Beijing
Dating back to the Liao dynasty (around 1120), the pagoda in this little-visited temple is reputedly the oldest structure in Beijing. The octagonal tower…
Must-see attractions in Beijing
Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
To the west of the Meridian Gate is the Hall of Martial Valour, well worth a detour to see what exhibition is currently installed. During the Ming dynasty…
Beijing
Associated with the Tokyo Gallery in Japan, BTAP (Beijing Tokyo Art Projects) was the first international gallery to lease space in 798 back in 2002…
Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
The Hall of Literary Brilliance complex, just to the east of the Forbidden City's entrance at the Meridian Gate was formerly used as a residence by the…
Palace of Prolonging Happiness
Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
The most unique of the Forbidden City's six eastern palaces, the Palace of Prolonging Happiness features an unfinished 20th-century Western-style building…
Beijing
Founded by Chinese art collectors in 2014, M Woods stages meticulously curated themed art shows according to the gallery's founding principle of 'FAT' …
Beijing
Neatly aligned with the Tower of Buddhist Incense behind it, the Hall of Dispelling Clouds was built by Emperor Qianlong for his mother on her 60th…
Beijing
Closed for an indeterminate period at the time of research, this Taoist ancestral temple, built in 1530, is where emperors would honour their royal…
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
This palace complex close to the West Heavenly Gate was used by the emperor for three days prior to conducting the winter solstice ceremony at the Round…
Beijing
Rising up the steep southern slope of Jade Islet, the Temple of Eternal Peace is best accessed via the south entrance of Beihai. The complex climbs…
Overseas Chinese History Museum
Beijing
Charting the history of Chinese emigration from the era of the Silk Road to the present day, this is a terrific museum with full English captions…
Beijing
Located on Beihai's northern shore, Xitian Fanjing (Western Elysium) was a lamasery during the Ming dynasty, and was subsequently rebuilt in 1759 by…
Beijing
Echoing the sìhéyuàn layout of traditional Beijing courtyards, this was the living quarters of Empress Cixi, and still contains items of period furniture…
Beijing
With a magisterial spread of five marble arches 16m high and 35m wide, this is supposedly the largest stone páifāng (arched gate) in China, erected by the…
Belvedere of Cheerful Melodies
Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
This three-storey wooden opera house, built in 1776, was the Forbidden City’s largest theatre. Note the trap doors that allowed actors to make dramatic…
Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
The third of the Great Halls is the Hall of Preserving Harmony, used for banquets and later for imperial examinations. Descending from the rear of the…
Beijing
The crowning glory of Longevity Hill, this majestic building proved the most expensive reconstruction project of Cixi's grand design. Mounted on a 20m…
Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
Built in 1776, the Hall of Spiritual Cultivation was intended to be used for Qing emperor Qianlong's retirement. He never moved in, although he did throw…
Garden of Harmonious Interests
Beijing
In the northeast corner of the palace, this classical Chinese arrangement of pavilions, halls and bridges was considered one of the finest gardens in…
Beijing
Built to resemble the canals and architecture of Suzhou, this street is where emperors and their concubines would pretend to be normal people by 'shopping…
Beijing
The cavernous space of this factory-floor-turned-gallery, an outpost of a privately owned foundation in Tuscany, allows for installations on an epic scale…
Beijing
This is the largest square pavilion-style palace in China. It was built in secret as a gift for Emperor Qianlong's mother on her 80th birthday. Inside the…
Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
This square, open-air altar (tán) was where the emperor would come to pray and give offerings to the gods of land and grain in return for favourable…
Beijing
Atop the northern end of Longevity Hill, this series of temples riffs on Tibetan architecture, looking unlike anything else in the Summer Palace. You'll…
Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
The main hall of the Palace of Tranquil Longevity (宁寿宫, Níng Shǒu Gōng) built around 1771 for Qing emperor Qianlong's retirement, though he never moved in…
Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
In the late Qing dynasty, the Hall of Mental Cultivation was where empress dowagers Cixi and Cian took charge of the state affairs behind a screen, when…
Beijing
A champion of emerging artists and the Chinese art scene generally since 2002, Long March Space is one of 798's premier galleries for contemporary Chinese…
Beijing
Built on the orders of Empress Cixi, this three-storey theatre stage was used for performances of Peking Opera. Cixi was a huge fan of the artform, as…
Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
At the northern end of the Forbidden City is the Imperial Garden, where emperors and their consorts could retreat to read, relax, sip tea and stroll among…
Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
Originally built in 1420, the Gate of Supreme Harmony is the main gate of the Forbidden City's outer court. It was used by the emperor for his morning…
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
Thanks to its unique acoustic properties, a quiet spoken word or two against this circular wall can be heard at the opposite point, some 65m away …
Beijing
Adorned with yellow and green glazed tiles and 1008 niche images of Buddha, this is one of the loveliest buildings on Longevity Hill. The interior walls…
Beijing
With its startlingly steep 'moon' arch, this is the best of the six bridges on the West Causeway of Kunming Lake. Its height also permitted the more…
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
This grand walkway leads north from the Imperial Vault of Heaven to the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.
Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
Raised on a three-tier marble terrace with balustrades are the Three Great Halls, the glorious ceremonial heart not just of the Forbidden City but of the…
Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
The east gate of the Forbidden City, through which you can exit but not enter. Inside are exhibitions belonging to the Gallery of Historic Architecture.
Beijing
Dating from around the 10th century when Chinese first began converting to Islam, Beijing's oldest mosque appears more like a Chinese temple with Islamic…
Beijing
This centuries-old shopping street, although tarted up for tourists, retains several timeworn emporia selling silk, cloth shoes and traditional Chinese…
Beijing
This modern, two-storey museum presents in great detail the life of Lu Xun (1881–1936), considered the greatest Chinese writer of the 20th century…
Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
Propaganda notwithstanding, this is an engaging foray into the storied history of Beijing’s police force. Learn how China's first Security Bureau (PSB)…
