot boasts beautiful natural landscape. The famous
first railway arch bridge in Asia, which like a rainbow spans
the lake, has become a unique view in the scenic spot. In the
upper reaches of the lake, there is an islet called Apricot Village
which forms another unique view in the Pearl Lake. Every spring,
hundreds of apricot trees are in full blossom. And the astonishing
view has attracted many visitors. Besides, the Pearl Lake also
has many amusement activities and comfort amenities. Visitors
will surely enjoy themselves there.
Tanzhe Temple lies in the southeast part of Mentougou District
at the west suburb of Beijing, 41 kilometers away from Fuchengmen
Gate of Beijing downtown area. Tanzhe Temple faces to the south
and lies against Baofeng Peak with nine other peaks looping around
in a shape of horse hoof. Lofty mountain ranges ward off cold
snap and the pleasant climate has formed a fairyland with beautiful
natural landscapes.
Tanzhe Temple, which was built in Western Jin dynasty with the
name of Jiafu Temple, is the oldest Buddhist temple built in Beijing
area with a history of more than 1,700 years. Though thousand
of years, it was called Longquan Temple in Tang dynasty, Dawanshou
Temple in Jin dynasty, Jiafu Temple again in Ming dynasty and
Xiuyun Temple in Qing dynasty. However, Tanzhe Temple (Temple
with Pond and Cudrania), which named after the Dragon Pond behind
the temple and the rare three-bristle cudranias growing on the
hills, has been well known by all the people.
Occupying an area of 2.5 hectare, Tanzhe Temple totally has 943
rooms with 638 rooms in ancient architecture style. It is known
as the largest architecture group of ancient temples of Ming and
Qing architecture style with many ancient trees scattered around.
The whole construction group fully represents the esthetical principle
of the Chinese ancient architecture. And people could see various
forms of palace, hall, pavilion, tower, fast room and altar. The
complex is divided into three parts. The middle part includes
the Archway Tower, Temple Gate, the Heaven King Hall, Daxiong
Baodian, and Pilu Pavilion. The Daxiong Baodian is so imposing
with long gilded chains hung at either end of the main roof ridge.
To the east grows an ancient gingko tree with 1000 years old and
it was named the "Emperor Tree" by Emperor Qianlong
of Qing dynasty. Pilu Pavilion stands on the highest point in
the temple grounds. It offers an excellent view of the whole temple
and its surrounding areas. The eastern section consists of the
courtyard buildings, including the Abbot's Room and the Imperial
Palace, where the emperor would stay for short trips away from
the capital during Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911). The western section
includes an ordination altar and the Guanyin Hall. Outside the
temple, one could also see many constructions as the Ease and
Longevity Hall and the pagoda groups.
Tanzhe Temple has many famous scenes and rare and valuable historical
site and culture relics including the stone fish, stone tablet
with poem of Jin dynasty, giant copper boiler, dragon beard bamboo
and worship bricks of Princess Miaoyan. Besides, one could also
see the splendid pagoda garden with 75 pagodas in front of the
Tanzhe Temple. It is the best-preserved pagoda forest with the
largest amount of pagodas in Beijing so far. Those pagodas are
the pagoda tombs of the monks who practice their Buddhist art
in Tanzhe Temple and have witnessed the development of Tanzhe
Temple through thousands of years. Among the so many pagodas,
probably the best known is the one of Princess of Miaoyan, daughter
of Kublai Khan, of the Yuan Dynasty. In order to redeem her father
from killing so many people in battles, she converted herself
to Buddhism, and spent the rest of her life here. Her pagoda tomb
is a solid brick five-storey construction with elaborate eaves,
with a smaller pagoda on each side for company. Whats more, Master
Dehuadas tomb is a solid stone pagoda like an upside-down bowl,
constructed entirely of carved white marble, granite and other
precious stones, eye-catching and very different in color from
others in gray. The tombs provide an informational resource, both
in written language and real objects, to the study of Buddhist
pagoda evolution. Built in different dynasties as Jin, Yuan, Ming
and Qing, those pagodas with various styles have great value on
the research of the ancient pagoda architecture and worth visiting.
Through thousands of years, Tanzhe Temple has attracted many rulers
and nobles in the past dynasties with its centuries-old history,
grand buildings, beautiful natural views and interesting folklores.
And it also has the reputation of the First Temple in Capital
Beijing. While currently, with abundant historical and culture
relics, charming natural views and many modern facilities, Tanzhe
Temple has became a renowned Buddhist temple as well as a famous
tourist destination.
Xiaolongmen National Forest Park lies in Lingshan Mountain---the
highest peak in Beijing. Locates in Mentougou District, it is
114 kilometers from Beijing downtown area. With mountains surrounded,
the park covers an area of 771 hectares. It boasts beautiful natural
views and many historical sites as the passage of Great Wall,
circumvallation and the old watching-enemy tower.
Xiaolongmen National Forest Park is a natural zoo and botanical
garden. It has more than 700 animal species and 844 kinds of plant
with both ornamental and scientific researching functions. The
park also has lofty mountain, peculiar stone and exuberant forest.
People could see a large number of pheasants in Pheasant Ridge
as well as viewing many wild boars in the Boar Forest. With beautiful
natural views, the park is a charming landscape which will make
people relaxed and happy.
Miyun district
Bashu Culture Garden, Black Dragon Pond Scenic Spot, Chaosheng
Nunnery, Jinding Lake Scenic spot, Jiudaowan Natural Scenic Spot,
Lord Yangs Ancestral Temple, Miyun Reservoir , No.1 Waterfall
in Capital Beijing, Qingliang Valley Natural Scenic Spot , Taoyuan
Xiangu Natural Scenic Spot , White Dragon Pond, Wu Zuo Lou Forest
Park
Bashu Culture Garden situates behind the Baihe River main dam
of the beautiful Miyun Reservoir, 70 kilometers away from Beijing
city proper. Covers an area of 450 mu, the garden has ever-green
pines and cypresses. Since most attractions are built in the top
of the mountain, so it is also called Mountain Top Park.
As its name suggests, Bashu Culture Garden is a park spreading
and displaying Bashu culture. Bashu means Sichuan Basin in China.
So the Bashu culture is the culture that formed on the Sichuan
Basin area. The garden has a magnificent scale, unique style and
exquisite construction. The mud sculptures inside the garden are
vivid and lifelike. The garden has built 18 sights as the Wumu
Temple, Shangguan Hall, Baoen Hall, Mingshen Garden, Heng Ha Temple
and Qu Yuan Temple. While at here, visitors could enjoy the couplets,
see the beautiful views and appreciate the colorful Bashu culture
as well as taking mountaineering and exercise their body.
Black Dragon Pond (Heilongtan) is a new popular summer resort
located in Miyun County, about 100 kilometers northeast of Beijing.
Every summer, visitors from the urban oven flock to the pond to
escape scalding temperatures. 18 ponds and three waterfalls with
a fall of 220 meters are scattered along the valley.
With charming views, the Black Dragon Pond has a beautiful legend.
It was side that once upon a time there were two brother dragons,
when they grew up and had to part, the virtuous black dragon gave
their home--the Bailong (White Dragon) Pond--to the white dragon,
and went to reside in grassless and waterless Heilong (Black Dragon)
Pond. He strove hard to build a new home, causing a god to present
him with 18 pearls. The black dragon sprayed the pearls, hence
the 18 ponds. Many of the ponds were named from the dragon and
the legend, for instance, Dragon Paddle Pond, Pearl Bunch, Residential
Pond of the Black Dragon etc.
Entering into the Black Dragon Pond Scenic Spot, you will see
the two cliffs with water hanging on. Under the chair like waterfall
is the First Pond of Black Dragon (Heilong Toutan). The dark green
water inside the pond is like a beautiful emerald. Climbing up
along the stairs, one could see two unique ponds ---Suspending
Ponds and Sinking Pond one mile away. At the back of the mountain
range, Tongtian Waterfall will appear at ones sight. Under it
is the Luoyantan (Wild Goose Falling Pond), every year, when the
wild geese flying to the south, they often drop down and have
a rest at the pond. There is a big cave that could hold about
one hundred people in the hillside along the waterfall. Walking
along the road, one can see lots of pretty sights, such as the
Pingsha Pond, Stone Cleaved by Dragon, Hedgehog Stone, Dragon
Coiled His Body, Pearl Bunch and Wuditan (Deep Pond without End).
Dragon Paddle Pond is the largest pond lies under the Pearl Bunch
among the 18 ponds. The water inside the Black Dragon Pond will
congeal into ice from November to May of the second year. So at
that period, visitors could go there to climb the ice and experience
the cool winter in northern China. With beautiful natural views,
Black Dragon Pond Scenic Spot is really a very good place for
visitors.
Chaosheng Nunnery situates in the top of the Yunfeng Mountain,
60 kilometers away from Miyun County. Covering an area over 500
square meters, the nunnery was constructed with two courtyards
in a rectangle shape. It was first built in Liao dynasty and rebuilt
in Ming and Qing period.
Chaosheng Nunnery has ten sights including the Stone Bridge Double
Cypresses, Genyan Rock, Miaoyun Pavilion, Pumen Bridge, Chaoyang
Cave, Cangyu Screen, Wujinyi Platform, Stone Pillar of Buddhism,
Jicui Cliff and Southern Heaven Gate. Besides, visitors could
also see many Buddhist sculptures and many stone carvings in this
exquisite holy place.
Jinding Lake Scenic Spot locates in Jugezhuang Village in Miyun
County, 85 kilometers away from Beijing downtown area. Covering
a water area about 53 square meters, Jinding Lake is the second
artificial lake of the Miyun County.
Surrounded by mountains, Jinding Lake has a vast water area. It
has supplied many kinds of water activities as whiffing, swimming
and boating. It is also a good place for sightseeing. The surrounded
mountains have verdant trees, dense forest and abundant wildlife.
Visitors could see the famous view as the Trunk Mountain and Peach-blossom
Garden. People could also eat some delicious local snakes.
Jiudaowan Scenic Spot is located in Grand Canyon of the Shicheng
Village of Miyun County, the suburb of Beijing City. To the south
is the Zebra Mountain while to the north is the Shuangshiwa Mountain.
With the serpentine Jiuwan River flowing through, the two mountains
stand lofty alongside.
Inside the scenic spot, visitors could see more than ten deep
ponds which includes Quicksand, Swallow Tail, Snail, Double Waterfalls,
Suspending Stone, Stone Cave, Illusion Pond and some others. Jiudaowan
Scenic Spot is famous for three-peculiar. The first-peculiar is
that there is a giant clear footprint about four to five meters
long in the nearby stone with nobody knows its origin. The second
is about a giant stone. Viewing from one side, it just likes a
frog; however, it likes a tortoise while looking from the other
side. The third-peculiar is also the most astonishing one. It
is the Qingliang Boundary near Jiudaowan Gulf. It is also called
cool in another step or Yibu Liang in Chinese.
Lord Yangs Ancestral Temple is located in Hedong Village Gubeikou
Town in Miyun County. It was built in Song and Liao Period by
the government and the locals to commemorate the famous patriotic
general Yang Ye in northern Song Dynasty. The story about Yang
Ye and his family was well known by the Chinese. And their spirit
as loyalty and patriotism are worth learning by all the Chinese.
The ancestral temple totally has two courtyards with each has
a main hall. Covering an area about 600 square meters, the Front
Hall holds the sculpture of the male while the Back Hall holds
the female of Yangs family. Side rooms and Buddhist Hall are situated
at the east and west side of the Front Hall. Outside the Mountain
Gate, visitors could also see the inscriptions on the wall---Wei
Zhen Bian Guan, Qi Zhuang Shan He. Those eight characters are
the vivid portraiture of the legend of Yangs family. Their spirit
will surly be last and spread for long.
Miyun Reservoir, which lies in Miyun County, 100 kilometers northeast
of Beijing City, is a mountain valley reservoir. It was built
in September 1960, and has known as the largest reservoir in Northern
China and the largest artificial lake in Asia. Two main rivers,
Chaohe and Baihe, flow into Miyun Reservoir. The catchment is
about 15,788 km2, consists of mountains and piedmonts. And it
is the main water source of the Beijing area.
With blue water and green mountains, Miyun Reservoir is also a
famous tourist attraction, which has attracted many visitors.
Many fishing boat are dotted in the lake. Visitors could also
take a boat to feel the life of a fisherman. It has already built
a road of 110 kilometers long around the reservoir. While driving
along the road, people could see the charming view of the landscape
painting.
To the northwest of the Baihe Dam of the reservoir, there stands
a mountain with an altitude about 900 meters. Five splendid beacon
towers locates high up the mountain, so the mountain got its name
Wu Zuo Lou (Five Towers). Once standing on the top of the mountain,
people could get the panorama of the reservoir and see the beautiful
view north of the Great Wall. It is a very good place for holiday
tour with many activities as boating, whiffing and mountaineering.
No.1 Waterfall in Capital Beijing is located in Shicheng Village
Miyun County, 100 miles northeast from Beijing city proper. With
the largest water current in the suburb of Beijing, the No.1 Waterfall
in Capital Beijing is formed by the Yunmeng Mountain springs.
With a fall of 62.5 meters and a grade of 85 degree, the water
directly rushing down from the cliff and therefore the cool air
is full of cloud and mist. Once stepping into the valley, people
will first hear the thundering noise of the waterfall before seeing
it.
Inside the scenic spot, there are many natural sights such as
the Six Ponds Connected as Pearls (Liu Tan Lian Zhu), Tongtain
Pagoda, Fairyland on Earth, High Gorge and Tranquil Lake. With
a fall of 200 meters, the total length of the whole scenic spot
spans about 3 kilometer. It has more than ten waterfalls and ponds
with each has its unique sculpt. Liu Tan Lian Zhu is a famous
view inside the scenic spot. With different size and different
depth, each pond of Liu Tan Lian Zhu is set one after another.
It was beautifully created by nature. In winter, when the water
congeals into ice, it has turned into a crystal ice world. Visitors
can also climb on the frozen waterfall, which is a fancy and exciting
experience. With peculiar cliffs, stones, ponds and pagodas, Jingdu
Diyipu Scenic Spot is a good place for visitors.
Approximately 110 kilometers from downtown Beijing, the Qingliang
Valley Natural Scenic Spot is located at Shi Cheng town, north
of the Miyun Reservoir, Miyun County. It is a beautiful place
famous for its natural sceneries. Unique landform has formed five
waterfalls and thirteen ponds along the valley.
Qingliang Valley Natural Scenic Spot composes of three parts---
Qingliang Valley, Thousand-Chi Pearl Waterfall and Baihe River
Great Canyon. Qingliang means clear and cool. And the Qingliang
Valley is just like that. With mountains and ponds along side,
the valley is a very good place that visitors could embrace the
nature and everyone will relax in an environment of fresh air
and pleasant climate. With a height of 85.6 meters, the Thousand-Chi
Pearl Waterfall is the most beautiful and splendid waterfall among
the five waterfalls inside the scenic spot. It hangs outside a
giant cave and thus forms northern Chinas magnificent Water Curtain
Cave. Visitors could see some black cranes perch on the cliffs.
With clear brook and tranquil water flowing through, Baihe River
Great Canyon has arduous cliffs and peculiar stones. Plus the
lush green trees and the twittering of the birds, it is a pretty
natural landscape.
Taoyuan Xiangu Natural Scenic Spot lies in the Shicheng Village
Miyun County, 90 kilometers away from Beijing downtown area. It
covers an area of 16 square kilometers and spans a total length
of 8 kilometers. With lush green trees, exuberant forest and peculiar
cliffs, the scenic spot has more than 70 natural sights as one
lake, six waterfalls and thirteen ponds; and one spring and four
pools. All of these have formed a beautiful natural landscape.
Taoyuan Xiangu Natural Scenic Spot has been divided into two areas
and three views. Taoyuan Xianhu Lake is the water amusement area.
It is an artificial reservoir with an average water depth about
8 meters and a dam of 13.5 meters high. While at here, visitors
could take part in many activities as swimming, angling, paddling
a boat and riding a double-seat bicycle. Taoyuan Pavilion is also
a good place for rest and from where one can see the panoramic
view of the whole lake. Xanadu (Shiwai Taoyuan) area is a place
that surrounded by water and mountains. To the east, visitors
could climb the Er Zuo Lou of the Great Wall; while to the west,
one could see a waterfall hanging high above the cliffs. Wildlife
and beautiful flowers add some fun to the tour. The splendid Taoyuan
Xianpu Waterfall is more than seventy meters high. It is a rare
and unique view that the waterfall may appear in morning but disappear
in evening. So it was also called Yinxing Pu (Hidden Waterfall).
Visitors could also view some unique and peculiar peaks as the
Camel Peak, Qunxian Peak, Double Buddhist Peak, Golden Bell Peak,
Butian Rock, General Stone and some others. Besides, the lush
green trees as the silver birch, filbert, cypress, pine and fruit
like grape and Chinese goosebeery has also made here a charming
and attractive place to go.
White Dragon Pond is located along Longtan (Dragon Pond) Mountain,
the east part of the Miyun Reservoir in Miyun County. It is 25
kilometers from Miyun City proper and 90 kilometers away from
Dong Zhi Men in Beijing downtown area. It is a comprehensive natural
holiday spot with both historical relics and beautiful natural
sceneries.
The White Dragon Pond has picturesque sceneries. Visitors will
enjoy themselves while touring around the tranquil mountain path;
breathing the clear and fresh air; listening the sound of the
nature and feeling the cool and limpid streams. It is a very good
place for those who are tired of the blatant city and want to
have a rest and find an outlet for their depressive heart.
White Dragon Pond has been a famous scenic spot since ancient
time and it has attracted many famous people. Longquan (Dragon
Spring) Temple inside the scenic spot was first built in Yuan
dynasty. It has several ancient cypresses with more than 700 years
old. Li Hongzhang---a famous official of Qing dynasty, inscribed
the horizontal tablet of the temple. Besides, it also has some
valuable steles that inscribed by famous person as Qi Jiguan and
Yuan Shikai. Wulong Ancestral Temple, which was first built in
Northern Song dynasty, also stands in the scenic spot. The inscribed
steles written by emperor Qianlong and Jiaqing has set up in front
of the temple. Beside the stele, one could find the Residential
Pond of the White Dragon (Bailong Zhentan). Legend has it that
a white dragon has lived in the deep pond. It drizzled in a vast
area that locals have benefit a lot. Emperors of the past dynasties
all viewed here as holy and sacred place. Hence, many historical
relics as the Longquan Temple, Bodhisattva Hall, Wulong Ancestral
Temple, Stone Torii and the Temporary Palace for Holiday Resort
of Emperor Qianlong can be found here. Besides, it also left many
poems written by renowned people. So it is really a pretty place
full of historical and culture background.
Wu Zuo Lou Forest Park lies in the east part of the Yun Meng Mountain
ranges, 18 kilometers north of Mi Yun County seat, about 84 kilometers
from Dong Zhi Men in Beijing City proper.
It covers an area of 1,367 hectares, of which 73 percent is forest.
The park, named after its five watchtowers, is famous for abundant
plant-life, gorgeous high mountains, deep canyons, winding brooks
and dramatic waterfalls. From the top of the fifth watchtower
you can enjoy beautiful natural views of the nearby scenic spots
including the lakes and islands in Mi Yun Reservoir, Yun Meng
Mountain Ranges and Splendid Waterfalls. Wu Zuo Lou Forest Park
is a very good place for sight viewing, camping and exploration.
You will surely get lots of fun here.
Pinggu district
Feilong Valley Scenic Spot, Hudongshui Scenic Spot, Jingdong Great
Gorge, Jingdong Great Limestone Cave, Jinhai Lake Scenic Spot,
Laoxiang Peak, Shangzhai Culture Exhibition Hall, Sizuolou Scenic
Spot, Stone Forest Gorge in East China, Wenfeng Pagoda , Yaji
Mountain Scenic Spot
Feilong (Flying Dragon) Valley Scenic Spot locates in Huangsongyu
Village Pinggu District, the northeast suburb of Beijing. With
an altitude of 1,253 meters, Goubeiling Dongshan Mountain ---the
highest mountain in Pinggu District is located in the valley.
The wandering valley is just like a dragon flying down from the
sky; hence it got the name Feilong Valley.
Inside the valley, a brook with limpid water originates from the
Beigao Spring at the half of the north peak. Viewing the waterfall
alongside the brook, one could feel the mist of water. While in
winter, the splendid view of the ice waterfall will surely attract
visitors. The valley has three peaks called Ying Peak, Doubi Peak
and Xieyu Peak with each has its own features. Ying means hawk
in English. The shape of the Ying Peak is just like a flying hawk.
With a 70 meters high waterfall flowing down, the peak is more
attracting; Doubi Peak is famous for the steep cliff; While Xieyu
Peak has a string of water flowing down from the top of the mountain.
The water like the pearls and the small jade, so it got a nice
name called Gaoya Xieyu (Jade Rushing Down From The High Peak).
Besides, Feilong Valley also has many other beautiful scenes as
the Old Man Cliff which is a cliff shaped as an old man with clear
and lifelike facial expression, Feilai Stone which is a huge stone
lying in the southwest part of high cliff, General Stone, Tortoise
Stone, Beigao Spring and so on. However, the most famous one is
perhaps the Palace of Hundred Emperors in China which has reputed
as one of the superbs in China. In the main hall of the palace,
there stand more than four hundred emperors sculpture from ancient
time to the last feudal society---the Qing dynasty. According
to the historical record, each figure was finely designed by the
craftsman with vivid and lifelike expression. Visitors could also
see the brief introduction of each emperor. They could appreciate
the excellent craftsmanship of Chinese art as well as understanding
more about Chinese history and culture.
Hudongshui Scenic Spot is one of the key tourist attractions
in Pinggu District. It locates in a grand canyon in Huangsongyu
area; 21 kilometers away form the heart of Pinggu District and
80 kilometers northeast of downtown Beijing. With an area of 9
square kilometres, Hudongshui scenic spot attract many visitors
with its green valleys, limestone caves, grotesque peaks, waterfalls
and various wild flowers.
There are many nice views as the Sanniang Cave, Echo Cave and
General Cave lying in Hudongshui Scenic Area. Sanniang Cave was
named after folklore. Legend has it that at Qin dynasty, lots
of people were forced to build the Great Wall. A man called Qin
Da could not bear the hardship anylonger, so he escaped and hided
in the mountain. His wife along with his daughter and a daughter-in-law
went to the mountain to find him. But it is very strange that
they shouted at this mountain he answered at that mountain while
they went to that mountain his sound was in this mountain. So
year after year, the three women had never found Chen Da. They
lived in the cave until death. It was the so-called Sanniang Cave
(Three Women Cave). Echo Cave just locates opposite Sanniang Cave.
The cave itself cannot hear the echo, but it is interest that
it could clearly hear the sound from Sanniang Cave. General Cave
is used to memorize He Mingdeng---a soldier in Balujun Army who
had died heroically in the Anti-Japanese War. Other scenic spots
like A Gleam of Sky is a narrow gorge with a deep pond of water
at the bottom, and Yanchi Cliff (Swallow Wing Cliff) is a natural
habitat for thousands of swallows and orioles. There are many
activities available for visitors as paddling a boat on the lake,
taking mountaineering and picking fresh fruit at autumn. Besides,
Modern dining and accommodation facilities and indoor entertainments
are also available for the tourists.
Jingdong Great Gorge is situated at Yu Zi Mountain Village in
northeastern Ping Gu County, about 80 kilometers from downtown
Beijing. Covering an area of 20 square kilometers, it composes
of two scenic areas, which are the great gorge and Jingtai Mountain.
The two are linked by a cable car, from which waterfalls are visible.
The area is covered with pinewoods and apricot trees. On Jing
Tai Mountain, there is a deep mineral-water well, which has medical
curative effect. Jingdong Great Gorge has different but charming
views in four seasons. The main attractions inside the gorge are
the Five-dragon Pond, Tongtian Gorge, Plank Road along the cliff,
Long Men Lake and the Anti-Japanese War Memorial. Visitors there
will surely enjoy themselves.
Jingdong Great Limestone Cave locates in the east part of Heidouyu
Village in Pinggu District, 90 kilometers away from Beijing city
proper. With beautiful natural landscapes, it has reputed as the
First Cave under the Sun. While inside the cave, you could see
several dozens of views as the Long Hui Tian Shu, Water Curtain
Cave, Xiangsi Fountain and so on. The cave was formed in more
than 1.5 billion years ago with splendid view of stalagmite, stalactite,
stone pipe, stone flower and so on. Besides, it also has very
good accommodations and entertainment facilities as ropeway, racecourse,
whiffing garden, swimming pool and so forth.
Jinhai Lake Scenic Spot locates in the east side of Pinggu District,
85 kilometers away from Beijing city proper. Covering an area
of 65,000 square kilometers, the Jinhai Lake Scenic Spot is a
large water amusement area and a famous holiday resort in northeast
suburb of Beijing. It has triumphantly hold gig and rowboat---two
competition items of the 11th Asian Sports Meeting.
Jinhai Lake Scenic Spot is known for its great gorges, clear lakes,
lagoons, waterfalls, limestone features and precipitous gullies.
The lake is a big freshwater lake which could offer cooling breeze
for visitors. The picturesque lake has blue-ridged mountains as
its backdrop, and a flurry of water sports activities in the foreground,
including parasailing, abseiling, plus canoes, water bikes, and
yachts for rent. The three-kilometer-long Great Canyon is a miniature
of the American counterpart but with no less majesty and grandeur.
The surrounding area has numerous natural scenic spots and historical
sites like the Hengshan Peninsula, Princess Jinhuas Grave, Dove
Cave, Immortal Cave, Camel Peak and so on. It will surely offer
a superb tour to all the visitors.
Laoxiang Peak (Old Elephant Peak) situates in Xiaoyuzi Village
Dahuashan Town at Pinggu District, 80 kilometers apart from Beijing
downtown area. The scenic spot is lying in a grand canyon with
rich vegetation and exuberant trees. Scan widely to the north,
a peak which is like a vivid and lifelike huge elephant is standing
in the valley with the head of the elephant facing to the west.
It is 51.8 meters high and 82 meters long. Hence, the locals call
it Laoxiang Peak (Old Elephant Peak). Laoxiang Peak Scenic Spot
covers an area of more than 40 square kilometers. It is a natural
wandering valley with luxuriant forests, beautiful flowers and
peculiar cliffs. Over 30 scenes are dotted in the green mountain
and blue sky. The main attractions are the Xianglu Cave, Dice
Fossa, Shicui Lake, Ancient Rampart and so on. Thousand-mu orchard
and wild chrysanthemums growing in the hillside also add more
attracting and charming sights to the valley.
Shangzhai Culture Exhibition Hall, which locates along the beautiful
Jinhai Lake in Pinggu District, is a historical site museum opened
in 1989.
Shangzhai culture was found in 1982, after three years excavation,
it has unearthed a large amount of precious culture relics of
Neolithic Period. The exhibition hall is unique in design with
the main building imitating the wickiup--- living place of the
Neolithic people. The two-storeyed building has a total construction
area about 1284 square meters. The first floor of the exhibition
hall mainly displays the archeology and research result of Shangzhai
culture and its surrounding environment. Many utensils as bowl,
cup and axe has vividly reflected the unique connotation of Shangzhai
culture and reproduced the brilliant culture of the remote antiquity
period of Beijing. The second floor has mainly displayed more
than 200 excellent culture relics which has unearthed and collected
in Pinggu District in recent years. It has reflected the living
and working conditions of Pinggu people from Shang and Zhou Period
to Ming and Qing Dynasty.
Sizuolou (Four Towers) Scenic Spot locates in Xionger Zhai Village,
36 kilometers away from the heart of Pinggu District. It was named
after the four watching-enemy towers (only two are well preserved
nowadays) of the Ming Great Wall at the top of the mountain. Sizuolou
Scenic Spot covers a total forest area about 800 hectares. It
is famous tourist destination mainly focus on the natural landscape
along with some historical and culture sites. With fresh air,
pleasant climate and beautiful natural views, Sizuolou Scenic
Spot is an ideal summer resort for holidaymaker. Inside the scenic
spot, many picturesque cliffs as the Cockscomb Cliff, Kiss Peak,
Mother and Son Stone and Laverock Fossa could also attract visitors
attention.
Stone Forest Gorge in East China (Jing Dong Shi Lin Xia) locates
in Huangsongyu Village Pinggu District, 85 kilometers away from
Beijing downtown area. Covering an area of 12 square kilometers,
the scenic area has many steep peaks standing upright. The Stone
Forest Gorge in East China has many beautiful natural scenic spots.
Besides the splendid view of stone forest, it has a splendid four-level
waterfall with a total fall of more than 80 meters. The precipitous
cliff, huge stone, limpid pond and lush green trees have also
attracted many visitors. The scenic spot also offers excellent
accommodation and entertainment facilities, and visitors will
surely enjoy themselves.
Wenfeng Pagoda, which locates at the top of Donggao Village Pinggu
District, was first built in Ming dynasty and then repaired in
1844 in the flowing Qing dynasty. With 8 meters high, the three-storeyed
solid pagoda has six edges. Two stone inscriptions has separately
embedded in north and south part of the pagoda. And Wenfeng Pagoda
is the only existing old pagoda in Pinggu District.
Yaji Mountain Scenic Spot locates in Liujiadian Village Pinggu
District. With an altitude of 363 meters, Mount Yaji has viewed
as a holy land since ancient time. Two huge stones at the top
of the mountain just like the coiled bun at the head of an ancient
girl. Hence, it got the name Mount Yaji.
The Shrine of the Great Goddess of the Blue Sky (Bi Xia Yuan Jun
Ci) in Mount Yaji is the most famous ancient temple in east Beijing
area. It was first built in Tang dynasty and developed and blossomed
in Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. The temple fair has lasted for
more than 400 years, which is interesting and attracting. Besides,
Yaji Mountain Scenic Spot also has many charming sights as the
stone gate, stele forest, two pines welcoming the guests and so
on. With pleasant climate and beautiful natural view, Yaji Mountain
Scenic Spot is an ideal place for mountaineering and holiday tour.
Shijingshan district
Beijing Shijingshan Amusement Park, Sihai Water Theme Park,
Beijing Shijingshan Amusement Park lies in the extended line
of the west Changan Avenue and only 15kilometers away from the
Tiananmen Square. It stands in the southern part of the West Hill
Scenic Spot. Occupying an area of 33 hectares, the park combined
the Chinese gardening, European architecture and Japanese amusement
facilities together to create a unique atmosphere.
Beijing Shijingshan Amusement Park boasts construction with different
styles, gardening art and more than 60 items amusement facilities
in one. It has unique landscape and elegant scenery. Among the
verdant pines, cypresses and green grass, the Gothic Cinderella
Castle, the Arabic Restaurant, the European Blue Bridge and the
Russian Entrance Hall which full of exotic atmosphere are showing
different mien and extraordinary vigor.
When you step into the park gate, you will see the jet tower and
big dipper first and unique in Beijing. After enjoying these,
let's go the gorge drift the artificial scene. Jump out of the
skin raft; you could join the speed race, relay race by different
kinds of mini vehicles. If that is not enough, come to the 4D
cinema, to feel the stimulation. The Blue Bridge links the east
and west of the park. Cross the bridge, funicular railway will
take you to see the sight of Beijing.
It has many fantastic games, such as jet tower, gorge drift, big
dipper and rocket bungee, are very attractive. The Roller Coaster,
Warrior Turnplate and some other games are challenging the brave
visitors. Giant Wheel, Magic Manor, UFO Bicycle, Waving Chair
are good for the young and old alike. In the water world, there
are several Water Slides, man-made Waving Pool, Children Playing
Pool, Children Water Slide, Raft Slide Way and Wave Slide Way,
as the best place for you to enjoy the cool in summer; it is exciting
to play with the waves or to surf by a raft.
In a word, everyone who entered the park will have a wonderful
experience and will surely enjoy him or herself.
Sihai Water Theme Park lies in the Apple Orchard (Pingguoyuan)
in Shijingshan District, the northwestern part of Beijing. With
both exercises and amusement, it is the largest of its kind in
Beijing.
The park has seven playing area including the water sliding board,
the juvenile paddle area, the infant paddle area, swimming pool
with still water, swimming pool with flowing water, man-made wave
playing area and a pond with massage function. With a large scale,
Sihai Water Theme Park has the best facilities. People in all
ages can find their suitable sports and activity. The park has
been proved as a very good place for exercising and entertainment.
People will get lots of fun and enjoy themselves especially in
summer.
Shunyi district
Jiaozhuanghu Memorial of Tunnel Warfare Site, Great Reed Marshes
Scenic Spot in Eastern Beijing, Kaiyuan Temple, Tangzhishan Scenic
Spot
Jiaozhuanghu Memorial of Tunnel Warfare Site lies in Jiaozhuanghu
Village of Shunyi District, northeast suburbs of Beijing.
The Jiaozhuanghu Tunnel Warfare began in the spring of 1943. The
local militia army built a network of underground tunnels during
the Anti-Japanese War, which had two main functions: defending
the Japanese invaders as well as protecting the masses. During
that arduous period, people of China used their wisdom and ability
to fight against the Japanese invaders. Just because their endless
struggle, the Chinese army has finally made great success of the
war.
Tunnel Warfare is a new form for struggle that found by the intelligent
people of north China. Tunnel is the major object for visit. It
has a length of 23 li. At present, about 600-meter-long tunnel
has been renovated. The five-storey cannon tower where the militia
watched and combated has also been repaired. Inside the tunnel,
you can find individual blindages, planks, meeting rooms, headquarters,
gunshot holes, warehouses etc. However, the most unexpected and
masterly design is the entrance of the tunnel. The kangs, kitchen
ranges, hogpens, donkey slots, wardrobes and some other places
all were the entrance leading to the tunnel designed by the smart
Chinese people. The tunnel site displays the immortal achievements
the Chinese people made in anti-Japanese war and the great and
magic power of the people's war.
Great Reed Marshes Scenic Spot in Eastern Beijing (Jing Dong
Da Lu Dang), which lies in the east part of Shunyi District, is
the largest reed growth area in Beijing. Outside the levee, 800-mu
water lilies add more view to the whole scenic spot. Limpid water,
twittering water birds and flickering reeds have formed a splendid
natural view. Especially when wind flows, the whole scenic spot
like a magnificent vast ocean. It is really an amazing place for
visitors.
Kaiyuan Temple, which locates in Shunyi District at the suburb
of Beijing, was a famous Buddhist temple. In China, there are
more than ten temples distributed in the vast land that named
Kaiyuan. According to the historical material, in 738 AD---the
Kaiyuan period of the Tang dynasty, emperor Xuanzong ordered to
build or rebuild a temple and named Kaiyuan in each state, which
was used to hold important Buddhist fairs or ceremonies to celebrate
Xuanzongs birthday. Nowadays, besides the Kaiyuan temple in Shunyi,
we could still find the Kaiyuan temple in Quanzhou, Zhengding,
Chaozhou, Taiwan, Fujian, Nanchang and some other places.
Kaiyuan Temple in Shunyi was called Kaiyuan Wanshou Buddhist Temple
in Yuan dynasty and has changed to Kaiyuan Zhenguo Buddhist Temple
in Ming dynasty. After the rebuilt of several dynasties, the architecture
style has combined the characteristics of the Song, Yuan, Ming
and Qing dynasties. Therefore, the temple is one of the outstanding
examples of the Chinese architecture and art. Occupying an area
of 203 mu, the solemn and splendid temple with a large scale is
a relatively completed construction group of the Tang dynasty.
Covering four courtyards, the temple composes Jingang Hall, Heavenly
King Hall, Daxiong Baodian Hall and Storing Building for Buddhist
Classics. Corridors in east and west side also have the ancient
constructions as the Kwan-yin Pavilion, Abbot House and so on.
Besides, some other historical and culture relics like stone carvings,
Buddhist sculptures, Buddhist classics and other valued objects
could be also found here.
Tangzhishan Scenic Spot lies in Mulin Town, northeast part of
Shunyi district in the suburbs of Beijing. Covering a total area
of 15 square kilometers, it composes of Tangzhishan Grand Canyon
which formed by Shentang Vale, Dazi Chimb and Shier Gully, Tangzhishan
Moutain, Shentang Lake and its surrounding areas.
Shentang Lake in the west part of the scenic spot covers a water
surface of 1.2 square kilometers. And many water amusement activities
are underdeveloped. With lush green and exuberant trees, the Shentang
Vale locates in the east part of the scenic spot. Inside the vale,
Balengbei Mineral Spring which like a silver chain flowing along
the mountain. And people could also hear the twittering of the
birds. Besides, one could also find many historical and culture
relics. While in the north of the scenic spot, there stands Shushan
Mountain which is a branch of Yanshan Mountain Ranges. The elevation
of highest peak of Shushan is 510 meters high. To the south, people
could find other views as the Tangzhishan Mountain and the Dove
Mountain. Tangzhishan Scenic Spot is a beautiful place that people
could breathe fresh air as well as viewing the beautiful landscape.
Tongzhou district
Xihaizi Park
Xihaizi Park locates in Tongzhou District, the suburb of Beijing.
It covers an area of 210 mu with 80 mu are water surface. The
park was first built in 1936 and expanded in 1985. It is a comprehensive
park with entertainment facilities, beautiful natural views and
some historical and cultural relics.
Occupying an area over 5,800 square meters, the Childrens Amusement
Park lies in the center of the park. Over 50 electronic toys are
provided for children. And there are also some other activities
like dodgems, corsair, crazy mouse and so on. It is really a fairyland
for visitors. While in the lake area, visitors could enjoy themselves
by paddling, swimming, angling or skiing in the winter. When rushing
down from the tem meters high water slide, they will experience
the passion of the modern life.
The famous Randengfo Dagoba is well preserved in the park. It
was built in Northern Zhou dynasty 1,300 years ago and has known
as the symbol of the ancient Tongzhou. It has rebuilt many times
since Tang Dynasty. Constructed by brick and wood, the dagoba
has a perimeter of 38 meters and a height of 56 meters. With eight
sides, eight corners and thirteen floors, the dagoba totally has
2,224 copper bells. It sounds dulcet when the wind blowing through.
Encompassed by verdant pines and cypresses, the Grave of Mr. Li
Zhuowu situates in the northwest corner of the park. Li Zhuowu
(1527-1602) was a famous thinker in Ming dynasty. He had profound
knowledge and dared to reveal the hypocrisy of the feudal morality;
attack the doctrine of Confucius and Mencius and has unique perspective
to judge more than 800 famous historical characters. His opinion
was obviously against the ruling thought of the government and
was not accepted by the society. So at last, he was forced to
death in jail. His friend Ma Jinglun buried him in Horse Field
in Tongzhou. And it has moved to the park in 1985.
Xihaizi Park has fresh air and beautiful environment. It plants
more than 10,000 flowers and trees with over 60 species. Visitors
could also see the 500 years old Japanese pagoda tree. Landscape
Pavilions with different styles were built on the old city site
based rockery. Visitors will feel relaxed and happy in the pretty
park with fragrant flowers and dulcet birds sound. Xihaizi Park
is a bright pearl that embedded in the Tongzhou City.
Xicheng district
Beijing Planetarium, Capital Museum, China Century Altar, China
Industrial Arts Gallery, China Science and Technology Museum,
Former Residence of Lu Xun, Former Residernce of Song Qingling,
Geological Museum of China, Mei Lanfang Memorial, Shichahai, Yuetan
Park
Beijing Planetarium is located in Xizhimen Wai Avenue in West
City District. It contains three main parts: old facility of Beijing
Planetarium, new facility of Beijing Planetarium and Beijing Ancient
Observatory. With construction area of 7000 square meters, the
old facility was first built in 1955 and opened to public in 1957.
It makes up of a planetarium, an exhibition hall, a movie and
lecture hall and a commonalty observatory. The new facility of
Beijing Planetarium which is adjoin to the existing old facility
building, began to built in 2001 and was intended to complete
in the fourth quarter of 2004 with construction area of 20000
square meters. The new facility is made up of several exciting
parts: Digital universal theater, 3D theater, 4D theater, exhibition
hall, solar observatory, commonalty observatory and astronomical
classroom etc.
The planetarium, with its cupola measuring 23.5 meters in diameter,
is the main focus of interest of the entire complex. At regular
intervals, 45-minute presentations take the visitor on a trip
through the heavens made possible by projectors installed in the
center of the hall which faithfully reproduce an image of the
starry sky on the inside of the cupola. In the courtyard are two
astronomical observatories, one of which is equipped with a huge
telescope measuring 13 centimeters in diameter, and visitors can
observe moon, planets, nebulae and star clusters, etc., via the
telescope. On the west side of the planetarium is the astronomy
square with observation apparatuses for visitors.
Covering an area about 10,000 square meters, the Ancient Observatory
under the administration of the Beijing Planetarium is a fascinating
place to visit. The Ancient Observatory is located in the southwest
side of Jianguomen crossroad at Dongcheng District. The Observatory,
built in 1442, displays astronomical instruments of the Ming Dynasty
(1368-1644), such as celestial globe, plane sundial, rotary star
dial, and so on. The Observatory includes a cluster of buildings
such as Ziwei Hall, Sundial Shadow Hall and other auxiliary structures.
It consists of a ten-meter high brick Watching Star Platform and
some buildings, which are under the platform. Eight huge bronze
astronomical instruments are displayed on the platform. Some of
them can still be used to do the measurement work now. These eight
huge instruments have the Chinese traditional features in their
decorations and appearances but reflect the European accomplishments
in their scales and structures. All of those equipments indicate
the high level of the astronomy in ancient China.
The Capital Museum, a large and comprehensive museum which first
located in the Confucian Temple, was opened to public in 1983.
The new Capital Museum commenced to build in 2001 and it has already
officially opened to public in 2006. New Capital Museum lies in
Fuxingmen Dajie in west Beijing.
The construction of the new Capital Museum itself is an architectural
artwork integrating both classical and modern beauty. It is of
distinct national characteristics on one hand and obvious modern
feeling on the other. The massive roof inherits its design from
the roof overhang of Chinese traditional architectural style;
the long stone curtain wall stands for the city wall in ancient
China; the gradient of the square refers to the architectural
style of dais construction in ancient time; a piece of Danbi (a
piece of massive stone carved with images like dragon, phoenix
or cloud for gods to walk on) is imbedded in the ground in front
of the north gate of the hall; a decorative archway from the Ming
Dynasty is set in the hall, which shows the traditional Chinese
architectural characteristic of central axis in a plane; the leaning
and projecting wall of the oval Bronze Exhibition Hall implies
unearthing of ancient relics.
There are three independent constructions within the new museum;
they are respectively, the Rectangular Exhibition Hall, the Oval
Exhibition Hall and the quadrate Office & Scientific Research
Building. Spaces between them are the central hall and indoor
bamboo courtyard. Adopting natural light, blended with the decorative
archway of Chinese style, sunken bamboo courtyard and rippling
water, therefore created an environment of both human and natural
sentiment. The museum is highly praised by personalities from
all walks of life both at home and abroad immediately upon completion.
The seven-story building has 13 themed exhibition rooms displaying
5,622 items, more than 80 percent of which are being showcased
for the first time in China. The capital museum mainly has three
kinds of exhibitions including the regular exhibitions, exhibitions
of fine artistic collection and temporary exhibitions. Regular
exhibitions include Ancient Capital Beijing History and Culture,
Ancient Capital Beijing Urban Construction and Old Stories of
Beijing Exhibition of Old Beijing Folk Customs. Exhibitions of
fine artistic collection include Exhibition of Fine Artistic Collection
of Ancient Chinaware, Exhibition of Fine Collection of Ancient
Beijing Bronze Art, Exhibition of Fine Artistic Collection of
Ancient Calligraphy, Exhibition of Fine Artistic Collection of
Ancient Paintings, Exhibition of Fine Artistic Collection of Ancient
Jade Ware, Exhibition of Fine Artistic Collection of Ancient Buddha
Statues and Exhibition of Fine Artistic Collection of Gadgets
of Studies. The seven exhibitions of fine artistic collection
and Old Stories of Beijing Exhibition of Old Beijing Folk Customs
serve as supplements and expansion to present Beijing culture.
The temporary exhibitions serve as a stage to study and appreciate
the exchange relations between cultures of Beijing and the other
regions and that of China and the world.
China Century Altar (Zhong Hua Shi Ji Tan) is located between
the China Revolutionary and Military Museum in the China Central
Television Station in the extended line of the Changan Avenue.
China Century Altar is built to welcome the new century. It occupies
an area of 4.5 hectares including the Sacred Fire Square, Bronze
Path, Main Altar, Cross-street Bridge, Century Hall, Art Hall,
relief sculpture symbolizing 56 ethnic groups, Century Bell, Culture
Square and so on.
At the entrance of the far south, there stands a white marble
stele with a length of 9 meters and a height of 1.05 meters which
inscribed the epigraph Zhong Hua Shi Ji Tan by the former present
Jiang Zemin. It is reported as the biggest white marble in the
world. The north side of the stele is the sinkage round square.
In the center is the sacred fire which indicates the permanent
civilization of the Chinese nation.
The main building of the China Century Altar totally has five
floors with two underground. It composed of a resting cloister
and a revolving altar cover. The center of the revolving structure
is a flat platform which can be used as the performance stage
of all kinds of activities. The 27.6 meters height space probe
above the revolving altar that shaped like a rocket is the symbol
of the permanently extended space and time and the embodiment
of the innovation spirits of the Chinese people. China Century
Altar is a modern construction combined with the profound ancient
Chinese culture and civilization. It is also the representative
of the modern Chinese architecture.
China Industrial Arts Gallery is located at the Fuxingmennei
Avenue in Xicheng District, Beijing. It is the first state rank
industrial arts museum of China that assembles the classic and
precious industrial arts collections at the present age. It was
opened at 1990 and the great Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping wrote
the name of the gallery.
The building of the gallery, which combined the traditional architecture
style with the modern ornamental arts, has strong folk characteristics.
It composes of the Introduction Hall, the Exhibition Hall and
the Treasure Hall. When you entered the gallery, you will see
the large-scale copper-caved decorations with the theme Star flashing
in the Divine Land embedded in the wall, which represents the
splendid achievements of Chinese industrial arts with 5,000 history.
The exhibition assembles the prime of the contemporary Chinese
industrial arts gallery with the main kinds of the jade article,
ivory carving, wood and stone carving, pottery, lacquer, voile,
embroidery, cloisonn, silver and golden decorations, tin ware
and spot copper. With many classic and rare collections, the Treasure
Hall is the elegant palace of the Chinese arts gem. Besides the
exhibition, one can also buy some souvenirs in the gallery.
The Chinese Science and Technology Museum, which opened to public
in 1988, is located in the northwest of Anhua Bridge on the Beisanhuan
(North Third Ring) Road in Xicheng District, Beijing. It was the
first national comprehensive museum of its kind.
The museum mainly constitutes three parts including the Exhibition
Hall of the Ancient Technology, the Exhibition Hall of the Modern
Science and Technology and the Astro-vision Theater. The Exhibition
Hall of the Ancient Technology introduces the ancient Chinas astronomy,
bronze melting and casting techniques, ancient architecture, embroidery,
pottery, handicraft and the world-famous four great inventions
in ancient China as the compass, gunpowder, papermaking and printing
techniques. It displays the rocket and worship of ancient China,
finely designed water mill, waterwheel and compass and so on.
From there, people can see the glorious achievements of the ancient
Chinese technology civilization. While in the Exhibition Hall
of the Modern Science and Technology, through a large number of
modern facilities (visitors can even experience some by themselves),
the museum vividly displayed the science and technology fruit
in many modern subjects such as the electromagnetism, mechanics,
heat, acoustics, optics, nuclear technology and information technology.
The Astro-vision Theater is one of the museum's major attractions
and also one of the largest Astro-vision theaters in the world.
It encapsulates state-of-the-art cinematography engineering that
makes viewers feel they are participating in actual events rather
than seeing a film.
Besides the permanent exhibitions, many influential science activities
are also held at the museum, and the museum aims to become an
important window showcasing the achievements of China's implementation
of the strategy of revitalizing China through science and education.
Former Residence of Lu Xun is located at the Xiertiao, Fuchengmen
Street, Xicheng District in Beijing. It is a small workmanlike
courtyard and from 1924 to 1926, Lu Xun and his family have lived
here. The easternmost room in the northern side of the courtyard
belonged to Lu Xun' s mother and the western room to Lu Xun' s
wife Zhu An while the middle is the dining-room. The rooms on
the southern side of the courtyard served as a sitting room and
library. Attached to the northern side of the courtyard is a small
room known as the "Tiger Tail," which was used as Lu
Xuns study and bedroom.
Lu Xun (1881-1936) was born in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province. He
was a very famous writer, thinker and revolutionist in contemporary
China and has regarded as the founder of modern Chinese writing
and was a revered scholar and teacher. He played an important
role of the anti-imperialist May the Fourth Movement in 1919,
and his greatest legacy was leading the revolution of simplified
Chinese script. In the two years and three months when he lived
here he wrote Tomb, Wild Grass, Aureole Anthology, Aureole Anthology
Part II and the famous collection of short stories entitled uncertainty.
As well he completed a large number of translations. Next to the
Tiger Tail is a tiny garden with a thorny plum tree that together
with the lilac tree in the front courtyard, were planted by Lu
Xun himself.
In 1954, Lu Xun Museum was built next to his former residence
and opened to public in 1956. And then the museum was expanded
in 1980. The museum mainly exhibits Lu Xuns whole life from his
youth in Shaoxing to his death in Shanghai and displays the related
objects to him. It now treasures more than 30,000 culture relics.
21,000 of them are the culture relics of Mr. Lu Xun, which includes
precious photographs, the published and unpublished manuscripts,
letters, diaries and Lu Xun's collecting works like books, paintings
and bricks in Han Dynasty and epitaph rubbings. Its basic exhibition
covers the "Exhibition of Lu Xun's Whole Life", which
lively displays the resplendent life of Lu Xun who acts the Main
General of Chinese Revolution in Culture in full-scale.
Former Residence of Song Qhingling is located in Houhai Road
West City District in Beijing. It was the garden of the Prince
Chuns Mansion in Qing dynasty. From 1963 to 1981, Madam Song has
lived in here.
Song Qingling was the wife of the great revolutionist and the
founder of the Republic of China Dr. Sun Yatsen. Song Qingling
and her two sisters Song Meiling (wife of the Kuomintang President
Chiang Kaishek) and Song Ailing (who married the Finance Minister
of Kuomintang Kong Xiangxi) were known as the famous Song Sisters
in the Republic Period. Song Qingling herself had made great contribution
to the development of China. She was described as one of Chinas
outstanding women of the 20th century and was a great advocate
of civil rights, democracy and freedom from aggression. So after
the founding of the Peoples Republic of China, she was named as
the Honorary President of the People's Republic of China and the
Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of National People's Congress
(NPC).
Because of her great dedication to the communist career, before
Song Qingling's moving into the house, a two-floor building that
combined with both the Chinese and Western Style was built at
the west of the original ancient building for Song Qingling's
working and living. The first floor is the drawing room and dining
room, while the second floor is the office and bedroom, living
room and the study. Besides, the former prince mansion itself
was a very beautiful place with many constructions such as the
Long Corridor, Enbo Pavilion, Nan Lou (South Tower), Tingyu Lou
(a tower where people can listen to the fall of rain) and Halls
of Haoliang Lequ and Changjin Room. After Songs death in 1981,
the former residence was entitled as the National Key Cultural
Relic Protection Unit and opened to public on May 29, 1982 as
an exhibition that display the whole life of Song Qingling with
a large number of photographs, documents, letters and some other
objects.
Geological Museum of China is located in Yangrou Hutong Xisi
Nandajie in Xicheng District, Beijing. With its predecessor of
the Geological and Mineral Products Exhibition Hall of the Geological
Investigation Office founded in 1916, it is the earliest and largest
museum of its kind in China and the biggest comprehensive geological
museum in Asia. The Geological Museum was officially opened in
1959 and has rebuilt and expanded in 2004. Basic displays of the
present museum are composed of five exhibition halls, namely,
the exhibition halls of geological resource, global history, stratum
paleontology, mineral rocks and diamond, with an exhibition area
of 10,000 square meters.
The Geological Museum of China introduces in different catalogues
and classifications of the abundant mineral products and other
geological resources in China; the earth formation and construction,
earth inner motive power geological action, earth outer power
geological action and earth washing action; special exhibitions
of Zhendan biome, insect fossils, fish fossils, egg fossils, and
Shandingdong Human Being; ancient creatures and their characteristics
of different geological eras; more than 1200 varieties of specimens
of over 500 mineral products and over 800 the classic rock specimens
of three different kinds of rocks, that are magma rock, alluvial
rock and transformation rock. The mineral products exhibition
gathers the beautiful mineral product crystal or crystal treasure
from domestic and overseas. The diamond hall can be divided to
four parts, namely diamond, jade, colorful stone and ink slab
stone. It displays the raw stone and finished stone of the common
diamonds, the traditional jade and color stone varieties of China
and the products and its craftworks developed in the recent as
well as the famous and common inkstones and its raw stone in China.
It is the earliest and largest scale diamond exhibition in China
and shares high recognition in the geological cycle, diamond cycle
and the vast diamond fans. In addition to permanent exhibitions,
the museum often organizes temporary displays, such as Chinese
Petroleum Geology, Geological Technological Revolution, and Earthquake,
etc.
In the Geological Museum of China, people can enrich their geological
knowledge as well as see our motherlands vast territory and abundant
resources while at the same time people can recognize the importance
of treasuring and protecting the natural resources to make better
use of them.
Mei Lanfang(1894-1961),the outstanding exponent of Beijing Opera,
was the great master of China's dramatic art. Mei Lanfang was
born into a family of Peking Opera performers. He began his stage
debut at 11 and then dedicates all his rest life to the art of
Beijing Opera. During his stage career over half a century, he
showed great skill inherited from the primes of the traditional
opera and adapting them into a new stage. His most famous roles
were those of female characters; skillful portrayal of women won
him international acclaim. He had always ameliorated and enriched
his performance by adding some new elements and techniques. He
blended acting, singing and dancing in one performance, turning
the Beijing Opera into a colorful, comprehensive art of the highest
stage effects. And thus his smooth, perfectly timed and poised
style has come to be known in opera circles as the Mei School.
Besides, Mei Lanfang also made great contribution in promoting
the culture exchange. He had visited some foreign countries such
as Japan, the United States and the Soviet Union and had introduced
and spreaded the Beijing Opera to the world. The performing art
of the Chinese theatre represented by Mei Langfang is now recognized
as one of the three world contemporary main systems of performing
art.
Mei Lanfang Memorial is situated at Huguosi Street in West City
District, Beijing. It was the former residence of Mei Lanfang
from 1949 to his death in 1961. In 1965, the Mei family donated
the house and almost all of Mei Lanfang's valuable lifetime collection
of books, manuscripts, calligraphies and paintings both of his
own and distinguished artists, as well as other precious cultural
relics and antiques to the government. Most are now preserved
here with great care. The memorial is a typical Beijing courtyard
and was originally a part of Prince Qings Mansion. In the inner
courtyard, the main quarters are the living room, the study and
the bedroom. In these rooms the furniture formerly used by Mr.
Mei is displayed, and walls are hanging on the calligraphies and
paintings by his renowned artist friends. In the study, a part
of Mr. Mei's collection of Chinese and foreign books, scripts
and manuscripts of operas are kept on the bookshelves. While the
outer courtyard, which was the former reception room, is now an
exhibition hall. In the exhibition hall, "A Brief Account
of the Life of Mei Lanfang" is on display. There are more
than a hundred photographs recording his artistic career and glorious
life, together with a small portion of his theatrical costumes,
head-ornaments and stage properties, as well as repertoire programs
of various periods. The east wing-room has placed some souvenirs
presented by Mei's friends both at home and abroad, calligraphies
and paintings by distinguished ancient and contemporary artists,
and programs of the performances by Mei Lanfang and earlier Beijing
Opera actors in different periods of time. Those fine collections
have great value and the Mei Lanfang Memorial is really a charming
place for the lovers of Beijing Opera and those who are interested
in Chinese art and culture.
Shichahai lies in Xicheng district, Beijing downtown area. It
featured with historical sites, beautiful sceneries and charming
folk customs. Many delicious old Beijing snakes can be also found
here.
Occupying a large area of 146.7 hectares, ShiChahai consists of
Qianhai, Houhai and Xihai (also called Jishuitan), which is a
narrow lake from northwest tilting to southeast. The three lakes
connect with each other, forming one water area, while the Back
Sea (Houhai) possesses the largest water surface among them and
it is the most famous one. During the Yuan Dynasty, it was the
starting point of the north part of the Grand Canal linking up
the north and the south, so it was once a famous commercial area.
Around the lake, there are many prince mansion and gardens of
the Qing dynasty. Besides, people can also see the Former Residence
of Song Qingling, the Former Residence of Mei Lanfang (the well-known
Peking Opera master) and Guang Hua Temple.
Shichahai is really a place full of charming scenes and culture
atmosphere. In summer, you can boat on the lake while in winter
you can skate. In addition, dont forget to taste the traditional
Chinese food at the famous restaurant Kao Rou Ji and Bao Du Zhang.
Yuetan Park (the Altar of Moon) is located at the Yuetan Xijie
(Yuetan Western Street) in Xicheng District, Beijing. It was first
built in Ming dynasty Jiajing period in 1530, and it used to be
the place that the Ming and Qing Emperors used to sacrifice the
Queen of Night. At present, it is one of the classic gardens in
the capital and also belongs to one of the famous Five Altars
and Eight Temples in Beijing.
The park covers an area of 8.12 hectares and has south garden
and north garden two parts. Inside the park planted many pines,
cypresses and many ornamental plants such as the megranate trees,
the sweet-scented osmanthus and phoenix trees. Ancient architectures
such as the Bell Tower, Heavenly Gate and the Storehouse of the
God are all well preserved. In 1983, the park has rebuilt with
many new attractions of the moon theme according to the legend
such as the Lanyue Pavilion, Jiyue Pavilion, Yuegui Pavilion and
the Yuetan Palace with the double ring moon pond, the cold and
wild bridge and the sculpture of the goddess run to the moon.
All of the constructions in the park are related with "moon".
Plus the historical and culture background, the park has become
a famous tourist attraction for admiring moon, especially in Mid-autumn
Day since moon stands for family reunion in Chinese.
Xuanwu district
Baiyun Taoist Temple, Beijing Museum of Ancient Architecture,
Beijing Museum of Traditional Opera, China Stamp Museum, Guanfu
Museum of Classic Arts, Museum of Ancient Pottery Civilization,
Temple of the Origin of the Dharma (Fayuansi), Xiannong Altar
Baiyun Taoist Temple is located in Binhe Road, Xuanwu District.
It is known as Baiyun Guan in Chinese and can be also called the
Temple of White Clouds. Baiyun Guan is the oldest and largest
Taoist building existent in Beijing and the biggest Taoist activity
center in Beijing. It is housing the office to the Chinese Taoist
Association and the Chinese Taoist College and enjoys a high reputation
in the whole Chinese Country.
Baiyun Taoist Temple was first built in Tang dynasty in 739 AD
to offer the sacrifice of Lao Tzu (the founder of the Taoism).
In Jin and Yuan dynasty it was called Tianchang Guan or the Temple
of Supreme Ultimate and renamed Taiji Palace later. It was in
Ming dynasty, it got the present name. The temple has under many
rebuilt through its long history. In 1224, Genghis Khan ordered
the reconstruction of the temple to commemorate Qiu Chuji ---
the grandfather of the Quanzhen School (a branch of the Taoism)
who was honored by Genghis Khan for his bravery expostulation
about stopping the war and killing.
With the large and magnificent scale, the Baiyun Taoist Temple
constitutes by the quadrangle courtyards placed layer by layer.
There are many buildings in the temple such as the Colorful Torii,
the Lingguan Hall, the Jade Emperor Hall, the Godfather Qius Hall,
the Yunji Garden and so on. Along its main axis, beyond the ornamental
gate and the inner gate, quadrangle courtyards and the halls are
lined up. A guardian figure stands in the first hall, while the
jade emperor, the highest deity of Taoism, is seated on his throne
surrounded by the gods of stars and the heavens in the seconds.
The third hall contains the figures of seven saints and the fourth
and the final hall is a two-storey mausoleum for Qiu Chuji. His
bones are laid to rest underneath his statue on the ground floor,
while the three pure ones, the highest god in the Taoism, are
worshiped in the upper floor. The smaller halls of the western
side courtyards are dedicated to the mother goddesses (responsible
for the fertility, painless birth and the health of the offspring)
as well as to the important Confucians and the sixty gods of the
years. Two beautiful and colorful murals can be found in the Monastery
Garden. The murals depict the Taoist Pantheon and the Eight Immortals
Crossing The Sea (a rather famous Chinese legend).
Visitors here can also get lots of fun. For instance, the arches
at the front have detailed traditional images including two hidden
monkeys. Visitors believe it is lucky to find and touch them.
At busy times, there is actually a line of people waiting to touch
them, which takes the fun out of finding them too. Besides, there
is a stone bridge called Yufeng Bridge under which are two-oversized
big Chinese copper coins with each has a small bell hanging inside
the middle hole. For a couple of dollars you can buy a bunch of
fake coins to throw at the bells. It is said to be lucky if you
can hit the bell with a coin throwing from either side. Besides,
there will be a Temple Fair (called Miaohui in Chinese, its an
traditional Chinese cultural event featuring all kinds of Chinese
folk arts) held annually in the Baiyun Taoist Temple.
Beijing Museum of Ancient Architecture is located in the old
site of the Xiannong Altar in Haidian District. It was the first
theme museum of its kind in China that concentrates on the display
of the ancient architecture styles, techniques and its development.
Those collections have great value on both archeology research
and art appreciating. It also can help people better understand
the old and charming Chinese culture.
As a carrier of human being's civilization, buildings act as the
milestones to record the developing achievements of human society
in each period. It is regarded as a symbol of a nation's contribution
to the human being's civilization. Chinese ancient architecture
has become a glorious page in the development of the world architecture
due to its unique style and long history.
Lots of pictures, photos, material objects and elaborate models
exhibit in the Beijing Museum of Ancient Architecture. It introduces
Chinese ancient architecture development from the preliminary
status of hutch and mud house to the high rising circumvallation
in Ming and Qing Dynasty with the palace building in neat formation
while reappears Chinese labor people's marvelous creativity and
the Chinese ancient architecture's long history and brilliant
achievements at the same time.
Beijing Museum of Traditional Opera is called Beijing Xiqu Bowuguan
in Chinese. It lies in Hufang Bridge in Xuanwu District at the
site of the Huguang Guildhall and opened to public in 1997. It
is also known as the one hundred museum opened in Beijing.
Huguang Guildhall was first built in 1807 in Qing dynasty. There
is a set of buildings including the Great Drama Tower, Xiangxian
Ancestral Temple, Wenchang Pavilion, Baoshan Hall, Chuwas Hall
and Fengyuhuairen Hall. The Huguang Guildhall was once the gathering
place for the scholars and the merchants from Hunan and Hubei
Prefectures. With a long history, it has profound cultural connotation
as well as excellent traditional opera culture. It was a famous
site of drama performance for the renowned great drama masters
Tan Xinpei, Yu Shuyan and Mei Lanfang all had shows here.
The museum's various exhibits have distinctively artistic characteristics.
On display in the exhibition hall are several dozen biographies,
cultural relics, and costumes and instruments that trace the history
of Chinese traditional opera. Stage photos of Peking opera masters
in performance are also exhibited. The most precious exhibits
include a picture of Shouyun Xuan Accepting Congratulations, the
pass to enter the imperial palace issued to opera star Chen Delin,
the imperial phonograph, four famous Peking opera fiddles, and
the Liyan Pictorial, all of which are of high artistic value.
The museum currently offers a range of activities, including performances,
exhibitions, academic seminars, and foreign cultural exchanges.
While during performances, both Chinese and English subtitles
are on the screen, and there are also English and Japanese simultaneous
interpretation service provided.
China Stamp Museum is located in Xuanwumen dongdajie in Xuanwu
District. Occupying 500 square meters, it has two exhibition halls.
Besides the basic exhibition, the museum holds several theme exhibitions
every year. It has about 200,000 types and a hundred million of
stamp collections from both China and other countries. According
to the historical period, the stamps can be divided into four
categories including the historical stamps especially the stamps
in Ming and Qing dynasty; the stamps published in the China Revolution
War; the stamps, archives data, original picture of the stamps,
original carving type, designs of the famous painter and the Taiwan
stamp purchased by international market after the foundation of
the Peoples Republic of China and the stamps from the member countries
of the Universal Postal Union (including more than 200 countries
and areas). Many of them are the rare and precious collections
around the world.
Guanfu Museum of Classic Arts is situated in the west Liulichang
Street---a famous street teemed with ancient Chinese culture in
Xuanwu District in Beijing. It is the first private museum in
China and opened to public in 1997. The main collections in the
museum are the over 50 pieces of the porcelains made in the late
Ming dynasty. Besides, it also exhibits some old furniture, carpet
and the costume in the Ming and Qing dynasty. It is a museum that
combines the arts appreciating and history studying together.
The museum is an ancient style building with two floors. Covering
an area of 150 square meters, the exhibition hall is considered
to be an old-timey household place in ancient time with Suzhou
purple elm in Qing Dynasty, pear plancon engraving in ancient
style on the corner, elm cabinet in Ming Dynasty, wood ware in
different material and ages, green porcelain duration the period
of the end of Ming Dynasty and beginning of Qing Dynasty, study
room utensils in ancient times, trunks, cases, bags and boxes
in different size and type.
Aims at always providing a fresh and interesting feeling, the
exhibition style and contents here are various regularly. The
museum has held "Art & Craft Exhibition in Ming and Qing
Dynasty", "Porcelain Exhibition in Song, Liao, Jin and
Yuan Dynasty" and "Furniture Exhibition in Ming and
Qing Dynasty". All those exhibitions reached the effect of
gathering the exquisite works and attracting the people. Although
the contents of the exhibitions are different, they are all basically
characterized with the style of opening, mini type, kindness and
folk-custom. There are flying sound of the ancient music instrument
and comfortable carefree illustration of the guide. People can
drink a cup of sweet tea tasting restlessly near the window and
enjoy the kindness of touching the collections at will. All those
have constituted the unique flavor of the museum. Through its
unique management and the constant hardworking of the staffs,
the museum has now become a high level private museum in Beijing.
Museum of Ancient Pottery Civilization is located in the Inner
West Street of Youanmen in Xuanwu District. It is a unique and
tranquil museum close to the Grand View Garden in Beijing. It
is one of the earliest private museums in China and has opened
in 1997.
Museum of Ancient Pottery Civilization is a theme museum concentrates
on the pottery culture. Pottery stands for the earliest civilization
of mankind and the headstream of human arts. Pottery is also the
representative that the Chinese nation exerts the beauty and wisdom
into perfection.
The museum has many cultural relics including more than 3,000
pieces of the ancient painted pottery in the New Stone Age, the
pottery in Zhou, Qin and Han dynasty and the tile and lute in
Warrior Period, Qin and Han dynasty which constitute an almost
complete and lifelike picture about the history of the ancient
pottery civilization. With its unique cultural form and profound
effect in archeology, history and human civilization, the museum
has attracted thousands of people of all circles including many
leaders from China and many other foreign countries, experts,
scholars, artists and journalists and has made favorable social
benefit.
As the oldest temple existent in Beijing city, Temple of the
Origin of the Dharma (Fayuansi) is located in Fayuansi Qianjie,
Xuanwu District. The temple was first built in Tang Dynasty in
645 AD and called Minzhongsi at that time in order to memorize
the officers and soldiers who lost their life in the battle.
Occupying an area of 6,700 square meters, the temple contains
a number of fine early cultural relics. One can find the bronze
sculptures of the Four Heavenly Kings (Davarajas) and lions, the
rare gilded figures of the three Buddhas---Vairochana (Piluzhena),
Manjusri (Wenshu), and Samantabadra (Puxian) date back in Ming
dynasty. The huge stone urn in the form of a Buddhist alms bowl,
which stands on a double base before the Hall of Pure Karma (Jingyetang)
rivals the jade urn in the Circular Wall (Tuancheng) in Beihai
Park in terms of size and decoration. The sides of the Platform
in Memory of the Loyal (Minzhongtai) inscribed with a cursive
rendering of The Ode to the Pagoda by Zhang Shijin in the calligraphy
of Su Lingzhi, who lived in the Tang Dynasty. There are also many
fine examples of stelae, stone carvings, stone pillars inscribed
with Buddhist sutras, plaques inscribed in the calligraphy of
emperors and printed Buddhist scriptures, all dating from the
Ming and Qing dynasty.
The temple also famed by its lilac. In 1924, the famous Chinese
poet Xu Zhimo has accompanied the great Indian poet Tagore to
visit the temple and appreciate the lilac. Also because of the
classis elegance of the temple, many celebrities such as Ji Xiaolan,
Hong Liangji and Gong Zizhen in old times always came to here.
The premiere of Burma Wunv has once visited Fayuan Temple. The
famous writer Liao in Taiwan was named the Nobel Literature Prize
for the publishing of his saga novel Fayuansi. Therefore, Fayuansi
has gradually raised his international reputation.
Xiannong Altar is situated in the west of Yongding Street, Xuanwu
District. It was first built in Ming dynasty during the Yongle
Period in 1420. The altar was the place that the emperors in both
Ming and Qing dynasty used to sacrifice the God of Xiannong who
was side to be the first god taught the ancient people how to
farm.
China had always emphasized on agriculture since ancient times,
so to sacrifice the God of Xiannong considered a very important
activity in ancient time. The emperor himself would also farm
on the land at that day in order to set an example to the citizens
and to pray the harvest.
Xiannong altar built by bricks and stones in square shape with
15 meters long and wide and 1.5 meters high. The north of the
altar is a hall with 5 rooms where present the tablet of the God
of Xiannong in respect. East room is the Divine Warehouse while
the west room is the Divine Kitchen. The northwest is the Animal
Sacrifice Pavilion. There are two Well Pavilion placed in each
side of the hall. Besides, one can also see the main existing
sacrificing building such as the Guangeng Platform, the Taisui
Hall, Qingcheng Palace and the Hall of Clothes and Tools.
Yanqing district
Badaling Wild Animal World, Exhibition Hall of Shanrong Culture,
Guyaju Ruins, Kangxi Grassland, Longqing Gorge, National Geology
Park of Wood Fossil, Songshan Forest Park, The Great Wall Museum
of China, Yudu Mountain Nature Reserve, Zhan Tianyou Memorial
Exhibition Hall of Shanrong Culture lies in the hillside of Yuquan
Village, Jinjiapu Town Yanqing District, the north suburb of Beijing.
Opened in 1990, it is a museum about Shanrong culture built on
the site of groups of Shanrong tombs.
It is known as the first museum named as the ancient minority
culture in China. Shanrong was a powerful nomadic tribe flourished
in the region at the north of Mount Yanshan during the Spring
and Autumn Period and the Warrior State Period. Shanrong tombs
were discovered in 1984. After many years excavation, 584 tombs
have been excavated along with nearly 20,000 items of culture
relics about gold, bronze, pottery, jade, agate, turquoise, bone,
mussel etc.
Inside the exhibition hall, ten tombs are well preserved according
to its original state with two large tombs belong to the caciques,
five mid-sized tombs and three small tombs are for the tribe members.
Most graves were rectangle-shaped with wooden coffin. The dead
wore gold earrings, carcanet and covered with a flax cloth decorated
by copper buttons on his face. Around his waist is a bronze dagger
on the right and a bag of arrowheads on the left. At the top of
the coffin, skulls and shoulder bones of horses, cows or dogs
are placed in accordance with the status of the dead.
From the exhibition hall, one could understand the basic features
of Shanrong culture in Spring and Autumn Period and learn more
about the splendent Chinese culture and the magnificent Chinese
ancient civilization.
Guyaju Ruins, which showing ancient cave-dwellings, is located
in Dongmenying Village Zhangshanying Town at Yanqing District,
the north suburb of Beijing. It is known as the largest cave dwelling
ruins that found in China by far.
With at least more than one thousand years of history, the caves
were made on a precipitous cliff by a group of ancient people
who were not recorded in any history books. Some archeologists
believe that it was built in the last period of Tang dynasty by
a tribe of north minority called Xi to escape the pressure and
bandage from Liao dynasty. There are totally 170 caves with over
350 rooms. The artificial rooms were arranged one by one on three
side steep cliffs in the gorge. They are big or small in size,
round or square in shape and face different directions. The biggest
one is about 20 meters in length while the smallest only 3 to
4 meters long.
Most of the caves have three rooms with the living room in the
middle, kitchen in the right and storehouse in the left. While
inside the caves, there are many simple living facilities as the
stone kang, stone pillow, stone window, alcove, air hole and equipment
for collecting rainwater in the living room; flue and the top
of a kitchen range in the kitchen room and stone table in the
storehouse. Besides, there are also caves used to keep horse.
Each room could keep three or four horses.
Those cave-dwellings are two-storeyed buildings. Rooms upstairs
communicate with downstairs by steps, stone ladders and trestles.
They are parallel and well arranged in layout. Among them, a palace-like
two-storeyed cave called Xis Mansion flanked by small rooms is
located in the middle and has six finely caved stelae and a broad
stone table in the big hall. Guyaju Ruins is really a mysterious
and enchanting place for visitors. However, about the questions
as who built the cave; when did it built; why and how to build
it, the historians and archeologists still dont have any certain
and clear answer. It is still a riddle that under studies and
we hope they could uncover the mysterious veil in a near future.
Kangxi Grassland is located at the northwest of Kangzhuang Village
in Yanqing District, the north suburb of Beijing. 15 kilometers
away from Badaling Great Wall, the Kangxi Grassland has its own
features with the far-flung grassland scenery and flocks of horse,
cattle and goat. It is known as the former hunting ground for
emperors of Qing dynasty.
Kangxi Grassland has a very good geographical location. To the
south is the Haituo Mountain while to the west is the Guanting
Reservoir. The landscape is very nice with mountain and water
around. The temperature is relatively lower than the downtown
area. So it is very cool and comfort in summer. Kangxi Grassland
has 32,000-mu grass field and it boasts abundant natural resources.
About 50 kinds of wild grasses as alfalfa, wild mum and some beautiful
flowers are growing in the grassland; More than ten species of
animals as badger, hare, fox and field mouse can be found in the
brushwood; About 20 kinds of birds such as swan, duck, crane and
gray seagull also take the nice grassland as their natural habitat.
Together with all kinds of entertainment items like riding a horse,
whiffing, wrestling, outdoor barbecue, fire balloon as well as
skating and sledging in the winter, Kangxi Grassland is really
a very good holiday resort for visitors.
Longqing Gorge locates in Gucheng Village Yanqing District, 85
kilometers from the heart of Beijing City. Longqing Gorge has
the reputation of Small Li River Outside the Great Wall and has
been known as one of Beijings 16-tourist sites.
Longqing Gorge with a river in Gucheng Village flowing through
was called Nine Bends in Gucheng before. Since Yanqing District
called Longqing State at ancient time, so the artificial reservoir
built on the river got the name Longqing, which is known as todays
Longqing Gorge. With limpid water, wandering valley and lofty
peaks, Longqing Gorge is a natural scenic spot blending the gracefulness
of southern China with the north's power and grandeur.
At the entrance of the scenic spot, one could admire the bold
and vigorous characters of Long Qing Xia written by the former
president Jiang Zemin. Looking from a distance, one could see
a giant dragon lying along the slope of the mountain with the
dragon tail lifting up and the head perking between the valley,
which is vivid and lifelike from both figure and expression. Actually,
the giant dragon is the modernized dragon-shaped elevator group
which could directly lead to the dock at the top of the 72 meters
dam, at where people could start their exciting boating tour.
Longqing Gorge boasts beautiful natural views. There are totally
more than 30 scenes inside the scenic spot including Baihua Immortal
Cave, Immortal Courtyard, Jade Emperor Peak, Jingang Temple and
so forth. Touring around the valley by water, one could also view
the beautiful Zhenshan Rulai, Bell Mountain and Phoenix Coronet.
In summer, the limpid water, green mountain, fresh air and cool
weather constitute a very good resort for visitors. While in winter,
it provides a fairyland for viewing ice-lantern. Due to shade
from mountains towering on both sides, the area has an ice period
about four months in a year, which provides an ideal venue for
the annual ice-lantern festival. Each year during the festival,
about 80 groups of ice lanterns, ice-and-snow sculptures and ice
slides are displayed along the 300 meters gorge. Colorful lights
and nice exhibitions add more fun to the tour.
Besides, visitors could also take part in all kinds of entertainment
activities like bungee jumping, upper air cable car and flying
down with a high speed. Longqing Gorge is really an excellent
tourist destination.
National Geology Park of Wood Fossil is located in the east mountainous
area of Yanqing District, about 100 kilometers away from the Beijing
city proper. Along the two banks of the White River, the park
is 26 kilometers long from east to west and 6 to 8 kilometers
wide from south to north with a total area of 226 square meters.
The park is famous for its largest cluster of wood fossil found
in northern China, which formed in the Jurassic Period about 14,000,000
to 18,000,000 years ago.
Wood fossil, which also called siliconed wood, was the product
of the middle Jurassic period. About more than 14,000,000 years
ago, all kinds of gymnosperm were over growth in Yanqing district.
However, because of the strong movement of the earths crust, a
large amount of virgin forest were embedded rapidly under the
dissolved rocks of the volcano. For a rather long period, the
wood was infiltrated with the water containing of many mineral
elements, and it has finally formed the wood fossil which has
great value on geological research. Most of the wood fossils found
in Qianjiadian Town are stand-up with clear growth ring and texture.
And their surfaces are appearing as snuff color or offwhite. The
diameter of the most wood fossil is one meters long or so with
the biggest could reach to 2.5 meters. Besides, the geological
park also has abundant natural scenic spots as Dishuihu Scenic
Spot, Wulong Gorge, Yan Great Wall, Ancient Mountain Village,
Yanshan Mountain Heavenly Pond and so on. And all of these have
formed a beautiful natural landscape.
Dishuihu Scenic Spot
Dishuihu (Water-dropping Pot) Scenic Spot locates in Qianjiadian
Town, the east part of Yanqing District. It is a small waterfall
with a fall of 20 meters. The lower part of the waterfall is wider
and broader than the top; just like the water spilling down from
a pot, hence it got the name Dishuihu (Water-dropping Pot). The
waterfall is like a curtain waved by the golden silk. In summer,
after a rain, the view will become more splendid. While in winter,
the ice world is also attracted.
Wulong Gorge
Wulong Gorge locates five meters away from Dishuihu Scenic Spot
in Yanqing District. It features with green mountain, limpid water
and tranquil dingle. With many limestone caves of weird shape,
it is also a very good place for exploration. One could also find
limpid water inside the caves. While walking along the one-kilometer
trestle built along the precipitous cliff, all the beautiful views
around are under your eyes.
Yanshan Moutain Heavenly Pond
Yanshan Mountain Heavenly Pond situates 20 kilometers northeast
away from Yanqing District, the north suburb of Beijing. Its main
area is Baihepu Reservoir. With charming natural views and pleasant
climate, it is an ideal summer resort. While at there, people
could choose all kinds of water activities as boating, diving,
whiffing, drifting and aeroboat. And they will surely enjoy themselves.
Datan Second- growth- forest Nature Reserve
Datan Sceond-growth-forest Nature Reserve is located in the south
bank of White River in Qianjiadian Town Yanqing District. Covering
a total area of 47 square kilometers, it is the zoology tourist
area of the National Geology Park of Wood Fossil. The reserve
has abundant natural resources with 72 species of plants from
3 families; over 20 kinds of medicinal materials like earthworm;
30 kinds of birds like pied magpie, sparrow and eagle; and more
than 19 species of animals as leopard, wolf, badger and so on,
which are under the key protection of the state or municipality.
Songshan Forest Park is located at the deep of Yanshan Mountain
ranges in the northwest part of Yanqing District, 90 kilometers
from Beijing city proper. Its highest peak Haituo Mountain has
an altitude of 2,199 meters, only second to Lingshan Mountain
in Mentougou District. It has listed as a national nature reserve
since 1986 for its special geographical position, well preserved
natural environment and abundant animal and plant resources.
Covering 4,660 hectares, Songshan Forest Park boasts abundant
natural resources of wild animals and exuberant vegetation. It
mainly protects natural Chinese pine trees and forest ecosystem
of temperate zone as a whole. The Reserve boasts the only Chinese
Pine forest in North China. In addition, the broadleaved forest
consists of Chinese lindens, elm trees, birches and other broadleaved
trees. There are more than 600 species of seed plants and 70 species
of higher animals including some animals under state protection
such as leopards and gorals. It can be viewed as a natural zoo
and botanical garden.
Songshan Forest Park is famous for its rare pines, limpid streams
and peculiar stones. Besides the dense forests, it has many nice
scenic spots such as the Baipu Spring, Baxian Cave, Songyue Pond,
Flying Dragon Cliff and so on. The famous Songshan spring, which
contains many mineral elements, is an ideal place for medicinal
treatment. It has healed the aches and pains of Chinese for ages.
Today there are three hot spring pools at Songshan; covering 120
square meters, it could contain 300 bathers at the same time.
With pleasant climate and charming natural views, it is an excellent
place for holiday tour, at where visitors could breathe fresh
air and embrace the nature and they will be happy and relaxed
thoroughly.
The Great Wall Museum of China is lying at the foot of the world
famous Badaling Great Wall in Yanqing District, the north suburb
of Beijing. Opened in 1994, it is a special museum that mainly
demonstrates the history and profound culture connotations of
the Great Wall.
The museum is unique in design. Its appearance and the zigzag
passages inside the building are winding like the great wall.
Along its touring route, impregnable passes and beacon towers
can be found everywhere, as it were in the real Great Wall. The
exhibition is composed of seven parts including the Great Wall
of past dynasties, the Great Wall of Ming Dynasty, the construction
equipment, the battles on the Great Wall, the economic and cultural
exchange, the treasure of national art, love China and repair
the Great Wall, which demonstrate the creation and development
of the Great Wall, its structures and patterns, major battles
inside and outside the Great Wall and the historical sites and
cultural relics along the Great Wall. While at here, visitors
could see many rare historical and culture relics unearthed along
the Great Wall; the original piece of the Certificate for the
World Culture Heritage that awarded by the UNESCO and the precious
photographs about over 200 leaders and officials from 120 countries
and regions stepped on the Badaling Great Wall in recent 40 years.
Whats more, the museum also tried to use various methods to vividly
display the important historical events about the Great Wall,
which add more fun and interests to the exhibition.
Yudu Mountain Nature Reserve is located in Jinjiapu Town Yanqing
District, the north suburb of Beijing. To the east is Longqing
Gorge; to the west is Songshan Mountain National Nature Reserve.
Yudu Mountain Nature Reserve lies in the remote mountains with
an area of 9,820 hectares. It is a well-preserved virgin land
by nature around the Beijing area.
Yudu Mountain Nature Reserve is a beautiful landscape composed
of wandering mountains, peculiar stones, lush green forest, limpid
springs, nice waterfalls, blossoming flowers and vigorous grass.
The reserve has rich vegetations, exuberant plants and abundant
resources of wild animals with over 16 including leopard, antelope
and golden hawk were ranked as the key protection animals by state.
Yudu Mountain Nature Reserve has an area about more than 100 square
kilometers with the prime of the scenic spots centralized on 58
square kilometers. The main area could be divided into 6 scenic
areas with 56 sights, which including scenic area of high gorges
and flat lakes, Yudu Mountai scenic area, scenic area of Stone
Buddha Temple, scenic area of the main peak of Haituo Mountain,
Shuangsong scenic area and the Erlong Mountain scenic area. Besides,
one could also view some historical sites as the former Jade Emperor
Temple and Shuangsong Temple, which only leave some walls and
vestiges.
Zhan Tianyou Memorial situates in the north side of Badaling Great
Wall in Yanqing District of Beijing. It was established in memory
of Zhan Tianyou, an outstanding railway engineer in China, who
had done great contribution in Chinas railroading history.
Zhan Tianyou (1861-1919) was born in Shi'erfu, Xiguan, Guangzhou
(previously under the administration of Nanhai County). He is
one of the outstanding patriotic intellectuals in recent Chinese
history, one of the predecessors in science and engineering technology
in recent Chinese history, a world-renowned railway construction
engineer, and the founder of China Engineers Institute, which
is the earliest engineering and academic society in China.
At a young age of 12, Zhan Tianyou went to USA for advanced study
on government funding as one of the first batch of smart kids
chosen by the Royal Qing court. He graduated from the prestigious
Yale University in USA with honor. After his return to China,
he presided over the construction of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway,
the Chuanhan Railway, the Yuehan Railway, etc. and is actually
a pioneer of the railway business in China. In particular, he
played a leading role in constructing the Beijing-Zhangjiakou
Railway, the first railway surveyed, designed, constructed and
managed completely by Chinese people, which clearly demonstrated
the diligence and wisdom shown by the Chinese laboring people,
boosted up the confidence of the people in China, and greatly
inspired the spirit of the Chinese nation. He designed a double-pronged
rail system and employed the "shaft construction method"
to excavate tunnels. His contributions to railroad construction
on a particularly tricky section of the line have inspired engineers
and workers ever since. Today, Zhan Tianyou was still deeply remembered
not only in China but also in the world, and the Zhan Tianyou
Award and the Zhan Tianyou Award in Railway Science and Technology
are the top awards respectively for civil engineering projects
and railway construction projects in China.
Zhan Tianyou Memorial was started to build in 1984 and opened
to public in 1987. Covering an area of about 1,800 square meters,
the memorial composes of Zhanyang (looking with reverence) Hall,
Xumu (prelude) Hall and three Exhibition Halls. The memorial is
located at the highest point along the rail line between Beijing
and Zhangjiakou, which was China's first self-built rail line
supervised by Zhan Tianyou. The buildings of the memorial are
decorated with a large-scale basso-relievo of about 41 meters
long and 5 meters high, which highlights Zhan Tianyou's head portrait
and contributions with the Chinese modern history as the background.
There are more than 1,000 relics of Zhan Tianyou on display in
the museum, such as mapping instruments, drawing paper, books,
manuscripts, medals, insignias, the proposal plan and model of
the coupler that Zhan Tianyou suggested the whole country to use,
historical documents of Zhan's forefathers application for the
status of registered permanent resident in Hainan County of Guangdong
Province, Zhan Tianyou's posthumous works, articles for daily
use and photos of various periods. The displays in the museum
are arranged according to different periods of Zhan Tianyou's
lifetime, and exhibit cultural relics, photos and models of these
periods. The museum has compiled materials such as Zhan Tianyou's
ana and the introduction to his stories. While at the memorial,
people could not only know lots of life stories about Zhan Tianyou,
but also could understand the early railroading process of China.
Zhan Tianyou has set a good example to all the Chinese and he
is definitely the pride of the whole Chinese nation.
鸟巢官英文介绍
Located at the southern part of the Olympic Green in Beijing,
the National Stadium is the main stadium of the 29th Olympiad
in 2008. Occupying an area of 21 hectares, it has a floor space
of 258,000 square meters. Its seating capacity amounts to 91,000,
including 11,000 temporary seats.
The venue will host the opening and closing ceremonies of the
Beijing Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, the track and field
competitions, and the football finals. After the Olympics, the
stadium will become a large-scale sports and entertainment facility
for the residents of Beijing -- an architectural landmark and
Olympic legacy.
The main body of the National Stadium has a design life of 100
years. Its fire resistance capability is first-rate, and it can
withstand an eight-magnitude earthquake. The water-resistance
capability of its underground project is also first-rate.
The main body of the National Stadium is a colossal saddle-shaped
elliptic steel structure weighing 42,000 tons. It is 333 meters
long from north to south, 294 meters wide from east to west, and
69 meters tall.
The main body's elements support each other and converge into
a grid formation, just like a bird's nest with interlocking branches
and twigs. Being a seven-story shear wall system, the stadium's
stand has a concrete framework. The upper part of the stand and
the stadium's steel structure are separated from each other, but
both are based on a joint footing. The roof of the National Stadium
is covered by a double-layer membrane structure, with a transparent
ETFE membrane fixed on the upper part of the roofing structure
and a translucent PTFE membrane fixed on its lower part. A PTFE
acoustic ceiling is attached to the side walls of the inner ring.
The construction of the National Stadium followed the PPP mode
(Private + Public + Partnership ), and it is co-owned by the Beijing
State-Owned Assets Management Co. Ltd (BSAM), who shares 58 percent
of the total assets, and the China International Trust and Investment
(CITIC) Consortium, who holds the rest of the assets.
Composed of BSAM and CITIC, the National Stadium Co. is responsible
for financing, construction, operation and management of the project.
CITIC has a post-Games licensed operation right for 30 years.
The National Stadium is a complex structure, posing great difficulties
for its designers and constructors.
1. Large and heavy steel parts
The fracture surface of the largest truss column -- the major
load-bearing component of the roof structure -- measures 25m x
20m, with a height of 67m. The maximum weight of a single column
is 500 tons. The main truss is 12m tall. The maximum span between
and through the two columns amounts to 145.577+112.788m, and the
maximum span between the two trusses stands at 102.39m. Each truss
column is of great bulk and weight, and so are the main trusses.
2. Complex nodal joints
Because the structural elements in the project are box-typed,
many elements intersect spatially among the steel parts. Besides,
the complex nature of secondary structures has resulted in the
diversity of nodal joints of the main structures, requiring accurate
and sophisticated manufacturing and installation.
3. Tight schedule
In addition to the huge workload, the allotted construction period
is short. Having started on December 24, 2003, the project is
expected to be completed by the end of 2007, with the inauguration
time scheduled for March 2008. Therefore many operations have
to be conducted on a limited terrain, causing a very tense situation.
4. The hoisting work extended across the winter and spring, so
the workers have had to defy both rainy and cold conditions in
the winter to continue their work.
The workers have overcome tremendous engineering and technical
challenges in the process of construction:
1. Difficult work arrangement
They need to do very detailed research of operations and follow
meticulous arrangements to complete various kinds of work within
a limited workspace.
2. Difficult hoisting of steel parts
To facilitate the assembly of the steel parts, the workers have
to use a prone position to assemble the truss columns, which requires
a turnover process before they are hoisted. The choice of the
hoist points and lug hooks pose great difficulties in the face
of bulky and cumbersome steel parts, and the change of pulling
stress from three directions must be taken into consideration.
The workers need to meticulously rectify angles and positions
of the box-typed sectional parts to ensure accurate abutment during
the hoisting process.
3. Difficult stabilizing process
They also have to fight the heavy wind load and keep the stability
of the steel parts by following a strict working order and use
lateral stability measures including the use of anchoring method
and wind-holding ropes.
4. Difficult welding
The welders not only face a huge work volume, but also have to
work on both the thin steel sheets and thick steel slabs, on high-strength
and cast steel elements, and take downward, vertical or overhead
positions while welding. They face temperature changes, steel
deformation and intensive labor. They need to work above ground,
in winter rain and under windy conditions.
5. Difficult installation
The workers face difficulties in ensuring accurate installation
as the steel parts and the related gigs and fixtures can be deformed
easily under their own dead weight and the change of temperatures.
The workers must take pre-installation measures to rectify and
relieve the errors that might occur in the process of installation.
