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General Information
Beijing, also known as Peking, is the capital
and the second largest city of China. The
total area of Beijing is approximately 16,800
sq km, and has over 7.23 million people, 3
million of which are temporary residents. The
temporary residents are comprised of business
persons, teachers and students. Beijing's
permanent residents are from all of the
different ethnic groups found in China with
the Han's comprising over 96% of the
population. Mandarin Chinese is the language
spoken in Beijing, with Beijing's dialect
being the standard form of Mandarin.
Beijing has four definite seasons. Summer and
winter are the two longest seasons with fall
and spring being the shortest. The climate
varies according to the season with autumn
being the most pleasant time to visit. Autumn
is usually clear with cool temperatures, while
winter is dry and, at times, bitterly cold
with temperatures dropping below 5 degrees F
(-15 C). Spring is usually dry but very windy
(protect eyes to keep out blowing debris),
while the summer is rainy and hot with
temperatures soaring above 100 degrees F (38
C).
ATTRACTIONS
Forbidden City
A wonderful place to visit, Summer Palace
has many scenic areas that live up to it being
China's largest imperial garden. In the
spring, a beautiful field of flowers in a
great place for picnics or go past the boat to
a slightly wooded area for a beautiful view of
the Palace and lake. It's an inexpensive
place to visit that's well worth the money to
get in. Nearby Fragrant Hills is also
a nice place to visit with hiking/walking
trails.
The
Forbidden City, also known as Imperial
Palace Museum, is of course a popular place to
go. As its name implies, the Imperial Palace
was a forbidden place for those not of the
imperial family or court, which makes it even
more intriguing to Westerners. South of the
Forbidden City is Tiananmen Square,
made more interesting due to the student
protests that occurred in 1989. In the
spring, it's also the place to go for seeing
magnificent kites being flown.
There
are many temples in Beijing to be seen, the
most notable being the Temple of Heaven
which is found in Tian Tan Park. Located in
southern Beijing, the Temple of Heaven is a
public park that is considered to be one of
the the most beautiful temple complex, with
its two ceremonial buildings, which are
circular in shape with blue-tiled roofs.
The
renovated Badaling Great Wall is
another popular place to visit, but a trip to
the Simitai Great Wall is a great
experience, particularly for those who like
things "untouched." The Ming Tombs are
where most emperors are buried from the Ming
Dynasty. |