Beijing Things to Do Tips by sunnywong

China Railway Museum (CRM) is a state museums specialized in railways. It is a professional as well as a public institution for exhibition of historic collections, education and scientific research, aiming at preservation of railway historic heritage, popularization of railway knowledge and demonstration of railway progress.

Locomotive and car exhibition hall is an important part of CRM. It has a construction area of 16500 sq. meter and 8 exhibition tracks with different structures. The hall can accommodate 80-90 locomotives and cars.

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Phone: 010-64381317
Address: No. 1 Jiuxianqiao North Road, Chaoyang District
Directions: Bus route : No. 403 or No 813. Go Eastward for 600m after get off the bus.
Website: http://www.railway-museums.com/china_rm/

Located 10 kilometers south of the Badaling section of the Great Wall and built in an 18.5-kilometre-long valley, the pass has always been an important gateway northwest of Beijing. The slopes on both sides of this narrow pass are carpeted by a dense growth of foliage. It used to be one of the eight famous scenic spots in Beijing.

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Opposite the northern gate of the Palace Museum is Jingshan (hill of commanding views) Park. Covering a space of 23 hectares, this park was once an imperial garden during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911) and was open to the public now. The Jingshan Hill, situated on the meridian line of the city of Beijing, Provides a panoramic view of the capital.

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Badaling Great Wall is typical of the wall during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644AD). This section of the Great Wall attracts the most tourists as they enjoy walking along the stretches of the wall and also because the gigantic feat of construction is most impressive. Guard rails and cable cars make Badaling a safe and almost easy way to see the Great Wall.

This section of the wall also houses a museum of Chinese history, which includes a photo gallery and the Great Wall Circle Vision Theater, a 360 degree amphitheater which shows a 15 minute film on the history and legends of the wall.

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Address: 75km (47 miles) northwest of Beijing

The Dingling Underground Palace unveiled in 1956, was the 1st of the 13 Ming imperial tombs to be officially opened to the public. Emperor Wanli (1563-1620) and his 2 empresses were buried at Dingling at his death. These and some of the other 3,000 objects unearthed from this palace are on display in the 2 exhibition halls. The objects include the emperor's crown and robes, jewels and phoenix tiaras.

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Directions: Located at Tianshou Mountains 48km (30 miles) to the northwest of Beijing.
Other Contact: Only Ding Ling has been excavate

It was built in 1420, the 18th year of the reign of Ming Emperor Yongle and was where emperors went to worship heaven for good harvests.

There are two parts to the temple-the inner altar and outer altar. The main buildings are in the inner altar, on the north-south axis. At the southern end are the Imperial Vault of Heaven and the Circular Mound Altar. On the northern end are the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and Huangqian Hall. The structures at both ends are connected by a 360-meter-long walk. There is also the Hall of Abstinence inside the West Heavenly Gate which was where the emperor fasted for three days and bathed before prayer.

The temple's main building is the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, where the emperor prayed for good harvests. The round hall, 38 meters high and 30 meters in diameter, has triple eaves and a cone-shaped deep blue tile roof crowned with a gilded knob. Surrounding the hall is a six-meter-high spacious circular stone terrace on three levels, each edged by a balustrade of carved white marble. (Included in the UNESCO world heritage list in 1998.)

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Directions: Lying in the southernmost part of Beijing

24 emperors ruled China from within the Forbidden City during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911AD). The Forbidden City is so named as commoners were barred from entering the palace grounds.

The Throne Hall or the Hall of Supreme Harmony is China's tallest ancient palace building and is where during the reign of the Ming and Qing emperors, all important national ceremonies took place. After being the center of the Chinese world for nearly 500 years, the Forbidden City is now one of the largest and best preserved palace complexes in the world. The Palace Museum has been opened to the public since the 1950s and around a million rare and valuable objects are housed there. Visitors should plan on spending at least 1/2 a day here.

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Directions: The Front Gate of Tian An Men is the entrance fo the Imperial Palace

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Summer Palace is one of China's largest and best preserved imperial gardens. Originally, the palace was a summer residence where the imperials would go to escape from the stifling heat of the Forbidden City and was only open to the public in 1924. The beautiful Kunming Lake where visitors can boat or swim in the summer and ice-skate in the winter takes up most of the park.

Places of interest in the garden include but are certainly not limited to - the Long Corridor which is over 700 meters (2,300ft) long and is decorated with mythical scenes, the Marble Boat that is permanently anchored by the lakeshore, the Pavilion of Buddha~{!/~}s Fragrance on top of Longevity Hill, the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity where emperors handled state affairs and received envoys, the Pavilion of Precious Clouds with elaborate bronzes and the Temple of the Sea of Wisdom with magnificent views.

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Directions: Located 10km (6 miles) northwest of Beijing City. Take the subway to Xizhimen, then a minibus.
Website: www.beijingtrip.com/attractions/summer/index.htm

Marble Boat, also named Qingyanfang Boat, is located in the northwest of Kunming Lake. It was first built in 1750 with a Chinese-style wooden superstructure on it. Unfortunately in 1860, the original boat was burned down by the Anglo-French forces, and in 1893, it was rebuilt with a French-style superstructure and two wheelers added to it. Taking the implying meaning of "the water can hold the boat as well as topple the boat", the Marble Boat symbolizes the steadfast rule of the Qing dynasty.

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