BEIJING - Ancient and Modern Capital
Beijing, China's capital city
for over 700 years, is rich in history, both ancient and modern.
Beijing is
home to some of the finest
remnants of China's imperial past, most famously the Great
Wall of China, China's
legendary line of defense; the Forbidden
City, the
largest and best-preserved ancient imperial palace complex in the world;
the Temple of
Heaven,
fascinating site of imperial worship; and the Summer
Palace, a lovely
imperial garden. There is also Tian'anmen
Square where
the People's Republic of China was inaugurated by Chairman Mao, whose body still
resides there in its show casket.
Beijing has
a glorious past, but is by no means stuck in the past. Standing side-by-side
with old Beijing's crimson palace complexes are the city's modern buildings,
the super-modern Olympic Village,
with the Bird’s Nest Stadium and Water Cube; the dazzling shopping malls in Wangfujing Street and the
colorful entertainment center of Houhai.
Despite all the changes in recent years, traditional lifestyle has been
well-preserved in the oldest neighborhoods of the city — the Hutongs, which are mazes of narrow alleyways
and old traditional courtyard houses. A tour by rickshaw through the
Hutongs will give travelers a glimpse of old Beijing.
