72 hours in Beijing

The current and ancient capital of China, Beijing (Peking) is an enormous city hosting a collection of traditional Chinese culture and architecture.

Wangfujing

While high-end and internationally recognized brand names and department stores can be found in Wangfujing, of one of Beijings most famous shopping districts, the real hidden gem in this area is the traditional street market located off the main street.

Tiananmen Square

The largest city square in the world, Tiananmen Square has been the venue of several significant Chinese events throughout history such as the May Fourth Movement in 1919,  the proclamation of the People’s Republic of China by Mao Zedong on October 1, 1949 and the protests of 1989, which resulted in military suppression and the deaths of many protestors.

Tiananmen Gate Tower

The Great Hall of the People

The National Museum of China

Mausoleum of Mao Zedong

Forbidden City

For almost 500 years, the Forbidden City served as the Chinese imperial palace and home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government.

Built in the early 1400s the complex, which exemplifies traditional Chinese architecture, consists of 980 buildings covering a total of 7,800,000 sq ft. It’s style has influence cultural and architectural developments throughout East Asia and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987 by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.

The Great Wall

The Great Wall is an amalgamation of a series of wall sections built from as early as the 7th century BC. These sections run east to west along northern China and were used in ancient times to protect the Chinese Empire.

Though some parts of the wall – particularly the sections around Beijing – have been preserved for tourism, most of the once unified wonder of the world been destroyed from wars, erosion and governmental neglect.

The following are photographs of the Juyongguan Pass section located in the northwestern part of Beijing.