Beijing: Tourist Must Sees

August 14, 2008

I haven’t round up some places tourists must definitely check out when they visit Beijing, the capital of China. For sure, nowadays, it must be jam packed with the Olympic games going on there. They have heightened security for those who plan to disrupt anything.

Well, let me recall those places that left an impression on me.

1. Great Wall of China - For sure, you should visit this great world wonder. It’s an experience stepping into a magnificent product of history (sweat and blood of a lot of people like Egypt’s pyramid). The great wall itself is a long stretch and only few sections are open because some haven’t been safely reconstructed. I visited only 2 sections, one was full of tourists which was very very uncomfortable (Badaling) so I advise you to try the other section (Mutianyu). For those adventurous hearts, you can visit Simaitai for an amazing view of the sunrise.

2. Temple of Heaven- this is now the signature landmark of Beijing for the Olympics 2008. It is a must see because it looks so majestic especially in a bright sunny day. You can see how the place seems to shine and reflect some golden glow.

3. Summer Palace - You can just imagine how big this place is. It is one of the ancient royal gardens of Beijing as the capital of China long ago. With emperors and empresses who had walked the gardens during the olden times, it does feel like you’ve been transported into history but with so many tourists nowadays, I doubt it’s possible now

4. Old Summer Palace - this is a lesser known tourist spot but well worth it for history fanatics. You can actually see a whole (ok..not really whole but what’s left of it) different structure from the usual oriental design. I love the labyrinth and how they had a mini structure of how it used to be. I wish I went during a better day where it’s sunnier.

5. Forbidden City - well, it is still a must to visit this old palace. But don’t be surprise that everywhere, it will be jam packed.

Honestly, these are the only places I can recommend based on experience. I didn’t go to the Bell Tower or Ming Tombs but there were a lot of parks and gardens you can visit like Beihai Park or Beida University.
Enjoy your stay in Beijing. Don’t forget to eat the famous Peking Duck in Quan Ju De or Da Dong.

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