| "Beiping" of Ming & Qing Dynasty |
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On August 2, 1368, Ming troops seized Dadu and renamed it Beiping (Northern Peace). Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), however, made Nanjing his first capital. Beginning in 1406, Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty spent 15 years constructing walls 12 meters high and 10 meters thick at their base around the city of Beiping. The construction of palace buildings and gardens began in 1417 and was completed in 1420. The following year, Emperor Yongle formally transferred the capital from Nanjing to Beiping and, for the first time, named the city Beijing (Northern Capital). |
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Extensive reconstruction work was carried out in Beiping during the first years of the Ming Dynasty. The northern city walls were shifted 2.5 kilometers to the south. Evidence of great advances in city planning is the district known as the Inner (Tartar) City. The Outer or Chinese City to the south was built during the reign of Emperor Jiajing (1522-1566), adding to the rectangular city a slightly wider base in the south. |
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| "modern Beijing" Founded in Three Dynasty |
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When the Manchus founded the Qing Dynasty in 1644, they began to build suburban gardens, the most famous of which was Yuanmingyuan. Construction over the course of an entire century, the imposing columned palaces and open-air pavilions blended with the serenity of well¡§Cplanned gardens" to create a masterpiece of garden architecture unrivaled in the history of China.
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A city plan was first laid out in the Yuan Dynasty. Yet only after extensive reconstruction during the Ming and Qing (1644-1911), did the city emerge as an architectural masterpiece fit to serve as the capital of the Chinese empire. A north-south axis bisects the city with the Imperial Palace was knows as Danei (The Great Within).
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In the Ming Dynasty, it was renamed the Forbidden City (Zijincheng), and more recently it has come to be called the Palace Museum (Gugong). Designed with thousands of halls and gates arranged symmetrically around a north¡§Csouth axis, its dimensions and luxuriance are a fitting symbol of the power and greatness of traditional China. |
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| Beijing, Capital of the Peoplo's Republic of China |
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After the collapse of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, China fell prey to the Northern Warlords and Kuomintang, Beijing suffered the same fate as the rest of China, hobbling along like an old camel without a sense of direction. The Chinese People's Liberation Army formally entered Beijing on January 31, 1949, opening a new chapter in the long history of the city. It was in Tian'anmen Square on October 1st, 1949, that Chairman Mao Zedong proclaimed the establishment of the People's Republic of China, with Beijing as its capital. |
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The city has changed totally since then. It has expanded from its old confines within the nine gates of the Inner City wall (Zhengyangmen, Chongwenmen, Xuanwumen, Chaoyangmen, Dongzhimen, Fuchengmen, Xizhimen, Andingmen and Deshengmen) to the seven outer gates (Dongbianmen, Guangqumen, Xibianmen, Guang'anmen, Yongdingmen, Zuoanmen and Youanmen) and out into the suburbs, Beijing now covers an area of about 750 square kilometers, which includes a dozen new living districts built on the outskirts of town.
Tiananmen Square is still the center of Beijing, Chang'an Boulevard now running 38 kilometers from Shijingshan in the west to Tongxian in the east. The palaces and city towers along both sides have been designated cultural relics for national protection. Former imperial residences and gardens have been opened for public viewing.
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Now, Beijing prides itself on its abundant tourist resources. The city has some 200 scenic spots available for tourists. It is home to the Forbidden City, the world's largest royal residence, the Temple of Heaven where Chinese emperors worshiped heaven, the Summer Palace the royal garden, the Great Wall at Badaling, Mutianyu and Simatai and the world's largest courtyard Prince Gong's Residence.
Beijing was regarded by the national tourist authority as one of the most attractive tourist destinations in China. That's right. Everywhere you will encounter smiling faces and a warm welcome, especially from the children who love to say 'Hello!' All these things add up to truly make your visit a cultural experience of a lifetime.
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