The temple of heaven was the place where the Emperor of the Ming and Qing dynasties would worship heaven and pray for good harvests.
Built by the Yongle Emperor in 1420, the Ming Dynasty builder of the Forbidden City,and then the Temple of Heaven was enlarged and rebuilt during the reigns of the Ming emperor Jiajing and the Qing emperor Qianlong.
The Temple of Heaven is a precious example of China 's ancient architectural art and the largest architectural structurefor worshipping heaven in the world.In 1988, it was opened to the public as a park, showing ancient philosophy, history and religion.
Its grand architectural style and profound cultural connotation give an insight into the practices of the ancient Eastern civilization.
The local guide and driver will pick you up from the meeting point to the Juyongguan Great Wall, which is one of the most famous sections of the Great Wall noted for its deep-rooted culture, elegant sights and complete military facilities - the essence of the Great Wall. Hike the amazing and astonishing Great Wall to get a lifetime memory of being a hero.
Then we proceed to a beautiful local restaurant to enjoy a great Chinese lunch. After the lunch we move to Tian'anmen Square. Tiananmen Square is within the top ten largest city squares in the world. It has great cultural significance as it was the site of several important events in Chinese history.
We then move on to The Forbidden City which was designed to be the center of the ancient, walled city of Beijing. It is enclosed in a larger, walled area called the Imperial City. The Imperial City is, in turn, enclosed by the Inner City; to its south lies the Outer City.At the end of the trip, travelers' will finally be transferred back to their various hotels.
We will pick you up from your hotel at 6pm by our tour guide to the Red Theatre for the show. The drive from your hotel to the Red Theatre through the city provides you a truly memorable evening in Beijing. This show is put on the Red Theatre located on the east of Tiantan Hotel in Xing Fu Dajie, Dongcheng District. CHC has collected a group of the best Kung Fu practitioners of China and invited the best directors and designers of the country. The show is a must-see production in Beijing for tourists and Kung Fu lovers.
This is a great show. It tells a story of Chin Yu entering the monastery and making his way through life to finally becoming the Abbott. There are many demonstrations of Kung Fu and strength throughout the show. The costumes and the choreography are great. Unfortunately people are not allowed to take photos nor video it. You can however purchase a DVD of the show and after the show returned back to your hotel.
We will pick you up from your hotel at 8am and take you to the Badaling Great Wall with a local English speaking guide and driver, which is one of the most famous sections of the Great Wall noted for its deep-rooted culture, elegant sights and complete military facilities - the essence of the Great Wall.Hike the amazing and astonishing Great Wall to get a lifetime memory of being a hero. The cable car is a good choice if you want to get to the highest point and take the whole beautiful birds eye view.
We proceed to the Jade Carving Factorythen we later drive you to a beautiful local restaurant to enjoy a great Chinese lunch. After the lunch we move to Tian'anmen Square. Tiananmen Square is within the top ten largest city squares in the world. It has great cultural significance as it was the site of several important events in Chinese history.
We then move on to The Forbidden City which was designed to be the centre of the ancient, walled city of Beijing. It is enclosed in a larger, walled area called the Imperial City. The Imperial City is, in turn, enclosed by the Inner City; to its south lies the Outer City.
At the end of the trip, we will drop you off back at your hotel.
The Lama Temple (Yonghegong), also known as Harmony and Peace Palace Lamasery, Yonghe Lamasery, or Yonghe Lama Temple, one of the most important Tibetan Buddhist temples outside Tibet.
It's considered as the largest and most perfectly preserved lamasery in present day China.
Built initially in 1694 during the Qing Dynasty, this building was the residence of Emperor Yongzheng when he was just a prince. However, in 1744 the Qing Dynasty formally changed the status of the dwelling to that of a lamasery, and so it became the national centre of Lama administration.
Based on the belief that incense offerings should be made as early as possible to improve one's luck for the coming year, thousands of worshipers congregate outside the temple on the eve of Chinese New Year waiting to rush inside on the stroke of midnight.
Located on Guozijian Street inside Anding Gate, the Temple of Confucius in Beijing was initially built in 1302, constructed for Confucius the greatest thinker and educationalist in ancient China, whose influence is still felt today.
It is the second largest temple constructed for Confucius, ranking only behind the Temple of Confucius in Qufu, Shandong Province. Its neighbor in the west is Beijing Guozijian translated as Imperial College or Imperial Academy, Beijing Guozijian was first established in 1306.
It served as the supreme administrative headquarters for the organization of education and the highest seat of learning during the Yuan (1271-1368), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.
In China, the Summer Palace is the only large-scale royal garden preserved nearly intact.
The vast Summer Palace compound is centered on Kunming Lake. In summer, visitors can explore the lake on boat, and in the winter they can skate across its frozen expanse.
The highly attractive 17 Arch Bridge links the lake 's eastern shore to South Lake Island.Despite numerous wars and conflicts, it has retained about 3,000 ancient buildings and 40,000 imperial relics, enabling visitors to step back in time to witness the Qing Dynasty royal family's daily life, governance, ceremonies, and leisure.
It served as the seat of government for Empress Dowager Cixi during the last years of her life.
We will pick you up from your hotel at 5.30pm and make our way to the Quanjude. Quanjude is one most famous duck restaurants in Beijing, set up in the 1860's during the Qing dynasty, it has a unique taste that nobody can resist.Quanjude has got a name for itself both at home and abroad by offering traditional roasted ducks. The ducks served here are hand-made with knowledge passed down by generations of royal palace chefs. Reddish brown, the roasted ducks have a glossy silk-like skin that will attract people's appetite when they look at them as it is tender and crisp.
Quanjude keep strict standards for choosing the ducks, it uses an oven without a door. After a kind of dressing being spread all over a duck, it will be hooked up in the oven over the flame coming up directly from the burning of the fruit-tree wood and it will be ready in 40 minutes. After roasted and dried, the duck will look brightly dark red, shining with oil, crisp skin and tender meat.Not many people can resist its temptation. After the dinner, you will be dropped back off at your hotel.
The Juyongguan Great Wall (Great Wall at Juyong Pass) located 60 kilometers (37 miles) from downtown Beijing, which is the closest section of Great Wall to Beijing.
As one of the three famous passes along the Great Wall of China, it has a history of over a thousand years, also features some interesting architectural elements beyond the wall itself.
Most notable is the Cloud Platform (Yun Tai), a squat white marble tower built in 1342 as a base for three stupas (and later a temple) that were subsequently destroyed. Visitors can still see carvings and inscriptions inside the platform's tunnel.The landform of the section is a difficult of access hence the name "Number one impregnable pass in the world".
The steps here are still steep and often uneven, it's not the most visited.
The Mutianyu Great Wall is considered the most beautiful section in Beijng.
Located in Huairou County 72km northeast of Beijing, it stands opposite of Badaling Great Wall, connected with Juyongguan Pass in the west and Gubeikou Gateway in the east.
The whole area is like a garden on a mountain top. As one of the best-preserved parts of the Great Wall, the Mutianyu sector used to serve as the northern barrier defending the capital and the imperial tombs. The wall has a storied history of over 1400 years. The scenic beauty is excellent especially in spring and autumn.
The Mutianyu Great Wall has breath-taking scenery but fewer tourists, thus making it a good destination.
The Forbidden City (Chinese: Gu Gong ; pinyin: Gugong) is a palace complex in central Beijing, China.
It houses the Palace Museum, and was the former Chinese imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty (the years 1420 to 1912). The Forbidden City served as the home of emperors and their households and was the ceremonial and political centre of the Chinese government for almost 500 years.
Pre-booking the Forbidden City ticket 7 days ago is the must-way for travellers who want a stress-free visit to the Museum. Your pre-booked entry can be accessed by using your passport through Wumen Gate (Entrance). We will link your passports to the E-tickets system(show your passports upon entry). You must accurately provide everyone's name, nationality and passport number to us. Travellers with mismatched passport information, or who miss their reserved time slot (08:30-12:00 or 11:00-16:00) will not be permitted to enter.
2. Last entry: 4pm (1 April - 31 October), 3:30pm (1 Nov - 31 Mar)
Important information
2-time sessions for entering: 8:30am-12pm (Morning), 11am-4pm (Afternoon). The traveller can only choose one time session each day.
Foreign children aged 6 and under can reserve Children Free Admission Ticket.
Foreign visitors aged 7 to 17 can reserve a Student Discount Ticket.
Foreign visitors aged 60 and older can reserve a senior citizen discount ticket.
As the Forbidden City enforces a strict real-name registration policy in China, it is now required that every individual traveller submit the following information: full name, passport number, and nationality.
We present you with a Local English tour guide and driver who picks you up between 7am and 8am from the hotel to the Temple of Heaven which is known as "a masterpiece of architecture and landscape design which simply and graphically illustrates a cosmogony of great importance for the evolution of one of the world's great civilizations..." as the "symbolic layout and design of the Temple of Heaven had a profound influence on architecture and planning in the Far East over many centuries."
In ancient China, the Emperor of China was regarded as the Son of Heaven, who administered earthly matters on behalf of, and representing, heavenly authority. To be seen to be showing respect to the source of his authority, in the form of sacrifices to heaven, was extremely important. The temple was built for these ceremonies, mostly comprising prayers for good harvests.
Twice a year the emperor and all his retinue would move from the Forbidden City through Beijing to encamp within the complex, wearing special robes and abstaining from eating meat. No ordinary Chinese was allowed to view this procession or the following ceremony. In the temple complex the emperor would personally pray to Heaven for good harvests. The highpoint of the ceremony at the winter solstice was performed by the Emperor on the Earthly Mount. The ceremony had to be perfectly completed; it was widely held that the smallest of mistakes would constitute a bad omen for the whole nation in the coming year.
There are four main supportive, dragon pillars each representing a season. The structure, held up by these dragons, imitates the style of an ancient Chinese royal palace. Twelve inner pillars symbolize the lunar months, and it is thought that the twelve outer pillars refer to the 12 two-hour periods of the day.
We later drive you to a beautiful local restaurant to enjoy a great Chinese lunch. Hutong is our next destination. Hutongs originated during the Yuan Dynasty, begun by Kublai Khan grandson of Ghengis. The word "hutong" comes from the Mongolian word "hottog" meaning, "water well". Hutongs are alleyways that connect the various courtyards and groups of traditional houses. They form a grid of endless passages and intriguing doorways, lined with bicycles and gossiping neighbors.
Explore and enjoy Beijing's back-alley culture on a thorough walking journey into some of Beijing's biggest hutongs, famously complex and confusing residential blocks which are scarcely seen.
Firstly, set off along the perimeter of Huguoshi Hutong, a 600-meter-long commercial street that dates back to the Yuan Dynasty 800 years ago. Its past life as the home of the Huguo Temple and its many religious festivals has led to its current fame as the best place to find Old Beijing-style snacks and treats! Try a few specialties before walking further into nearby Mianhua Hutong and toward its busy soybean stall. Learn how the experts here turn soybean into a favourite local treat - tofu and milk!
Stroll further on, passing bustling vegetable stalls, cramped alleyway convenience shops and even a hospital-adjacent area selling wheelchairs and artificial legs! Then, arrive at the banks of a nearby lake that's dense with fishermen and swimmers. Pass through a government-subsidized outdoor exercise park and chat with the locals here before picking up a cup of xuan nai - a traditional fermented milk drink popular with residents here.
Lastly, we move to the Summer Palace which is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces in Beijing. It serves as a popular tourist destination and recreational park. Mainly dominated by Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, it covers an expanse of 2.9 square kilometres (1.1 sq mi), three-quarters of which is water. The entire Summer Palace is centered around Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, with the latter covering about three quarters of the area. Most of the important buildings were built along the north-south axis of Longevity Hill, which is divided into the front hill and the back hill. There are three small islands within Kunming Lake: Nanhu Island, Zaojiantang Island and Zhijingge Island.The West Dam of Kunming Lake divides the lake into two. The East Dam was constructed during the reign of the Guangxu Emperor. The attractions in the Summer Palace may be divided into six different sections or scenic areas: the Halls, Longevity Hill, Kunming Lake, the Farming and Weaving Picture Scenic Area, the Long Corridor, and the Central Axis area.
At the end of the trip, travelers' will be finally transferred back to their hotel.
