Beijing

 

Sanlitun area

Our primary goal was to see this trendy, cosmopolitan area and the result was a gourmet delight.

 

Sanlitun Village is a shopping, dining and office complex in the second Embassy and business area of Chaoyang District, Beijing.  We stayed at the A-Hotel which is in the Workers Stadium just to the west of Sanlitun. Workers Stadium is home to Beijing's premier sporting and music venues.

The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall is one of the largest building construction projects ever completed. It stretches across the mountains of northern China, winding north and northwest of Beijing. It is constructed of masonry, rocks and packed-earth. It was 6400 km (4000 miles) long. Its thickness ranged from about 4.5 to 9 meters (15 to 30 feet) and was up to 7.5 meters (25 feet) tall. It was built over 2,000 years ago, by Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of China during the Qin Dynasty (221 B.C - 206 B.C.).

The Great Wall can be seen from the Earth’s orbit but, contrary to legend, is not visible from the moon, according to astronauts Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell, and Jim Irwin.

 We set off on a trek from a nearby remote village to climb up a steep slope to reach the Great Wall. We walked along the Mutianyu section which is in excellent condition, before descending on a sledge on the slideway (fun but very busy and touristy!). There are fewer tourists here than the Badaling section but, it was pretty busy. We had lunch at The Old Schoolhouse in Mutianyu.

Tiananmen Square & Zhongshan Park

This third largest city square in the world lies south of the Forbidden City. It has great cultural significance as it was the site of several important events in Chinese history. Outside China, the square is best known in recent memory as the focal point of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, a pro-democracy movement which ended on 4 June 1989 with the declaration of martial law in Beijing by the government and the death of several hundred civilians.

 

Between the square and the Forbidden City is the Zhongshan Park which is the site of the former Altar of Land and Harvest (from 1421, emperor YongLe, Ming dynasty). The emperor would visit twice yearly - in the springtime to bring a good harvest and in the autumn for thanksgiving. Five different colours of earth are still kept at this altar, representing land from throughout the nation.

 

After 1911 the site became a park and was renamed in 1928 in honour of Sun Yat-sen, better-known in Chinese as Sun ZhongShan, who is considered to be the father of modern China. Sun ZhongShan was a key figure in the 1911 revolution which brought down the Qing dynasty and ended imperial rule in China and became the first president of the new republic. He is so popular that there are currently more than 40 ZhongShan Parks in China.

ZhongShan Park is a fine example of classical Chinese landscape gardening and is famous for its many old cypress trees, some of which are over 1,000 years old.

Summer Palace

The Summer Palace is the largest and most well-preserved royal park in China. It is recognized as 'The Museum of Royal Gardens' and greatly influences Chinese horticulture and landscape with its famous natural views and cultural interests.

 

The construction started in 1750 as a luxurious royal garden for royal families to rest and entertain. It later became the main residence of royal members in the end of the Qing Dynasty. Composed mainly of Longevity Hill (Wanshou Shan) and Kunming Lake, it occupies an area of 300.59 hectares (742.8 acres). There are over 3,000 man-made ancient structure, including pavilions, towers, bridges, corridors, etc.

The 728 metre long corridor has crossbeams under the roof which divides it into 273 sections, all of which are richly decorated with 14,000 paintings. When the Qianlong Emperor authorized the construction of a palace garden in 1750, he also commissioned the building of the Long Corridor at the Summer Palace for his mother. This was so that she could enjoy a walk through the gardens, and at the same time be protected from the elements by a sheltered passage-way. It took 15 years to complete.

 

It’s best to go in the North entrance so that you can enjoy Suzhou Market Street and walk up the steep slopes and steps and through the temples of the rear hill area whilst you have the energy!

Qianhai Park ('Qian Lake') is situated just north of BeiHai Park in the heart of the tradional hutong area of central Beijing. Along the west side of QianHai is Lotus Lane, a delightful river-side pedestrianised lane with a variety of cafes, tea houses, bars and boutiques that blend modern and traditional elements in their design. Lotus Lane is only a few years old but the origins of the 'Back Lakes' area as a trendy hangout go back further.

Beijing Museum of Tap Water - No.6 Courtyard (Qingshuiyuan) north street outside Dongzhimen.

The museum is built on the original place of the first water plant in Beijing- Zhongzhimen Water Plant. Inside the museum are 130 objects, 110 pictures, 40 models, and sand tables on display that reflect the 90-year-old history of Beijing tap water. The exhibition shows the difficult development of Beijing tap water from the establishment of Jingshi Tap Water Co.Ltd in 1908 to the foundation of the People's Republic of China in 1949 and then the subsequent more rapid progress in developing tap water from 1949 to late 1970s and since reform and opening up. Of course, all this would have been abundantly clear had there been any English translation at all! (unless you have totally exhausted all the other interesting places to visit, or you are really mad about water systems, then don't rush to go there)