China Travel Guide: Beijing

Beijing is where tradition meets modernity. From the age-old hutong alleyways to the busy commercial streets, Beijing is mesmerizing because of its diversity - industry and art, classic and trendy, East and West.

Beijing is home to several UNESCO world heritage sites such as the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Summer Palace and part of the Grand Canal.

Palace Museum

Perhaps the most popular tourist destination of Beijing, the Palace Museum receives tens of millions of visitors a year. It is housed in the former imperial palace of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties – popularly known as the Forbidden City. In 1987, it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Seated in the center of Beijing, it covers 1,120,000 square meters, and consists of numerous architecturally significant buildings dating back to as early as the 15th century. It has been home to twenty-four Chinese emperors and witnessed many historic moments in Chinese history.

The Palace Museum houses 1.8 million pieces (sets) of artworks and artifacts that embody the splendors of Chinese traditional culture, the bulk of which are legacies of the Qing imperial household collection. They reflect the imperial taste of art in every aspect of life.

Beijing Central Axis

Beijing Central Axis runs north-south through the heart of the old city of Beijing, totaling 7.8 kilometers in length. It was initially constructed in the 13th century and shaped in the 16th century. With continuous refinement over seven centuries, Beijing Central Axis is an ensemble of building complexes and archeological sites that governs the overall layout of the old city.

Along the Axis there are imperial palaces and gardens, imperial sacrificial buildings, ancient urban management facilities, national ceremonial and public buildings, and roads. It has formed a magnificent urban architectural complex, witnessing the ideal order of capital cities that has influenced the buildings of traditional Chinese cities for more than two thousand years.

In 2024, "Beijing Central Axis: A Building Ensemble Exhibiting the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital" was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Badaling Great Wall

The Great Wall, one of the greatest wonders of the world, was listed as a world heritage by UNESCO in 1987.

One of the most popular tourist sites in Beijing, the Badaling section of the Great Wall extends in all directions, therefore named Badaling. The Wall is on average 7.8 meters high and 6.7 meters wide, narrowing to 4.5 meters on the top in a trapezoidal shape. It was built with slabs and bricks, with rammed earth at the core.

The Badaling Great Wall is the first part of the Great Wall open to the public. It is the soul of the entire Great Wall, welcoming tourists from all over the world.