Beijing:
at the Gate of Heavenly Peace
Following on my return from Macau, I took the plane to Beijing. After my arrival in China’s capital I met up with my friend and travel companion for the coming weeks. Our first walk brought us to the vast Tiananmen Square – the place where the power of the entire country is concentrated. Next to the imperial palaces of the Forbidden City are the monuments of the current rulers including the Great Hall of the People, where the National People’s Congress convenes. Above everything thrones the iconic painting of Mao Zedong from the Gate of Heavenly Peace, the place where he proclaimed the People’s Republic in 1949.
Of course, Beijing’s sights are not confined to the neighbourhood of Tiananmen Square. My favourite place in the city is the Temple of Heaven Park with its beautiful architecture and comparatively quiet atmosphere. Another gem and definitely worth the short trip out of the city centre is the Summer Palace at the shores of Kunming Lake. While a visit to the Beijing opera might leave your ears ringing, you can relax in the calm and serene White Cloud Temple or admire the beauty of the Lama Temple.
A journey to China is not complete without getting a glimpse of the famous Great Wall! Although this historic sight might be somewhat exaggerated, the offered day trips are a good possibility to see the hilly landscape north of Beijing.
After spending a few days in Beijing, it was time to leave and take the train to Lhasa in Tibet. This meant a once-in-a-lifetime journey of 48 hours through much of China. But, you have to click here for the next post to read about that! 🙂
Matt Travels 
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Absolutely remarkable photos! I’m struck by every image and each unique name of these amazing sites. You could make this into 8-10 different blog posts and your readers wouldn’t tire of the subject matter!
haha – wow, thanks a lot!! 😀 I just wanted to keep Beijing together, but it has become quite a long post, you’re right!
Oh wow, it didn’t seem too busy !
yes, you are right… maybe not main tourist season? I don’t know, but it still felt quite hectic sometimes with the traffic etc. 🙂
My boyfriend told me last time he went there, he could barely move. But he went to the portion of the wall that is still real, maybe it attracts more people.
from my experience, Badaling was the most touristic stretch… maybe I was lucky or there were less tourists back in 2007?
Probably less tourists back then 🙂
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