Beijing is the capital of the People’s Republic of China. A city that is steeped in history and yet is forward thinking and taking China into the 21st century with full force. Recently, Beijing hosted the 2008 Olympic Games, a first for China and no doubt bringing the city global recognition and further enhancing its future profile, which is already rocketing skywards. 

Beijing is China’s centre of tourism. It is so rich in architecture and historical significance that it is as popular for Chinese tourists as it is for foreign visitors. It is quite phenomenal to find so many sites of historical importance in one place. Due to the sheer number of attractions in Beijing it is ideal to put aside as much time as possible to enable you to see the sights without merely ticking off a list. Some of the main attractions are listed below. 

The Forbidden City: As you can imagine, the Forbidden City despite its peaceful surrounds is subjected to heavy crowds of people day in day out. There is barely a visitor to Beijing that does not enter the Forbidden City at some point during his or her stay. The best time to visit is as soon as the gates open in the morning, in order to walk through the courtyards before the tour groups that will surely follow a couple of hours later. You will be struck by the impressive courtyards that once contained the power of the mighty Chinese Imperial Court during the Ming and Qing dynasties. 

Tiananmen Square: The world’s largest square was designed by Mao to impress the rest of the world with China’s offerings. The square is vast and busy and is surrounded by government buildings. It also houses Mao’s mausoleum which attracts a queue of visitors every day. Many visitors to the square will be ever conscious of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, with poignant reminders such as the bullet hole through the stomach of one of the large marble lions standing guard in front of Tiananmen Gate. 

Summer Palace: A series of ruins of palaces and gardens from the Qing dynasty, this is a serene and beautiful place to visit and is particularly lovely if you catch the afternoon sun. Although the official closing time is 6pm, often the guards will allow you to linger until sunset has passed. 

Fragrant Hills: A delightful place to meander at ease and to bring a picnic to while away a few hours away from the busier parts of Beijing. Whilst the Fragrant Hills still attract the crowds (it’s still Beijing!), it is a slower pace of life in the pleasant surroundings of a former Qing Imperial garden. 

Temple of Heaven: A lush green haven of peace, the Temple of Heaven is the perfect place to spend some down time. In fact you will see the locals doing just that, strolling, practising the artful moves of Tai Chi or even perfecting delicate traditional dance moves. The temple itself is beautiful and historically significant. However, whilst the temple and surrounding parkland attracts many visitors, not so many know of the woods towards the west gate and this is a little oasis of peace in a stunning setting. 

The Great Wall: Beijing is home to an extremely well preserved section of the Great Wall. 

The contrast between ancient and modern is really quite striking in Beijing. In addition to all of the historic attractions listed above (which are a mere dent in the attractions available), Beijing is also a bustling metropolis of skyscrapers, modern transport systems and is China’s main economic, commercial and international trade centre. 

Of an evening the city is lively with opera, dancing (both modern and traditional) and martial arts performances, as well as trendy restaurants (a fusion of east and western style cuisine is available) and bars.