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Beijing is the capital of the People's Republic
of China. It is not only the nation's political centre, but also its
cultural, scientific and educational heart and a key transportation
hub. Beijing has served as a capital for more than 800 years. The
city has many places of historic interest and scenic beauty, including
the Forbidden City , the largest and best-preserved
ancient architectural complex in the world; the Temple
of Heaven, where Ming and Qing emperors performed solemn rituals
for bountiful harvests; the Summer Palace, the emperors' magnificent
garden retreat; the Ming tombs, the stately and majestic
mausoleums of 13 Ming Dynasty emperors; and the world-renowned and
genuinely inspiring Badaling section of the Great Wall.
Large-scale construction since the founding of the People's Republic
of China in 1949 has brought great changes to Beijing. Today's Beijing
still retains the alluring fascination of an ancient capital, but
has added a small forest of skyscrapers and a complete range of municipal
facilities, transforming itself into an attractively modern metropolis
redolent of history.
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The Forbidden
City, off-limits to most of the world for 500 years, is the
biggest and best preserved cluster of ancient buildings in China.
Although the 'hundred surnames', or hoi polloi, are now permitted
entrance, its original owners, the emperors of the Ming and
Qing dynasty, insulated themselves from the masses and maintained
a rigid one-way communications flow. Regal fiats from the nerve
centre of the country were delivered to peasant subjects |
| beyond
the wall by eunuchs and other powerful court officials. No communications
flowed the other way thus re-enforcing the difference between
inner and outer, secrecy and openness, the divine and the mortal,
subject and emperor. The old world of beautiful concubines and
priapic emperors, ball-breaking (and -broken) eunuchs and conspicuous
wealth, still hovers around the lush gardens, courtyards, pavilions
and great halls of the palace.[Back to top] |
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Tiantan Park is
an icon of such enduring value that it shorthand the entire
city. The park's classic Ming architecture gives it heaps of
symbolic value and the name has been used to brand products
from tiger balm to plumbing fixtures, as well as decorating
a plethora of tourist literature. It's set in a 267hectares
(660acres) park, with four gates at the cardinal points, and
abounded by walls to the north and east. It originally functioned
as a |
| vast stage for
solemn rites and rituals. All of the buildings in the park,
including the Round Altar, the Imperial Vault of Heaven and
the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests are tangible conversations
between the gods and mortals. Unlike the 'she'll be right, mate'
chookpens slapped together by Uncle Nev, these buildings are
carefully thought out paeans to ancient gods and beliefs; fengshui,
numerology, cosmology and religion all played a part in their
original construction, and the result is an awesome display
of god in the architecture and the devil in the detail. Tiantan
Park remains an important meeting place and many city dwellers
start the day with a spot of t'ai chi, dancing or game-playing
in the park. By 9am the park reverts to being just a park so
get there early if you want to see what Beijingers do before
breakfast.[Back to top] |
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The Summer Palace
with its cool features - water, gardens and hills - was place
of choice for vacationing emperors and Dowager Empresses. It
was badly damaged by Anglo-French troops during the Second Opium
War (1860) and its restoration became a pet project of the Empress
Dowager Cixi, last of the Qing dynasty rulers. Money earmarked
for a modern navy was used for the project but, in a bit of
whimsical irony, the only thing that was |
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the restoration of a marble boat. The boat now sits at the edge
of the lake in all its immobile and nonmilitary glory. The Palace's
full restoration was hampered by the disintegration of the Qing
dynasty and the Boxer Rebellion. The place is packed to the
gunwales in summer with Beijing residents taking full advantage
of Kunming Lake, which takes up three-quarters of the park.
The main building is the lyrically named Hall of Benevolence
& Longevity, while along the north shore is the Long Corridor
so named because it's, um, long. There's over 700m (2300ft)
of corridor, filled with mythical paintings and scenes. If some
of the paintings have a new patina, that's because many of the
murals were painted over during the Cultural Revolution. [Back to top] |
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The Ming Tombs
are the mausoleums of 13 Ming Dynasty emperors after the Ming
capital was shifted to Beijing. Located at the southern foot
of Tianshou Mountain in Changping County, Beijing, the Ming
tombs cover an area of about 120 square kilometers. With a plain
belt in the middle, the Tombs area is surrounded with mountains
and right in front of the Tombs is a winding river. The construction
of the first tomb, Ding Ling Tomb, was started |
| on the seventh
year in Ming Emperor Yongle's reign (1409) and the construction
lasted for a period of more than 200 years. Except for the cultural
relics that were unearthed, other things that are exhibited
include the Ding Ling Tomb's construction history, process of
excavation, the life stories of the emperor and the empress
and grand scenes of offering sacrifices to the imperial tomb.
[Back to top] |
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The Great Wall,
the symbol of the Chinese nation, stretches 6,350 kilometers
from Shanhaiguan Pass on the east coast to Jiayuguan Pass in
the Gobi Desert. It is classified as a world Cultural Heritage.
The best preserved and most imposing section of the wall is
at Badaling, 80 kilometers north of Beijing, but the magnitude
and beauty of the wall can also be seen at Jinshanling, Mutianyu,
and Simatai. [Back to top] |
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| Beijing food or
Northern is a combination of different areas varieties namely
Hebei, Shangdong, Lower Yangzi River area, Inner Mongolia and
Xinjiang. |
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Some methods of
cooking are barbecuing, deep-boiling, roasting, smoking and
braising. Local products such as garlic, ginger, leeks, pork,
spring onions, bean sauce, different spices, chilies, vegetables,
particularly the Northern white cabbage, together with duck,
pork, chicken, seafood, beef, and lamb are used to make many
varieties of gourmet dishes. |
| Examples
of Dishes |
Peking
Duck, Mongolian Hot Pot with Lamb or Beef, Sautéed Mutton
with Scallion, Muslim Skewered Mutton, Shandong Chicken with
Abalone and Cabbage, to mention but a few. |
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The cuisine of
the Old Imperial Palace was similar that of the last dynasty,
but using highly refined and rare ingredients. |
| Accompaniment to Meals
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| Wheat products
such as noodles, bread, and dumplings are eaten with meals. |
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Beijing attracts
world attention with its growing prosperity, and its closer
links with world affairs. Through more than 40 years of construction,
Beijing has changed from a consumer-city to a major city with
various industries. With China's reform and opening up, Beijing
is improving urban construction on an unprecedented scale. Its
speed of development is astonishing and it brings about changes
day by day. Around this graceful ancient capital, a large number
of key national projects, massive infrastructure buildings and
modem residential houses have sprung up. Beijing has flung its
door wide open to friends from all over the world. |
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Beijing is situated
at 40 degrees north latitude and 116 degrees of longitudes.
It is 43 meters above sea level and 183 kilometers from the
sea. Beijing covers an area of 16,800 square kilometers, 38%
of it is flat land and 62% mountains. Beijing’s climate is defined
as "continental monsoon." The four seasons are distinctly
recognizable. Spring and autumn is the best time to be in Beijing,
particularly in the months of April, May, September and |
October. Autumn
is considered to be the best time to visit Beijing as the skies
are clear and the weather is very comfortable. The four seasons
are very clear in Beijing with a temperate spring, rainy summer,
clear autumn, and a cold, snowy winter. The average temperature
throughout the year is 11.80. The coldest month is January with
an average temperature of -4.60 and the hottest month is July
at an average temperature of 26.10. The average precipitation
in a year is 644 mm. The frost-free period is 180-days.
Bilingual weather information can be obtained by dialing 121
when in Beijing.
The historic climate data of Beijing in September: |
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Average
temperaure
(°C) |
Average precipitation
(mm) |
Average humidity
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Most extreme
low temperature
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Most extreme
high temperature
(°C) |
Sunlight
percentage
(°C) |
| 20.0 |
45.5 |
68 |
4.3 |
32.6 |
63 |
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Peking Duck has
the reputation of being the most delicious food Beijing has
to offer. Some find it a bit too greasy, but others get hooked
after one taste. In any case, a Peking Duck dinner is usually
a fixed item on any Beijing tour itinerary. Eating Peking Duck
is also one of the two things you are absolutely supposed to
do while in Beijing. The other one is climbing the Great Wall.
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The place that
offers the best Peking Duck is the Quan Ju De Restaurant, which
has outlets at Qianmen, Hepingmen and Wangfujing. It was established
130 years ago and, if you count from the time when founder Yang
Renquan began his duck business, it is 160 years old.
At Quan Ju De, ducks are immersed in condiments unique to the
restaurant and are roasted directly over flames stoked by fruit-tree
wood. The best roasted duck is date-red, shining with oil, but
with a crisp skin and tender meat.
The chef then cuts the meat into thin slices, each having a
piece of skin. Then the meat is served with very thin pancakes,
Chinese onions and special sauce. The way to eat it is to coat
the thin pancake with sauce, slap on a few pieces of meat and
roll up the pancake. Chopsticks are optional: it is much easier
just to grab the thing with your bare hands.
Another famous restaurant offering Peking duck is the Bian Yi
Fang (Cheap Restaurant), which opened in 1855, nine years earlier
than Quan Ju De. At Bian Yi Fang, roasting is done in an enclosed
container fueled with crop stalks.
There are now hundreds of restaurants serving Peking Duck all
over the city. Most of these restaurants offer ducks for 38
yuan a piece, cheaper that at the larger places. |
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Imperial Court
Food is a style of Chinese food that has its origins in the
Imperial Palace. It is based on the foods that were served to
the Emperor and his court. Now, it has become a major school
of Chinese cooking and there are several places where you can
sample this unique flavor. Fang Shan in Beihai Park and Ting
Li Guan in the Summer Palace are the best ones. 150 years ago
you would never have been able to eat this stuff, so give it
a shot. It is a little expensive, however. |
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This first type
of food is particular to Beijing. In the past, Beijing officials
were all very picky about what type of food they ate. The most
famous type of Official food is Tan Family Food, which can be
had in the Beijing Hotel. This is the preferred food of the
Qing Dynasty official Tan Zongling, and was later introduced
into restaurants. Another type of food is that which is described
in the classic novel Dream of Red Mansions. The author, Cao |
Xueqin, described
a number of dishes in the book and now there are several restaurants
which serve this style of dish. The most famous place is the
Beijing Grand View Garden Hotel. This hotel is right next to
the Beijing’s Grand View Garden which is modeled after the garden
described in the Dream of Red Mansions. Other restaurants featuring
this novel type of food are the Jinglun Hotel and Laijinyuxuan
Restaurant in Zhongshan park.
There are hundreds of dishes that are medicated with such choice
tonic materials as ginseng, deer musk, bear’s paw, Chinese wolf
berry and soft-shelled turtle, the cream of the crop of Chinese
medicine. The "Yang Sheng Zhai" Restaurant of Xiyuan
Hotel has the best reputation among such food. Although it has
been changed to Sichuan Restaurant, it still offers medicinal
foods. |
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There are basically
two kinds of hotpot restaurants in Beijing: Mongolian style
and Sichuan style. The staple of both types of hotpot is mutton
(yang rou). The meat is usually sliced frozen so that it curls
up into a tube shape. Then you place the meat into the hotpot,
which is a copper pot containing a boiling soup base. After
a few seconds the meat is cooked and you dip it into a sesame
butter sauce. The verb describing the action of cooking the
meat this |
way is called
"shuan." Other shuan-ables include beef (fei niu),
frozen tofu (dong dofu), Chinese cabbage (bai cai), bean sprouts
(dou miao), and glass noodles (fen si). Spicy Sichuan hotpot
has a soup base which can be described as either superspicy
or mildly radioactive, but the pot is often divided into half
spicy, half non-spicy soup pots. The soup base for Mongolian
style is not spicy, and usually consists of some vegetables
and seafood.
Famous Mongolian style hotpot restaurants are Neng Ren Ju at
Baitasi, and Dong Lai Shun to the east of Tian’anmen Square.
The most well-known Sichuan style hotpot restaurant is Jin Shan
Cheng, of which there are many scattered throughout the city.
Recently there has been an explosion of buffet-style hotpot
restaurants. Generally you pay a set price (often around 38
yuan) for an all-you-can-eat meal. All-you-can-drink beer is
included in the price too! |
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Beijing has over
250 types of traditional snack foods. Many of them are made
of glutinous rice, soy beans or fried materials. The king of
all snack foods is called "dou zhi." This is a strange-tasting,
greenish-grey, fermented bean porridge, and if you can manage
to eat a whole bowl of it you will earn great respect from your
Beijing friends. For a taste of snack foods from outside of
Beijing, take a trip to Snack Street, just off of Wangfujing
Street. Starting from about 5:00pm, the vendors line up in their
stalls and start selling foods from all parts of the country. |
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