Leigh Travel Club

                                   

                                                         BEIJING

                                                             

                                              
       

Population: 12 million       Language: Mandarin Chinese plus

many regional dialects.

Time: GMT + 8hrs   Flight from London: apx. 9-10hrs.  

Money: Renminbi or yuan

Temperature:

When best to go: There are usually 4 distinct seasons. The best
time to travel is in Spring (March-May) or Autumn (September- November).
Summer is from June to August and is normally very hot and humid, with
most rain fall occurring during this time.  Winter falls between December
and February and although it can be sunny then, temperatures are extremely
cold.We went the last week of May and first week or June and it was 30C–35C
and too hot and humid for us to walk around comfortably.
 

BEIJING is chaotic, bustling, vast, and it is China’s capital city.   It is packed

with skyscrapers, gridlocked with traffic, mostly cars and 10 million bicycles.  It

is frequently choked with smog.  Most visitors from the U.K. arrive here. There

are McDonalds and KFC’s everywhere. (These are Beijing’s favourite food). In

restaurants, Chinese eat in large groups with their food on a central turntable. 

Also, expect ‘squat’ toilets’, and no paper in the loos. (Apart from the clean

westernised Pizza Huts and hotels.)

Lynda’s tip: Always take your own toilet paper with you. 

In Beijing there are a lot of shopping plazas everywhere. They are not
particularly cheap and the goods can be very tacky.

On the positive side Beijing is also home to some of China’s most famous and
spectacular tourist sites:

FORBIDDEN CITY (Officially known as the Palace Museum). – Situated in
the middle of Beijing, most people start their tour here. Allow at least half a day
to see this incredible 183 acre site.  This was once the imperial palace and the
centre of administration and over a 500 year period 24 rulers ruled.  It was
opened to the public in 1949.  There are four gardens within the Forbidden City,
the most impressive being the:-

Imperial Garden (Yu Hua Yuan) – A classic traditional Chinese garden and the oldest garden in the Forbidden City.  It is outside the Inner Court and covers 12, 000 square metres.  Gardens were built for repose and reflection and every rock, tree and pavement here tells a story.  In this lovely garden you will also see the

Hall of Imperial Peace, The Imperial Sight Pavilion, and The Pavilion of a
Thousand Autumns.

The Outer Court of the Forbidden City has three halls:

The Hall of Supreme Harmony – This is the largest hall and stands on the
North Veranda. The Visitor’s eye is directed towards the marble ramp, but
the actual building, stands on a huge tripe tiered arrangement of marbled
terraces.  It is called the Dragons Pavement and the balustrades are carved
with phoenixes and dragons.
The terraces are over 8 metres high.  Inside the hall there are over 72 pillars
either laquered red, or around the throne they are gilded.  Although rebuilt
several times the embryo of the building emerged in 1,500. The function of
this building was ceremonial and it was the coronation hall of all the
twenty-four Ming and Qing Emperors.
Entry into the hall is prohibited but you may view through the open
doorway.

The Hall of Central Harmony – This is where the emperor would hold
court with high ranking officials. It was also a robbing room and preparation
room.

The Hall of Preserving – This hall held royal banquets that usually
concluded in major ceremonial events.  Directly behind the hall is a broad
marble walkway of solid marble called the Dragons Walk.
All around the Forbidden City there are walls and watch towers. The
buildings all have magnificent tiled roofs with ceramic beasts projecting
from the eaves.

Lynda’s Tip – Get a map of the Forbidden City because once in there, the layout, the buildings and walkways are very similar and it is easy to loose your bearings of the areas you have already covered.

TIAN’AN MEN SQUARE

This square is South of the Forbidden City and is a vast expanse at the heart
of modern Beijing.  It is the biggest square in the world:  Here you will find:

Ming Dynasty Gate and Mao’s Picture – Mao proclaimed the founding
of the Peoples Republic of China on 1^st October 1949 from this Ming Dynasty
Gate where his huge portrait remains.  (Rumours are that the picture is
changed every year to make him look younger).

National Flag – This is raised at dawn and lowered at dusk everyday.

China National Museum – Built in 1959, this building was originally home to
the Museum of the Revolution and the Museum of Chinese History, now merged.
Outside is the countdown board in days, hours, minutes and seconds until the
2008 Olympic Games.

Monument of People’s Heroes – This granite monument was erected in 1958 and is decorated with bas-reliefs of episodes from China’s Revolutionary history and calligraphy from Mao Zedong and Zhou Elai.  It is dedicated to all those who struggled in the revolution.

Mao’s Mausoleum – This building contains Mao’s embalmed body.  His casket is
raised from its refridgerated chamber and is on view morning and afternoon.

Revolutionary Statues – These flank either side of the Mausoleum.
 

Great Hall of People – Seat of people’s legislature, the vast auditorium and
banqueting halls are open for part of the day.  Margaret Thatcher tripped on
the steps when she visited in 1982 and in 1989 President Gorbochev’s
entrance to the hall was blocked.

 

Student protests of 1989 – More commonly known as The Tian’an men Square Massacre.
Demonstrations were led by students, intellectuals and labour activists.The
participants were critical of the Chinese Communist party. Soldiers were ordered to fire on the demonstrators.
According to the Chinese government 200-300 people died.
Chinese students and the Chinese  Red Cross said that between 2,000 and  3,000 died! 
No guide will stand in Tian'an men square and tell you about the massacre. It is forbidden!!!

For more Tian'anmen Square info CLICK HERE

TEMPLE OF HEAVEN

Completed during the Ming Dynasty, this is more correctly known as Tian Tan and is one of the largest temple complexes in China.  It was the site on which emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties offered sacrifices to Heaven, prayed for rain and a good harvest.  There is no single building here although The Hall of Good Harvest is mistakenly called the Temple of Heaven.

 

The Hall of Prayer and Good Harvest – This was first built in 1420 and then restored completely in 1889 after a lightning strike.   The finial on top is 125ft high and prone to lightning.  The circle roof symbolizes the sky and blue represents the colour of heaven. The roof was made without nails or cement and the number of tiles exceeds 50,000.  as you can see it has three stories and three rooms. Around the building are often written in the calligraphy of an emperor.  The red colour represents the imperial colour and dragon and phoenix motifs symbolise the emperor and empress.  Inside is beautiful and if you look up you can see a gilded dragon and phoenix in the centre of the ceiling. The rooms of the hall are supported on 28 highly decorated pillars.  At the centre, the four huge columns, known as Dragon Well Pillars, represent the seasons while the other 24 smaller pillars symbolise the months of the year plus the two-hour time periods a day.

 

Imperial Vault of Heaven – This is a wooden temple and can be reached by a raised walkway from the Gate of Prayer and Good Harvest.  Surrounding this building is the Echo Wall.

 

Circular Mound Altar – This huge round altar is south of the Imperial Vault of Heaven and it symbolises the Altar of Heaven.  The three marbled tiers symbolise earth, man and heaven, and according to Chines cosmology the central stone in the top tier marks the very centre of the world.  On the winter solstice the emperor ascended to this spot and from a stone tablet read sacred prayers.

Tiatan Park – Visit this relaxing park which surrounds the temple off the north-south axis that aligns the major buildings in the Forbidden City. Walk down the LONG CORRIDOR in this park.  It is 350 metres in length and 5 metres wide.  Locals spend a lot of time here and you will find locals playing cards and even ballroom dancing along the corridor.  Groups of musicians are playing all over the park.  Also in the park are the SEVEN STONES – these symbolise the seven peaks of the Taishan mountains. 

 

MING TOMBS – These are 30 miles from Beijing city centre and are situated in Zhonshan National Park.  This whole National Park area is beautiful and really warrants a whole day visit.  Most guided tours include the Ming Tombs as part of the package to the Great Wall.

 

Spirit Way – This is part of the4 miles approach to the tombs.  If you are on an organised trip the coach driver will take you to the start of this walk and pick you up at the other end before taking you the short drive to the tombs.  The Spirit Way is lined with 36 stone statues of officials, soldiers, animals and mythical beasts.  These 18^th century sculptures are in their original context. This is such a relaxing walk as we could walk at our own pace.  On either side of the path are willow trees where you could take shade from.  Once you reach the end of the Spirit Way you can see Chang Ling.

 

Only the Chang Ling and Dong Ling tombs are open to the public at the moment. The Ming Tombs are the resting place for 13 of the 16 Ming Emperors.  The site was chosen for its feng shui qualities – facing Beijing and surrounded by mountains on three sides.

Chang Ling, the chief of Ming Tombs is the largest in scale and is completely preserved.  Go through a large, exterior pink triple gated entrance and this leads you into the Chang Ling Mausoleum Site.  This tomb complex honours the Emperor Yongle.  Go through the

Gate of The Eminent Favour and you will see the Hall of Eminent Favour.  One of China’s most impressive surviving buildings, this double-eave sacrificial hall is erected on a three tiered terrace.  Continue down the path and you reach The Spirit Tower which marks the entrance of the burial chamber.

Ding Ling – is the underground tomb-palace of the Emperor Wanli.  He began building the tomb when he was 22.  This tomb opened is 1956.  A staircase leads down to the burial vault holding a replica coffin.

GREAT WALL OF CHINA

The Great Wall stretches nearly 4000 miles across China, but only 1,500 miles are still standing. It is 2000 years old and it took ten years to complete involving over 1,000,000 in its construction.  It is not a unified structure but a series of walls, built by different dynasties.  Each year The Wall has 13,000,000 visitors.

 

The Great Wall at Badaling (44 miles north-west of Beijing) – This is the best preserved part of the Great Wall.  It is 7.8 metres high, 6.5 metres thick and 5.8 metres wide on top.  Badaling is the first section of the Great Wall opened to tourists.  Restored in the 1950’s, it is the most popular location for visitors.  Be prepared to be pursued by hundreds of hawkers.  They even have stalls set up in the towers on the way up and you can’t avoid going past them. 

 

The Great Wall at Juyong Guan – This is the pass you go through on the way to Badaling and has only been restored recently.  It is much quieter than Badaling.  There are some authentic Buddhist carvings on a stone platform in the middle of the pass that date back to the Yuan dynasty (1279-1938).

 

The Great Wall at Mutianyu – (56 miles north of Beijing) The Wall here is accessible and safe but like Badaling there is a cable car that takes you up, so is equally overcrowded.  

 

The Great Wall at Jinshanling (68 miles east of Beijing) Least visited and best preserved with jutting obstacle walls and oval watchtowers.  It is at present being reconstructed. The walk between Jinshanling and Simatai is highly recommended.

 

The Great Wall at Huanghua Cheng (37 miles North of Beijing). – Huanghua Cheng is far less developed than some sections of the wall but it is situated on the same stretch as Mutianyu.  It is split in two by a large reservoir.  The masonry here is crumbling and there are no guard rails.  Be careful because it could be treacherous.    

Lynda’s tips – If booking an organised trip make sure you are not taken to any time consuming factory shops on the way.  You could even book a taxi from your hotel to The Wall. The Ming Tombs that are included in a lot of the trips are disappointing, although the Spirit Walk was very relaxing.  Try and get to The Wall as early as possible in the morning.

 

GIANT PANDAS  – Worth going to see in Beijing Zoo.  We did think one of the Panda looked distressed, so we weren’t convinced it was a good idea to keep them in captivity even though they are an endangered species. The Panda is a gentle animal and does not attack people on its own initiative.  It likes to live alone. 

The Beijing Zoo first bred the giant panda successfully in 1963 and first bred by artificial insemination in 1978.  The Chinese government regards the giant panda as a symbol of friendship and has sent it to many countries as gifts.

 

SUMMER PALACE   - This is the largest imperial garden inChina and is about 7 miles from the centre of Beijing city, and for the Emperors and Empresses it was a contrast to the stifling Forbidden City.  Most people enter through the East Palace Gate.  Coaches’ park outside here and also buses stop outside.  The palace is most associated with Empress Dowager Cixi who was the manipulator at

the end of the Qing Dynasty, and she spent most of her later years here.   

The Archway – The first structure of the Summer Palace, this huge archway with these three passages and seven roofs is constructed of wood and gorgeously painted.

Hall of Benevolence and Longevity – This is the first building you will see when you come into the grounds and it is where Cixi conducted official business. Behind this hall is the awesome

Kunming Lake – A stroll around the entire shoreline will take about two hours.  There is a jetty where you can take rowing boats across the lake.  Also there is a boat pier at the end of the Long Corridor and you can get a boat ride from here.  The boats from here are shaped like a dragon with a dragon head at the front. They carry about 30 people. By this jetty you will find souvenir and coffee shops. This area is packed with people.  It is where organised groups meet up with their guide after  being given free time to look around.  Our guide had pre-arranged the booking of a dragon-boat to take our party back across the lake towards the coach park.

Tower of the Fragrance Buddah – When you look across the lake this is the tower you can see on the southern slope of the Longevity Hill.  Behind it is:

The Sea of Wisdom Temple – This temple at the top of Longevity Hill, built entirely of brick and stone, without a single beam or rafter, is popularly called the “beamless hall”.

The Long Corridor – This is the longest corridor in the world and is 728 metres long. The beams along the walkway are decorated with 14,000paintings.  The colouring, on the beams are awesome and it fells as if you are visiting an art gallery.  The corridor can get very packed but you can slip out along the way and walk on the outside pavement.  The corridor is flanked by various temples and pavilions. Marble Boat – The boat is positioned at the West Bank at the foot of Longevity Hill and at the end of the Long Corridor.  It was built in 1755 and is 36 metres long.  The cabin is wood but painted white to look like marble.  The lower deck is paved with floral bricks and the windows are of stained glass with mosaic design.  Cixu paid for this extravagant folly with monies meant for the modernization of the Imperial Navy.

South Lake Island -  Depart from the jetty near The Marble Boat for a boat trip to the island.  Alternatively you can walk across the Seventeen-arch Bridge. A marble lion crowns each of the 544 balustrades along the bridges length.  On the east of the shore you will see a large bronze ox dating back to 1755.

Jade Belt Bridge – This is on the opposite shore and links the mainland to the West causeway.

 

I have mentioned just some of the places to visit in the park, but there is a lot more to see here.

The Summer Palace is a joy to see, and one of the loveliest  places to visit in Beijing.  The air even seemed fresh here as it was away from all the hustle and bustle of the city traffic.   

 

Lynda’s Tip – Don’t go on an organised trip here if you can help it.  It warrants more than a 2-4hour visit.  As it is only 7 miles from Beijing centre perhaps you could share a taxi to get here.  If you are confident with the underground take a taxi from Xizhmen subway stop.

 

Birds Nest Olympic Ground – On the way to the airport you may pass this vast complex under construction.

                                             

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our next stop,     NANJING

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Many very good reasons why you should NOT book with Travelsphere to follow. Our experience with this company has completely removed the possibility of us ever using group travel, again. This was a 'HOLIDAY FROM HELL'. Coming soon      'TEN GOOD REASONS TO AVOID TRAVELSPHERE'                                                                 

Photos from our recent trip can be viewed by clicking here.

The Shanghai Tourist Tunnel.
Click below.