China Attractions

In 1974 the city of Xi'an literally unearthed itself as a tourist destination when some local farmers dug up some statues by accident. What was to follow was a full scale archaelogical dig that revealed an estimated 8,000 statue soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses (the majority of which are still buried in the pits). This statue army then became a museum and is open to tourists to visit an incredible piece of ancient history. The life size human figures vary in height between 6 ft–6 ft 5in and include warriors and generals (generals being the larger). The collection of figures also includes chariots, horses, officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians. The army itself is is a form of funerary art buried with the First Emperor of Qin in 210-209 BC. Much of the site isn't fully excavated and Qin's tomb has been left intact. The Terr...

Tiananmen Square is the world's largest city square (440,000 m square - 880 m by 500 m) located near to the centre of Beijing, China. It was named after the Tiananmen (literally, Gate of Heavenly Peace) which sits to its N, separating it from the Forbidden City. The square holds great cultural significance as it was the site of several key events in Chinese history.

Located in the middle of Beijing, The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It now houses the Palace Museum. For almost five hundred years, it served as the home of emperors and their servants and staff, as well as the ceremonial and political centre of the Chinese government. The palace drew its name from the fact that vast sections of it were off limits to virtually all apart from the emperor himself. Its 9000 rooms, filled with paintings, pottery and bronzes, are reminders of China’s imperial past. Among the Forbidden City’s more notable landmarks are the Meridian Gate, the Hall of Supreme Harmony and the Imperial Garden.

Beijing Zoo is one of Beijing's most popular tourist attractions attracting more than 6 million visitors per year. It occupies an area of 89 hectares (219 acres), including 5.6 hectares of lakes and ponds (13.8 acres). Beijing Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in China and has one of the largest animal collections in the world with over 450 species of land animals and over 500 species of marine animals. All in all, it is home to more than 14,500 animals. The Beijing Zoo is best known for its collection of rare animals endemic to China including the Giant Pandas which is the zoo's most popular animal. The zoo also features the golden snub-nosed monkey, South China Tiger, white-lipped deer, crested ibis, Chinese Alligator along with the Chinese Giant Salamander. Other endangered or threatened species within the zoo are the Siberian tiger, yak, snow leopard, Tibetan gazelle, and kiang....

Badaling is the site of the most visited section of the Great Wall of China, approximately 50 miles (80 km) NW of Beijing city in Yanqing County, which is within the Beijing municipality. The portion of the wall running through the site was built during the Ming Dynasty, along with a military outpost reflecting the location's strategic importance. The portion of the wall at Badaling has undergone heavy restoration, and in 1957 it was the first section of the wall to open to tourists. Now visited annually by millions, the immediate area has seen significant development, including hotels, restaurants, and a cable car. The recently completed Badaling Expressway connects Badaling with central Beijing. People can buy tickets at Beijing North Railway Station to Badaling Station. A bus also runs frequently from Deshengmen to Badaling.

The Summer Palace is a palace in Beijing, China that is mainly dominated by Longevity Hill (60m high) and the Kunming Lake. It covers an expanse of 2.9 square kilometers, three quarters of which is water. The Summer Palace hosts a variety of smaller palaces, gardens, and other classical-style architectural structures. The Summer Palace was first constructed in 1153 as a retreat for the royal court to escape the heat in the city. The palace and its gardens are very popular with tourists due to it's beautiful gardens, palace architecture and ornaments.

Beijing National Stadium, also known officially as the National Stadium, or colloquially as the Bird's Nest, is a stadium in Beijing, China. The stadium was designed for use throughout the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. Beijing National Stadium hosted the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, athletic events, and football final of the 2008 Summer Olympics from 8 August to 24 August 2008. The stadium also hosted the Opening and Closing ceremonies and athletic events of the 2008 Summer Paralympics from 6 September to 17 September 2008. Though designed for track & field events of the Olympics, the stadium continues to host sporting events. A shopping mall and a hotel, with rooms overlooking the field are also being planned.

The Yonghe Temple, also known as the "Palace of Peace and Harmony Lama Temple", the "Yonghe Lamasery", or - popularly - the "Lama Temple" is a temple and monastery of the Geluk School of Tibetan Buddhism located in the northeastern part of Beijing, China. It is one of the largest and most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the world. The building and the artworks of the temple combine Han Chinese and Tibetan styles.

The Zhongshan Park, is a former imperial garden and now a public park that lies just southwest of the Forbidden City in the Dongcheng District of central Beijing. Of all the gardens and parks surrounding the Forbidden City, such as the Beihai and Jingshan, Zhongshan is arguably the most centrally located of them all. The Zhongshan Park houses numerous pavilions, gardens, and imperial temples such as the Altar of Earth and Harvests or Altar of Land and Grain in some translations, which was built in 1421 by the Yongle Emperor, and it symmetrically opposite the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and is where the emperors of Ming and Qing dynasties made offerings to the gods of earth and agriculture. The altar consists of a square terrace in the centre of the park. By 1914, the altar grounds had become a public park known as the "Central Park". That park was then further renamed in...

Beihai Park is an imperial garden to the northwest of the Forbidden City in Beijing. Built in the 10th century, it is amongst the largest of Chinese gardens, and contains numerous historically important structures, palaces and temples. Prior to the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1911 this area was connected to the Forbidden City, but since 1925 it has been open to the public. The Park has an area of more than 69 hectares, with a lake that covers more than half of the entire Park. At the center of the Park is an island called Qiónghuá Island with a highest point of 32 m. In the north of the park there is a large pool called the Taiye Pool connecting the two other pools, which are called the Middle Sea and the South Sea respectively. Therefore the Taiye Pool is also called the Beihai. Beihai literally means "Northern Sea". There are also corresponding "Central...

Chaoyang Park is a park located on the site of the former Prince's Palace in Beijing's Chaoyang District. The park's construction began in 1984 with it eventually growing to become Beijing's largest park. It is approximately 2.8 km in length and approximately 1.5 km in width. It has a total area of 288.7 hectares, and a water surface area of 68.2 hectares. The majority of land in the park is used as green space. It features flower gardens, fairground with rides, including a roller coaster, landscaped areas and several large swimming pools. Bicycles and boats may also be hired at various locations in the park.

The National Museum of China flanks the eastern side of Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. The mission of the museum is to educate about the arts and history of China. It is directed by the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China. The Museum of Chinese History covers Chinese history from the Yuanmou Man of 1.7 million years ago to the end of the Qing Dynasty (the last imperial dynasty) The National Museum of China contains over 620,385 cultural items in its permanent art collection, and the museum displays many precious and rare Chinese historical artifacts that are not found in many other museums in China and around the world. Some of the most important collections at the National Museum of China are the "Simuwu Ding" (a form of vessel) from the Shang Dynasty, which was cast over 3,000 years ago and weighing 832.84 kg, and it is the heaviest ancient b...

The Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution, or China People's Revolution Military Museum is a museum located in Beijing (China), immediately west of central Beijing in the Haidian District. It displays restored military equipment from the history of the People's Liberation Army, up to and including modern-day machinery. The museum's four floors include ten halls, the largest of which is the Hall of Weapons. The Hall's extensive holdings of antiquated weaponry showcase domestic and foreign weapons, including blades, small arms, artillery, tanks, armored personnel carriers, anti-air weaponry, jet fighters, rockets and rocket launchers, and cruise missiles. Foreign weapons include: Soviet tanks purchased or donated during the 1950's and 1960's, American weaponry captured from the KMT during the Chinese Civil War and from UN forces during the Korean War, and Japanese wea...

Badaling is the site of the most visited section of the Great Wall of China, approximately 50 miles (80 km) NW of Beijing city in Yanqing County, which is within the Beijing municipality. The portion of the wall running through the site was built during the Ming Dynasty, along with a military outpost reflecting the location's strategic importance. The portion of the wall at Badaling has undergone heavy restoration, and in 1957 it was the first section of the wall to open to tourists. Now visited annually by millions, the immediate area has seen significant development, including hotels, restaurants, and a cable car. The recently completed Badaling Expressway connects Badaling with central Beijing. People can buy tickets at Beijing North Railway Station to Badaling Station. A bus also runs frequently from Deshengmen to Badaling.