History, Beijing

Favorite thing: Beijing is a vivid metropolis with over one hundred flyovers!The city is growing at a staggeringly fast pace, leaving those poorer cities behind. However this city has an extensive past; for a thousand years Beijing saw the Imperial history being carried out here with the Chinese emperor enthroned in what the Chinese believe was the centre of the universe.

First impressions of Beijing today for both foreigners and natives alike, are often of a bewildering vastness.So much land, so much space, but then the nearer the centre you go you will start to see a sprawl of apartments all looking the same in which most of the 12 million Beijingers live.

Beijing is a city that almost everyone can enjoy. Shanghai and Hong Kong may still be where the money is, but it is Beijing that pulls the strings.It is here where most Chinese come to fulfill their dreams of business, political and cultural success. Foreigners on the otherhand find this city as a welcome repose having just probably been roughing it round outback China!

There is so much to tell about this city, but not enough space to do it all in, so I recommend you go to my tip pages to find out more! There I can go into more detail about specific things that you may be more interested in.

LONG LIVE THE MOTHERLAND!

Favorite thing: Like Xian Beijing once had a very big city wall. It has been torn down in the 1940s. But you can still see some remains of it: Qianmen-Gate and the Wall near the old trainstation. And this one: Deshengmen: an old gate in the north of the old Beijing.

Deshengmen-Gate is in the background. In front you see the small museum at the old lock. The ships of the emperors passed this lock on their way from the Imperial Palace (Forbidden City) to the Summerpalace.

Favorite thing: Beijing's History

Beijing has been the capital of numerous dynasties throughout its history, including the Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. With but few interruptions, the city has been China's capital almost continuously since AD 1272, when the Mongol ruler Kublai Khan established his political base there.
In 1420 it was made the official capital city of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), under the name of Beijing ('Northern Capital'). The city has becom an integral part of the country's history over the past eight centuries.

Favorite thing: ask your local friends or read from some books about the stories and folk tales of places.

Fondest memory: As we all know China is a country with long history. A non-Chinese person may find that many temples, gardens and tourist sites may look similar. Actually everyone of them has a story behind...so, somehow you will get things out of your expectation if you read more, ask more...and most importantly, imagine more, when you're touring in China.

Favorite thing: During this period, Beijing's famous fortified walls were torn down to make way for a ring road like Moscow's. This is part of it, looking North on Chaoyangmen Nan Dajie from Jianguomennei Dajie. Beijing is now circled by 4 ring roads and a fifth one is under construction.

Favorite thing: When Beijing regained its title with the communist takeover in 1949, Soviet advisors flooded in and the city underwent a period of reconstruction during which much traditional architecture was destroyed to widen Chang'an Dajie and to make Tian'anmen Square large enough to accommodate the massive manifestations favoured by the Soviets.

Fondest memory:
BEIJING
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Xi'an -

Lanzhou -

Dun Huang -

Tulfan -

Urumqi -

Ining -

Kazakstan





Beijing had been the capital of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties during seven centuries when SunYat Sen chose Nanjing for capital in 1911.







When Beijing regained its title with the communist takeover in 1949, Soviet advisors flooded in and the city underwent a period of reconstruction during which much traditional architecture was destroyed to widen Chang'an Dajie and to make Tian'anmen Square large enough to accommodate the massive manifestations favoured by the Soviets. .







During this period, Beijing's famous fortified walls were torn down to make way for a ring road like Moscow's. This is part of it, looking North on Chaoyangmen Nan Dajie from Jianguomennei Dajie. Beijing is now circled by 4 ring roads and a fifth one is under construction.

Favorite thing: Know Beijing is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is not only the nation's political centre, but also its cultural, scientific and educational heart and a key transportation hub. Beijing has served as a capital for more than 800 years. The city has many places of historic interest and scenic beauty, including the Forbidden City , the largest and best-preserved ancient architectural complex in the world; the Temple of Heaven, where Ming and Qing emperors performed solemn rituals for bountiful harvests; the Summer Palace, the emperors' magnificent garden retreat; the Ming tombs, the stately and majestic mausoleums of 13 Ming Dynasty emperors; and the world-renowned and genuinely inspiring Badaling section of the Great Wall. Large-scale construction since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 has brought great changes to Beijing. Today's Beijing still retains the alluring fascination of an ancient capital, but has added a small forest of skyscrapers and a complete range of municipal facilities, transforming itself into an attractively modern metropolis redolent of history.

Fondest memory: I was fortunate to have been in Beijing when China celebrated 50 years of communism. The official anniversary is October 1, but the celebrations lasted for a week. The entire city was decorated with flowers and lanterns and at night the whole city was splendidly illuminated. Beijing really showed its best side during the week of celebrations. Please do not leave until you checked out my new 'China@50' travelogue where you can find more info and photos.

Fondest memory: Beijing had been the capital of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties during seven centuries when SunYat Sen chose Nanjing for capital in 1911.