China

Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is China’s legendary defence line, constructed by laboring people with their flesh and blood. It symbolizes ancient Chinese engineering and architecture. Its Chinese name “Wanli Changcheng” means ‘Long Fortress’ and was built to secure the northern Chinese empire from the invasions of Mongolian nomads. This great engineering marvel of China is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and also enlisted as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Great Wall of China was built prominently during the three dynasties viz. Qin Dynasty, Han Dynasty and Ming Dynasty. You would be at wrong, if you think wall as ‘it’ actually the wall is a ‘them’ as these do not form a continuous line. These bits of wall wriggle from the scattered Manchurian remain in Liaoning province to wind-scrubbed ruins in Gobi desert and faint wreckages in the sand Xinjiang. Due to certain environmental conditions not all the parts of the ‘Great Wall’ are open to the public. The parts which are well-preserved are opened to the tourists. The sections of wall which are opened for the tourists include; Badaling, Jinshanling, Mutianyu, Gubeikou, Huangyaguan, Shanhaiguan, Juyongguan, Simatui and Jiankou. Badaling great wall is the best persevered section of the Great Wall while Mutianyu great wall is the most spectacular, beautiful and green section and Simatui and Jinshanling Great Walls are the remarkable for the sightseeing, hiking and exploration because of their stupendous scenic view and topography Great Wall displays the might of emperors, triumph of engineering and collective effort of millions of people from the imperial and non-imperial generation.

Jingshan Park, Xicheng, Beijing

Jingshan Park is a public park which covers 20 hectares (57 acres) of land of Forbidden City in the Beijing, China. The most prominent feature of the park is the artificial Hill Jingshan, literally meaning ‘ Prospect Hill’ Earlier, the park used to be the imperial garden adjacent to Forbidden City’s grounds. The park is administratively the part of both Xincheng and the Dongcheng districts in the downtown Beijing. The hill in the Jingshan Park is an artificial hill made from the soil excavated to the form moats of Imperial Palace and nearby canals. Jingshan Hill is also renowned as Feng Shui Hill as it was believed to protect the palace from the evil spirits and dust storms from the north.

Jingshan consists of five individual peaks and on the top of each peak, there lies an elaborate pavilion. Formerly in every pavilion, there was placed a copper Buddha Statue representing one of the five states- sour, bitter, sweet, acrid and salt. Visitors can see the Qiwang Pavilion adorned with green cypress upon entering the gate. On this very place, the emperors used to worship the memorial tablet of Confucius. Wanchu Pavilion at the central point of the hill is perfect place to experience and appreciate the beauty of Beijing. From the pavilion, visitors can view magnificence of Forbidden City in South, the Bell and Drum Tower in the north and Beihai Park and White Dagoba Temple in the West. Shouhang Hall (Hall of Imperial Longevity) in the north of the park was used to be place for emperors to pay respect to their ancestors and in Yongsi Hall (Missing Hall) in the west, rested the bodies of the past emperors and queens. The park turns into the Oasis of peony roses during May each year, when 20,000 peony roses of 200 varieties bloom in the garden, giving it a breath-taking beauty.

Temple of Heaven China, Beijing

Temple of Heaven is a serene oasis of tranquillity and methodical Confucian design with 267 hectares of landscapes. It is an altar where the emperors used to perform sacrificial rites to God of Heaven for Good Harvest and divine atonement. The complex was frequently visited by the emperors of Ming and Qing dynasties and has been regarded as the Daoist temple. The temple is divided into two parts by two enclosed walls. The northern part is circular while the southern part is square, which symbolize the ancient Chinese philosophy that Heaven is round and earth is square. Also northern part is higher than the southern part, establishing the supremacy of heaven over the earth. In the west temple complex, there is the Hall of Abstinence, where emperors used to fast after making sacrifices, and also the Divine Music Administration Hall and Stables for the Sacrificial Animals.

Beijing

Beijing is the capital of the People’s Republic of China as well as the one of the most populated cities in the World. The city boasts of as Nation’s cultural, political and educational center. It also houses the headquarters of most of the largest state-owned companies of china and hub of national highways, expressways, railway and high-speed rail networks. The history of Beijing dates back to three millennia. The city is also famous for its magnificent palaces, astounding temples, spectacular gardens and parks, tombs, walls and gats, art treasures and universities. The city has seven UNESCO world heritage Sites including; the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Ming Tombs, Zhoukoudin, Great Wall and the Grand Canal. Being close to the port city of Tianjin and partially surrounded by Hebei Province, city also serves as a major port of entry. No other city in China attracts as much of travellers as Beijing, with 140 million Chinese travellers and 4.4 million international tourist every year. Economic reforms have accelerated the city’s pace of development and adorned Beijing with outright number of theatres, discos, business centers, restaurants and shopping malls. City also boast’s of several scenic areas like; Beihai, Shichahai, Zhongnanhai, Jingshan and Zhongshan and various other notable cities like Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Qianmen, the Great Hall of People, National Museum of China, Monument to the People’s Heroes, Mausoleum of Zedong, Summer Palace, Old Summer Palace, Temple of Earth, Temple of Sun, Temple of Moon, Dongyue Temple, Wanshou Temple, the Big Bell Temple, Confucius Temple, The Cathedral of the Immaculate conception, Pagoda of a Tianning Temple, Pagoda of Cishou Temple, Lugou Bridge, Beijing Ancient Observatory, The Fragrant Hills, Thirteen Tombs of Ming Dynasty, Imperial tombs of Ming and Qing Dynasties, The Imperial Ancestral Temple, Beijing CBD and Beijing Financial Street.

Shanghai

Being the most populous, prosperous and largest city of China, Shanghai is often called the ‘Paris of East.’ Shanghai, and ‘Hu ‘ for the short, is drawing more and more attention from all over the world for its rapid economic growth and also for being influential financial, cultural, science and technological center of East China. The multicultural flair of city endows it with a unique glamour as the new skyscrapers and old Shikumen draw the city skyline together. Shanghai literally means ‘Above the Sea is actually a port city on the banks of Huangpu River, where the Yangtze River empties into the East China Sea. Earlier being a fishing and textiles town, city became famous after it opened itself to foreign power like the British, French, American, Germans and Russians by 1842 Treaty of Nanking. Shanghai is always fun to travel. The gallery of different architectures known as ‘The Bund’, erected in Gothic, Romanesque or Baroque style is lined up along the banks of Huangpu River. Other worth-seeing sites in Shanghai include, Yuyuan Garden, Orient Pearl Tower, Tin Mao Tower, World Financial Center, City God Temple, Lujiazui skyline, Shanghai Museum, China Art Museum, Development Tower, People’s Square Park, Fuxing Park, LuXum Park, Century Park, Zhongshan Park & Shanghai Natural History Museum. Being the richest and trendsetter city of China, Shanghai is the best for shopping and dining.