Travel Guide East Asia China

Overview:
The Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall of China is easily reached from Beijing City center and is good for a day-trip combined with a visit to the Ming Tombs. The Mutianyu Section is a little farther away than other sections of the Great Wall and is therefore less crowded with tourists. It offers beautiful [...]

Now start your tour in the Forbidden City from Wumen, called Meridian Gate in English. It is also named Five-Phoenix Tower, Wufenglou in Chinese, for it looks like a phoenix with five pavilion buildings up there. It’s the main gate and south gate of the Forbidden City. Inside the Meridian Gate, there appear Inner Golden [...]

Situated between the China People’s Revolution Military Museum and China Central Television Station, China Century Monument was built to welcome the 21st century’s coming. Facing south, it encompasses an area of about 4.5 hectares (11 acres). This structure consists of the main building, the World Art Museum, the Holy Fire Square and the Bronze Thoroughfare.
The [...]

The Ancient Observatory, situated at the southeast corner of Beijing’s Jianguomen Bridge, was initially built circa 1442, during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Its rich history spans more than five hundred years, making it one of the most historically interesting observatories in the world. During the Ming Dynasty it was known as the ‘Platform of Star-Watching’, [...]

The Altar of Earth (Ditan Park)

The Altar of Earth (Ditan Park)is located on Andingmenwai Street, in the Dongcheng District of Beijing City. The altar is a square, two-storied building enclosed by a square ditch. Hence, originally it was called Fangze Altar (Fangze meaning ’square ditch’). The Fangze Altar was built in 1530 during the reign [...]