Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
In the northern boundary of the Treasure Garden is the site where Zhen (the Pearl Concubine), favourite consort of Emperor Guangxu, was said to have been thrown down a well and killed on orders from Empress Cixi.
The eight-nation allied forces had invaded Beijing, the Forbidden City was in chaos and Cixi's imperial court was preparing to flee. Zhen had refused to commit suicide, as the story goes, and so met her fate in this much more grisly fashion.
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Enclosed by 3.5km of citadel walls at the very heart of Beijing, the Unesco-listed Forbidden City is China’s largest and best-preserved collection of…
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An oasis of methodical Confucian design, the 267-hectare Temple of Heaven Park is unique. It originally served as a vast stage for solemn rites performed…
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A marvel of Chinese garden design and one of Beijing's must-see attractions, the Summer Palace was the royal retreat for emperors fleeing the suffocating…
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Flanked by triumphalist Soviet-style buildings, Tian'anmen Sq is an immense void of paved stone (440,000 sq metres, to be precise) at the symbolic centre…
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Beihai Park, inside the old Imperial City, looks much as it would have done in the 18th century when it served as Emperor Qianlong's private gardens. The…
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This immense fortress, part of the Ming City Wall Ruins Park, guarded the southeast corner of Beijing's city walls. Originally built in 1439 but repaired…
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Instantly recognisable by its giant framed portrait of Mao, and guarded by two pairs of Ming dynasty stone lions, the double-eaved Gate of Heavenly Peace …
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Contemporary art meets communist history at this thrilling enclave of international galleries installed within China's model factory complex of the 1950s…
1. Hall of Spiritual Cultivation
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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…
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The northeasternmost of the six eastern palaces of the Forbidden City, it started out as a residence for concubines, and later became a library.
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Built in 1420, this palace has been the residence of numerous empresses, imperial concubines and consorts. It's one of the six eastern palaces in the…
4. Belvedere of Cheerful Melodies
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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…
5. Palace of Accumulated Purity
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One of the Forbidden City's six eastern palaces, this is notable for being the former residence of the young Xianfeng Emperor, who lived here with his mum.
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One of the six eastern palaces, this dates from 1420, and was used as a residence of imperial concubines. Today it houses a museum displaying a range of…
7. Palace of Prolonging Happiness
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The most unique of the Forbidden City's six eastern palaces, the Palace of Prolonging Happiness features an unfinished 20th-century Western-style building…
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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…