BEIJINGBeijingisametropolisinnorthernChinaandthecapitalofthePeople'sRepublicofChina.Beijingisamajortransportationhub,withdozensofrailways,roadsandmotorwayspassingthroughthecity.ItisalsothefocalpointofmanyinternationalflightstoChina.Beijingisrecognizedasthepolitical,educational,andculturalcenterofthePeople'sRepublicofChina.ThebesttimestovisitBeijingarespring(AprilandMayarenicest)andfall(SeptemberandOctobercanbebeautiful).BeijingorPekingmeansnortherncapital.ThetermPekingoriginatedwithFrenchmissionariesfourhundredyearsagoandcorrespondstoanolderpronunciation.Thecityhasbeenrenamedseveraltimes:(JinDynasty)Zhongdu,(MongolYuanDynasty)Dadu,(MingDynasty)Hongwu,Beiping(Peiping)=''northernpeace’’,Nanjing,Yanjing.October1st1949.CommunistPartyOfChina,undertheleadershipofMaoZedongannouncedinTiananmenthecreationofthePeople'sRepublicofChinaandrenamedthecitybacktoBeijing.TheForbiddenCity(ZijinCheng)TheForbiddenCitywastheChineseimperialpalacefromtheMingDynastytotheendoftheQingDynasty.ItislocatedinthemiddleofBeijing,China,andnowhousesthePalaceMuseum.Foralmostfivecenturies,itservedasthehomeoftheEmperorandhishousehold,aswellastheceremonialandpoliticalcentreofChinesegovernment.Thecomplexconsists980survivingbuildingswith8,707baysofroomsandcovers720,000squaremeters.ForbiddenCity,whichislocatednorthoftheTiananmenSquare,andtowhomisgoingthroughthesamegate,UNESCOdeclaredWorldHeritagein1987.year.Buildingforbiddencitystartedthe1406thyear.Ittook14yearsandabout200,000workerstocompletethecomplex.ItisprotectedbyUNESCO.Partofhisname-Forbiddenreferstothefactthatnoonecouldenterorleavethepalacewithoutthepermissionoftheemperor.ThedesignoftheForbiddenCity,fromitsoveralllayouttothesmallestdetail,wasmeticulouslyplannedtoreflectphilosophicalandreligiousprinciples,andabovealltosymbolizethemajestyofImperialpower.TheGreatWallofChinaTheGreatWallOfChinaisaseriesofstoneandearthenfortificationsinChina,built,rebuilt,andmaintainedbetweenthe5thcenturyBCandthe16thcenturytoprotectthenorthernbordersoftheChineseEmpirefromXiongnuattacksduringtheruleofsuccessivedynasties.Itstretchesoverapproximately6,400km(4,000miles)fromShanhaiguanintheeasttoLopNurinthewest,alonganarcthatroughlydelineatesthesouthernedgeofInnerMongolia,butstretchestoover6,700km(4,160miles)intotal.Itwasguardedbymorethanonemillionmen.BeijingKaoya-BeijingDuckPekingDuck:adelicious,lightly-smoked,richmealcomplimentedbypancakes,dippingsauce,vegetablefillingandirresistiblesliversofjuicymeat,fatandcrispyskin.PekingDuckissaidtooriginatefromInnerMongoliaandwasfirstservedinaPekingrestaurantin1855.TheoriginalrecipeforPekingDuckincludesadescriptionofhowtobuildandfiretheovenforsmokingthebird!TiananmenSquareTheheartofmodernChinabeatsinTiananmenSquare,thesymbolofthePeople'sRepublicandthecenterofBeijing'slandmarks.TheflagstonesofTiananmencoverastaggering440,000squaremeters,enoughspacetoallowamillionpeopletogatherthere.TheTiananmenGateTowersitesatthenorth,theFive-StarRedFlagflieshighonthesquare,theMonumenttothePeople'sHeroesdominatesthecenter,theGreatHallofthePeopleandtheMuseumoftheChineseRevolutionandtheMuseumofChineseHistorytotheeastandwestofit,aswellasTheChairmanMaoMemorialHallandtheQianmengate,sitinthesouthofthesquare.Overseveralhundredyears,infrontoftheTiananmen,manydemocracymeetingsanddemonstrationsareheld.FiveStarRedFlag-theChinesenationalflag,flieshighintheskyabovetheSquare.SummerPalaceItisoneofthebestparksinthecity.OriginallyitwasaretreatforemperorstoescapethescorchingsummerheatofBeijing.TheSummerPalaceishuge,mostofitbeingtakenupbyKunmingLake.ThedirtthatwasduguptomakethelakewaspiledupandmadeintoLongevityHill.OntopofLongevityHillareseveralBuddhisttemples,which,oncleardays,offergoodviewsofthelake.Smallboatsareavailableforrentandyoucanmotororpaddleaboutthelake.Anotherpartofthepark,calledSuzhoustreet,whichissupposedtobeamodelofwhatthecityofSuzhoulookedlikeintheQingDynasty.The“street”encirclesashortcanal,whichyoucangoupanddowninagondola-likeboat.TempleOfHeavenBuiltbetween1409and1420,theTempleofHeavenisoneofBeijingsmostimpressiveparksintermsofHeavenisoneofBeijingsmostimpressiveparksintermsofarchitecture,colorandsignificance.TheTempleisbasicallyahugecommunicationsterminalwhichtheEmperorusedtocommunicatedirectlywithHeaven.Severaltimesayear,theEmperorwouldcomeheretoprayforgoodharvests,enoughrainandotherheavenlyboons.TheconstructionoftheTempleisbasedaroundthenumbernine,thelargestofthesingledigits,whichisdivineinChinesenumerology.TheTempleconsistsoffourbasicparts:theRoundAltar,theEchoWall,theImperialVaultofHeaven,andtheHallofprayerforGoodHarvests.TheRoundAltariswheretheEmperorwouldreportonthestatusofthecountrytoHeaven.TheAltarisconstructedinthemiddle,anythingyousayisamplifiedseveraltimes.ThisisbecausewhentheEmperorwastalkingwithHeaven,hisvoicewassupposedtobeamplifiedsothatitwasasifhisvoicewasasloudasthecollectivevoiceofawholenation.TheEchoWallisaroundstructurewhichifyouwhisperalongtheinnerwall,yourvoicecanbeheardallthewayaroundtheotherside.SupposedlytheEmperorwouldusethismethodtos