My Visual Travel Experience: Beijing

My wife Kamalini and I spent 5 days in Beijing in 2013. Noriyo, a Japanese friend of my wife's, joined us for a few days too. It was a hectic 5 days, because Beijing had so much to offer. I would have certainly liked at least another couple of days in the city to do proper justice to it. Nevertheless, we managed to pack in the city's main sights. We also met a few of my Nokia friends who were posted in Beijing then - Rahul Suri and his wife Karen, Pawan Gandhi, and Praveen Shetty. They were all very hospitable and made our trip that much more memorable.

Beijing is the capital of China, and a city with close to 13 million inhabitants, though the municipality has over 21 million inhabitants. It first became the imperial capital during the Mongol Yuan Dynasty (1279 – 1368). During the Ming Dynasty, the new imperial residence, the Forbidden City, was built and completed in 1420. The Qing Dynasty succeeded the Ming Dynasty. In 1911, there was the Xinhai Revolution, and the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty was forced to abdicate. In 1949, the People's Liberation Army took control over the country, and from Beijing's famous Tian'an Men Square, Mao Zedong announced the formation of the People's Republic of China.

The Great Wall Of China was built after the unification of China under Qin Shi Huangdi, in the 3rd century BC. The idea was to protect China from invaders. It was, however, breached by the Mongols in the 13th century AD and then by the Manchu in the 17th century AD.  The meandering wall is around 5,000 km in length, and is the only man-made structure visible from outer space. Places to see the Great Wall near Beijing include Badaling and Juyong Guan.  

Juyong Guan, Great Wall of China

Wishing Well at Juyong Guan, 
Great Wall of China

Sacred Tree at Juyong Guan, Great Wall of China

Chinese Calendar at Juyong Guan, Great Wall of China

The Forbidden City was completed in 1420. 24 emperors ruled from here over a period of close to 500 years, until the last emperor’s abdication in 1912. It was opened to the public in 1949.

Forbidden City, Lion Sculpture at the Entrance

Forbidden City, Nine Dragons Wall

Vase Shaped Clock, Clocks Museum,
Forbidden City

Incense Stick Holder, Forbidden City

Tian’an Men Square is a large concrete square in the heart of Beijing and is one of the world’s largest urban squares. It is bordered by 1950s Communist style buildings.  The highlights of Tian’an Men Square include Mao’s Mausoleum, the Monument to the People’s Heroes, Zhengyang Men, Arrow Tower, the Great Hall of the People (the seat of the Chinese legislature) and the China National Museum.

Tian'an Men Square 

Monument to the People's Heroes, Tian'an Men Square

Zhenngyang Men, Tian'an Men Square

The China National Museum lies at one end of Tian'an Men Square. The large museum has a collection of paintings, old Buddhist statues,  an interesting African section with wooden statues from the continent, and a large collection of state gifts received by Mao Zedong and other Chinese leaders from foreign visitors.

Seated Buddha from 6th century AD,
China National Museum

Portrait of Mao Zedong addressing the public,
China National Museum

Bronze Sculpture of Romus and Remulus presented by
the Mayor of Rome, China National Museum

Porcelain Swan presented by US President
Richard Nixon, China National Museum

African Section, China National Museum

Seated Sakyamuni, China National Museum

The Summer Palace was an imperial retreat for the Qing Dynasty, and a welcome break from the Forbidden City. The current layout dates back to the reign of Emperor Qianlong, who ruled from 1736 to 1795. Empress Dowager  Cixi had the Summer Palace rebuilt twice – in 1860 (after it was destroyed by French and British troops) and in 1902 (after the Boxer Rebellion).  The Tower of the Fragrance of the Buddha on Longevity Hill dominates the Summer Palace. The Temple of the Sea of Wisdom has an exterior decorated with green and yellow tiles, and small Buddha statues. The Marble Boat was built by Cixi. The boat is actually made of wood that has been painted white to look like marble. 

Tower of the Fragrance of the Buddha,
Summer Palace

Temple of the Sea of Wisdom,
Summer Palace

Marble Boat,
Summer Palace

Long Corridor, Summer Palace

The Temple of Heaven, known locally as Tian Tan, was built during the Ming Dynasty. The emperor used to pray here for good harvests and make sacrifices. Commoners were not allowed into the large temple complex  during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The two main structures are the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and the Imperial Vault of Heaven, and they are connected by the so-called Red Step Bridge. The Round Altar was the site of the emperor’s sacrifices.

Hall of Prayers for Good Harvest,
Temple of Heaven

Imperial Vault of Heaven,
Temple of Heaven

The Lama Temple was constructed in the 17th century AD.  The temple complex has several halls running sequentially, ending with the Wanfuge Pavilion. The halls include the Yonghe Gate Hall with its Laughing Buddha, the Yonghe Gong Hall with its three manifestations of Buddha, the Falun Hall with its Tsongkhapa Statue, and the spectacular Wanfuge Pavilion with its 17 meter high sandalwood statue of Maitreya (the future Buddha). 

Laughing Buddha at Yonghe Gate Hall,
Lama Temple

Buddha Statue at Yonghe Gong Hall,
Lama Temple

Tsongkhapa Statue at Falun Hall,
Lama Temple

Maitreya at Wanfuge Pavilion,
Lama Temple

The Confucius Temple is the largest such temple outside Qufu., where the philosopher was born. The temple was first built in 1302, but was expanded in 1906. The complex has about 200 stone stalae, dedicated to those who were successful in the imperial civil services exams.

Confucius Statue,
Confucius Temple

Bi Yong Hall,
Confucius Temple

Interior of Bi Yong Hall,
Confucius Temple

Stone Stelaes, Confucius Temple

The Ming Tombs are the final resting place of 13 of the 16 Ming Dynasty emperors.  The tombs lie at a distance of about 45 km from Beijing.  

Merit and Virtue Pavilion,
Ming Tombs

Statue of Hai Rui, Ling'en Hall,
Ming Tombs

St Joseph's Church is known locally as Wanfujing Church. The church was originally constructed by Jesuit missionaries in 1655, but the current structure dates back to 1904.

St Joseph's Church

High Altar, St Joseph's Cathedral

Wangfujing Street is Beijing’s main shopping street, full of department stores and malls. The Night Market is a lively lane off Wangfujing Street, with outlets selling traditional Chinese snacks, including a wide variety of non vegetarian snacks. The lane is a favourite with locals and tourists alike, and is a great place to buy curios.

Clock Tower, Wangfujing Street

Food stall at the Night Market, Wangfujing Street

Statues for sale at the Night Market, Wangfujing Street

Peking Duck is a local speciality, famous all over the world. There are many places where the delicacy is available, and one such place is the high end Da Dong Roasted Peking Duck Restaurant, where Noriyo took us after a fair bit of research. I was a vegetarian those days, but Kamalini and Noroyi really enjoyed their Peking Duck, which was served with a lot of style. I managed to fill my tummy too, with vegetarian food that was available.

Da Dong Roasted Peking Duck Restaurant

Situated right next to the Temple of Heaven, Pearl Market is a large market, with floor after floor of products on sale at reasonable prices. One can strike great bargains here. The mind-boggling range of items includes souvenirs, ceramics mugs and plates, silk scarves, shoes, and imitations of designer brands at a fraction of the cost.

Jade Dragon Figurines, Pearl Market

Beijing isn't without its share of problems. It is a crowded city, and there is a fair bit of smog due to pollution. But I personally enjoyed my visit immensely, and the problems were hardly an issue. The 2008 Summer Olympics were held there, and the city underwent a lot of development and improvement in time for the mega event. Language was an issue, as not many people know English, but equipped with my DK Eyewitness book on China and a good map, I didn't face problems. Beijing has retained its very rich historical legacy, and yet I found it to be a very modern and developed city with very good infrastructure.