The Forbidden City

　　The Forbidden City (known officially as the Imperial Palace Museum) was the Emperor's Palace for 2 Dynasty, Ming and Qing with 500 years history. The Palace was built between 1406 and 1420, but was burnt down, rebuilt, sacked and renovated countless times so most of the architecture you can see today dates from the 1700's and onwards. The Forbidden City was the seat of Imperial power for 500 years. And is now a major tourist attraction in China. The total area of the complex is 183 acres, so it takes quite a while to walk through, especially if you want to have a close look at everything. All together there are 9,999 1/2 rooms in the Museum, not all of which can be visited.

You can have a headphone tour, in which Roger Moore's voice will guide you through each of the main halls and attractions. If you don't have a tour guide, this is definitely the way to go.

Tian'anmen Square

　The Square is immense (covering 44 hectares, it is the largest square in the world) and filled with tourists from all parts of China every day. In the middle of the Square is the Monument of the People's Heroes. At the north side of the square is Tian'anmen Gate, which is recognizable instantly by the huge portrait of Mao Zedong hanging on it. Tian'anmen Rostrum is the gate which leads to the Forbidden City. To the west is the Great Hall of the People, which houses the National People's congress, but when Congress is not in session the Hall is the venue for concerts and cultural events. The Great Hall is occasionally rented out for other purposes as well.

The other interesting thing to do in the Square is to watch the flag-raising ceremony at sunrise. This is the perfect activity for travelers who have not yet recovered from jet lag. A battalion of PLA troops marches out each morning and raises the flag exactly at sunrise. Then, at sunset the flag is taken down again. Every day many tourists gather in the Square to watch this solemn ceremony. Exact times for sunrise and sunset are posted next to the flagpole in red, digital numbers. On holidays and special occasions the Square is filled with flower arrangements and fountains. There are people all over the Square hawking kites. As it is a popular site for locals to go and fly the kites, which range from simple one-piece jobs, to elaborate meters-long dragons.

Beihai Park

　　Beihai is located in the heart area of Beijing and known as the “Heaven of Faires”. Some of the foreigners call it as “Winter Palace”. It is an extremely popular park among Beijingers and tourists alike. It is very large (68.2 hectares), and almost two-thirds of it is a lake. The park sits in the center of Beijing, and it used to be the royal garden of the Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing Emperors. It was first built in 1166 and was completed in 1179. The park is rife with greenery and assorted pavilions, corridors and gardens abound.

Besides the lake, the main things to see in Beihai are the Round City, which contains a jade vase from the time of Kublai Khan; the Temple of Eternal Peace; the Nine Dragon Screen, which is really a 5-meter-high, 27-meter-long wall covered with glazed tiles carved into nine intertwining dragons; and the White Pagoda on Gem Island in the center of the lake.recreation