Showing 1-6 of 6 results
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Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall
This little-visited exhibition hall takes particular pains to present Běijīng's gut-wrenching, hútòng -felling metamorphosis in the best possible light. English labelling is sadly scarce; the only exhibits of note are a detailed bronze map of the town in 1949 - ironically the very year that sealed the fate of old Peking - and a huge, detailed diorama of the modern metropolis.
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Chairman Mao Memorial Hall
An obligatory place of pilgrimage for China's proletariat and a must-see for those breezing around Tiananmen Square, this mausoleum should not be missed. Mao Zedong died in September 1976, and his mausoleum was constructed shortly thereafter on the site of Zhonghua Gate. Easy as it now is to vilify his excesses, many Chinese still show deep respect when confronted with the physical presence of the man.
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Foreign Legation Quarter
The former Foreign Legation Quarter - where the 19th century foreign powers flung up their embassies, schools, post offices and banks - lay east of Tiananmen Square. Stroll around Taijichang Dajie and Zhengyi Lu, which still suggest its former European flavour. On the northern corner of Taijichang Toutiao's intersection with Taijichang Dajie survives a brick in the wall engraved with the road's former foreign name: Rue Hart.
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Great Hall Of The People
The Great Hall of the People is the seat of the legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC). The 1959 architecture is monolithic and intimidating, and a fitting symbol of China's remarkable political inertia. The tour parades past a choice of lifeless rooms named after the provinces that constitute the Chinese universe. The ticket office is down the south side of the building. Bags need to be checked in but cameras are admitted.
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Old Summer Palace
A melancholic tangle of broken columns and marble chunks, the original Summer Palace was laid out in the 12th century. The subdued ruins can be mulled over in the Eternal Spring Garden (Chángchūn Yuán), where you can find the Great Fountain Ruins, considered the best-preserved relic in the palace. West of the ruins is an artful reproduction of a former labyrinth called the Garden of Yellow Flowers.
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Prince Gong's Residence
Reputed to be the model for the mansion in Cao Xueqin's 18th-century classic, Dream of the Red Mansions , the residence is one of Běijīng's largest private residential compounds. This remains one of Běijīng's more attractive retreats, decorated with rockeries, plants, pools, pavilions, corridors and elaborately carved gateways.
Showing 1-6 of 6 results
